EAST PROVIDENCE — People wishing to leave a lasting impression on the new East Providence High School project will have an opportunity to do so after the School Committee consented to a request put forth by one of the city’s most well-regarded non-profit groups.

At the its March 10 meeting, the body gave unanimous approval to a special ask from the Friends of Townie Athletics (FOTA) boosters, allowing the organization to sell commemorative bricks for at least one of the already planned pathways at the new EPHS. The boosters received similar backing from the new East Providence High School Building Committee at that board’s meeting the previous evening.

The effort is being put forth under the guise of the FOTA “Leave Your Mark” Commemorative Brick Campaign. Proceeds from the sale would return to the organization, which supports sports programs at all schools throughout the district. FOTA is currently in its 26th year of operation.

Its main annual fundraiser is a golf tournament traditionally held in early September. The group has provided well over $200,000 in donations to teams and individuals associated with school athletics in the city during its existence.

Stephanie Vinhateiro, Melissa Andrade, Paul Pimentel and Greg Dias represented FOTA at the March committee forum, providing an outline of the proposal, including the cost of the bricks and where they would be placed initially.

The group, working in concert with new high school architects Ai3, was presented with four options for where the bricks could be placed. FOTA chose a path planned for the front of the new structure as its first preference. There, surrounding a planned casting of the interlocking “E.P.” logo used by the school, space is available to surround it with 1,000 red bricks and 350 blue accent bricks.

The bricks will be sold in four ways. The cost of a 4x8-inch brick is $125, including text. The purchaser has a choice of including with the text one of four logo options — the EPHS clock tower, Townie mascot sports logo, East Providence Townies or FOTA emblem — at an additional cost o4 $25 for a total of $150. An 8x8-inch brick is also available at prices of $225 (text only) or $250 (text and graphic). The 4"x 8" bricks can be personalized with up to three lines of text, 20 characters per line without logo or 16 characters with logo. The 8"x 8" bricks can be personalized with up to five lines of text, 20 characters per line with or without logo. Any symbol (period, comma, dash) is considered one space. All text is centered.

The bricks, Mrs. Vinhateiro said, are of the black diamond variety. There’s minimal maintenance required and the engraving is guaranteed to last permanently. The wholesale price paid for each brick is $19.50. The remaining proceeds go to FOTA.

“This is a perfect opportunity for residents, graduates or anybody who has attended or graduated from the high school, for anyone who ever attended or is interested in East Providence or someone who may have just moved into the city, to have something commemorative to do with the new high school,” said Mrs. Vinhateiro.

If the sale of the bricks for the first location goes as hoped, overflow purchases would move to a second space on the concourse inside the athletics stadium to built at the rear of the grounds. At that position, space allows for 1,300 red bricks and 1,600 blue bricks. Again, if sales are even stronger, the next place where commemorative bricks could be placed is in the student commons space off the back of the building then lastly around a reconfigured area at the site of the existing clock tower, which will remain where it stands presently.

“This a perfect time for (people) to purchase a brick and do something wonderful for the city,” said Mrs. Vinhateiro, adding the campaign would actually save on the some of the masonry costs associated with the project as donors would be paying for brickwork previously included in the new EPHS plan.

Mr. Pimentel, who works at the Taunton Avenue Washington Trust bank branch across from the high school and is an EPHS alum, serves as the program’s treasurer. The FOTA will handle all costs and activity associated with the brick sales, paying for them and coordinating their delivery to the site.

“One additional benefit is all the bricks sold will be delivered at one time. There’s no worry about storing them anywhere. The company will ship the bricks when they’re ready to install the pathways,” Mr. Pimentel said.

Sales of the bricks begin in April. Ordering can be done online at a site to be set up by the FOTA and can be paid for through PayPal. Orders can also be made through the FOTA Facebook page. Additional order forms will be available in the Washington Trust Taunton Avenue branch, all elementary schools, public libraries and at City Hall. The bricks must be sold, made and delivered by an expected installation date in June of 2021.

For more information at the moment, email Mrs. Vinhateiro at friendsoftownieathleticsorg@gmail.com.