1.      Call to Order

1.      The meeting was called to order at 5:00 pm by Chair Ed Brady.  Eleven (11) of thirteen (13) voting members were present or represented by an alternate, with Marc Thayer listening in via Zoom.  Ed Brady welcomed the newly appointed community member Dan Thibeault to his first meeting.

2.      Consider and Vote on Meeting Minutes from September 10, 2025

·         MOTION: Tom Welch moved to accept the meeting minutes from September 10, 2025, and Peter Connerton seconded.

·         DISCUSSION: None

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

3.      Architect’s Update

3.1  Entrance Signage Update

·         Matt LaRue shared an update on the entrance signage.  The Committee agreed that Matt had incorporated all the changes requested at the prior meeting.  After some initial discussion, a motion was made to select option #1.

·         MOTION: Don Morin moved to accept the design option #1 with some breathing room added to better center the blue MIDDLETOWN lettering vertically and Peter Connerton seconded.

·         DISCUSSION: Some additional comments and suggestions were made about pros and cons of each option, along with some possible additional changes to the design, but the motion stood as stated.

·         VOTE: The motion passed on a majority vote, with four members opposed: Bill Nash, Ed Collins, Dan Thibeault and Shawn Brown.

3.2  Low Flow Toilets for new Middle-High School.

·         Matt LaRue informed the Committee that the Town would be eligible for an additional 2% in reimbursement funds if the design can meet a 30% water efficiency rating.  The overall energy efficiency is already projected to be at 53%.

·         The current projection for water efficiency is 23%, and by changing from 1.28 gallons per flush (low flow) toilets to 1.1 gallons per flush (ultra-low flow) toilets the water efficiency will meet the 30% requirement.

·         Since the building outflow is designed to be 2.5 feet per second, less paper towels will be used due to the installation of hand dryers, and given that PVC piping will be used, the risk for clogs with a lower flow toilet is substantially reduced.

·         The 2% additional reimbursement is anticipated to equate to approximately $3.4 million, and there is not any anticipated change in cost.  A formal change request with any anticipated cost impact will be presented at a future meeting for approval.

3.3  Two Week Look Ahead

·         Construction Administration for the Middle-High School and Elementary School complex will continue. 

·         Concession stand project boards will be available by the end of September for Gilbane to submit to the signage subcontractor for printing.

·         The NE-CHPS design submission will be ready by the end of September.

4.      Owners Rep Update:

4.1  Elementary School GMP Update

·         Colin McCarthy reported that not much has changed from the last meeting.  Bentley provided a draft GMP Amendment to Colliers on September 4^th.

·         Colliers provided the draft Amendment to the Town’s Attorney on September 5^th to review the legal language.

·         The GMP Amendment is still being updated based on comments received from Colliers and the design team.  Bentley is in the process of updating the CMP with confirmed pricing on the alternates in lieu of budget pricing.  Once the confirmed pricing is added, the Town’s Attorney will do a final review before the GMP will be presented to the Building Committee for review.  It will hopefully be ready for the next meeting.

4.2  MS/HS Group XI Recommendations to Award: Site Improvements and Landscaping

4.2.1  Consider and Vote to Award the Contract (Site Improvements and Landscaping) for the new Middle/High School

·         Gilbane and Colliers advise the Building Committee to recommend awarding the Site Improvements & Landscaping bid to Xquisite Landscaping in the amount of $1,882,900, which is $1,061,401 above the 60% CD budgeted amount of $821,499.  Colliers also recommends that the Building Committee hold alternates #1-3 and #11-13 and reject Alternates #5-#10 as they are not applicable for this bid.  Alternate #4 shall be rejected for this bid as it was also priced with the Sitework contractor (DiGregorio) which shall remain held with that RTA as the value is more beneficial to the project.

