1.       Call to Order

·         The meeting was called to order at 5:01 pm by Chair Ed Brady.  Eleven (11) of thirteen (13) voting members were present or represented by an alternate.  

·         Also present: Justin Bernard and Colin McCarthy, OPM, Colliers Project Leaders

·         Present via Zoom: Justin Viglianti, HMFH Architects and Ed Cifune, DBVW Architects.

2.       Consider and Vote on Meeting Minutes from January 15, 2025

·         MOTION: Tom Welch moved to accept the meeting minutes from January 15, 2025 and Marc Thayer seconded.

·         DISCUSSION: None.

·         VOTE: The motion passed unanimously (11-0).

3.       Consider and Vote on Building Committee Officers

·         Superintendent Niemeyer read the following statement regarding the requirement to annually elect officers to the School Building Committee:

·         During a designated Building Committee meeting, any Committee member may nominate an applicant for a vacant Committee position. Nominations do not require a second, and each nominating member should provide a brief statement about the nominee's qualifications. Nominations for a position will remain open until all members have had an opportunity to nominate or until a motion to close nominations is approved by a majority of the Committee. Once nominations are closed, the Committee Chair will call for a vote, but I will do the first one where we call for call for the Committee Chair, conducted by roll call. Each member may vote for one nominee per vacancy. The nominee receiving a majority of votes from members present shall be appointed. If no nominee secures a majority, the nominee with the fewest votes will be eliminated, and additional voting rounds will occur until a majority is achieved. In the event of a tie preventing elimination, the Committee may deliberate further or table the decision to the next meeting. All nominations and votes shall comply with the Rhode Island Open Meetings Act to ensure transparency, and the names of nominees, voting outcomes, and appointees will be recorded in the meeting minutes.

·         At this point the Superintendent called for nominations for Committee Chair.

·         Peter Connerton nominated Ed Brady to continue as Chair.  Peter felt that Ed had the required experience and had been serving as Chair or Co-Chair since the Committee’s inception, and Ed had Peter’s full support going forward.  There were no additional nominations.  The nomination passed on a unanimous vote.

·         Chair Brady took over the meeting at this point and asked for nominations for Vice Chair.

·         Tom Welch nominated Bill Nash to continue as Vice Chair.  Tom felt that the Committee had been running smoothly, and that Bill complemented Ed well.  There were no additional nominations.  The nomination passed on a unanimous vote.

·         Chair Brady asked for nominations for Secretary.

·         Marc Thayer nominated Don Morin to continue as Secretary.  He expressed that Don has been doing a great job so why change.  There were no additional nominations.  The nomination passed on a unanimous vote.

4.       Architect’s Update

4.1 Security System Proprietary Products

·         Justin Viglianti informed the Committee that we were at the tail end of the Construction Documents creation and that the team is about 90% through the CD document phase.  There are about five weeks left and the team is going to use that time to tighten up the drawings, coordinate with their consultants and get the package ready for bidding at the beginning of March.

·         Ed Cifune informed the Committee that one item requires proprietary approval from the Building Committee.  That item is the security system.  The team is looking at an integrated system of cameras, access control and intercom at the new middle/high school and the existing high school.  It is s cloud-based system that will provide long-term benefits to the Town.  David Annese and GGD have been talking about this for a while and ratification is now needed.

·         Town Administrator Brown asked if some additional information could be supplied and presented to the Committee before voting on this item.  He shared that an architect had recommended a specific system for the police station, but the Town couldn’t find anyone locally to support it and had to change the system over entirely.  Ed Cifune agreed to ask David Annese to come to the next meeting to present the supporting documentation for this recommendation.

4.2 MS/HS 60% Construction Document (CD) Cost Estimate

·         Justin explained that the estimates from the CM and HMFH’s estimator came back on January 17^th.  A reconciliation meeting was held on January 23^rd.  They were able to reconcile the two estimates within 2% which was the goal.  The final estimates are due January 31^st.  Both estimators wanted to investigate some electrical and mechanical line items to make sure they had their numbers right.  A small amount of value management will likely be required.

·         A final reconciled estimate is anticipated to be completed by February 6^th for presentation to the Building Committee on February 12^th.

