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High school project team to pursue phased RIDE submissions; town council heard tariff concerns but steel sourcing expected to limit impact
Summary
Members of the school building committee reported progress on the South Kingstown high school project, including plans for phased submissions to RIDE, an April 9 public engagement session focused on abutters, and assurances that steel tariffs would not drastically increase overall project costs.
The South Kingstown School Committee received an update from its school building committee that the district plans to submit the high school project to the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) in phases so reimbursements can begin earlier and help with debt‑service cash flow.
The update also addressed concerns raised by town councilors about potential tariffs on imported steel. Project leadership, including construction manager Gilbane and architectural and planning consultants, told the town council that timber structural alternatives had been briefly considered but would materially change the project, lengthen the schedule and introduce sourcing challenges. The committee said it directed Gilbane to pursue American‑sourced steel where possible to avoid tariff exposure. Project staff also explained that a potential tariff would apply only to the steel portion of the cost and would represent a modest increase in the overall project budget rather than a 20% increase to the entire project.
Key points from the update: - The project team is considering phased submissions to RIDE, meaning discrete phases (for example, demolition of Curtis Corner) could be submitted and reimbursed earlier rather than waiting for the full project to be complete. - A public engagement session focused on abutters is scheduled for April 9 at South Kingstown High School; mailings to abutters have been sent. - Timber construction was investigated but viewed as impractical for schedule and sourcing reasons; the project team is focused on U.S. steel sources and is monitoring tariff risk. - Gilbane, LeftField (the owner’s project manager), Studio JADE and SLAM Collaborative are expected to present a fuller project update to the committee in April.
Committee members discussed whether a special meeting would be appropriate for a full presentation to avoid an overly long regular meeting. The building committee co‑chair said staff would coordinate with committee leadership to determine whether to schedule a special session.
Next steps: Project team to confirm availability of the full team for a comprehensive presentation to the committee in April; public engagement session for abutters on April 9; the building committee will evaluate phased submission options with the project manager and OPM.
