More funds may be needed to complete school design

Town, district officials sign contract with project manager

Kerry O'Brien News Staff Writer TEMPLETON — Town and Narragansett Regional School District officials signed off on a contract for project manager services for work toward building a school on Crow Hill, Tuesday, but while the signing of the agreement keeps the project on track with the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s reimbursement program, officials acknowledged that there may be a lack of available funds to complete the design phase. “Hopefully we can gather some support,” said Kirk Moschetti, chairman of the Elementary School Building Committee. “We’re looking forward at the next 100 years, not just tomorrow.” In 2009, town meeting provided the school building committee with $550,000 to initiate the project through the MSBA. However, work to locate a suitable site for the new school brought an unexpected financial burden. Although the town recently acquired a parcel of state-owned land by protecting a corresponding piece of town-owned land, there is more work to be done to complete the design phase than the project manger, Jonathan Winikur of Strategic Building Solutions, believes the remaining $250,000 will cover. “There is not enough money to get through the schematic design phase,” Mr. Winikur said. “I don’t think that’s an option.” Mr. Winikur has agreed to a contract for $75,000 for a job that usually requires $100,000 to $150,000, acknowledging the town’s hardship due to loss of funding in the land soliciting phase and the fact that a majority of work has already been completed. The MSBA is also allowing the town to continue with the schematic design phase despite changes that occurred in the process while the town spent an inordinate amount of time scouting locations. “The MSBA seems pretty excited,” Mr. Winikur said. “They remember this district. You were one of the very first to come through this program ... That’s why they’re keeping you in.” The next step, hiring a designer, is expected to be completed later this week. While a significant amount of work has already been completed while the town was seeking land, with the recent changes to the MSBA process, the town has to sign a new contract with the designer and some work may have become invalid, according to Mr. Winikur. “A lot of work that has been done we’re still hopeful we can still use, but I don’t know how much will still be useful,” he said. Mr. Winikur said he does not have an estimate on how much extra funding may be required to compete the design phase, as that will be part of his work under the new contract. By the end of the schematic design phase, plans will lead to a price estimate on the project. The price estimate will then be applied to the MSBA’s reimbursement formula, and the cost to the town will be presented for voter approval. Following the MSBA’s deadlines, this must be complete by June 2014. The MSBA reimburses roughly 60 percent of the cost, although Mr. Winikur said the reimbursement rate is not finalized until a final contract is agreed upon.