FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Matt Sheley at (401) 842-6543 or msheley@middletownri.com
SUSTAINABILITY SESSION FOR NEW SCHOOL PLANNED FOR JUNE 21
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (JUNE 13, 2023) – These days, sustainability is a buzzword in almost everything we do.
It’s part of the new automobiles we drive, in the products we use and touches just about every other aspect of our modern lives.
Not surprisingly, it’s also a major component of plans to build a new middle-high school on property just north of Gaudet Middle School expected to go to voters on Nov. 7.
To get feedback on what the community would like to see for sustainability for the proposed school, residents and businesspeople are invited to a “Sustainability Visioning Session” on June 21 from 3:15-5 pm in the Oliphant administration building, 26 Oliphant Lane. The session is hosted by HMFH Architects, one of the groups hired to spearhead the school project.
“This meeting with the architects and engineers will discuss specific goals for the project related to sustainable design practices such as net zero, solar energy, geothermal, rainwater harvesting, daylight harvesting and other ideas,” said Derek Osterman, a project manager with Colliers International, who are assisting HMFH and DBVW architects.
“This session is meant to collect feedback from the community about what type of sustainable features might be priorities to be incorporated into the design, where cost allows.”
“As we plan for our new school facility, this is an opportunity to demonstrate to our community that we care about the environment, set an example for our students and truly build a sustainable, friendly learning atmosphere for our students,” Superintendent Rosemarie K. Kraeger said.
As the special election day marches closer, plans for the new $190 million middle-high school are coming together.
Unlike many projects where the building determines what happens inside, the new middle-high school is being driven by an overhaul to the curriculum. That means what happens in the classrooms and other learning spaces is guiding the design and layout of the new school, not the other way around.
The town hired Manuel Cordero of CIVIC design to lead this effort. Cordero, who formerly worked for the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), is known across The Ocean State as the “premier expert” in the field.
Multiple reports have shown Middletown needs all new schools because of the age and decline of the existing buildings, each which are at least 50 years old.
Those documents — see https://mdl.town/FCI and https://mdl.town/Report — have also said the town would spend at least as much fixing what it has, if not more.
According to a recent report to the Town Council from Town Administrator Shawn J. Brown, everything with the new school project is coming together.
A review of the former Starlight Drive-In property at 1225 Aquidneck Ave. where the new school is planned found the site is strong and doesn’t need special modifications. See https://www.middletownri.com/DocumentCenter/View/8549/NYCU-Strong for more.
“There’s a lot of survey work that’s going on right now,” Brown said. “You’ll see survey crews out around Gaudet School and Aquidneck Avenue, gathering data, flagging wetlands and things like that.”
Brown said he was looking forward to the sustainability discussion because it’s clearly the way of the future. He noted that more efficient buildings lower the operating costs, which helps offset the price tag of debt service payments and helps keep more money in each of the classrooms.
“Obviously, everything comes back to funding but it’s an important question,” Brown said. “There are so many new and exciting possibilities here to make our school sustainable for generations to come.”
He also noted that Cordero and his team were well underway with their work to define a fourth career pathway program at the school, likely centered on marine trades. Out of these discussions, Brown said the town was working on setting up a meeting with Electric Boat, which is interested in providing assistance with the program.
“There’s a considerable amount of progress on work that’s being done by CIVIC — our educational planner — developing the fourth career pathway, the interdisciplinary area of marine technology, which has a range of work from motors to electronics to the use of different materials like carbon fibers. It’s a broad range of skills that students could participate in.”
After the briefing, council President Paul M. Rodrigues said he couldn’t help but be impressed with the amount of work and preparation that’s gone into the effort.
“There are a lot of good things going on with (this project),” Rodrigues said. “When I got down to the bottom of the documents, it says ‘The project remains on time and on budget,’ we need to remain focused on that.”
Document Link: https://www.middletownri.com/D...