Approved September 27, 2023
MPS BUILDING COMMITTEE MEETING
Oliphant Administration Building
Michael S. Pinto Conference Room
26 Oliphant Lane, Middletown, RI 02842
September 13, 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 | 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 |
| 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 |
| P | 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 |
| P | Alternate | Bill Niemeyer | Gaudet Middle School Principal |
| N | Alternate | Marc Tanguay | Town Finance Director, Alternate Local Budget Official |
| N | 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 5:02 pm by Co-Chair Ed Brady. Nine (9) of eleven (11) voting members were present or represented by an alternate.
· Also present: Justin Bernard, OPM, Colliers Project Leaders
· Present via Zoom: Matt LaRue, Connor Heinzman, Justin Viglianti, Soha Mohammed-Eltaher, and Tina Stanislaski, HMFH Architects; Ed Cifune, DBVW Architects; Derek Osterman, OPM, Colliers Project Leaders; and Manuel Cordero, Civic.
· Approval of Meeting Minutes from August 30, 2023
· MOTION: Don Morin moved to accept the meeting minutes from August 30, 2023 and Ed Brady seconded. The motion passed unanimously (9-0).
· Public Input
· No update.
· Architect’s Update and matters related thereto:
Review Conceptual Site Layout and Traffic/Parking Circulation
· Matt LaRue informed the Committee that the most recent conceptual design posed some challenges with meeting the project criteria considerations. Seven challenges were noted:
1. Exterior entry spaces deep and narrow
2. Kitchen too narrow; little natural light to cafeterias
3. Locker rooms not on same level as gym
4. Indirect access route to lower auditorium
5. Primary public entrance from parking not clear
6. Moderate neighborhood buffer
7. Too many roof levels
· As a result of these challenges, a new conceptual design was presented. While the middle school remained at three levels and the high school at four, the layout was revised such that the lowest level of each would be at the ground level. New traffic patterns were introduced, with bus drop off for both middle and high school students on the east side and parent drop off for both middle and high school students on the west side.
· Sidewalks will line the entire bus loop. Gates could be used to block the access between Turner Road and Aquidneck Avenue. The site will offer 360 parking spots; Gaudet currently has 329 parking spots.
· Traffic on Turner Road is expected to increase. HMFH will consult with the traffic consultant to better understand the impact on traffic with the new design. HMFH needs to consult with Town officials regarding the use of the former drive-in entrance. Right now, it is likely to be best used for egress only.
· ACTION: Provide an update on the expected traffic impact on Turner Road with the new conceptual design. – HMFH
· HMFH added that a bus chevron parking waiver will be needed to allow buses to be parked behind one another. A site layout and waiver request will be included in the Stage II application to RIDE.
At this time Bill Nash had to leave the meeting, reducing the quorum to eight (8) people.
· HMFH shared an update on the enrollment at the Saugus Middle/High School after the new school opened. Between 2020 when the new school opened and 2023, population at the high school increased, but it decreased at the middle school. The high school was built to handle 700 students, and enrollment in the 2022-2023 school year is 713. It appears that high school students may be coming back to the public school since the new building was built.
Two Week Look Ahead:
· HMFH will be meeting with the athletic directors, CTE instructors and drama instructors to review space program efficiencies.
· The second round of geo-technical borings are proposed for October 11-13. Poe George will let HMFH know if these dates will work.
· ACTION: Determine if geo-technical borings can take place October 11-12. – Poe George
· The second sustainability charrette is proposed for October 11th from 3-5pm, just before the scheduled Building Committee meeting for that date. HMFH agreed to put together a flyer for the event and provide it to Michelle Fonseca for distribution. HMFH is open to setting up another charrette for students only if the school district wishes to schedule one.
· ACTION: Put together a flyer for sustainability charrette and provide it to Michelle Fonseca. – HMFH
· A two-hour integrated design process meeting (required by NE-CHPS) is proposed for October 12th and will be accessible via Zoom.
· The presentation from HMFH can be viewed here: https://5il.co/2508m.
Vote on Elimination of Lockers
· Ed Brady asked the administrators if lockers would be needed in the new Middle/High School. Gaudet Middle School Principal Bill Niemeyer stated that he would prefer to have educational space than lockers if a trade-off is needed. He added that eighth graders don’t use them, and sixth and seventh graders just use them for their coats. High School Principal Donna Sweet stated that very few high schoolers use them. Perhaps a limited number can be made available for those few high schoolers that wish to use one.
· Tina Stanislaski stated that locker clusters have been used at Arlington High School. Matt LaRue added that lockers could be of minimal size and stacked one on the other, perhaps on one side of a hallway. HMFH will bring additional information about locker options to the next meeting.
· ACTION: Bring information about locker clusters and small, stacked lockers to the Building Committee meeting on September 27th. – HMFH
· Educational Planner Update and matters related thereto:
Status Update on Education Plan and Program
· Manuel Cordero informed the Committee that a draft version of the Education Plan is complete and contains five sections:
1. Overview and Planning Highlights
2. Faculty Forum and Surveys
3. Spatial Adjacencies and Teacher Focus Groups
4. Proposed Educational Program
5. Appendix
· Work on the room specifications is in process now, so the final report won’t be ready until that is completed.
· Don asked if a draft version of the educational plan could be provided to the Committee so it can be shared with the community. Manuel agreed that a summary could be provided by the next meeting.
· ACTION: Provide a draft version of the Educational Plan document to the Building Committee. – Manuel Cordero
· The presentation from Manuel can be viewed here: https://5il.co/2508l.
· Owners Rep Update and matters related thereto:
Provide Updated Budget Reporting
· Derek Osterman shared an expenditure summary and an overall project budget update for Stage II work with the Committee. Spending to date is on track with the forecast. Both documents can be viewed here: https://5il.co/2508n and https://5il.co/2508j.
· Derek provided a schedule update. A cost estimate is expected in mid-October. The project milestone schedule update can be viewed here: https://5il.co/2508k.
Update on Work with Communications Consultant
· Colliers meets weekly with Matt Sheley and Main Street Media. They are currently working on a trifold flyer and hope to have it completed by next week.
· Main Street Media is also working on a list of talking points for Committee members.
· A poster board to be used at local community events is in process now. Derek hopes to have it by next week.
· Main Street Media is planning to start filming people in October.
Provide Updated Financial Impact Information
· The financial impact on the tax rate is being put together now by the Town. Derek expects to have it by next week.
Discuss Communications During Back to School
· Michelle Fonseca created a document on Google Drive that contains all the upcoming fall events where Building Committee members can sit at a table and answer questions from the community. The first open house is on September 20th. The Committee would like to have the poster available for that event.
· Ed Brady added that two public forums will be planned: one with Town Council members and one with School Committee members.
· Don started a Q&A document on Google Drive that contains questions that Committee members have received from the public. He’d like to make this a live document where Committee members can add new questions and the consultants can provide answers. Don will work with Justin to create a process.
· ACTION: Send link to Q&A document to the entire Committee and work with Justin Bernard on a process to capture answers. – Don
· Adjournment
· MOTION: Theresa Spengler moved that the Building Committee adjourn at 7:07pm and Don Morin seconded. The motion passed unanimously (8-0).
Future Meeting Schedule – The next meeting will be held on September 27, 2023 at 5:00p.m. at the Oliphant Administration Building.
Respectfully Submitted,
Don Morin