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HITTING THE MARK 

MIDDLETOWN, RI (MARCH 23, 2026) – Construction on Middletown Middle High School continues its steady march towards the finish line. 

In every report to the Town Council and School Committee, project managers Colliers have said everything remains squarely “on time and on budget.” 

This despite a less than ideal winter, which hasn’t slowed things down — minus Winter Storm Hernando, which caused a few headaches. 

“We’re really pleased with the progress on the project,” School Building Committee Chairman Ed Brady said. “Colliers and (architects) HMFH/DBVW have been very responsive and (builders) Gilbane have delivered each step of the way. I know everyone is proud of what we’ve accomplished here.” 

After a recent tour of the worksite, Town Administrator Shawn J. Brown said it was hard not to be impressed. 

“Like any big project, there’s been some skepticism about what we’ll be able to accomplish,” Brown said. “We’ve hit every benchmark and met every deadline, which is something we want to note given the complexity of this effort and the number of moving parts.” 

In November 2023, voters approved a sweeping overhaul to the entire school district during a special election. 

As part of that proposal, a new 211,000-square-foot middle high school is being built on the former Starlight Drive-In property just north of the existing Gaudet Middle School. 

There, sixth through eighth graders will go to classes in one part of the building, with ninth through twelfth graders in the other wing.  

Around the corner, the existing Middletown High School is undergoing renovations for the new Middletown Valley Elementary School for grades two through five as well as district administration and maintenance offices. To learn more, visit  https://mdl.town/NYCU-VES online. 

Both buildings are slated to open in time for the start of the 2027-2028 school year in late August 2027 or early September 2027. 

Earlier this month, the Town Council engaged an architect to prepare designs and budget estimates for wide-ranging work at Forest Avenue School, making that building the entryway for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade students coming into the district. For more, go to https://mdl.town/NYCU-FAS-Improve online. 

Importantly, the state Department of Education has pledged to reimburse the town 55 cents on every dollar spent on the project. 

The way the debt schedule is planned, there will be no spike in local tax bills in Fiscal 2027 — or beyond — as a result of the addition of  the new middle high school, conversion of the existing high school to Valley Elementary and the updating Forest Avenue School to serve as our entryway school.  

Rather, because of sound financial planning and good management, town officials said the price for the project is now built into the tax rate. 

Based on current figures, the complete cost for the new schools and all the other work is projected at $1.40 per day in Fiscal 2027 for a median residential property owner with a home valued at $634,150 — or $511 a year. That’s well less than the $2 a day — or a cup of coffee — the town advertised leading up to the vote on the new school and related work.

For regular project updates, visit the School Building Committee’s website at https://mdl.town/SBC online. 

“We’ve put a lot of time and energy into this project and have made a lot of promises along the way,” Brown said. “From Day 1, we’ve laid out what we were going to do and we’ve delivered on absolutely everything we said we were going to do — and more. This project will help bring our schools up to the standard they should be and everyone benefits — the students, our educators, our community.” 

School Superintendent Billy Niemeyer invited everyone to a March 27 ceremony at 10 am from the Gaudet Athletic Complex, 259 Turner Road, for a “Topping Off Ceremony.” During this community event, Niemeyer said the last beam will be moved into place and the steelwork will be complete.

“All are welcome,” Niemeyer said. “We continue to be amazed by the progress made on this building. It is a terrific project to watch.”  

Document Link: https://mdl.town/NYCU-Mark

About Middletown

The Town of Middletown is a vibrant municipality located on Aquidneck Island, known for its scenic beauty, historic landmarks, diverse economy and strong sense of community. For more information about all we have to offer, visit MiddletownRI.gov online.

Media Contact

Matt Sheley

Public Affairs Officer

401-842-6543

msheley@middletownri.gov

DUNLAP-WHEELER PARK UPGRADES CONSIDERED

MIDDLETOWN, RI (MARCH 18, 2026) – To some, the lower Aquidneck Avenue area of Middletown is an unpolished gem waiting to sparkle. 

The town is considering improvements to Dunlap-Wheeler Park there to help boost those ambitions. 

At a meeting earlier this week, the Town Council gave its endorsement of conceptual designs featuring low-impact walking paths, seating and viewing areas as well as extensive beachside upgrades to “harden” the park from storms and sea-level rise. 

Before any work takes place, local leaders made it clear the town needed to complete final design, secure necessary permits and an estimated $1.6 million to pay for the project, likely relying on grants and other non-tax dollars for funding. 

Town Planner Ronald Wolanski thanked the Open Space & Fields Committee, Tree Commission, residents and businesspeople for their involvement and passion for the 1.3-acre park by the Newport city line. He said 170 separate surveys were returned during the public comment period, most making it clear they didn’t want the use of the park amplified. 

