NEWS

High school renovations up next

By ARDEN BASTIA
Posted 2/11/21

By ARDEN BASTIA After disruptions due to the COVID pandemic, discussions to renovate Warwick high schools are back on track, with the goal of getting a bond referendum on the November 2022 ballot. The renovations of Warwick's high schools include

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NEWS

High school renovations up next

Posted

After disruptions due to the COVID pandemic, discussions to renovate Warwick high schools are back on track, with the goal of getting a bond referendum on the November 2022 ballot.

The renovations of Warwick’s high schools include cosmetic improvements to the buildings, but also a restructuring of classrooms as new, modern teaching styles and educational delivery is considered.

In an interview, Frank Locker, the educational planner assisting Warwick, said the project was ready to go last March. “We were going great, full speed ahead. We were 95 percent done, and then COVID hit.”

The pandemic put a halt to the last key pieces of the project: presenting the plans to the school committee and setting up community presentations.

“The district was completely consumed with rolling out virtual teaching, and changing the teaching model, and dealing with parents who all of a sudden have kids at home, and all that craziness,” Locker said. “We missed the timing to get to a bond vote this fall. That slowed the whole process down.” But the plan is to move forward with the project, picking it up from where it was left off.

An online public presentation will be held following school committee review of proposals.

Locker has recommended and defined the facilities needed to support and enhance the district’s academic and other goals

The next steps are to present study findings from the past year to the school committee in March, and then set up a public presentation to gauge community interest and field any questions. “The reason we present to the school committee first is so that they’re informed about what we’re going to talk to the community about,” said Locker.

According to Locker and Anthony Ferrucci, chairman of the building committee and former finance director for Warwick Public Schools, there are several options on the table to renovate Pilgrim and Toll Gate High School, although nothing has been made public. Ferrucci has been chairman since the committee’s inception two years ago, and receives an annual stipend of $25,000 plus medical benefits.

Mayor Frank Picozzi is excited to resume the project, but opposes one central high school, as the traffic coordination would be a “nightmare” and there is “no good central location”, he said in an interview.

Locker looks forward to pursuing the project and working alongside Picozzi, who has a construction background. “He understands the complexity of being able to do complete renovations of existing buildings,” said Locker. “He understands the casting models and things like that. So I think those were assets in our being able to quickly establish a real positive dialogue with him.”

$315 million project

Ferrucci estimates total renovations at $300 million to $315 million, or about $150 to $160 million per high school. According to Locker, RIDE will cover between 35 and 50 percent of the cost, “and they want to be sure that the work is appropriate and proper and done right,” he said.

“It’s a lot of money, but it’s two significant buildings that need updates,” Ferrucci said. “As a community, we’re all trying to digest the cost of it, but it’s comparable all across the state. It’s not a question of moving it forward, it really is falling in the range of what we can afford and how far can we go.”

Ferrucci explained that because the repairs run the gamut, they will more accurately pinpoint cost once the plans are voted on by the school committee. Ferrucci also explained that the projected costs calculated by Locker were made last year, and need to be adjusted to reflect cost of living increases.

Ferrucci emphasized that the repairs will be equitable in both buildings, which is another cost factor.

“As soon as we’ve got more information, we’ll get it out,” said Ferrucci. “The building committee is working on a brand new website, and within that website, there will be the whole high school project undertaking.”

The site will keep the public informed with detailed plans, pictures, and figures. Ferrucci’s goal is to have a dedicated space where constituents can ask questions.

There are a few critical deadlines the building committee must hit in order for the bond to be on the next ballot in 2022. In stage one, the school committee must vote on a plan by mid April, and then submit an application to the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) by September 1.

The application to RIDE involves thorough documentation, including building descriptions from administrators indicating why the buildings aren’t working now, Locker explained.

A second application, stage two, must be submitted to RIDE by February 2022, which includes more detailed designs and plans. Before the stage two application is submitted to RIDE, it will first be voted on by the Warwick City Council.

Ferrucci says to then expect a decision regarding funding from the state by mid-May 2022, when the General Assembly will vote, and hopefully approve to have the question appear on the November 2022 ballot.

“There’s nothing new or unique to this,” said Ferrucci. “But that’s why we’re trying to come to a decision by April, because it takes two to three months to create that first application.”

schools, renovation

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  • MikkeyDee

    Good teaching is basic...peing away money is basic to pols and unions

    Tuesday, February 16, 2021 Report this