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New Central Falls high school nears completion as finishes, systems and testing proceed
Summary
District staff reported substantial progress on the new high school’s shell, interior finishes and major systems, and described contingency items and pending change orders during the Central Falls School Building Committee meeting.
The Central Falls School Building Committee heard a construction update showing the new high school’s exterior and interior advancing toward completion, including window curtain wall installation, elevator shaft work, interior finishes and ongoing electrical, plumbing and fire-alarm installations.
Erica, staff member, told the committee the project team had selected Commodore blue and Positive Red as the school’s primary accent colors and is finalizing color elevations and 3-D perspectives so school leaders can visualize finishes together. “The team did select Commodore blue and positive red as the official kind of full colors that you'll see throughout the new high school,” Erica said.
The update detailed structural and systems milestones: one elevator shaft is completed, a second shaft is underway; sub-slab radon mitigation has been installed; curtain wall/windows are being placed; stairs and other vertical circulation elements are in place; and contractors are installing conduit, hangers and wiring as spaces are prepared to accept electrical systems. Erica said fire alarm installation and plumbing work are under way, and stair construction is progressing across multiple locations.
The committee packet also included budget-tracking and contingency information. Erica reported the project is tracking a construction balance of about 80 percent, inclusive of change orders already approved and others under review, and referenced a reimbursement request and invoices submitted as part of that accounting. She said contingency usage and change orders covered items such as Verizon full relocation, mechanical revisions and additional third-party field testing; the team elected to engage Steven Turner’s group for some envelope testing rather than the originally scoped third-party tester.
On related campus work, the track-and-field replacement design had paused briefly while the team vetted an impervious-membrane solution to mitigate environmental findings. Erica reported that Bridal (as noted in the packet) approved the proposed infiltration mitigation design and that retaining-wall work and coordination with naturalists and consultants continue.
Committee members asked clarifying questions about the financial tables and specific line items; Erica noted one apparent table error and said some amounts may change after an anticipated site visit.
The report emphasized that design coordination is ongoing: the design team and contractor meet weekly at the owner–architect–contractor (OAC) meetings and are reviewing submittals on site to resolve finish and coordination issues ahead of final signoffs.
The committee did not take any formal vote on construction items during this update; staff said several change orders remain under review and will return for committee action as required.
