EAST PROVIDENCE — The public got its most succinct update on the status of projects being constructed around the in response to a couple of inquiries made by Councilors at their rare, Wednesday night meeting held August 7.

The body moved its first meeting of the month from its usual Tuesday date so as not to conflict with the East Providence Police Department's Annual National Night Out community event, which was scheduled for August 6, but was postponed to the following week due to rain.

Last Wednesday night, Ward 4 Councilor Rick Lawson and his colleague from Ward 1 Frank Rego put a couple of items on the August 7 meeting agenda, seeking the latest information on a host of projects the Council had approved through the budget process or upon the city receiving some sort of outside funding, be it state or federal.

Rego submitted a rather lengthy list of project for which he was asking for updates. The administration of Mayor Bob DaSilva submitted a similarly long document with its responses.

The most detailed of those replies, fittingly, came about the proposed community/rec center, which is the most expensive of the endeavors and one that has been the focal point of DaSilva's second term agenda.

Both in a written form and later emphasized by the mayor's chief of staff Patricia Resende, the city recently received an additional trove of funding for the center, which will be built on the Senior Center grounds off Waterman Avenue.

Gov. Dan McKee has released some $6 million to East Providence out of the state's tranche of federal American Rescue Plan Act monies. The governor offered the city the funding from the Rhode Island COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery Office in June after other communities around the state opted not to participate in McKee's community center/supplemental education program.

The additional funding raises the total available for the project to about $16.5 million, all of which is coming from the federal government. Before retiring the previous year, U.S. Congressman David Cicilline carved out $3 million to give East Providence for a "community" center appropriation in 2022. The city previously received around $4 million from McKee's local community center program. And the Council, after a series of fits-and-starts, eventually appropriated $3 million from the city's own ARPA coffers towards the project.

As for the latest status of the community center, the administration said the schematic design complete with a more detailed design development stage now underway. The aim is have that done and to allow for bid packages to ready by January of 2025.

The administration reiterated that "due to funding constraints" the community center will not include any swimming pool elements, including mechanical components for potential future inclusion. They claim it "will simplify some elements of the building design."

Bentley Construction was selected as the city's Construction Manager At Risk back in May and has been reviewing designs to streamline preparation of bid packages. Of note as well, an additional 80 parking spots are expected to be added to the location.

Other projects requiring a less detailed response included the potential of installing an artificial turf field at Pierce Memorial Stadium. The administration said it is in discussion with an unidentified engineering firm to "discuss options."

Upgrades to the parking lot, walking paths and boat launch at Bold Point Park are in various stages of completion, but the entire effort is expected to be completed by the end of the current paving season.

The contract with O'Brien and Sons for the installation of the new splash pad set to be installed at Providence Avenue Playground/Park in Riverside is in place and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management signed off on the project in early July.

The necessary renovations to the East Providence Police Headquarters on Waterman Avenue will continue. The goal is to present the recommended contract to the Council in the coming weeks for its approval with actual construction to start sometime in September.

The city received six bids ranging from about $2.9 million-$3.4 million for the following upgrades: Replacement of flooring, ceiling and lighting in the upper and lower corridors; finish painting of existing partitions on the lower corridor, install high impact wall covering and wall guard on the upper corridor; provide carpeting in the locker rooms; and replace rooftop air handling units with associated work.

Also, one of Lawson's focal points for his Riverside district has been the conversion of the former Oldman Elementary School building on Bullocks Point Avenue into a small business incubator/community center.

The most pertinent of the updates provided by the administration was it had issued a Request for Proposal for the partial installation of a new rook on a portion of the structure. McKenna Roofing, Inc. of Pawtucket submitted the low of two bids received at $772,483. The other from the Massachusetts-based Triumph Roofing, Inc. was $879,500.