THIS MEETING CAN BE HEARD IN ITS ENTIRETY ON THE TOWN OF MIDDLETOWN WEBSITE WWW.MIDDLETOWNRI.COM OR THE DVD IS AVAILABLE AT THE MIDDLETOWN LIBRARY.
At a Special Meeting of the Town Council of the Town of Middletown, RI held at the Middletown Town Hall, 350 East Main Road, Middletown, RI on Wednesday, September 1, 2021, at 6:00 P.M.
Council President Paul M. Rodrigues, Presiding
Vice President Thomas P. Welch, III
Councillor Terri Flynn
Councillor Christopher M. Logan
Councillor M. Theresa Santos
Councillor Dennis B. Turano
Councillor Barbara A. VonVillas, Members Present
POSTED – August 23, 2021
SPECIAL MEETING – September 1, 2021
Wendy J.W. Marshall, Town Clerk
Town of Middletown
Town Hall – 350 East Main Road
Middletown, Rhode Island 02842
Dear Ms. Marshall:
Pursuant to the provisions of Article II, Section 203 of the Town Charter and in accordance with Sections 42-46-2, 42-46-3, 42-46-4, 42-46-5 and 42-46-6, RIGL, I hereby call a Special Meeting of the Town Council to formally consider, discuss and vote upon the following item of business:
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG
JOINT MEETING WITH MIDDLETOWN PUBLIC SCHOOLS BUILDING COMMITTEE
1. Communication of Charlie Roberts, Co-Chair, MPS Building Committee, re: Update of MPS Building Committee – Letter of Intent requirement for Phase I.
Said meeting will be held at the Middletown Town Hall, 350 East Main Road, Middletown, Rhode Island 02842 on Wednesday, September 1, 2021, at 6:00 P.M.
____________________________________
Paul M. Rodrigues, President
Middletown Town Council
| cc : | | Town Council | | Public Library | | Finance Director | |
| | | Town Administrator | | Town Solicitor | | School Committee | |
This meeting location is accessible to the handicapped. Individuals requiring interpreter services for the hearing-impaired should notify the Town Clerk’s Office at 847-0009 not less than 48 hours before this meeting.
Posted on August 23, 2021, at Middletown Town Hall, Middletown Public Library, Middletown Web Site and Secretary of State Web Site.
1. Communication of Charlie Roberts, Co-Chair, MPS Building Committee, re: Update of MPS Building Committee – Letter of Intent requirement for Phase I.
Council President Rodrigues noted that they do not want to rush any renovation or building projects, the public needs to be informed.
On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to receive said communication.
Also present were Superintendent Rosemarie Kraeger, Business Manager Cindy Brown, School Committee Chair Theresa Spengler, Vice Chair Douglas Arnold and members Liana Ferreira Fenton, William O’Connell and Tami Holden.
Council President Rodrigues welcomed Superintendent Rosemarie Kraeger and School Committee Chair Theresa Spengler.
School Committee Chair Theresa Spengler thanked the Town Council for having the meeting and for their support. Ms. Spengler noted the Building Committee Team is incredible and the school buildings being discussed are community buildings.
Superintendent Rosemarie Kraeger thanked the Town Council for organizing the meeting. Ms. Kraeger explained that the facilities are at a crossroads, noting RIDE has a process for the Town to follow, beginning with Stage 1 a Letter of Intent and Stage 2 is the process to identify the needs. Mrs. Kraeger explained there is a reimbursement to the Town for the project expense.
Superintendent Rosemarie Kraeger reviewed the agenda for the meeting and noted they are not looking for a new facility, the proposal is to upgrade the current buildings. Mrs. Kraeger noted the Building Committee is fabulous, all members are invested.
Charlie Roberts, Co-Chair of the Building Committee, addressed the Council and introduced members Amy Fater, William Nash and Co-Chair Ed Brady. Mr. Roberts explained that the committee is at the beginning of the process – Phase I.
Superintendent Rosemarie Kraeger introduced the following committee members the OPM’s – Owner’s Project Mangers, representing Colliers Project Leaders-Derek Osterman Holley Demers Sawyer, the Education Planner- Frank Locker, PHD (not present), the Design Team DBVW Architects- Douglas L. Brown, Senior Principal of DBVW and Edward Cifune, Associate Principal of DBVW.
Superintendent Rosemarie Kraeger, Derek Osterman, Douglas Brown all presented a PowerPoint presentation to the Town Council, which is on file in the Office of the Town Clerk.
Discussion centered around the timeline for a bond, how the committee will share information with the public, the importance of having all public support not just the support of the residents with children in schools, the school buildings are aging, the letter of intent is due by September 15, 2021 to RIDE, if the bond is passed the need to go out for an RFP right after to have a contract with a builder by December 2022, if the State Representatives have been involved in the process with the building committee, the State Representatives have not been involved at the building committee level, the School Department and other communities may request that the State Representatives assist in getting date extension of the process, as the plan gets finalized the committee will work with the Town Administration and Bond Counsel for enabling legislation to prepare the bond question for the November 2022 election ballot, there are approximately ten or twelve other municipalities that would be requesting and extension, an extension has not been requested to RIDE, planning for the bond is important, a conceptual plan will not help pass the bond, the committee will be asking the community for input, the meaning of the letter of intention, the list of deficiencies for the school department (list below), restructuring the list of deficiencies (some of the list can be completed by the School Facilities Department), in Phase II the deficiency list will be less than the current list, the need to be reasonable with the bond amount for the taxpayers, the Council and Residents touring the schools, safety, health and educational issues will be focused on for the bond, the School Committee will approve Phase I at a Special Meeting, the School Committee should approve prior to the Town Council, the state must be clear that the Town is invested in the process/project, the timeline for Phase II, reimbursement from the state will come back to the Town, RIDE requirements are tied to reimbursement, the need for the Town and School Department to work together on the bond and the letter of intent is to be filed on or before September 15, 2021 electronically.
On motion of Vice President Welch, duly seconded, it was voted unanimously to adjourn said meeting at 8:28 p.m.
______________________________
Wendy J.W. Marshall, CMC
Council Clerk
Supporting documentation is available at http://clerkshq.com/default.ashx?clientsite=Middletown-ri