Warwick School Building Committee votes to recommend approval of $350 million high school project

WARWICK, R.I. (WLNE)- The Warwick School Building Committee met to discuss the approval of a $350 million high school project, which will move to the school committee meeting Tuesday night.

The committee took a big step forward, unanimously voting to recommend approval for the cost of building the two brand new high schools.

This vote is just the first step in getting the massive project up and running.

“We’re pouring money into these old buildings for decades. Putting Band-Aids on all the problems and they just keep coming back,” says Warwick Superintendent Lynn Dambruch.

The newest school in the city is 50-years-old, with talks of replacing Pilgrim and Tollgate High Schools going on for years.

“Everything is breaking down in those schools. The sewer system, the heating system, the roofs. We’re constantly pouring money into those schools and my fear is that eventually, we’re going to need new schools. They’re decades old and we’re losing students,” states Dambruch.

Plans suggest that the new schools will be built next door to the old schools and would likely be running in five years.

Much of the $350 million dollar project would be reimbursed by the Rhode Island Department of Education and the rest from taxpayers.

“It would work out to 43% reimbursement, which is about $150-million dollars. The community’s responsibility would come in at 200-million,” according to Director of Construction and Capital Projects Steve Gothberg.

Approval for the cost of the project will need to go through the school committee, the city council, the mayor, and then voters.

“My hope would be that the council would approve it to send it to the voters. This is a decision that the voters should make and at that point, the dollars and cents will come out,” says Building Committee Chair Dave Testa.

If the city council approves the project Tuesday night, the next meeting will be held on February 7th in Warwick.