Approved December 6, 2023
MPS BUILDING COMMITTEE MEETING
Oliphant Administration Building
Michael S. Pinto Conference Room
26 Oliphant Lane, Middletown, RI 02842
November 21, 2023 4:00pm
Members in Attendance:
| Present | Voting Member | Name | Title |
| X | Yes | Edward Brady | Co-Chair, Community Member |
| X | Yes | Charlie Roberts | Co-Chair, Community Member |
| X | Yes | Interim Superintendent of Schools | |
| X | Yes | Tami Holden | Member of School Committee |
| R | Yes | Theresa Spengler | Member of School Committee |
| X | Yes | Poe George | Director of Facilities Management, Transportation and Safety |
| X | Yes | Thomas P. Welch, III | Town Council Member |
| X | Yes | Donna Sweet | Middletown High School Principal |
| X | Yes | Michelle Fonseca | Asst Superintendent for Teaching and Learning |
| X* | Yes | Shawn Brown | Town Administrator, Local Budget Official |
| X | Yes | William Nash | Community Member |
| X | Alternate | Gregory Huet | Alternate Member of School Committee |
| N | 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 |
| P | 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
* Shawn Brown arrived at 4:05pm.
· Call to Order
· The meeting was called to order at 4:02 pm by Co-Chair Charlie Roberts. Eleven (11) of eleven (11) voting members were present or represented by an alternate.
· Also present: Justin Bernard, OPM, Colliers Project Leaders, Peter Connerton, Middletown Town Council Member.
· Also present via Zoom: Matt LaRue and Tina Stanislaski, HMFH Architects; Ed Cifune, DBVW Architects; Derek Osterman, OPM, Colliers Project Leaders; and Manuel Cordero, Civic.
· Approval of Meeting Minutes from November 8, 2023
· MOTION: Tom Welch moved to accept the meeting minutes from November 8, 2023 and Greg Huet seconded. The motion passed unanimously (11-0).
· Public Input
· No Input
· Schedule Planning Meeting to Review the Building Committee Roles and Responsibilities after Stage II Approval:
· Colliers will put together plans for a meeting to discuss the roles and responsibilities of the Building Committee post Stage II approval.
· ACTION: Put together plans for a meeting to discuss the roles and responsibilities of the Building Committee post Stage II approval. – Colliers
· Architect’s Update and matters related thereto:
Two Week Look Ahead:
· Matt LaRue updated the Committee on the geotechnical test pit locations that will be performed on 11/29/2023. Seven to Ten test pits will be dug, all on the same day.
· After the pits are dug, the areas will be backfilled, raked, loam added and seeded.
· Tom Welch asked about the depth and purpose of the test pits. Matt LaRue stated that the pits will be ten feet deep, and the purpose is to look at the soil profile.
· Furniture and equipment user meetings will take place the week of November 27th.
· Property easement research continues.
· Several major items will be completed by December 15th:
1. Schematic design of the new middle/high school and site
2. Schematic design cost estimating
3. Elementary school scope and phasing options
4. Code consultant review
5. Life Cycle Cost Analysis for the HVAC options by the mechanical engineer
6. Governor’s Commission on Disabilities review will be submitted.
· Bill Nash asked if the meeting with the public safety officials was scheduled yet, as he would like to attend. Matt LaRue stated that it hasn’t been scheduled yet. Matt will reach out to Colliers to help schedule the meeting. Poe George suggested that Matt reach out to get it on everyone’s calendar.
· ACTION: Set the date for a meeting with Middletown public safety officials. – Matt LaRue
· Don stated that there will be many items that will need to be reviewed at the December 20th meeting, and encouraged the Committee members to ensure that they will be able to attend. Charlie Roberts asked HMFH if all documentation that will be reviewed at the December 20th meeting can be sent to the Building Committee ahead of time. Matt LaRue stated that he could have the materials to everyone by Friday, December 15th.
· ACTION: Ensure that all materials to be reviewed at the December 20th meeting be made available to the Building Committee by December 15th. – Matt LaRue
· The presentation from HMFH can be viewed here: https://5il.co/29hcz.
· Charlie Roberts stated that he has heard concerns from many residents about the size of the new middle/high school and a concern about student population going forward. Matt LaRue explained that the size of the new school is based on the educational program that was developed from the work done by Civic. Classroom sizes were then determined by RIDE allotment guidelines and all spaces in the new building were right sized by the consultant team. Student enrollment is projected using RIDE guidelines as well. Talking points can be developed to explain this to the community. Matt LaRue offered to help with putting together a summary of how the future population was derived. Charlie suggested that this be one of the topics at the upcoming summit to ensure everyone had the same information.
· ACTION: Develop a one pager in bullet format to explain how the population for the new school was derived. – Don Morin with Matt LaRue
· Owners Rep Update and matters related thereto:
Review RI Energy Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for Low Energy Use Intensity (EUI) Incentives
· Justin Bernard shared the RI Energy MOU for Low EUI with the Committee. The project target is an EUI of 25, which would allow the school project to qualify for up to $1.2 million in incentives from RI Energy: $400K for the building design, $500K for the heat pump adder and $300K for the one-year post occupancy EUI adder.
· The expense for the program is to cost share the services of a net zero/EUI expert of 75% of the fee up to $25K. This expert will assist the project team with developing a roadmap to low EUI and net zero success.
· Matt LaRue explained that the EUI target of 25 means 25,000 BTUs per square foot per year. An EUI of 25 makes the building “net zero ready”, such that the energy use of the building is down to a level that can be made up with renewables.
· MOTION: Charlie Roberts moved that the Building Committee vote to proceed with the RI Energy MOU for Low EUI Incentives and Tom Welch seconded. The motion passed unanimously (11-0).
· The unsigned document can be viewed here: https://5il.co/29hd3.
Review Rhode Island School as a Tool Protocol
· Justin Bernard shared the information on the RI School as a Tool program. This is a post construction program that is required by the RI Dept of Education and will likely be spearheaded by Poe George with support from other members of the district.
· There are six components to the protocol:
1. Establish a Green Team
2. Conduct a School Environment Survey
3. Integrate Environmental Literacy into the Existing Curriculum
4. Inform and Involve the Community
5. Monitor and Evaluate Progress
6. Apply to the Green Ribbon Schools Program
· This protocol includes a possible 2-4% incentive but Derek explained that it will need to be negotiated with RIDE. He added that the incentive will need to be revisited in the future as it may require additional legislative support. Matt LaRue explained that the consultant team will continue with the NE-CHPS work and this can then be revisited in the future.
· MOTION: Charlie Roberts moved that the Building Committee vote to proceed with the RI School as a Tool Agreement as required by the RI Dept. of Education and Greg Huet seconded. The motion passed unanimously (11-0).
· The unsigned document can be viewed here: https://5il.co/29hd0.
· Adjournment:
· MOTION: Tom Welch moved that the Building Committee adjourn at 4:40pm and Charlie Roberts seconded. The motion passed unanimously (11-0).
Future Meeting Schedule – The next meeting will be on December 6, 2023 at 5:00p.m. at the Oliphant Administration Building.
Respectfully Submitted,
Don Morin