The Barrington School Committee recently voted to hire an owner’s project manager for the district’s upcoming school facilities work. 

At its meeting on April 6, the School Committee voted 4-0 to enter into contract negotiations with Downes Construction Company, a Providence-based construction firm. 

According to a press release from the district, Downes has “extensive experience providing construction services management to school districts across Rhode Island. The firm has previously supported districts in meeting the Rhode Island Department of Education’s (RIDE) aggressive Stage II submission timelines which was a pertinent consideration with Barrington’s Stage II deadline approaching in September.”

As the district’s OPM, Downes Construction will be responsible for maintaining protocol adherence, schedule management, procurement, estimation and cost-control, quality control and design firm selection. 

“The selection of Downes is an important step in Barrington Public Schools’s progress toward developing a long-term educational facilities plan that addresses infrastructure and security needs of the District’s school buildings,” stated the press release. 

Downes Construction Company will also support community education and engagement efforts to “ensure that the Town of Barrington and Barrington residents are informed participants in the Stage II development and submission process and that facilities projects are representative of both the community’s educational needs and its budget.”

According to the Downes Construction website, the company has been in business for 87 years and “successfully managed over $1 billion in public school projects.”