The Barrington School Committee will stay with the same architecture firm as it moves ahead on planning for school building improvements. 

During a meeting on Thursday night, Jan. 19, the committee voted 5-0 to hire Kaestle Boos Associates, a Massachusetts-based firm that handled the previous Stage 1 submission and also completed the design work on the Barrington Middle School project. 

Barrington School Committee members agreed on a $32,500 contract with KBA — that is about half the price the district paid the firm to complete the earlier Stage 1 submission to the Rhode Island Department of Education. The committee recently decided to abandon the earlier design work and begin a new process, as some members were not pleased with the direction the plans had taken. 

According to KBA’s proposal, some of the previously developed material — information compiled as part of the recent Stage 1 submission — will be incorporated into the new submission. The proposal states that KBA’s services will include updating previously developed facility conditions assessments and project priorities, updating demographic projections, and updating project schedules.

During Thursday night’s meeting, Barrington School Committee member TJ Peck shared some of his concerns — he referenced the scope of the work KBA is expected to complete, the timing, and the fact that the committee has not yet hired an owner’s project manager.

Larry Trim, a Barrington resident and principal with KBA, offered answers to Peck’s questions. 

At one point during the discussion, Peck asked Trim what his level of conviction was that KBA would be able to complete the necessary work prior to the Feb. 15 deadline for the Stage 1 submission. 

Trim said KBA officials were “scared” but he was confident they could get the job done. 

Peck asked why KBA’s proposal was increasing the scope of the work when it already faced a demanding time crunch. 

Trim said all the work was required by KBA to ensure that the submission was well-received by the state department of education. 

Soon thereafter Peck made a motion to approve the proposal. Frazier Bell seconded the motion, which passed 5-0. 

What is a Stage 1 submission?

The Stage 1 submission is also known as a “Necessity of School Construction” application. The Necessity of School Construction process is a multi-stage application that requires school districts to conduct “thorough facility assessments toward the creation of an efficient and prudent masterplan.” According to the Rhode Island Department of Education website, the submissions are reviewed and vetted by the state’s school building authority, which them recommends projects for approval by the RI Council on Elementary and Secondary Education. “Approved projects are eligible for state aid through one of three mechanisms: Housing aid reimbursement, school construction bond pay-as-you-go funding, or SBA Capital Fund progress payments.” If Barrington’s Stage 1 submission is approved, the Stage II submission will be due Sept. 15, 2023.