High school update: planning board hearings set; early procurement packages, bond timing outlined

Town officials and the high school design team told the council they are pressing an accelerated schedule for the new South Kingstown High School and will bring several early procurement packages to market this summer.

Chris Spiegel, project executive from the construction manager team, and Kate Massonati, chair of the school building committee, briefed the council during the town manager's report. The team said the planning pre-application has been filed and an initial planning board hearing is scheduled for May 27 with a continuation on June 26 and an anticipated planning board approval target of July 26. The planning board voted to allow the project to combine the preliminary and master plan submissions to shorten the review timeline.

Design revisions prompted by public and committee feedback will give the building a more traditional appearance to better match the nearby Hazard Building; those updated renderings will be posted to the project website after the school building committee meets on Thursday.

Spiegel and the construction manager at-risk team said they expect to advertise early-release procurement packages on June 6 for long-lead items and major site work (foundations, steel, site work, some mechanical and electrical long-lead equipment), meet bidders for scope reviews in mid-July, and present a draft guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for committee and council consideration in August. Those early awards would be the first significant construction outlays (foundations, structural steel, major site work) and are the items the council will be asked to authorize in late summer.

Finance items tied to the schedule were discussed: the town plans to authorize the first series of bond anticipation notes in June and expects funding to be available then, with rating activity and paperwork already scheduled. The manager and finance director told the council they anticipate financing steps to align with the procurement schedule so work can proceed if bids are favorable.

Why it matters: early procurement packages and timing decisions will materially affect project costs and schedule; planning board approval months will determine the earliest permitting milestones and whether the team can meet internal schedule goals for opening in 2027.

What happens next: updated schematic renderings will be shared with the council and public; the planning board hearings on May 27 and June 26 are the next formal public milestones; early-release bidding and a GMP proposal are expected for August consideration.

Speakers at the school project update included the town manager and members of the school building committee plus the construction management and design team who provided schedule, permitting, and procurement details.