By JOHN HOWELL In a conservative move, despite an appeal from City Council President Steve Merolla to add new high school playing fields to the plan, the School Committee agreed Tuesday to request City Council and legislative approval to put a $56
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In a conservative move, despite an appeal from City Council President Steve Merolla to add new high school playing fields to the plan, the School Committee agreed Tuesday to request City Council and legislative approval to put a $56 million bond on the November ballot.
The school building committee was ready to recommend a $79.9 million bond issue, but with ongoing discussions about the city’s two high schools and the possibility of building a new high school, the decision was made to eliminate high school improvements from the plan.
The $56 million bond would primarily cover the cost of heating and air conditioning systems in all of the elementary schools, along with roofing and electrical work and steps to address crumbling parking lots and other site work and plumbing. It also includes $2 million for Veterans Middle School, with more than $700,000 of the total earmarked for electrical work and $12.5 million to Winman Middle School. The big-ticket repairs needed at Winman include $1.7 million for roofing, $1.9 million in exterior work and $1.3 million to replace flooring. The Winman HVAC would be funded with $8 million for Pilgrim from the current $40 million bond.
Merolla urged the committee to think big and to restore Warwick schools to a place where they are the envy of other communities. He also noted that the state would pay half and even more of the cost of the improvements.
“I haven’t heard of 50 percent [state reimbursement]. The longer we wait, the greater chance they can’t offer it because the money won’t be there,” he said.
Merolla said the condition of Warwick schools is driving families out of Warwick and, in some cases, leading parents to send their children to other districts at a loss of state funding.
“We’ve got to put forth the effort to get new schools,” he said.
Citing the excitement and the unification of the community at athletic events, Merolla favors new lit turf fields at Toll Gate and Pilgrim. He further noted that playing fields are in high demand, and he thought they could be rented when not used by the schools to offset the debt costs of the bond.
“You want to make Warwick a destination for residents and businesses,” he said.
Merolla suggested bumping the bond to $65 million. Steve Gothberg, director of school buildings and maintenance who methodically has identified and estimated the cost of repairs and upgrades at every school, said a state-of-the-art Toll Gate playing field would require blasting. He pegged the cost of fields at Toll Gate and Pilgrim at $10 million.
Ward 8 Councilman Anthony Sinapi differed with Merolla. He pointed to the collaborative relationship that has developed between the council and the School Committee and reasoned a last-minute addition to the request after trimming it back from $79.9 million would not play well. He advised not to rush it.
Committee member Nathan Cornell said it is nice the city and the school department are working together, but he thought new fields would resonate with the voters and improve chances of bond approval.
During public comment, Warwick Teachers Union President Darlene Netcoh referenced how Warwick is losing students and more than $1.3 million in state tuition revenue to other school districts on the basis that Warwick doesn’t offer certain “pathway” courses. While not labeled as “pathway” courses, Netcoh said Warwick has the courses.
Superintendent Phil Thornton said Wednesday that “choice is great for students.” But he added that how it is funded in Rhode Island has a huge effect on Warwick. Students following a “pathway” at another district take with them their Warwick tuition, which is among the highest cost per pupil rate in the state. Warwick loses those funds as the other district “makes money” off the Warwick student. Projections are for the 132 students Warwick is now paying for out of district will grow to 192 by FY22 for a cost of nearly $3.5 million to Warwick.
“We’ve got to get on the road to bringing our schools back to where they should be…it’s not all Warwick’s fault when you have the state actively working against us,” Netcoh said at Tuesday’s meeting.
School Finance Director Anthony Ferrucci said the building committee trimmed $4.9 million from Pilgrim and $16.4 million from Toll Gate upgrades and repairs from the initial $79.9 million plan.
But that doesn’t mean the two high schools for being forsaken.
Pilgrim and Toll Gate are the subject of an ongoing review of the future of Warwick secondary education. That study will assess what’s best for Warwick, whether it is a single high school, a new school to replace Pilgrim or, as was mentioned Tuesday, a single school with two campuses.
The study being done by educational consultant Frank Locker and Saam Architecture, which is examining school facilities, is to be completed in April. The first of two vision sessions involving school, union, business and community leaders was held Wednesday. Open community sessions are also planned.
Depending on the outcome and the recommendation of the School Committee, the city could be looking at two school bond referenda on the ballot – one for $56 million and an additional bond that could exceed $200 million for a new school.
As there is insufficient time for Rhode Island Department of Education approval prior to the November election, issuance of the bond, assuming voter approval, would hinge on RIDE approval of the matching funds.
