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Council presses for prioritizing soil remediation for Rogers High in bond language
Summary
Councilors debated allocating the bond description’s $10 million toward removal of a stockpiled soil pile at the Rogers High School site, citing resident complaints about a growing pile (variously described at 52,000–54,000 cubic yards) and differing remediation cost estimates.
Councilors spent an extended portion of the meeting focused on the excavated soil at the Rogers High School construction site and how a proposed $98.5 million municipal bond should prioritize remediation of that stockpile.
Councilor David Carlin urged that, if voters authorize $10 million in the bond description, the city should use that money "first to get rid of that soil," saying residents live with a pile he described as "approximately 54,000 cubic yards of toxic dirt." Carlin warned the school committees had at times indicated the soil might be reused but later reported they would not, and he cited a Navy removal at Melville that cost about $19 million for roughly a comparable volume.
Administration and other councilors probed the accuracy of reuse assumptions and the cost estimates. The city manager and staff said recent changes to DEM (Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management) thresholds might allow some reuse of soil but likely not enough to consume the entire stockpile. Finance staff said the city could potentially provide roughly $2 million from fund balance without harming bond ratings, but finding the remaining sums would require moving other items or using bond proceeds. The school building committee had separately requested approximately $2.9 million from the city to reach occupancy.
Council adopted a resolution clarifying intent that the $10 million (if authorized by voters) should prioritize disposition of the excavated soil; the resolution passed on a voice vote. Councilors also stressed the council's expectation that contingencies be exhausted and that administration continue pursuing legal and financial accountability for decisions that created the stockpile.
Next steps include further refinement of cost estimates, continued coordination with the school building committee and DEM, and potential legal follow‑up to recover costs from responsible parties.