“I think what you’ll see is (we’re recommending) a fairly limited amount of changes to the park,” Wolanski said. “What we started with was more ambitious ideas, and through the work with the committees and the public input that we received through a public survey, it became clear that sometimes less is more.”  

Going back two decades, Middletown has talked about a dynamic plan to remake the entire beachfront neighborhood overlooking Atlantic Beach and Easton’s Beach in Newport. 

Known as the Atlantic Beach District Master Plan, new sidewalks, street lighting, crosswalks, roadwork and more have been contemplated to help bolster the walkability, safety and viability of the area. Plans for these “streetscape” improvements are currently in development. 

To view the latest with that proposal, go to https://www.middletownri.gov/224/Atlantic-Beach-District-Master-Plan online. 

The state Department of Transportation has identified streetscape and roadway improvements in its State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) to make it safer for motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists. Under the latest schedule, construction on both of those projects is planned to start in Fiscal 2031. 

There’s also been talk of creating a new boardwalk north along Easton and Green End ponds to link the section of town to other parts of the community, including Middletown Valley Park behind the Aquidneck Shopping Centre. 

Complicated and costly plans to underground utilities are also being considered, with the Town Council expected to make a decision on whether to proceed with that aspect of the improvements once cost estimates are available and potential funding options are identified.

In September 2024, the town hosted a kickoff meeting to discuss the future of Dunlap-Wheeler Park and what should happen with the property — if anything. BETA Group of Lincoln, RI, was hired to assist with the park's redesign. 

From the beginning, town officials said there were a number of options up for consideration and community input would be a critical part of the process. 

Wolanski said the town’s Open Space & Fields Committee and Tree Commission played an important role in the process. 

It was noted during the presentation to the Town Council that based on feedback from the surveys and input from local boards and commissions, it was clear most did not want to see the park change much and the general use amplified. Many were hesitant to do anything to tailor the park more to the tourist traffic in the area. 

BETA Group Senior Project Manager Nathan Socha presented a detailed computer slideshow of the existing conditions at the park and what was suggested to change. 

He said if the town decided to move forward, most of the cost of the project would be dedicated to protecting the park from the ocean.  

To view his presentation, visit https://www.middletownri.gov/DocumentCenter/View/23181/Dunlap-Wheeler-Park-concept-slides online. 

“The intent (of the project) is low profile, with native plantings and we’d work to increase those buffers…” Socha said. “(There’s) been great community input and that really guided us through the process." 

After Socha’s presentation, there were a number of questions from the council, everything from where the money would come from for the work to why buildings weren’t included and more. 

Town Solicitor Peter B. Regan said title research indicated no structures like gazebos or bridges could be built at the park given the current conservation easements. He said that could be amended if the will was there from the town, but not without significant legal work in Superior Court, with the State Attorney General’s office and other related entities. 

Council members said they liked the plan before the community, especially that it wouldn’t shift the existing uses of the park. 

“I think this is great, that we have scaled this back…” Councilor Charlie Roberts said. “It’s such a beautiful area and I think what you guys have (recommended) definitely enhances that…I would like to see what kind of (external) funding we can get for this.” 

Council President Paul Rodrigues said like almost everything else for the town, whether any work progressed was about the bottom line.

“I don’t want to speak for my peers, but the plan looks really nice,” Rodrigues said. “It’s like anything else — it comes down to dollars and cents to make it a reality. Based on what I see tonight, I really like it and I hope at some point we can secure funding for it — not tax dollar money hopefully — and make it happen." 

Document Link: https://mdl.town/NYCU-DWP

About Middletown

The Town of Middletown is a vibrant municipality located on Aquidneck Island, known for its scenic beauty, historic landmarks, diverse economy and strong sense of community. For more information about all we have to offer, visit MiddletownRI.gov online.

Media Contact

Matt Sheley

Public Affairs Officer

401-842-6543

msheley@middletownri.gov

MIDDLETOWN TO LOOK AT DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES

MIDDLETOWN, RI (MARCH 11, 2026) – Few would question the Middletown of today has evolved over the past two decades plus. 

Over that time, the community has charged impact fees on most new development to help  offset the effects on its emergency services, sewer, parks and other capital facilities. 

The Town Council is now looking at those fees and whether they need tweaking — or to exist at all anymore — as part of a state mandated review every five years. 

Discussing the item at its March 2 meeting, local leaders agreed they wanted to delve further into issue before bringing the conversation back to the council dais for discussion. 

