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Building committee reports design development progress on new South Kingstown high school; schedule containment and cost‑saving measures discussed
Summary
School Building Committee member Kate Masananti reported the project has moved into design development with updated drawings that preserve the auditorium and reconfigure circulation and academic clustering; committee members emphasized cost containment, schedule risk and the district’s preference for a July completion to allow an orderly move.
Kate Masananti, representing the School Building Committee, updated the School Committee on progress in the design development phase for the new high school and said architects and construction managers have revised plans to preserve the auditorium and improve circulation and academic clustering.
Masananti said the design team (SLAM architects, Gilbane, Left Field and Studio Jade) produced updated drawings after value‑engineering and schematic design. She said designers were able to retain the auditorium with a balcony and to reconfigure hallways so large theater pieces could move inside from the CTE (career and technical education) space without going outdoors. The design also expands the three‑story academic areas to allow science classrooms to cluster together.
Masananti said the team found additional cost savings in other elements of the plan and is working to contain schedule slippage. "The biggest problem that we're faced with is when this completion date hits," she said, describing the district’s goal of avoiding a move between the very end of August and the start of school. She and other committee members said a July completion would allow a planned, staged move; an August or early September completion could force a rushed relocation around Labor Day.
Committee members praised the project team’s responsiveness and asked for further follow‑up, including design team presentations to the full committee and targeted meetings with program leads such as theater staff to confirm storage and stage access. Masananti said the committee will press for schedule containment and continue cost‑containment efforts while coordinating with town permitting and council processes.
