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RIDE urges North Kingstown to consider lower-cost middle school options as Stage 2 review continues
Summary
A RIDE operations team told the North Kingstown School Committee that earlier cost estimates for the Wakefield/Wickford middle-school project are higher than comparable projects and urged the district to evaluate lower-cost options — including adding a third floor — to increase the chance of state reimbursement.
Representatives from the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) told the North Kingstown School Committee on March 18 that cost estimates submitted for the district’s Stage 2 middle-school application appear high compared with similar projects across the state and recommended that the district explore lower-cost design options to improve reimbursement prospects.
Mario Carreno, RIDE’s Chief Operations Officer, and Brian LeMay, senior project manager, briefed the committee on the multi-stage state reimbursement process. Carreno said Stage 1 is an identification of need; Stage 2 is the solutions phase. He told the committee, “Once you are approved this May, you would enter into a contract with RIDE. It’s known as the memorandum agreement. It gives you five years to do your projects.”
RIDE reviewers flagged the district’s submitted square-foot cost as higher than typical statewide benchmarks and questioned contingency layers and unusually high demolition estimates. The RIDE team encouraged district architects to present alternative designs — notably recommending a three-story option — because “it’s cheaper to build up than it is to build out” and that could materially increase the portion of the project that qualifies for RIDE reimbursement.
RIDE also said design approvals continue after Stage 2: schematic design, design development and 60% construction documents are reviewed before final reimbursement determinations. Committee members asked whether changes in Stage 3 must return to RIDE for approval; Carreno said Stage 3 designs do require RIDE review and approval.
Why it matters: The district is seeking reimbursement for a large capital project; RIDE’s percentage reimbursement depends on project cost and scope. RIDE’s advise to evaluate lower-cost configurations could preserve district funds for other needed projects across the elementary schools if the project can be brought closer to state-typical per-square-foot costs.
Next steps: RIDE said it would provide written feedback on submitted documents; the district will pursue revised cost and design options and expects further RIDE feedback in April ahead of May consideration.
