Barrington residents recently had an opportunity to meet the school district’s new project manager for the upcoming school facilities work. 

Joe DeSanti, the director of program management from Downes Construction Company, offered a presentation during a special workshop on April 20. DeSanti said Tony DeMelo, the company’s senior pre-construction manager, will serve as the point person for Barrington’s work. According to the Downes’ website, DeMelo has 37 years of experience in the profession. 

DeSanti said Downes has experience in all aspects of design and construction — the company focuses on building schools in Connecticut and overseeing/managing projects in Rhode Island. Understanding both parts of the process is what makes the company so successful, DeSanti said. 

DeSanti also referenced Downes’s relationship with the Rhode Island Department of Education. Currently, Downes is working on construction projects with eight school districts in Rhode Island: Exeter-West Greenwich, Lincoln, Newport, South Kingstown, Burrillville, Westerly, Providence and Barrington. 

“We have a lot of face-time with RIDE,” DeSanti said, adding that hardly a day goes by when Downes is not on the phone with RIDE officials. 

DeSanti said there are benefits to working so closely with RIDE, including that the company has a strong understanding of the RIDE process. 

Later in the workshop, Barrington residents had an opportunity to ask questions and share comments. Neile Hartman said the community engagement part of the process is very important. She also said she was disappointed that the meeting was not more heavily attended, adding that there are many people who are interested in the school facilities work. 

Hartman implored others to ask questions and get involved. She said student engagement was also important.

“We can do hard things. This is going to be hard, but we can do it,” Hartman said. 

Rob Swartz offered DeSanti a quick overview of the district’s previous facilities submission work. He said officials pushed for the “fewer and newer” model, consolidating neighborhood elementary schools but residents and parents pushed back. 

Swartz warned that if Downes called for removing the small neighborhood elementary schools in Barrington, the bond vote would probably not pass. 

Swartz also asked about school and campus security. 

DeSanti said Downes would look to have a number of different companies weigh in on the security matters. He said more ideas and involvement leads to better outcomes. 

DeSanti also said Downes would have at least six community meetings to discuss the ongoing school work. He said people might expect a Zoom meeting one night, followed by an on-campus visit at one of the schools on a Saturday morning, so people could see first-hand what the conditions are. 

Another resident spoke about the cost of the project. He was concerned about the impact an expensive construction project could have on some residents. 

Barrington School Committee member Amanda Basse said that while officials are looking to establish a number for the maximum price, they are not looking to necessarily hit that number with the project. 

DeSanti said Downes will clearly explain what the tax impact will be for the proposed work. He pointed to a flyer that his company created for the town of Westerly for a school project there. The flyer listed the costs for three projects — one new school construction, one school renovation, and one school renovation/addition. It also showed how much state aid was expected and what the residents could expect to pay for the work.

“We laid it out in black and white,” DeSanti said. 

“The facts are the facts. It’s important the residents know.”

Barrington School Committee Chairman Patrick McCrann reassured those at the meeting that residents will know what the tax impact will be before they vote on the project at a special referendum in November. 

Megan Lavigne asked if the work that had been done by the district on a previous Stage I submission effort would be used by Downes. DeSanti said it would be used, and that the company would also be doing a reassessment of all the public school buildings in Barrington. 

Student engagement

DeSanti spent some time talking about Downes’s student engagement effort. He said the company has student internship and mentoring programs

“That is something we’re very passionate about,” DeSanti said.