The Middletown School Building Committee met Sept. 25 to discuss the landscape plans of the new middle-high school following the Rhode Island Department of Education’s approval of the Stage III schematic designs.
Most of the meeting was dedicated to a presentation by Steve D’Ambrosia, from Traverse Landscaping Architects. The discussion mostly focused on the use of outdoor spaces. The new high school, according to hispresentation, will feature multiple outdoor spaces, including courtyards, classrooms and athletic fields.
The middle school courtyard, D’Ambrosia said, will feature a wider egress to the school entrance, a flagpole, a seating area, and a central outdoor learning space. The high school courtyard will have similar features, he said, but will be larger to accommodate events, and feature a boardwalk overlooking a rain garden.
“Our idea of having a rain garden here may not necessarily be a true rain garden,” he said.
He said that a recent conversation with a civil engineer on the project noted that the water table was “consistently high throughout the site,” thus they could not provide the depth needed for a rain garden. Instead, the architect proposed that they simulate a rain garden with a version of a planted depression or mounted vegetation under the boardwalk to prevent runoff.
Middletown Tree Commission member Karen Barbera, also a landscape designer, said that she is happy the rain garden will be simulated for outdoor education. However, she raised concerns about the outdoor learning environment, suggesting to the school committee that they rethink the classroom setting in courtyards due to the proximity to parking lots. She suggested that the School Committee investigate the many grants available from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management to build outdoor classrooms to help facilitate a more appropriate outdoor learning space.
She also said she is interested in the maintenance plan for the green spaces in the courtyards. School Committee Chair William Nash said that RIDE requires a maintenance plan in their landscaping plans.
D’Ambrosia said the northeast corner of athletic facilities will be kept intact during construction, and that they plan for a multi-use field and a softball field in the southern part of the property as “add-alternates.” These are items that can be added when more funding becomes available.
He said they are currently looking for space to develop a “micro forest,” and to plant a variety of native trees around the campus to pay homage to the town’s nursery industry.
D’Ambrosia also presented the parking lots and traffic flow as part of the landscape plans. He said the new campus would feature four parking lots, a parent drop-off entrance off Aquidneck Avenue, a bus entrance off Turner Road, add-alternate roadways that connect the east and west sides of the campus, and a sidewalk stretching the length of the campus.
Thomas O’Neill, Bike and Pedestrian Committee and Open Space and Field Committee member, expressed gratitude for the inclusion of a pedestrian-friendly pathway through campus and offered the school committee advice and guidance with finding grants as the project progresses.
“I think something like that is very important, whether it’s for walking or bicycling, because a lot of our life is in cars,” he said.
In other matters:
n The School Committee agreed to move biweekly meetings to monthly meetings for October, November and December.
n Colliers Engineering & Design provided an update stating that the middle school elevator has been moved to an add-alternate item, that there are conversations with public safety about access points and alarm equipment, and the project is still within the $190 million budget.
n Soil sample results were received from Matt LaRuse, of HMFH Architects, showing petroleum content in the soil is high that early conversations with an environmental consultant said it is not a cause for concern.
n The Planning Board scheduled a site visit on Sept. 30.
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