As for the $56 million bond, projected improvement expenditures at each of the city’s elementary schools is as follows: Drum Rock, $1.7 million; Cedar Hill, $3.2 million; Francis, $2.8 million; Greenwood, $2.6 million; Holliman, $5.7 million; Hoxsie, $2.6 million; Lippitt, $1.4 million; Norwood, $2.7 million; Oakland Beach, $4.2 million; Park, $3.4 million; Robertson, $2.9 million; Scott, $3.7 million; Sherman, $3.9 million; Warwick Neck, $3.8 million; and Wyman, $2.8 million. In addition, $2 million is targeted for Veterans and $12.5 million for Winman.
The following breakdown by category of repairs was provided: $6.5 million for roofs, $26.6 million for HVAC/mechanical, $13.5 million for building envelope including architectural, engineering and contingency, $2.3 million for asbestos abatement, $2.7 million electrical, $200,000 plumbing and $3.7 million for site work.
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Justanidiot
building better athletic fields to improve education. i don't understand but i am just an idiot.
Thursday, January 30, 2020 Report this
Jsimmy230
SINAPI, One of the five City Council sellouts to the WFD Union, that RUSHED the contract approval through despite ALL the problems found with it, now says "Don't rush it".
Another idiot politician in Warwick.
REMEMBER HIM IN NOVEMBER. Please!
He, with other Sellouts Howe, McCallister, McElroy, and the stupidest one with numerous Election Board and Ethics Committee guilty verdicts TRAVIS must go!
Thursday, January 30, 2020 Report this
bill123
This article says “$56 million bond”, but the numbers given aren’t adding up to that. I get 61.9 million:
1.7+3.2+2.8+2.6+5.7+2.6+1.4+2.7+4.2+3.4+2.9+3.7+3.9+3.8+2.8 = 47.4
47.4 + 2+12.5 = 61.9
The article also says Steve Gothberg estimated the cost of repairs. Is he an engineer? Only a registered professional engineer (usually employed by architectural engineering firms) is qualified to estimate projects of this scope. Then we can know these estimates are reasonable. Maybe when it’s all over the school department won’t have to say they’re “going to try to make lemonade out of it”, but I’m not counting on it. https://www.rimonthly.com/2019-rhode-island-red-awards/
Friday, January 31, 2020 Report this
Dave Testa
Bill123, the article quoted totals from a school-by-school breakdown of every single project slated for each school. Not every single one of those is going to be done with this phase of the bond. The last paragraph's estimates (an aggregated total of the individual projects to be done) is more accurate. Project estimates are based on similar projects already done in phase one of the bond and are done in consultation with the architectural firm hired to help manage this as per RIDE requirements. Every project will then go through public bid process.
dave testa
Friday, January 31, 2020 Report this
Jsimmy230
The fields at these schools are GOOD ENOUGH. We don't need more debt. We don't need new schools, with our existing debt and unfunded pension and health care liabilities. We definitely don't need to reelect in November the same people that have gotten us in the mess we currently have in Warwick!
Vote them all out. But at a minimum the worst 6 in the City that just gave us the WFD Contract with all the problems found in it, without fixing any of them.
#1 Mayor Solomon with decades on City Council, and his 5 fellow clowns still on the Council ... Howe, Mccallister, Sinapi, McElroy, and the stupidest of all Donna Travis with numerous recent Election Board and Ethics Committee guilty verdicts!
REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER!
Friday, January 31, 2020 Report this
bill123
Dave Testa, the article clearly says (2nd to last paragraph) what projects are included in the bond, and the numbers are off by ~$6 million. Unfortunately the article does not include your explanation, that an unidentified $6 million portion of these projects will not be completed, in “this phase”. The question arises, what would the list of projects in the second-to-the-last paragraph look like, if it was corrected to add up to the indicated $56 million?
Also, regarding project estimates, looking at “similar” projects is only a small part of the estimation process. These are technically complex projects, involving multiple engineering and trade disciplines. You would need to pay an A&E firm to do this, and in return they would provide documentation backing up their numbers. Did this happen?
Friday, January 31, 2020 Report this
thepilgrim
Merolla said it, Tge bind money will go towards the “unification of the community”. I hope the reader knows that these a holes are well beyond just liberal politics and are pushing Marxism big time.
