With groundbreakings for new Pilgrim and Toll Gate High Schools now planned for April and May, respectively, the City Council on Monday is expected to consider Ward 5 Councilman Ed Ladouceur’s resolution calling for a special election to determine whether taxpayers are willing to pay more for the schools.

In November 2022, voters approved a $350-million bond issue to build the schools. But with delays in getting council approval to proceed with the bonding and the effects of inflation, it’s a given that the schools will cost more than the $350 million.

Following weeks of crunching the numbers and reengineering to reduce expenses, architects and engineers say building the new schools will cost an additional $23 million. Of that total, $17 million is a contingency for unexpected expenses incurring during construction.

“If everything went perfectly, we had no changes whatsoever, we’d be $6 million short,” said David Testa, chair of the school building committee.

Testa remains focused on building the schools for the $350 million and not delaying construction.

However, if the Ladouceur resolution gains council and General Assembly approval, voters could stop the project in a special election.
As written in the resolution, the ballot question would read:

“Shall the City of Warwick’s authority for issuing any further indebtedness for the construction of new schools and facilities for Pilgrim High School and Toll Gate  High School pursuant to 2022 Local Acts 50 & 53 as passed by the Rhode Island  General Assembly be revoked?”

Seeking ‘the fast track’

Recognizing that expenditures for the new schools are ongoing and it would take time to plan and hold a special election, Ladoucuer said “we need to get this on the fast track.”

School Committee Chair Shaun Galligan called the resolution a “bit of a head-scratcher.”

Ladouceur “has always been fiscally conservative, and his actions will have severe financial implications; also, he says he serves at the pleasure of the taxpayers, and the majority of the taxpayers approved this bond in November of 2022,” Galligan said in an email.

 Testa says $15 million to $20 million spent on engineering, design and bond issuance work done so far would “be set on fire” if the project is halted. Additionally, he notes, “we’d be throwing away $173 million in [state] reimbursements.”

Testa is proud of the work done to trim the cost of the schools even though the numbers are still greater than what voters approved.

“We haven’t compromised a single solitary programmatic educational component,” he said.

“Delaying is going to cost millions more.” He called a special election “ridiculous,” postulating low voter turnout.

Asked about what has already been spent, Ladouceur said, “I’d rather take hit on $15 million than $380 million-plus.”

Apart from the projected higher cost of the schools, Ladouceur maintains voters wouldn’t get what they were shown when they went to the polls in 2022. But most of all, as he has articulated on several occasions, Ladouceur says voters don’t have a clear picture of what the schools will cost in added taxes. He has said a special election would give people the opportunity to look at that and understand the impact.

Should voters still want to go ahead, Ladouceur is fine with it.

Mayor Frank Picozzi, who supported the bond in 2022 but no more than $350 million, said Tuesday he thinks Ladouceur’s resolution “merits discussion.” As it stands now,” he said, “they don’t have enough money to build the schools.”

In a text exchange, City Council President Anthony Sinapi said he would not be supporting the resolution.