Approved August 2, 2023
MPS BUILDING COMMITTEE MEETING
Oliphant Administration Building
Michael S. Pinto Conference Room
26 Oliphant Lane, Middletown, RI 02842
July 19, 2023 5:00pm
Members in Attendance:
| Present | Voting Member | Name | Title |
| X | Yes | Edward Brady | Co-Chair, Community Member |
| X | Yes | Charlie Roberts | Co-Chair, Community Member |
| N | Yes | Rosemarie Kraeger | Superintendent of Schools |
| X | Yes | Tami Holden | Member of School Committee |
| X | Yes | Theresa Spengler | Member of School Committee |
| X | Yes | Poe George | Director of Facilities Management, Transportation and Safety |
| N | Yes | Thomas P. Welch, III | Town Council Member |
| X | Yes | Donna Sweet | Middletown High School Principal |
| N | Yes | Michelle Fonseca | Asst Superintendent for Teaching and Learning |
| N | Yes | Shawn Brown | Town Administrator, Local Budget Official |
| R | Yes | William Nash | Community Member |
| N | Alternate | Gregory Huet | Alternate Member of School Committee |
| P | Alternate | William O’Connell | Alternate Member of School Committee |
| N | Alternate | Christopher M. Logan | Alternate Town Council Member |
| N | Alternate | Bill Niemeyer | Gaudet Middle School Principal |
| N | Alternate | Marc Tanguay | Town Finance Director, Alternate Local Budget Official |
| X | Alternate | Marc Thayer | Alternate Community Member |
| P | Alternate | Don Morin | Alternate Community Member |
X = Present/Voting; R=Represented; P=Present/Non-voting; N=Not Present
1. Call to Order
· The meeting was called to order at 5:00 pm by Co-Chair Charlie Roberts. Seven (7) out of eleven (11) voting members were present or represented by an alternate.
· Also present: Justin Bernard, OPM, Colliers Project Leaders and one community member.
· Present via Zoom: Matt LaRue, HMFH Architects, Ed Cifune and Doug Brown, DBVW Architects, and Derek Osterman, OPM, Colliers Project Leaders.
2. Approval of Meeting Minutes from July 12, 2023
· MOTION: Theresa Spengler moved to accept the meeting minutes from July 12, 2023 and Marc Thayer seconded. The motion passed unanimously (7-0).
3. Public Input
· Co-Chairs Brady and Roberts informed the Committee that moving forward answers to questions asked during the Public Input section of the meeting will be sent to the requester via email and will also be posted to the Building Committee website.
· Antone Viveiros spoke to the Committee about the bond vote in November of 2022. He said that the voters were told that after state reimbursement on the $235 million bond the Town would owe between 47 and 49 million dollars, but that in October of 2022 it was mentioned that $20 million for transportation wasn’t included in this figure. He added that the new figure of $190 million for the November 2023 bond will be reimbursed at 50-55%, resulting in a larger impact on the taxpayers. He further explained that he was informed that repairing the buildings was not an option back in March, but now the proposal is to renovate the high school for elementary school use with no reimbursement. The co-chairs agreed to respond to Mr. Viveiros’ comments in a timely manner.
4. RIDE School Building Authority Presentation
· Co-chair Brady explained that RIDE representatives met with the Building Committee on July 12th and there were questions about how Middletown will qualify for the full 55% reimbursement, more specifically the four 5% bonus points. He added that the Town Council suggested doing a financial assessment using both a 50% and 55% reimbursement rate figure.
· Co-chair Roberts added that while he was on the tour of the schools with the RIDE representatives, they commented that while the current high school is not suitable for 21st century high school or middle school learning, it is well suited for elementary age use. He reminded the Committee that RIDE also rejected the suggestion to renovate all the schools early on in the project.
· Co-chair Roberts also reminded the Committee that the Stage II application will need to show a master plan for pre-K through grade 12, and that a cost estimate should be available by the end of August, at which time more definitive plans can be made.
· Matt LaRue informed the Committee that demographics assessment continues and that, while enrollment has dropped in recent years, the projection is for it to remain stable in the future. He anticipates having a demographics update to share at the next meeting.
· Theresa Spengler stated that there is a lot of fluctuation in the numbers due to the unpredictable nature of the military families that come and go. Matt shared that the building will be designed for the maximum number of students expected. Theresa asked if affordable housing projects are being taken into account, and Matt answered that the demographer has that information and will comprehend it in their analysis.
· Derek Osterman stated that the goal of the project team is to get the full 55% reimbursement from the state, and that the negotiations with RIDE are starting now. It will go back and forth over the coming months, up until the Stage II application submittal. As part of the application the Town will document how it anticipates it will qualify for full reimbursement.
· Marc Thayer interjected that there is actually a seventh bonus category that is for security projects only, but that Middletown does not qualify for this one. Derek suggested we document all the bonus categories and explain which ones do not apply and which are a possibility.
5. Architect’s Update and matters related thereto:
Two Week Look Ahead:
· Matt LaRue shared a summary of the Sustainability Workshop that took place on June 21st. The top initiatives highlighted by the group were the following:
1. Zero Energy Building
2. Maximize Incentive Grants
3. Manage 85% of Stormwater
4. Reduce Indoor Water Use by 35%
5. No Potable Water for Irrigation
· For the Health and Wellness category, the following three items were highlighted:
1. Daylight and Views for 90% of regularly occupied spaces
2. Access to fresh air in all regularly occupied spaces
3. Enhanced acoustical performance.
· Matt also presented an updated list of project goals to the group, taking into account the suggestions by the Committee. The updated presentation can be seen here: https://5il.co/20153.
6. Educational Planner Update and matters related thereto:
· No Report
7. Owners Rep Update and matters related thereto:
· Derek Osterman shared a list of the recent Highlights from the Committee:
1. Sustainability Charrette was completed.
2. RIDE visit was completed.
3. Town Council approved the submission of the bond question for November.
· Two Week Look Ahead:
1. Schedule Update – Colliers
2. Budget Update – Colliers
3. Meet with RIDE to plan for 4th CTE Pathway – School Department
4. Development of a Communication Plan – All
5. Revised Tax Impact Information – Town
6. Target List of Grant Funding Opportunities – Colliers, HMFH, Town
· Main Street Media is being tasked with getting facts out to the public, not to take a position on the project. Derek will be setting up a kick-off Communications Plan meeting soon.
ACTION: Set up Communications Plan Meeting. – Derek O.
· Tami asked for clarity on the base reimbursement rate from the state: is it 35% or 37.5%? Derek said he needed to check the legislation to see how it was written. He will do so and report back at the next meeting.
ACTION: Check the legislation to determine if the base reimbursement rate is 35% or 37.5%. – Derek O.
· The OPM update can be seen here: https://5il.co/20154.
8. Update from Town and School Administration and matters related thereto:
· No Report
9. Adjournment
· MOTION: Theresa Spengler moved that the Building Committee adjourn at 6:15pm and Ed Brady seconded. The motion passed unanimously (7-0).
Future Meeting Schedule – The next meeting will be held on August 2, 2023 at 5:00p.m. at the Oliphant Administration Building.
Respectfully Submitted,
Don Morin