Central Falls committee pauses demolition vote after bids exceed budget; high school near turnover

The Central Falls School Building Committee on Thursday paused two agenda votes after demolition bids arrived higher than budgeted, and received a construction update showing the new high school is in turnover to the district.

Eric, a project representative, told the committee the project received a temporary certificate of occupancy on Feb. 19 and the district now has 60 days to complete open items identified by the building official. "We do have 60 days to complete the open items that they've identified that are required," Eric said, noting none are life-safety issues. He said the contractor and project team are targeting substantial completion by April vacation to drive down a punch list that has grown to about 2,500 items, with roughly 700 already closed.

Project staff summarized site and finish work still to be completed, including exterior landscaping and a second-floor patio decking they expect to install during April vacation. Eric also described recent change orders and contingency projections, saying the team was projecting to use about 81% of the hard-cost contingency at present and that the largest recent change order addressed an ADA safety issue on Lonsdale and Higginson Avenues where temporary paving was required.

On the track-and-field work, staff said Narragansett Improvement was the lowest qualified bidder and that the retaining-wall submittal was near final approval; they estimated 12–14 weeks to receive steel and said the retaining wall must be complete by August to bring the track vendor on line in September.

When the committee opened bids for demolition and abatement of an existing building, staff reported three bids and said the results were over the project's projected demolition budget. "We are over the projected budget number that we were always carrying in our overall project budget," the project lead said, and recommended removing the abatement/demolition award and the 60% construction-document submission from today's agenda so the team can rework the budget and return for a vote at the April 1 meeting.

The committee approved bundled payments for four reimbursement requests that were on the agenda. A motion to bundle and approve the invoices (high school bond reimbursement no. 31, bond no. 32 for parcel acquisition, an FEI boost reimbursement and a FEI 2023 closeout) passed after a second and a voice vote. Staff had earlier listed bond reimbursement request no. 31 at $3,019,625.38 and the bond no. 32 parcel acquisition at $174,630.

Members also heard reports on workforce inclusion and procurements: committee member Matt Jurczyk said apprenticeship utilization on the high school project is between 19% and 20%, above the project's 15% goal. Eric reported combined minority- and women-owned business participation at 14.61% of total project value and noted the state's goal structure (7.5% MBE and 7.5% WBE) and the city's higher aspirational target.

Finally, the committee discussed FEI-funded items and furniture procurement timing for the high school's exterior and dual-language program elements. Staff described plans to reallocate remaining FEI award dollars from theatrical equipment toward the track-and-field budget and to continue design coordination so furniture could be in place before the 2026–27 school year if procurement and approvals proceed on schedule. The meeting adjourned after a motion to close the session; the project team will return with budget options and bid qualifications at the next scheduled meeting.