·         MOTION: Don Morin moved that the Building Committee make a recommendation to award the Site Improvements & Landscaping bid to Xquisite Landscaping in the amount of $1,882,900, which is $1,061,401 above the 60% CD budgeted amount of $821,499 and to hold Alternate #1 Multipurpose playfield in the amount of $157,306, hold Alternate #2 softball field in the amount of $341,474, hold Alternate #3 north driveway in the amount of $15,604, reject Alternate #4 site furnishings in the amount of $361,470 specifically to this RTA as it was already priced with the Sitework contractor and that value was more beneficial to the project, hold Alternate #11 relocate nine existing trees in the amount of $55,104, hold Alternate #12 furnish irrigation system at multipurpose playfield in the amount of $80,685, and hold Alternate #13 furnish irrigation system at softball field in the amount of $38,451.  Alternates #5-#10 are not applicable for this bid. Tom Welch seconded the motion.  The motion passed on a unanimous vote.

·         Vice Chair Nash asked how the project was trending and Colin McCarthy stated that that the construction cost is ~7.53 million under budget as of 9/18/2025.

·         Peter Connerton asked how the MBE/WBE was trending and Tony Murgida informed the Committee that with the landscaping RTA included, WBE is currently at 7.49% of the forecasted construction cost while MBE is at 6.37% of the forecasted construction cost.  Gilbane has held two alternates to help bridge the gap to meet the 7.5% target, and any alternates that are needed to meet the MBE/WBE targets will be included in the GMP.

·         All RTA’s have now been presented for the Middle/High School project.

4.3  Middle-High School GMP Update

·         The Middle-High school GMP is expected by the end of September.  All alternates will be included in the GMP.

4.4  Middle-High School Alternates Review

·         Colin informed the Committee that they have asked Gilbane to request an extension to the alternates decision date from 10/22/2025 to the end of November.  Tony Murgida stated that the request has been made, and Gilbane is awaiting responses from all subcontractors, some of which need to check with their vendors.

4.5  Middle-High School Construction Update

·         Forms are being placed to construct the high walls of the building. 

·         Foundation waterproofing and drainage mat installation has begun.  The design team and the Colliers commissioning team have been out to the site to inspect and approve the work.

·         The main electrical room foundation rebar work has begun.

·         Don asked for an update on the drone footage and Colin stated that it is available and he would post it to the Building Committee’s Google Drive. 

·         Colin added that Ryan Healey, the full-time construction representative from Colliers has wrapped up a previous project and will now be assigned to the Middletown project.

4.6  Middle-High School Budget Update

·         The project is still working within the $190 million bond, and the total anticipated costs (excluding contingencies) remain at approximately $178 million.

·         Don asked if a hard number existed for the security work that was removed from Gilbane’s scope and Ed Collins said that the current budget number was based on a quote and is a hard number.  Ed Brady added that the pricing comes from the RI Master Pricing Agreement so that the numbers are firm.

4.7     Two Week Look Ahead

·         Both the Elementary School Complex GMP and the MS/HS draft GMP are expected by the end of the month.

·         MS/HS Bulk Excavation and soil testing, soil removal, concrete formwork, foundation waterproofing, elevator shaft CMU (concrete masonry units), and MEP underground coordination will continue over the next couple of weeks. 

5.      School Building Committee Update

5.1 Two Week Look Ahead

·         Ed Brady explained that the next meeting is currently scheduled for October 15^th.

·         Don added that there is a conflict with the Library Building Committee meeting that same night and requested that the meeting be moved to a 4:30pm start time so that those on both committees can attend both meetings.  The Library Building Committee meeting starts at 6pm.

·         MOTION: Don Morin moved to change the start time for the October 15, 2025 School Building Committee meeting from 5pm to 4:30pm and Peter Connerton seconded.

·         DISCUSSION: None

·         VOTE: The motion passed on a unanimous vote.

Adjournment:

·         MOTION: Bill Nash moved for the Building Committee to adjourn at 5:47pm and Tami Holden seconded. The motion passed unanimously (11-0).

Future Meeting Schedule – The next meeting will be on October 15, 2025, at 4:30p.m. at the Oliphant Administration Building.

Respectfully Submitted,

Don Morin