Approved October 25, 2023
MPS BUILDING COMMITTEE MEETING
Oliphant Administration Building
Michael S. Pinto Conference Room
26 Oliphant Lane, Middletown, RI 02842
October 11, 2023 5:00pm
Members in Attendance:
| Present | Voting Member | Name | Title |
| X | Yes | Edward Brady | Co-Chair, Community Member |
| R | Yes | Charlie Roberts | Co-Chair, Community Member |
| N | Yes | Georgia Fortunato | 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 |
| R | Yes | Shawn Brown | Town Administrator, Local Budget Official |
| R | Yes | William Nash | Community Member |
| N | Alternate | Gregory Huet | Alternate Member of School Committee |
| X | 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 |
| X | Alternate | Marc Tanguay | Town Finance Director, Alternate Local Budget Official |
| X | Alternate | Marc Thayer | Alternate Community Member |
| X | Alternate | Don Morin | Alternate Community Member |
X = Present/Voting; R=Represented; P=Present/Non-voting; N=Not Present
· Call to Order
· The meeting was called to order at 5:11 pm by Co-Chair Ed Brady. Ten (10) of eleven (11) voting members were present or represented by an alternate.
· Also present: Matt LaRue, Connor Heinzman, Justin Viglianti, Soha Mohammed-Eltaher, and Alexandra Gadawski, HMFH Architects; and Justin Bernard, OPM, Colliers Project Leaders.
· Approval of Meeting Minutes from September 27, 2023
· MOTION: Tom Welch moved to accept the meeting minutes from September 27, 2023 and Don Morin seconded. The motion passed unanimously (10-0).
· Public Input
· No Input
· Architect’s Update and matters related thereto:
Update Regarding User Group Interviews
· Matt LaRue informed the Committee that meetings were held with several user groups at the middle school and high school:
· Performing Arts and Music: reviewed auditorium/stage uses and level of functions.
· Athletics and Physical Education: reviewed gym, Alt PE, fitness spaces and playing fields. Middle and High School teams will investigate scheduling of the athletic spaces. Matt will put them in contact with the team at Saugus.
· Career and Technical Education: reviewed space needs and adjacencies.
· Food Service: reviewed cooking and equipment needs and elementary school services.
· ACTION: Connect physical education teachers at the Middletown Middle and High Schools with the teachers at Saugus Middle/High School to understand how they schedule their athletic spaces. – Matt LaRue
Design Update: Middle School and High School Approaches
· Matt shared a proposed CTE Maker Hub Concept for the Computer Science and Pre-Engineering programs where a centralized maker lab could be surrounded by dedicated spaces for each of the two programs, encouraging cross pollination between programs.
· Matt also shared a CTE/STEM Spine concept where the CTE and STEM programs would be oriented near one another, encouraging cross-school learning. This recommendation came from their meeting with RIDE. This concept could potentially be employed with the existing biomedical CTE program and the anticipated fourth CTE program.
· The latest conceptual design has a high school entrance to the east at the second-floor level and a middle school entrance to the west at the first-floor level. Administrative staff for each school will be located near its main entrance. An outside flagpole will be in front of each entrance to the school. The high school entrance (adjacent to the main parking lot) will serve as the main entrance for after-hours access.
· Bus drop-off and pick-up is planned for the high school entrance for both high school and middle school students but offset by different school day start and end times. Parent drop-off and pick for both middle and high school will be at the middle school entrance.
· Spaces for bikes and e-bikes will be planned. Potential charging stations for e-bikes can be planned. A bike repair station already exists at the current Gaudet Middle School.
Performance Functions for Auditorium
· Based on the meeting with the user groups mentioned earlier, the following features for the auditorium were proposed:
· Multiple catwalks: one over seating, two over stage
· Easy access to lighting fixtures and equipment above the stage
· Simplified rigging system
· Projection screen in proscenium
· Excellent sightlines
· Fewer level transitions than typical auditorium
· Optional flown and foldable acoustic ceiling panel
· Front row seating will be at the same level as the stage. A small band can be located off to the side.
· Auditorium is planned for 400 seats.
· Principal Sweet suggested designing the seating for easy access in and out to prevent the need for students from having to climb over seats from one row to the next.
· Marc Thayer and Principal Sweet liked the idea of having balconies in the auditorium.
Preparation for Public Forums on 10/16/2023 and 10/19/2023
· Matt LaRue and Tina Stanislaski are both planning to attend the two public forums scheduled for the week of October 16, 2023. Matt LaRue agreed to provide a one-page flyer to advertise for these two forums.
· ACTION: Prepare a one-page flyer for the upcoming Community Forums. – Matt LaRue
Two Week Look Ahead:
· Observation data from the traffic consultant is expected this week.
· Property easement research is expected to be completed in the next two weeks. Marc Thayer mentioned that the utility easement on the south side of the school may no longer be needed. He suggested that HMFH engage with RI Energy as he believes that the substation on Aquidneck is no longer in use.
· Geotechnical borings are taking place this week. Geotechnical test pits are planned for late November.
· The integrated design process meeting is planned for October 12th.
· The presentation from HMFH can be viewed here: https://5il.co/2725o.
· Owners Rep Update and matters related thereto:
RIDE Concept Design Review Meeting Report Back
· Justin Bernard informed the Committee that the consultants met with representatives from the RIDE School Business Authority to review the demographics, education plan, and conceptual design.
· RIDE liked the educational plan, and they recommended the STEM/CTE Spine concept shared earlier by HMFH. They also had some recommendations on the outside traffic patterns.
Communications Update
· Justin Bernard informed the Committee that lots of information is being shared with the voters of Middletown:
· Three websites: Middletown Shares, New School Website and Building Committee contain lots of information.
· Building tours have been scheduled.
· Videos have been developed and posted to social media, with more to come.
· A Pre-K through Grade 5 flyer is in the works by Main Street Media.
· A number of community outreach events are posted on the SignUpGenius website for Building Committee members to support.
· Letters to the Editor are encouraged.
· A letter about the bond has been mailed to residents by the Town.
· Another mailer is planned for October 23rd.
· Multiple vignettes are currently in process.
· Main Street Media is working on another document with bullet points and cost impact information.
· Adjournment
· MOTION: Tom Welch moved that the Building Committee adjourn at 6:00pm and Don Morin seconded. The motion passed unanimously (10-0).
Future Meeting Schedule – The next meeting will be held on October 25, 2023 at 5:00p.m. at the Oliphant Administration Building.
Respectfully Submitted,
Don Morin