Approved November 8, 2023
MPS BUILDING COMMITTEE MEETING
Oliphant Administration Building
Michael S. Pinto Conference Room
26 Oliphant Lane, Middletown, RI 02842
October 25, 2023 5:00pm
Members in Attendance:
| Present | Voting Member | Name | Title |
| R | Yes | Edward Brady | Co-Chair, Community Member |
| R | Yes | Charlie Roberts | Co-Chair, Community Member |
| X | 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 |
| X | Yes | William Nash | Community Member |
| P | 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 5:00 pm by Bill Nash. Eleven (11) of eleven (11) voting members were present or represented by an alternate.
· Also present: Justin Bernard, OPM, Colliers Project Leaders.
· Also present via Zoom: Matt LaRue, Tina Stanislaski, Soha Mohammed-Eltaher, and Alexandra Gadawski, HMFH Architects; and Derek Osterman, OPM, Colliers Project Leaders.
· Approval of Meeting Minutes from October 11, 2023
· MOTION: Tom Welch moved to accept the meeting minutes from October 11, 2023 and Don Morin seconded. The motion passed unanimously (11-0).
· Public Input
· No Input
· Architect’s Update and matters related thereto:
Design Update:
· Matt LaRue provided an update on the Sustainability Workshop that was held on October 11th.
· Shared goals were derived at the first workshop in June; the goal was for the new building to be as green as possible.
· At the October session priorities, strategies and incentives were discussed, resulting in the following:
· Design a net zero energy ready, all electric building, targeting an EUI (energy use intensity) of less than 25. Energy Use Intensity (EUI) can be defined as the annual energy consumption of a building (from all fuel sources) relative to the building’s total area.
· Prioritize daylight and views.
· Ensure fresh air in all occupied spaces.
· Use healthy materials.
· Minimize site disturbance.
· Minimize impacts on local water resources.
· Cultivate future leaders in sustainability.
· Four HVAC options were shared by a consultant from GGD (HMFH’s sub-consultant). A life cycle cost analysis will be presented to the Building Committee in mid-December. The option with the greatest life cycle savings is generally recommended.
· A Northeast Collaborative for High Performance Schools (NE-CHPS) integrative process kick-off meeting took place on October 12th. It was well attended by the architects, OPM, school department, the Town, and RI Energy. The meeting was held to get everyone on the same page.
· The target will be to meet a “Verified Leader” level by achieving 160 points. The next meeting will take place during design development in the spring and will include the construction manager and commissioning agent.
· Bill Nash asked what it would take to bring the building to net zero and Matt stated that solar panels are the likely option. He added that many districts pursue this after construction is complete.
· Marc Thayer added that geothermal incentives exist via the state and federal government as well as RI Energy.
Two Week Look Ahead:
· Meetings with the appropriate school representatives will continue to review space program efficiencies.
· Property easement research continues.
· A report on the geo-technical borings is due November 3rd.
· Cost estimating will begin in mid-November using the schematic designs and will take about a month to complete.
· Geotechnical test pits are planned for late November.
· Furniture and equipment user meetings will begin in late November. Matt will work with Michelle Fonseca to coordinate. Tom Welch expressed an interest in attending.
· ACTION: Schedule the furniture and equipment user meetings. – Matt L. / Michelle F.
· Bill Nash asked about permit fees and Matt LaRue said discussions around waiving of fees has not yet taken place.
· The presentation from HMFH can be viewed here: https://5il.co/27xde.
· Owners Rep Update and matters related thereto:
Schedule Update
· Justin Bernard provided an overview of the project schedule.
· The schedule can be viewed here: https://5il.co/27xdi.
· Don asked about the PAYGO program and if Middletown would be eligible and Justin said we should be eligible for 15% of the state’s share of the project (excluding bonuses) to be used for pay-as-you-go payments during the first two years of the project.
· Adjournment
· MOTION: Tom Welch moved that the Building Committee adjourn at 5:36pm and Don Morin seconded. The motion passed unanimously (11-0).
Future Meeting Schedule – The next meeting will be held on November 8, 2023 at 5:00p.m. at the Oliphant Administration Building.
Respectfully Submitted,
Don Morin