EAST PROVIDENCE — In one of his two monthly reports to the School Committee made recently to the full body, District Facilities Department Director Chris Murphy announced the new East Providence High School has formally and finally received its certificate of occupancy from the respective local and state authorities at the December 13 meeting.

It’s a milestone for the now 16-month-old building, which opened in the last week of August 2021 in time for the start of the ’21-22 term and has received a series of temporary COOs as punch list items have been completed over the last year-plus.

Murphy termed the situation “very good news” while noting until that point the building had been granted a series of temporary certificates for use last school year and earlier this.
Building Committee co-chairman, At-Large School Committee member and chair Joel Monteiro said getting the permanent certificate was “great news.”

No lasting leaks
Monteiro took the occasion of the School Committee’s November meeting to chastise those in social media spaces mostly who speculated the new EPHS structure has had as many as “137” incidents of leakage since it opened 15 months ago.

“For the record, we’ve never had multiple leaks in the building. I do want to state that publicly again, trying to get past that for the residents who have contacted me with that misinformation,” said Monteiro.

Of the new EPHS alleged leak issue, he added, “The roof, outside, I think we may have had one in that August (2022) storm. We had one leak and another was a condensation issue, I believe…Forgive me for needing to clear that up, but it’s insulting to the men and women who poured their heart into this building and did yeoman’s work to get this thing done.”

Drain pipe repair
There is an actual matter with the new high school that does raise concern: the saga of the 30-inch drain pipe issue in the rear of the high school and the athletics stadium continued in recent months.

Murphy said in December “estimate and proposal are currently being gathered” to determine how best to remedy the situation.

The problem came to light late in the summer following two significant rain events. The burst pipe, which takes water from the front of the property to the rear, created a hole near the base of a light pole at the northwest corner of the stadium.

Since, there has been a lengthy back-and-forth between district, lead project contractor Gilbane and associated entities.

Reached after the November meeting for an update on the drain pipe situation at the athletics stadium in the rear of the campus, Monteiro said while both the district and the contractor have come to an agreement on a plan of how best to deal with the matter, there remains a concern about the ground underneath the pipe, specifically.

Monteiro said then more testing was needed to determine if the dirt beneath the pipe and at the base of the stanchion was compacted enough so as to not compromise again in the future once the pipe is replaced and the hole is filled.

Last week, Murphy said a “major hurdle” was cleared when it was “definitely determined” the integrity of the light pole base was intact and had not been washed out.

Monteiro added the new pipe is in place and the hole has been backfilled for winter months, but more testing will be done in the spring before the area is sealed off for good. He said he was also pleased to know the base of the stanchion had not been affected and that it will be “ready to receive the light pole” when it is re-installed next year.

More Facilities notes
Murphy updated the full committee on the new roof installation at the administrative building on the high school campus, the former Career and Tech Center headquarters.
The district last week received six trailers of materials for the endeavor, which is being funded as part of the overall new EPHS project. Actual construction started on Monday, Dec. 19.

Murphy said the district is preparing to seek Request for Proposals (RFPs) from qualified contractors to repair the chimneys at the Silver Spring and Hennessey Elementary Schools. Administrators are also in the process of reviewing bids received for an RFP issued to replace the windows at Riverside Middle School.

Old EPHS mementos
During his Facilities update in November, Murphy told the committee he had a list of some 15 categories of items left over from the old EPHS building that needed to be either sold, scrapped or discarded.

Monteiro said he thought one of the groupings, steel lockers, could possibly be sold as a fundraiser to help support activities and curriculum in the new school. The lockers, some of the 12-inch by 72-inch variety in sets of three, could be sold outright.

Murphy also noted the wool championship sports banners that hung in the old gym could also be offered up in the same fashion. Murphy estimated there were between 50 and 60 banners, which have been categorized by year and sport, that are being properly stored by his department.

About the banners, which might be sold via raffle or silent auction, Murphy said, “I imagine they are pretty sentimental to some folks.”

Building Committee members

Monteiro and his fellow co-chair Nate Cahoon will remain on the Building Committee for the Martin and Waddington projects as community members even as both depart elected politics.

Monteiro chose not to run for what would have been a sixth, two-year term on the School Committee. Cahoon lost his bid for a second four-year term on the City Council from Ward 3. Former district employee Frank Fogarty defeated Cahoon by some 150 votes.

Also of note, Bob Rodericks, re-elected to a second four-year team as the At-Large City Councilor, joins the Building Committee as a representative from that body.