Cranston commission approves capital budget with amendments; school project, parks and public-safety items debated

Cranston City's capital budget commission met in a special session and approved the city's capital plan as amended, voting to fund school, public-works, fire, police (as amended), information-technology and library projects while removing two proposed projects: an indoor police shooting range and a dog park.

The commission's finance director described the package to commissioners as an "aggressive" capital improvement program that reflects worst-case borrowing assumptions while the city pursues grants, particularly for stormwater and other public-works work. The director said the city would use short-term notes and only go to the bond market about a year from now, borrowing only what is needed to fund projects.

Why it matters: The capital plan sets which large purchases and infrastructure projects the city will pursue and how they will be financed. Commissioners approved funding for several department proposals but amended and removed specific line items after debate about community impact, site readiness and necessity.

The school department asked the commission to finalize a carryover authorization tied to a larger bond authorization that dates back to an earlier program. As part of that, commissioners approved a $10 million allocation for the Apprenticeship Exploration School (AES) to complete renovations and program space for the charter school. Finance staff said the AES project is part of an existing $40 million balance from a previously authorized package; the city purchased a property identified as 4 Shop Drive for about $3,150,000 and has contracted Secosha and Associates for design and cost estimating. Lindsay Tavares, executive director of the Apprenticeship Exploration School, attended and thanked the commission for considering the project.

Parks and recreation director Steven Piscopello presented a multi-year list of…