1.       Call to Order

·         The meeting was called to order at 4:32 pm by Ed Brady.  Ten (10) of thirteen (13) voting members were present or represented by an alternate.

2.       Consider and Vote on Meeting Minutes from March 11, 2026

·         MOTION: Peter Connerton moved to accept the meeting minutes from March 11, 2026, and Marc Thayer seconded.

·         DISCUSSION: None

·         VOTE: The motion passed unanimously (10-0).

3.       Architect’s Update

3.1   MSHS NE-CHPS Update

·         Matt LaRue first provided an update on the NE-CHPS submission.  He noted that there are two submissions: a design submission and a construction submission when construction is complete.  HMFH submitted the design submission at the beginning of this year and in late February they received comments back.

·         NE-CHPS has approved 72 credits to date, with 107 points pending that will be determined during the construction review.  Five credits were denied, but the architect team gets a second pass to see if they can resolve some of those.  HMFH is working with Colliers and the town and is planning to do that in late May. 

·         HMFH is confident at getting 174 points; 160 points gets you to Verified Leader Status.  RIDE has encouraged the team to get 180 points, and HMFH thinks it will get close but not quite there.  There are no consequences if the 180-point target is not met

3.2   Cultural, Historical, Memorial Subcommittee Meeting #4 Update

·         Matt shared that the subcommittee has been working with HMFH’s graphic designer Colin and architect Justin Viglianti.  Four meetings have been held to date.

·         Progress has been made on the interior graphics themes and interior color palette.  A time capsule product and location for placement in a display case have been identified, while revisions to the monument signs for all the schools have been discussed.

·         The current focus is on flooring colors and patterns, wall tile colors and patterns, content for an athletics hall of fame and banner placement, and the building dedication plaque.

·         Bill Nash added that the subgroup has reached out to some of the families of the people currently memorialized such as the Gaudet School, the planetarium, and gymnasium, and the School Committee is working with the administration on rebranding of the schools to align on the logos and mascots used throughout the district.

3.3   MSHS Furniture Design Update

·         Matt explained that their consultants have led three full-day furniture user group meetings over the past two weeks and have met with representatives from most areas of the current middle and high schools.  One Zoom meeting has been held and a couple more are planned to get feedback from a few additional users. 

·         Sit tests will be coordinated to allow students and teachers to try out different pieces of furniture such as chairs, desks, etc.  The furniture should be available by mid-May, and the pieces will be left in the schools for students and teachers to test out and provide feedback.

·         The goal is to finalize the furniture finishes in June, compile bid packages in the summer, issue bid packages in the early fall, review the bids in late fall so the Town can issue purchase orders, also in the late fall, allowing plenty of time to receive and install the furniture in the summer of 2027.

4.       Owners Rep Update:

4.1   MSHS Project Update

·         Justin Bernard shared information from Gilbane’s monthly dashboard report.

·         Safety Update

·         One recordable injury – a contractor suffered a back injury while moving a gang box.

·         Document Control

·         152 Submittals in review

·         13 RFI’s in review

·         Schedule

·         Gilbane has completed its recovery schedule, and the project is back on track for the fall 2027 school year start.

·         Financial Status

·         Estimated PCO’s: $870,085

·         Gilbane is expecting to wrap some of these up to submit for approval in the next week or two.  Anything over $100K will come to the Building Committee for recommendation to the School Committee and Town Council.

·         Progress Photos

·         Drone Flyover – Justin shared the drone flyover from March 27^th and walked the group through some recent photos of construction progress.

4.2   Valley Elementary Project Update

·         Justin provided the following update on the work at Valley Elementary:

·         New Water Service Design

·         An updated design based on Newport Water’s comments was sent to Newport Water on February 26^th.

·         Newport Water responded on March 31^st with additional comments.

·         Colliers provided design feedback to Newport Water on April 6^th and requested a design review meeting but has not had any response. 

·         Summer 2026 Preplanning

·         Primary Focus for summer of 2026

·         Nurse’s Suite

·         First Floor Bathrooms

·         Elevator Shaft

·         New water service is not likely to happen this summer due to the delay with getting the design completed with Newport Water.

·         The construction team is planning to use the April school vacation to perform some preliminary work specific to locker removal and door replacements in select areas.  If feasible, some test pitting for the elevator will also take place.

4.3   Forest Avenue Elementary Project Update

·         Schematic design is expected by early May.

·         A budget following SD estimating and reconciliation and value engineering is targeted for mid-June.

4.4   Master Schedule Update

·         Justin shared the high-level master schedule. 

·         A couple of milestones have changed since the last meeting. 

·         The finalized budget milestone for Forest Avenue School moved to June 15^th.

·         The middle high school building envelope and the phase one landscaping completion have been moved out.

·         Substantial completion date of the middle high school got pulled back from July 30th to July 29th.

·         All other milestones have remained the same since the last meeting.

4.5   Budget Update

·         Justin shared the following budget update, stating that the budget has increased due to the approval of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Grant.

·         Project Funding Available: $201,234,059

·         $190,000,000 Bond Funded

·         $484,308 Appropriation from General Fund

·         $4,800,000 Bond Interest (as of February 28, 2026)

·         $5,700,000 Bond Premium

·         $249,751 NEVI Grant

·         Project Budget: $200,049,925

o   Middle/High School: $173,623,000 (NEVI Grant added)

o   Valley Elementary: 20,182,100

o   Forest Avenue Elementary: $6,244,825 (estimated pre-design budget)

·         Expenditures to Date: $40,304,100

·         Contracted: $170,880,900

·         Total Anticipated Costs (excluding Contingences): $190,076,500

4.6   RI NEVI Phase 2A Community Charging RFA Application Status

·         The NEVI Grant was approved by the Office of Energy Resources on March 17^th, and the fully executed grant agreement was received on April 2^nd.

·         Colliers is working with ChargePoint for procurement of the EV chargers as outlined in the grant.

·         NOTE: OER has requested that Middletown refrain from any press releases or broader public communications related to the project at this time.

4.7   Four Week Look Ahead

·         The MS/HS project is moving full steam ahead with work on Roofing, Structural Steel Detailing and Decking, Concrete Slab Placements, Interior and Exterior Framing, Spray Fireproofing, MEP Rough-In and Underground Utilities.

·         Gilbane is still planning on having a meeting next week during the school break to finalize some student involvement at both Gaudet and the high school.

·         Valley Elementary Summer 2026 Preplanning and April Vacation Preliminary Work

·         Forest Avenue Elementary School Schematic Design and Cost Estimating

5.       School Building Committee Update

5.1 Middletown High School Athletic Boosters Letter dated 4-6-2026

·         Bill Nash referenced a letter that was recently received from the Middletown High School Athletic Boosters that he responded to, thanking them for their ideas and updating them on the work of the Cultural, Historical, Memorial Subcommittee.

·         He encouraged the boosters to attend the subcommittee meetings to share their input and added that one of the concerns they raised regarding the monitoring of locker rooms has already been addressed with the current design.

5.2 Four Week Look Ahead

·         The Forest Avenue School schematic design and estimating will be the focus in the coming weeks with the goal of having a cost estimate to present to Town Council in mid-June.

·         The next Building Committee meeting will be on May 13^th at 4:30pm.

Adjournment:

·         MOTION: Peter Connerton moved for the Building Committee to adjourn at 5:15pm and Marc Thayer seconded. The motion passed unanimously (10-0).

Respectfully Submitted,

Don Morin