Cranston school official urges support for $25 million bond to fix aging roofs, boilers and HVAC

Anthony Malo, vice chairman of the Cranston Public School Committee, urged the Cranston City Council on June 9 to back a school facilities bond, saying a March 2026 district building assessment identified urgent needs that cannot be delayed.

"When roofs fail, the damage doesn't stop at the roof," Malo told the council, listing more than $12 million in roof replacements and nearly $18 million in immediate heating and HVAC needs identified in the assessment. He said some boilers date to the 1960s and 1970s and cited one primary boiler installed in 1933.

The request is part of a multi-category bonding package the administration presented to the council. Director Stum explained that the council's vote tonight would authorize the city to seek bonding authority and, if approved by the General Assembly, to place the question on the November ballot for voter approval. "This is only for authority," Stum said, adding that specific projects would return to the council for final approval before the city issues bonds.

Malo framed the bond as targeted, not a full rebuild: the district assessment estimated replacing all schools over 50 years old at roughly $941 million, he said, but the committee is asking for investments that extend building life and protect existing taxpayer investments. "We are not asking for that. We are asking for targeted investments that extend the life of our buildings and preserve educational opportunities," Malo said.

Director Stum outlined the administration's proposed authorization amounts for the package: $25 million for schools, $8 million for public safety, $2 million for public buildings, $4 million for parks and recreation, $8 million for highway work and $4 million for storm drains. Stum cautioned that these figures are authorizations to put on the ballot; if voters approve them in November, the council will still approve specific projects and the timing of bond issuance.

Council members pressed for more detail on why the school ask was $25 million rather than a larger figure discussed earlier. Stum and the mayor said the administration balanced project needs against the city's fiscal position and existing authority; they noted that existing unissued school bonding authority is limited and that the city typically phases projects over several years to keep debt service manageable.

Malo closed by asking the council to support the school component as a way to protect long-term investments in city schools and prevent costlier emergency repairs later.