Committee approves 60% plans for dual-language school and awards demo contract for old Central Falls High School

The Central Falls School Building Committee voted to approve the submission of 60% construction documents for the district's dual‑language pre‑K–8 school to the Rhode Island Department of Education and also awarded the demolition and abatement contract for the old Central Falls High School at 24 Summer Street to S and R Corporation.

The committee approved the 60% package after staff reviewed the project schedule and cost estimates. Brian, the architect from AI3, told the committee the team plans to submit the 60% construction‑document package to RIDE this week and is targeting substantial completion for the new building in June 2028 with owner occupancy in September 2028. "We're right at the end of the bidding for the demo and abatement... we're gonna be receiving our 60% ... estimate today," Brian said during the presentation.

Erica, the project's OPM, summarized budget reconciliation and construction close‑out work at the high school: a temporary certificate of occupancy issued Feb. 19 has been extended to June 19, 2026, commissioning and punch‑list work are ongoing and roughly 96% of an original ~2,000‑item punch list has been closed. She also reported $748,752 in value‑engineering savings identified during the 60% cost estimate process and noted several change orders (including a $61,442.01 freight change order).

On the demo contract, Anne moved to award the demolition and abatement contract for 24 Summer Street to S and R Corporation "for the amount included in their bid," and the motion carried by voice vote. Committee members and staff thanked consultants who ran the best‑and‑final process and noted the lower cost achieved through that procurement step. Erica told the committee the purchasing board approved S and R Construction on 04/30/2026 and staff are executing the contract with hopes to turn the building over to the contractor this month to begin demo and abatement.

Committee members asked for clearer graphics on traffic flow and drop‑off circulation—issues previously flagged by RIDE—and staff said they will add arrows and blue‑zone drop‑off details for the next presentation. The Chair also reported an interim parking agreement with Knights of Columbus that staff expect to help offset parking demand during construction.

The committee recorded other project financial items in the meeting packet, including a Facilities Opportunity Initiative invoice ($115,362) and a bond reimbursement request (bond requisition 33B, read aloud in the meeting as "2,000,000, $120,714.63"); staff noted those numbers would be processed through the regular invoicing and bond‑reimbursement channels and the transcript recording is reflected in the meeting packet.

The committee's approvals move the dual‑language project and the site demo closer to procurement and construction phases; staff said they will present revised circulation graphics and the finalized 60% submission package to RIDE and the committee as the next steps.