Council gets update on, talks referendum for new East Providence High School project

Preliminary cost estimates tab total between $120-$130 million

By Mike Rego
Posted 12/22/17

EAST PROVIDENCE — The city council at its meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 19, received an update on the status of plans and potential cost of constructing a new East Providence High School. The council …

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Council gets update on, talks referendum for new East Providence High School project

Preliminary cost estimates tab total between $120-$130 million

Posted

EAST PROVIDENCE — The city council at its meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 19, received an update on the status of plans and potential cost of constructing a new East Providence High School. The council has final say if a bond referenda item towards replacing EPHS is included on the November 2018 election ballot, a key component to furthering the district’s effort.

At the meeting, School Committeeman Nate Cahoon, who serves as the building subcommittee chairman, outlined where plans for a rebuilt EPHS stood at the moment. Mr. Cahoon said the district continues on a path to hit the next RIDE mandated deadline of February 1, 2018, when crucially a final schematic must be submitted and the city must show its willing to finance its share of the project.

Mr. Cahoon said the eventual size of the new high school is still to be determined, but the working range is between 318,000-330,000 square feet. Using previous estimates of construction costs being approximately $380 would mean the price of the new high school would fall between $120-$130 million, not including the cost of demolishing the old building.

Under the current state formula, East Providence is reimbursed by the state up to 54 percent of the overall price of building/maintenance efforts. However, if proposals expected to be made by Governor Gina Raimondo are backed by both the General Assembly and voters next year, the reimbursement percentage could rise to as much as 74 percent if the district meets certain parameters for curricula and construction efficiency.

Mr. Cahoon, who urged the council to allow for the referenda to be placed on the 2018 ballot, said by a planned January 23 special session of the council on the topic he should be able to provide the body with a “pretty good estimate of the cost based on the schematic design.”

As he stated previously on the topic, council president and At-Large member Jim Briden said last week it was necessary to factor in property tax increases expected over the next five years when considering how much the city could support the project. State-appointed Municipal Finance Advisor Paul Luba has anticipated the city will need to raise taxes three percent annually during the next five fiscal years to meet existing spending needs.

With that in mind, Mr. Briden, saying it was unlikely the city could financially do both, has suggested using the approximately $15 million it will have saved by next year towards potential synchronization of East Providence’s fiscal calendar with the state towards paying its portion of the high school plan. The city would bond out the rest, in the range of $35 million, allowing it to stay well under its current borrowing capacity so it can, among possibilities, address other infrastructure needs down the road and maintain its good standing when needed to borrow operational capital through Tax Anticipatory Notes (TANs).

Councilors Joe Botelho and Brian Faria each expressed their desire to allow for the new high school bond referendum to be included on next November’s ballot. Mr. Botelho, calling himself the “populist” on the council, said ultimately it should be left to residents to determine if they wanted to fund the project. He and Mr. Faria supported doing so, but in the words of the latter with the public “understanding the fiscal responsibilities involved.”

In agreeing with his council counterparts, Mr. Cahoon said of referenda item, “It’s too important, it means too much to the future of the community to hold that back.”

Mr. Cahoon also informed the council and the public the next meeting of the school building committee takes place Monday, Jan. 8, at 6:30 p.m. in Room 306 at City Hall.

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