East Providence Schools Begin Receiving $27 Million Facelift

A peek behind the ceiling panels at revealed a nest of wires and piping Friday morning that are normally concealed from view. On the ground, ladders and tools rested against the wall, ready to be used in work that will leave East Providence’s public schools safer and more energy efficient.

The undertaking, which is being funded by $27 million in bonds, is in its initial steps of construction with more on the way throughout this year and next.

In a meeting at the headquarters in Riverside Friday morning, Finance Director Mary King and Project Manager Mike Taber discussed the trajectory of the district-wide project, as well as the allocation of funds and the prioritization of work, followed by a tour of Riverside Middle School, where work is underway.

In the meeting, King spoke at length of the funding sources being used to complete the repairs and upgrades. King provided information on the two types of bonds being used to pay for the $27 million of citywide repairs – a $12 million Energy Services Company (ESCO) bond and a which was overwhelmingly approved by East Providence voters last November.

The $15 million voter-approved bond will pay for fire alarm upgrades, emergency lighting, asbestos abatement and roof repair, all where needed. Currently, is well underway for what is being called the Life Safety portion of the project being executed by the Iron Construction Group. Demolition has begun to make access for new sprinkler piping for sprinkler coverage in the pool area, gyms, auditorium, cafeteria, as well all corridors leading to those areas.

The $15 million bond will be managed in phases, with Phase 1 addressing the Life Safety portion of the undertaking, as it will correct fire systems and other safety systems that are currently outdated or not up to code. Phase 1 is slated to be completed by the end of this calendar year and will cost about $6 million. According to King, Phase 2 will be planned “soon,” and will begin in June or July of 2012 and will end in that calendar year.

King went on to describe the ESCO bond that will pay for energy related systems and equipment across the district, including lighting, heating system upgrades, water conservation and weatherization. Johnson Controls Inc. won the bid for that work.

Both Taber and King say that the project, in all of its forms, will be taking place for the rest of the summer and will continue into the academic year, including school breaks. This, both parties say, will help the department meet its goal of having all of the upgrades and repairs completed by the end of 2012.

According to King, what makes the ESCO bond unique is that it is tied to expected revenue produced through savings on more efficient energy management systems.

“The bonds are repaid over a 15-year timeframe,” King said. “The intention is that the energy savings that you get from changing light fixtures, doing your water conservation, your energy management, more than pays for your bonds.” King added that the performance on the contract is “guaranteed,” as JCI aided in projecting savings that were validated by third-party consultant Strategic Building Solutions.

The ESCO bond is not the only bond that demonstrates fiscal health. King said the department is able to gain housing aid reimbursement from the state. This, King says, will help cushion the $15 million Asset Protection bonds, as the state will reimburse 48 percent of the cost.

After the meeting and tour of Riverside Middle School that showcased new boilers and rooftop ventilation fans, King elaborated on the necessity of the department pursuing bonds in order to raise the safety and energy effiency of East Providence’s schools.

“We had to get funding somehow, some way,” King said. “There had to be fire safety upgrades, ADA upgrades as well. The only way that could be accomplished would be through outside funds, the bond funding. We would not be able to support that in our general fund.”

The sense of urgency for district-wide upgrades was made potent by the oversight of the state’s fire safety regulatory board. According to King, the department had been before the state’s fire board “many times” in response to systems not being up to code, and the school department also received urgings from the East Providence Fire Department to revamp its systems.

“The tipping point was that we were really at the end,” King said. “We could not wait any longer to do these upgrades.”

King followed up by saying that school officials will be going before the state’s fire board again in August to report district-wide progress. Optimistically, King speculated that the board will be “really happy to see that we’ve been able to address these needs through the bond funding.”