4.3 Permitting – FAA, RIDEM, RIDOT

·         Ed Cifune explained that the FAA has completed their review, and no marking or lighting is required on the new building.

·         DEM continues their stormwater review and HMFH’s civil engineer is pursuing an initial meeting with DEM in the next week or so.

·         DOT has taken the initial letter from HMFH’s engineer and is now reviewing it.  Comments are expected back by late February.

4.4 Planning Board Master Plan Application Preliminary Review

·         The final package has been submitted/delivered to the Town Planner, and a meeting with the TRC is planned for the week of February 10^th.  A subsequent special meeting with the Planning Board is scheduled for February 26^th. 

·         The final review is scheduled to take place administratively in early March.

4.5 Two Week Look Ahead

·         MHS Cost Estimates are due by January 31^st.

·         MHS Cost Estimate VM meeting will take place during the week of February 3^rd.

·         The DEM meeting is targeted for the week of February 3^rd.

·         MHS final budget pricing is due February 6^th.

·         MHS 60% CD submission target is February 7^th.

·         Planning Board TRC meeting is planned for the week of February 10^th.

·         Marc Thayer asked if the Roads and Utilities Committee could get the civil documents for their next meeting in February.  Justin said he could get the civil docs from the Planning Board submission to Marc.

5.       Owners Rep Update

5.1   RIDE Submissions Update

·         Justin Bernard informed the Committee that the consultant team will address the Elementary School complex Design Development comments in a meeting with RIDE following submission of the MS/HS 60% CD submission. 

·         MS/HS 60% CD submission to RIDE is scheduled for February 2025.  The consultant team will bring the submission to the School Building Committee at the next meeting on the 12^th of February for approval.

5.2   Schedule Update

·         Justin informed the Committee that the only changes from the previous schedule update are the update to the RIDE 60% submission and the start of the elementary school construction, which will start at the same time as the MS/HS construction, allowing for some early work to be done in the late spring on the heating system in the existing high school.

6.       School Building Committee Update

6.1 Project Labor Agreement Update

·         Town Administrator Brown informed the Committee that Town Solicitor, the School’s Attorney and the consulting attorney will be making a recommendation by the end of this week.   They are choosing from three qualified bidders.

6.2 Naming of new Middle/High School

·         Superintendent Niemeyer stated that the School Committee has recommended that the new building be called Middletown Middle School and Middletown High School.  This recommendation is being forwarded to the Town Council for approval.  Ed Cifune asked if the new name of the existing high school could be determined. 

·         Other areas of the building can be named after others.  Superintendent Niemeyer agreed to gather the existing areas that have been named after individuals so they can be retained in some capacity in the new building.

·         ACTION: Gather the names of the rooms/areas of the existing Gaudet Middle School to retain them in the new Middle/High School. – Superintendent Niemeyer

·         ACTION: Determine the new name for the existing high school. – School Committee to recommend to Town Council

·         Opportunities to name additional spaces will exist.  The Committee needs to understand that process for naming new spaces.  Greg Huet explained that a policy has been created to define what falls under the Town Council’s purview and what falls under the School Committee’s purview.  Justin Bernard added that the consultants created a document that includes a list of areas that could be named for fundraising opportunities.  He will share this document with the Committee.

·         ACTION: Obtain the policy that defines whose purview it is to name different areas of the school complex. – School Building Committee

6.3 Status of Community Members on Committee

·         Superintendent Niemeyer stated that nobody has expressed an interest in filling the open position on the Committee, so they will reach out again.

6.4 Consider and Vote on Approval of Security System Proprietary Products

·         Chair Brady suggested that we pass over this item, and request that David Annese attend the next meeting to share additional information to support this request.

6.5 Two Week Look Ahead

·         Chairman Brady highlighted that the focus in the next two weeks is the reconciliation of the 60% CD cost estimating effort.

Adjournment:

·         MOTION: Tom Welch moved that the Building Committee adjourn at 5:48 pm and Peter Connerton seconded. The motion passed unanimously (11-0).

Future Meeting Schedule – The next meeting will be on February 12, 2025 at 5:00p.m. at the Oliphant Administration Building.

Respectfully Submitted,

Don Morin