Middletown committee recommends awards for dozens of construction bid packages, sets June 9 groundbreaking

MIDDLETOWN — The Middletown School Building Committee on May 14 recommended awarding multiple bid packages for the town’s elementary school complex and the middle–high school project, approving mechanical, plumbing, site, fire-suppression and other contracts and accepting an alternate to add a second elevator at the middle school wing. The committee also set a groundbreaking ceremony for June 9 at 10 a.m. and moved several items to the next meeting for further review.

The recommendations to award (RTAs) covered portions of both the elementary school complex and the middle–high school. Committee members approved contractor recommendations from Colliers Project Leaders and Bentley Companies and advanced the contracts to the town council as part of the next steps toward a guaranteed maximum price (GMP).

Why it matters: The votes move the district closer to full buyout of subcontract packages and toward beginning site work. Committee members and project staff repeatedly said the awards will allow site mobilization and schedule-critical work to proceed while alternates and remaining scopes continue to be evaluated.

Most significant actions and context

- Elementary school complex: The committee recommended awards for multiple bid packages for the elementary school complex, including demolition and abatement, fire suppression, site work, plumbing, and doors/frames/hardware. Project staff noted alternates 1–4 remain under evaluation and that some alternates — such as an elevator — have procurement timing constraints that staff will track.

- Middle–high school: The committee recommended awards for elevator, fire suppression, plumbing and HVAC packages for the middle–high school phase. The committee also accepted components of Alternate 9 (to provide a hoistway and elevator in the middle-school wing in lieu of storage rooms) and approved proceeding with the elevator procurement immediately because of schedule constraints. Staff said remaining components of Alternate 9 (masonry, finishes, electrical) are still being finalized and will be handled in subsequent RTAs.

- Project milestones and contracts: Staff reported that the construction documents for portions of the project are being submitted to permitting authorities, that project buyout is substantially underway, and that a materials-testing and special-inspections contract has been executed by the prime contractor and is pending final town signature. The committee confirmed a groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for June 9 at 10 a.m.

Votes at a glance (motions recommended/approved at the May 14 meeting)

- Elementary — Bid Package 01, Demolition & Abatement: recommended award to SiteCon Corporation for $814,000 (about $26,287 over the 60% CD budget of $787,713). Alternates 1–4 held for evaluation. Outcome: recommendation to award (motion carried).

- Elementary — Bid Package 003, Fire Suppression: recommended award to Environmental Systems Inc. for $901,500 (about $189,700 under the 60% CD budget of $1,091,200). Owner allowance noted: $25,000 for unforeseen conditions. Outcome: recommendation to award (motion carried).

- Elementary — Bid Package 004, Site Work: recommended award to Rycon for $201,402 (about $4,402 over the 60% CD budget of $197,000). No owner allowances. Outcome: recommendation to award (motion carried).

- Elementary — Bid Package 007, Plumbing: recommended award to RCL Mechanical for $288,344 (about $41,416 under the 60% CD budget of $329,750). Reported subcontractor allowances include slab cutting ($25,000), ground-penetrating radar ($3,500), and unforeseen plumbing connections ($20,000). Outcome: recommendation to award (motion carried).

- Elementary — Bid Package 009, Doors/Frames/Hardware: recommended award to Columbus Door Company for $187,400 (about $33,100 under the 60% CD budget of $220,500). Outcome: recommendation to award (motion carried).

- Middle–high — Bid Package 14a, Elevators: recommended award to Otis Elevator Company for $217,920 (about $148,424 under the 60% CD budget of $366,344). Committee accepted Alternate 9 (hoistway and elevator at middle school wing) at $178,080 and directed immediate procurement of the elevator portion because of schedule constraints; remaining alternate components to be finalized in later RTAs. Outcome: recommendation to award and acceptance of Alternate 9 (motion carried).

- Middle–high — Bid Package 21a, Fire Suppression: recommended award to Delta Mechanical Contractors LLC for $1,512,900 (about $665,055 under the 60% CD budget of $2,177,955). Reported minority business enterprise (MBE) participation: 10.11%. Outcome: recommendation to award (motion carried).

- Middle–high — Bid Package 22a, Plumbing: recommended award to Delta Mechanical Contractors LLC for $3,942,600 (about $1,944,406 under the 60% CD budget of $5,887,006). Reported women business enterprise (WBE) participation: 15.53%. Outcome: recommendation to award (motion carried).

- Middle–high — Bid Package 23a, HVAC: recommended award to Delta Mechanical Contractors LLC for $13,038,300 (about $4,640,207 under the 60% CD budget of $17,678,507). Committee recommended rejecting one alternate (Alternate 11) and accepting Alternate 9 in the amount of $10,500 for the elevator hoistway component; Alternates 1–8 and 10 were marked not applicable. Outcome: recommendation to award (motion carried).

- Middle–high — Bid Package 99a, Site Services (field office trailers): recommended award to Will Scott for $172,311. Outcome: recommendation to award (motion carried).

Other procedural actions

- The committee approved the meeting minutes for April 30, 2025.

- Item 002 and several scope items listed for the elementary complex (conveying equipment, drywall and carpentry) were moved (continued) to the next regular meeting for additional review.

Noted technical and budget details raised during discussion

- Staff reported that alternates remain under evaluation and emphasized schedule-driven decisions for long-lead items such as elevators. For Alternate 9 (second elevator at the middle school wing), staff reported partial pricing has been received for site work, concrete, steel, elevator, plumbing and HVAC; masonry, general trades, finishes and electrical values remain in review. The currently assembled values put Alternate 9 at roughly $407,000 (staff said the figure may vary slightly).

- Minority and women-owned business participation figures were reported on several packages: the middle–high fire suppression package carried 10.11% MBE participation; middle–high plumbing carried 15.53% WBE participation; middle–high HVAC carried 15.65% WBE participation (staff recommended rejecting Alternate 11 for additional WBE participation on that package).

- Staff said Rhode Island Energy offered on-bill repayment proposals for lighting and energy conservation measures for portions of the project; quoted estimated savings were about $24,000 per year (lighting on-bill repayment) and about $29,000 per year (energy conservation measures). Staff said those measures would be executed outside of bond funding and are pending town execution.

What’s next

Project staff said they will submit administrative approvals to the planning board and finalize remaining permit submissions; timeline for permit review was not specified. Staff will continue to vet alternate pricing and issue remaining RTAs; the town council will be asked to take the next formal steps on recommended awards. The committee scheduled its next meeting (moved from Wednesday to Thursday) and confirmed a June 9 groundbreaking at 10 a.m.

Ending

Committee members and project staff described the approvals as a step toward project buyout and site mobilization; several items remain under evaluation and will return to the building committee for further action. The committee adjourned after approving the evening’s motions.