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Board approves 60% construction submission for new dual-language PreK–8 building; early demo contract awarded
Summary
The board approved submission of 60% construction documents for a new dual-language PreK–8 school on the former Central Falls High School site, heard that the early abatement/demolition contract was awarded to SNR Corporation and that demolition is beginning; the project budget was presented as roughly $61.6M with healthy contingency.
The Central Falls School District Board of Trustees voted June 1 to approve the submission of 60% construction documents to the Rhode Island Department of Education for a new dual-language PreK–8 school on the former Central Falls High School site.
Design and construction teams from Paragon Group and AI3 presented schedule updates, renderings, site plans and budget estimates. They reported that the early abatement and demolition package was awarded to SNR Corporation (site turnover May 19) and that contractors are beginning abatement and site fencing. The team emphasized safety protocols and asked community members not to trespass on the secured site.
At the 60% estimate stage the team presented a hard-construction estimate in the mid‑$40 million range and an overall project budget of about $61.6 million once soft costs and contingencies were included. The presenters said demolition bids were approximately $3.3 million and came in about $539,000 under the line held for it; that amount has been carried into project contingency. The design contingency line was slightly reduced following RIDE feedback (from 3% to 2.945%). The team identified roughly $750,000 in accepted value‑engineering items and listed additive alternates to be bid as optional add‑backs.
Board members asked about traffic, parking, staff parking, security measures during demolition (security cameras and contractor monitoring), ventilation for specialized rooms (kiln and telecom), acoustic treatment for the media center and gym, and the decision to exclude a permanent auditorium (a portable stage and sound system will be provided). The board and design team discussed ornamental fencing and privacy slats along certain edges.
The board approved the RIDE 60% submission by motion (mover: Hugo Figueroa; second: Tom Evans). The team said bidding for 100% documents is scheduled for late June with general contractor selection late summer; target substantial completion is spring 2028 and occupancy fall 2028.
Why it matters: The project replaces the former high school site with a new PreK–8 dual-language building and represents a major district capital investment. The early award of the abatement contract allows physical work to begin while final construction documents are completed and bid.
Next steps: SNR will proceed with abatement and demolition activities; the design team will complete 100% documents by end of June; the district will go to bid for vertical construction and report back on final bid results and any budget updates when available.
