Middletown school project on schedule as architects finalize construction documents; community groups face short-term disruption

MIDDLETOWN, Feb. 26, 2025 — Architects and project staff told the Middletown School Building Committee on Wednesday that construction documents for the town’s new middle/high school and elementary school are nearly complete and the project remains on its $190 million budget, while officials outlined remaining permitting, utility and scheduling tasks and short-term impacts for some community sports groups.

The update, delivered during the committee’s Feb. 26 meeting, said 100% construction documents are scheduled for completion next Friday and that the project team expects to begin procurement and early site work soon. Committee members were also told that stormwater revisions, a pending curb-cut letter from the Department of Transportation and utility easements remain outstanding and must be resolved before full mobilization.

The architects showed exterior renderings and site views of the combined campus layout and said design work intends to break up building massing and vary materials to reduce a blocky appearance. Staff said the fenestration includes a mix of fixed and operable windows and that shared spaces such as a cafeteria connector will use metal paneling. The design team noted they are preparing materials for an upcoming planning board review and for a later submission for administrative approval.

On regulatory and utility items, the committee was told the Department of Environmental Management provided comments on stormwater and the team is revising drainage plans. A formal curb-cut approval from DOT is still expected; town staff described that as largely a formality given recent DOT work at the entrances. The project team also reported they are awaiting easements from Rhode Island Energy to bring new service to the site and reminded the committee that establishing new permanent power service can take 12 to 18 months, so early coordination with the utility is underway.

Officials also discussed energy-code compliance and said the project team is proposing to use the 2018 energy code for code compliance review. The owners’ representative reported submitting a stage 3 package to “Bridal” on Feb. 13 and said follow‑up meetings are being scheduled for both the middle/high and elementary school submissions.

The project’s scoring under the CHIPS (Construction Incentive/Points) review was discussed. Staff said the CHIPS score had started as high as 94, dipped to 91 during the design-development review, and was subsequently raised to 93 after adjustments. Committee members characterized CHIPS as an aspirational scoring system used to encourage higher building standards; the town is seeking points above the statutory minimum where feasible.

Project schedule and mobilization: staff said they aim to have 100% construction documents by March 7 and expect an early site-work package to allow rapid mobilization afterward. Gilbane (the construction manager identified by the team) is preparing a buyout and mobilization schedule. Staff said some work may occur during school breaks in future years but not in the current summer, and that exact sequencing of construction tasks will be provided as the contractor’s schedule is finalized.

Budget and expenditures: the committee was told the project remains planned within a $190,000,000 budget. Expenditures to date were reported as a little under $10,000,000 and total anticipated costs were shown as over $178,000,000; staff reiterated the plan is to fully spend to the approved $190,000,000 figure.

Community impacts and mitigation: committee members raised the imminent displacement of the Middletown Pop Warner football league, which has about 300 participants and will lose use of an on-site field once construction begins. Staff said they are coordinating with town recreation and school athletic staff to identify alternative locations for practices and games, including fields with lighting for night practice, and will meet with the athletic director and community representatives to reduce disruption. Officials said other user groups (lacrosse, soccer and outside organizations) are being contacted as needed and that efforts are under way to identify available turf and lit practice spaces.

Landscape and site features: the landscape architect has proposed an outdoor classroom space that could combine typical outdoor-learning elements and small-scale edible plantings. The team said they reviewed an orchard option but identified maintenance and long-term upkeep concerns; the design team is working on a revised concept that would provide an outdoor classroom usable by both middle- and high-school students.

Project labor agreement (PLA) update: the town issued a request for qualifications and received three proposals for legal support on a project labor agreement. The review committee (which included the town solicitor, the school’s attorney and an outside construction attorney) determined two firms qualified and recommended awarding the work to Pinon, Lopes, Devereux and O'Gara. Committee members were told that recommendation will go to the Town Council for action at its March 3 meeting; the committee did not take a final vote on the award itself.

Votes and procedural items: the committee approved the Feb. 12 meeting minutes by voice vote and later moved to adjourn; both motions carried. The committee confirmed its next meeting for March 12 at 5 p.m. and noted that the planning board hearing on the project was scheduled for the evening of Feb. 26.

The committee’s discussion emphasized advancing permit approvals and utility coordination early to avoid schedule slips, and members asked staff to continue close coordination with community sports groups and the schools to manage the temporary field loss and other impacts.

Next steps: staff said they will continue revisions requested by DEM, expect the DOT curb-cut correspondence shortly, pursue Rhode Island Energy easements, follow up with Bridal on administrative submissions, and deliver the contractor’s detailed mobilization and buyout schedule once available.