On February 15th, the School Committee submitted Stage 2 plans to RIDE for the proposed school construction projects, and we await RIDE’s decision as to whether the plans will be approved and partially funded by the state.
However, we continue to have concerns about the composition of the School Construction Committee and how that could impact future problems that may arise during the construction process. You may remember that Superintendent Ricca sent RIDE a letter asking for clarity about a draft of the Town’s ordinance that described the composition of the School Construction Committee. Ricca’s letter could have prevented our Stage 2 application from being submitted on time, thereby sacrificing the potential for $30M in bonus incentives. In the end, the Town Council and School Committee came to an agreement in which they will share control of the project. It appears that the Democrats, who hold every elected office in our town government, circled the wagons.
In Newport, problems with who has ultimate authority over the Rogers High School construction project could prove instructive. The Newport town and school district are at odds over who is responsible for significant cost overages and contaminated soil on the site. “In a memo to the City Council, interim City Manager Sitrin recommended the city ‘inform’ the school that they can no longer add any more excavated soil to the pile. The word ‘inform’ is key to this request, as the city has very limited authority when it comes to decisions being made on the site.... Behan advised the council that ‘ordering’ the school to stop adding soil to the pile could lead to legal complications, possibly litigation between the City Council and School Building Committee.”
And cost overages are now the new normal across the state due to elevated interest rates and multiple districts competing for the same contractors and laborers. In North Providence, the district had to completely abandon the plans for one of their three new elementary schools due to skyrocketing construction costs. What was originally estimated to cost $80M now comes with a price tag of $148M+. School Committee Chair Pallotta said that it bothers him “that residents won’t be getting what they were promised, saying there’s a trust factor here that’s impacted by changed plans, which I think is a little unfair to taxpayers.” In Cranston, school construction costs have risen to $40M beyond what was originally projected, so the town is faced with asking taxpayers to approve another bond. In Warwick, where a $350M bond was passed to build two new high schools, “costs have increased by millions and the city is considering extending by a decade the payback period for the bond, which would increase borrowing costs by tens of millions. To stay at the $350M price tag… amenities at the two schools have been cut back using a term that planners call ‘value engineering.’” In Johnston, four school projects estimated at $215 million last year could now cost $265M. Town leaders are proposing that the additional funds come from drawing down the town’s surplus. We expect East Greenwich will also have to make some tough decisions when confronted by cost overruns.
We will continue to keep you up-to-date about how your elected officials are managing this $150M project. Of course, we believe that new voices on our School Committee and Town Council are necessary for better transparency.
