Officials are moving closer to presenting the potential scope of school construction work in Barrington. 

School Committee members Patrick McCrann and TJ Peck attended the Barrington Town Council meeting in late July and said officials were about three to four weeks away from unveiling the different construction options. 

While they were at the meeting, McCrann and Peck also asked Council members to approve a ballot question for the special election on Nov. 7. The ballot question will ask Barrington taxpayers to approve a school construction bond not to exceed $250 million. McCrann said school officials might actually settle on a construction plan that costs less than $250 million, but they did not have enough information yet on the potential work. 

McCrann told Council members that more than 20 school districts across the state are currently pursuing construction projects. He said Barrington’s work could garner an impressive reimbursement rate — upwards of 55 percent of the total cost could be reimbursed by the state.

Council President Carl Kustell asked McCrann and Peck if they had any update on the public engagement portion of the school project. McCrann said there had already been five open houses where residents could tour the local schools. He added that there will be additional opportunities for the public to get engaged with plans for the work. 

Peck said that once the design team completes the construction options, they will be shared with the public. 

Council member Annelise Conway said she appreciated the effort to be transparent through the process. She also agreed that the time had come to update local school buildings. 

Conway later made a motion to place the bond question on the special election ballot in November. Councilor Kate Berard seconded the motion, which passed 5-0. 

Background

In February, the Barrington School Building Committee submitted Stage I of its “Necessity of School Construction” application to the Rhode Island Department of Education. 

The Stage I submission is part of the multi-stage process all Rhode Island school districts must follow for school facilities construction and state aid eligibility. 

During Stage II, the Barrington School Building Committee and Downes are working with Tecton Architects, an architectural and engineering team, to develop solutions to the facility issues identified in Stage I and to provide cost estimates for those solutions.