Central Falls committee approves Stage 3 design submission and expedited demolition review for new dual-language school

The Central Falls School Building Committee voted to submit the Stage 3 design development package and an accelerated abatement/demolition review for the new dual-language school and the demolition of the existing Central Falls High School.

Committee members approved a bundled motion to send both the construction design documents and the expedited demo/abatement package to RIDE for review. The motion was made during the meeting and approved by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded during the meeting.

Why it matters: the approvals advance procurement steps that would clear the way for an early abatement and demolition contract and the start of major site work. Presenters said the team is targeting a February bid window for the abatement/demo package with contractor mobilization on or near April 1, though members repeatedly cautioned the date is ambitious.

What the committee heard: Erica, the owners’ project manager, summarized construction progress at the new high school: lighting, millwork and painting are under way; the auditorium is being finished but some equipment installation has been delayed until January; elevator installation and HVAC commissioning will begin this month with owner training and FF&E installation scheduled for January ahead of a tentative Feb. 23 first day of school. She said the owners contingency stood at about $858,000 and that approved change orders total roughly $940,000 with about $354,000 under review.

Justin and Julie presented the abatement and demolition plan. Justin described the early-demo contractor scope: secure the site with construction fencing, implement stormwater controls, complete hazardous‑materials abatement (roof, interior and other tested components) following state and board-of-health protocols (approximately three months for abatement followed by demolition), and leave the fence in place through vertical construction. The team said the approach intends not to export on-site soils during demo and to grade disturbed material on site.

On the schedule and logistics, several members urged more time for district staff and community stakeholders to remove memorabilia and furniture and for legal/asset‑disposition steps to be completed. “The goal is April 1,” said Speaker 5, noting that the date is not necessarily a hard deadline but that an RFP will likely state a firm mobilization date. Speaker 5 and others warned the timeline is "remarkably aggressive" and asked for contingency planning and clearer pickup/auction procedures for items that will not move to other district buildings.

Financials and next steps: the committee was shown a separate demo/abatement estimate of about $3.9 million; new construction estimates were presented as a subtotal near $37 million and a total hard‑cost estimate just over $46 million when soft costs and builder risk are added. The presenters said value‑engineering and deduct alternates have reduced the estimate by roughly $554,000, keeping the program under the stated $61,700,000 target at present. The board authorized submitting the Stage 3 design development and the expedited demo package to RIDE; the committee noted subsequent approvals are required from the full board of trustees and the city council.

Procedure note: the approvals recorded in this meeting were voice votes with no roll‑call tallies recorded in the meeting transcript. If a recorded vote is required by later agendas or by the city, that record will appear in the trustee or council proceedings.

What’s next: the team will finalize the RFP and bid documents, coordinate a public schedule for alumni salvage and property disposition, and return with bid results and updated cost estimates when the abatement/demo early package is complete.