WARWICK - Voters on Tuesday will decide whether the city should borrow $50 million to cover the rising costs of building two new high schools, Ocean State Media reported.
Voters approved a $350 million bond in 2022 to replace Toll Gate and Pilgrim high schools. But cost overruns forced the city to ask for more money, according to Mayor Frank Picozzi.
“The cost of construction ... has skyrocketed,” Picozzi told Ocean State Media. “This is happening all over Rhode Island.”
Picozzi says all of the $50 million may not be needed for the new high schools. If funding is left over, he said some could be used to renovate existing sports facilities.
Some residents have complained that the cost of the schools will force future residents to pay higher taxes, despite shrinking district enrollment.
The City Council last year rejected a resolution that would have let voters decide whether to halt borrowing to build the two new high schools.
If the bond question is rejected, Picozzi said the Warwick School Committee “would have to scale [the project] back. It would probably be athletic fields that would be diminished. They wouldn’t be able to build as many, if any at all.”
Picozzi expects state reimbursement for 40%-45% of the total construction cost.
Voting information can be found on the Warwick Board of Canvassers
website.
Early voting is taking place at Warwick City Hall through Monday. Election Day is on Tuesday.