Above: Town Council gets down to brass tacks on the school bond referendum number Tuesday night. 

Now it’s up to voters to decide in November

The East Greenwich Town Council voted 3-2 to put a $150 million bond on the November ballot for a school construction project. The two council members who voted against the measure were Michael Zarrella and Renu Englehart, who favored a bond number of $130 million.

The project passed by the School Committee in April calls for a realignment of grades in the town, making Frenchtown and Hanaford 1-5, Pre-K/K at Meadowbrook, shuttering Eldredge, and allocating money for renovations at the high school. The plan outlines a completely new building at Frenchtown and a new building or an addition-and-renovation option at Hanaford.

The $150 Million Number

“Build it now or build it later and pay more,” said Town Council President Mark Schwager, who expressed early in Tuesday night’s meeting that he favored a $150 million bond. “We know there is a temporary opportunity for East Greenwich to be reimbursed by the state.”

This refers to the Rhode Island Department of Education’s school construction initiative that covers 35 percent of East Greenwich’s cost related to the plan with up to an additional 20 percent bonuses at 5 percent chunks. That initiative expires in 2024.

One councilmember who initially said she would not go north of $140 million but ultimately voted in favor of the $150 million bond was Caryn Corenthal, who said, “The schools need work,” but “I’m concerned we’re asking too much from our taxpayers.” She highlighted that while everyone’s taxes would go up, the difference in taxes for an average home in EG between the $130, $140, and $150 million price was under a hundred dollars. “Now is the time to strike,” she said.

Councilmember Englehart, who, along with Schwager, sits on the School Building Committee, said she recognized there is “need” at the elementary level, referring to “decades of deferred maintenance,” but highlighted her concern with “the affordability” of the proposed bond. She said she also feared building these schools will create a “huge influx of families,” creating a “lot of need on the town side,” and she advised the council to think about “balancing those needs.” 

“I don’t think kids need to go to the Taj Mahal,” Zarrella said. “I think they need to go to a room that’s big enough for them to learn in. Who the teacher is has a lot more to do with their education than the building they’re in.”

What the bond will say

In addition to passing the $150 million number for residents to vote on, the council voted on language for the referendum that left flexibility for a new building or addition-and-renovation at Hanaford. 

Members debated having specific language and even dollar amounts on the bill, so voters would know exactly what they were getting versus leaving the wording flexible, which would allow for things like unexpected changes in cost or needs as the project develops. 

Zarrella and Englehart, who voted against the proposal, said they wanted specific language so the voters know exactly what they’re getting. Town Council Vice President Donegan and Schwager countered that point by arguing that it limits those engineering the buildings and eventually constructing them.

In addition, Schwager said by leaving the language more flexible, “you open the door to the opportunity for a new build at Hanaford and more money at the high school.” This is the concept that decisions can be made later by the School Building Committee and Town Council with knowledge of construction costs and with fully engineered plans that might be different than the estimates provided by Colliers. 

If the bond passes in November, phase two of the plan would be due to RIDE in February, which “requires the development of schematic design documentation that can be used to provide dependable cost estimates,” according to information on RIDE’s website.

Despite Englehart and Zarrella voting against this plan, they both encouraged residents to vote in favor of the referendum in November.

“I think this is good for the town,” Zarrella said. “I still want to see people vote for this.” He went on to say that he recognizes the school buildings need renovating and “passing the bond is more important than anything else.”

“I stand by my $130 million,” Englehart said, but agreed with Zarrella that she hopes residents pass the bond.

With the bond number and referendum language now approved, the voters will decide in November if the town will borrow $150 million and move forward with this school construction plan.

You can read all of our coverage on the school construction plans HERE.