Friday, January 31, 2020 Report this
JohnStark
Does Mr. Merolla truly believe that businesses are not moving to Warwick because Tollgate lacks a turf field? This really is comical. And what, exactly, does a turf field have to do with basic academic competency? Warwick's schools are full of teachers who are highly compensated, call in sick at alarming rates, and produce students who's measurable academic outcomes are in the bottom third of the state. But pay no attention to any of that. Instead, lets hire a 'consultant' to tell us that we need to spend $200M for a new school in order to educate the same kids with the same teachers.
Friday, January 31, 2020 Report this
FASTFREDWARD4
stop crying just do it. anybody looking at the state of death. or even better our federal dept. don't worry just blow all the money we can . that my new theme. Who knows maybe I should get back into it. NEVER who wants to here the crying from the left
Saturday, February 1, 2020 Report this
Dave Testa
Bill123, again, the paragraph you referenced was from a spreadsheet (by school) that totaled every project slated for each school. Not every single project is being done so the author used the grand total of all projects, not of the projects slated to be done. All projects have an A&E assumption included in them. I think expecting that level of detail in the article is a little 'hopeful'. The School Dept has had a pretty good handle on project costs and scope with the first phase of projects. So far most all have come in under budget. That info is listed on the WPS website and is available here https://www.warwickschools.org/bond-funded-capital-projects-2018-2023/.
John Stark, I've stated for along time that what goes on inside of a school building - the teaching, learning and, most importantly, the results - are what keeps and attracts people to a city. And we have a lot of work to do on that front. We fool ourselves in thinking that new, shiny objects will make it all better.
dave testa
Saturday, February 1, 2020 Report this
bill123
David Testa, what are you talking about, “A&E assumption”? I read that as an admission these proposed projects were handled as the article states (by an administrator, not an engineer), which is contrary to what I said is required. In spite of your feeling about a “pretty good handle”, the $56 million estimate has no credibility. The school committee is just asking for money based on an unsubstantiated guesstimate, to fund something vaguely stated, with no defined ending. If you want to be less vague, you could just list the projects that add up to $56 million. No one seems to be able to do that.
Saturday, February 1, 2020 Report this
bill123
David Testa, the list of projects totaling $56 million must exist somewhere, in addition to whatever you or the Beacon writes. This information should be appended to the minutes of the school committee, when it was approved. Where are those minutes ?
Sunday, February 2, 2020 Report this
bill123
David Testa, Feb 4 (two days from now) looks like an important date. I’m guessing this matter is a continuation of the $45-80 million bond proposal ( http://warwickonline.com/stories/plans-for-second-phase-of-school-repairs-hiked-from-45m-to-80m,144791), and is still up for grabs as the “Bond Phase II Update” item in your upcoming public meeting, on Feb 4, 2020, according to the agenda on the SOS website. The January 2020 minutes have not been released yet, or missed it somehow. If the list of projects and dollar values is not in there, then this is just a misinformation campaign.
Sunday, February 2, 2020 Report this
perky4175
i think we spend to much already on the schools they should do away with school sports there is no educational value there they would be better off bringing back shop classes
Tuesday, February 4, 2020 Report this
WarwickfortheKids
For those that do not realize it, Toll Gate and Winman do not have fields - nor do they have district transportation to the poorly kept ones across the city (referees have threatened to cancel games multiple times because of poor/unsafe condition of fields and many times kids can't practice). Nor do they have locker rooms to keep their equipment/change (the locker room was deemed "unsafe" so it is closed off). Toll Gate and Winman basically share four crumbling tennis courts while the other high school and middle school at least have their own athletic grounds (although not in good condition at least they have reasonable access to them). While new turf fields would be nice, the least we should be providing ASAP are safe fields and transport. All it will take is one serious accident - on the field or in a kid's car (luckily the ones that have occurred to date have not been serious) and the district - and its leadership will be responsible for much more than the cost of providing it. If a school/city cannot provide a safe program to its children, it should not be offered.
Tuesday, February 4, 2020 Report this
Thecaptain
WarwickfortheKids,
Quit your crying already. We firefighters don't want to hear it. We have stainless steel appliances in all our fire houses, weight rooms, cable TV, the best Simmons mattresses for when we are Dozing for Dollars, and we just got a sweet pay increase. Who cares about these kids anyway. You really think that they are going to learn anything form these overpaid teachers? The last teacher raise should have gone to us fire fighters. We are the true hero's of Warwick. So quit your bleeding and pay your taxes, I need a new Benz.
Tuesday, February 4, 2020 Report this
Cat2222
Honestly, a shiny new building isn't worth a penny if the teachers don't show up and the students don't learn. Bigger problems exist in the school system that are not being addressed.
Tuesday, February 11, 2020 Report this