“We’re going to make sure we create that balance of affordability at the same time, we’re protecting our infrastructure,” council President Paul M. Rodrigues said. “We have to have some revenue coming in to offset the cost to our taxpayers for those potential infrastructure improvements.” 

Town Planner Ronald Wolanski said Middletown is one of eight to 10 communities in Rhode Island that collect impact fees. 

They were implemented in 2004 in hopes of capturing additional money to offset the costs of new growth.  

In his memo to the council, Wolanski explained that impact fees were assessed on new residential and non-residential construction to pay its “fair share” of public services. Those included fire, police, parks and recreation, general government and sewers. 

Wolanski said the way the fee works, a separate charge is calculated for each of those categories. Importantly, he noted the money collected can only be only be used for capital improvements in that particular category, not operating budgets or capital projects not related to new growth.  

He also specified that certain types of development are exempt from paying development impact fees. One was residential lots of record that existed prior to August 16, 2004, predating the adoption of the impact fees ordinance. On such lots one dwelling unit is exempt while additional new units are subject to the fees.  

Subsidized and restricted to low- and moderate-income residential units as defined by state law are also exempt. 

As part of the review, the town contracted DTA of Raleigh, North Carolina to review Middletown’s existing impact fees and make recommendations. Richard Ruiz Jr. of DTA made a presentation to the council recently, offering his firm’s findings. 

To view a presentation from Ruiz, visit https://www.middletownri.gov/DocumentCenter/View/23111/Middletown-RI-DIF-Presentation-021926-RR-v2- online. 

On pages 7 and 8 of his presentation, Ruiz noted the maximum amount Middletown could charge for impact fees. However, he made it clear he was not suggesting the town take that course, saying those decisions rested with the council itself. 

“You can charge the maximum, you can keep them where they are right now, you can lower your fees if you want,” Ruiz said. “But if you want to do anything, you have to have this study. This is a sensitive calculation because you want to generate revenue, but you do not want to discourage development.” 

Receiving the information for the first time, council members agreed they wanted to dig more into the matter before making any decisions on how to progress. 

Each was asked to forward questions and comments to Town Administrator Shawn J. Brown in coming weeks to keep the discussion going. 

Thanking Ruiz and his firm for their work, Rodrigues said it was important for the council — and Middletown — to get the impact fees right. 

“There were some good questions raised,” Rodrigues said. “There’s a lot to think about here.” 

Document Link: https://mdl.town/NYCU-Impact-Fees

About Middletown

The Town of Middletown is a vibrant municipality located on Aquidneck Island, known for its scenic beauty, historic landmarks, diverse economy and strong sense of community. For more information about all we have to offer, visit MiddletownRI.gov online.

Media Contact

Matt Sheley

Public Affairs Officer

401-842-6543

msheley@middletownri.com

OFFSEASON EFFORT UPCOMING TO PRESERVE SECOND BEACH

MIDDLETOWN, RI (OCTOBER 15, 2025) – Temporary snow fencing will be installed in coming weeks across several paths at Second Beach.

Beach Manager Michael McGourty said the movable fencing will be put in at Paths 2, 3, 6 and 7 and remain in place for the off season before it’s removed well before Summer 2026. 

However, he said the most used walkways to the beach — Paths 1 and 8 as well as the large gap in front of the beach pavilion, which includes Paths 4 and 5 — will remain open throughout the upcoming fall, winter and spring.

McGourty said the goal of the effort is to gather and save as much sand as possible as well as build sand reserves in the way of dunes to help naturally preserve the beach at 315 Sachuest Point Road.

“We know how important the beach is to everybody and we wanted to get the word out about what is going on,” McGourty said. “We’ve tried different techniques to help keep as much sand on the beach as we can and this is one that was recommended to us recently by a group of beach preservation experts.”

In March, the town’s volunteer Beach Commission received a report from Coastal Systems Research & Planning that outlined several steps the community could take to help preserve Second Beach.

Among the options recommended by the Cherry Hill, New Jersey environmental firm was doing whatever possible to keep sand on the beach and not removing rocks.

They also suggested limiting the dune cuts in the offseason to help collect sand better over the seven-plus month when the beach wasn’t actively used as much.

The Coastal Systems Research study came about after a particularly rough winter 2023 and spring 2024, when significant amounts of sand were stripped naturally from the beach by heavy wave action. That issue was not a problem going into Summer 2025.

To read a report on the findings of Coastal Systems Research, go to https://mdl.town/NYCU-Preserve online.

Hearing the results of the Coastal Systems Research study, McGourty said the beach team opted to try beach fencing across several of the pathways.

In the past, such fencing has been placed around many of the pathways and has helped, he said.

“It’s actually quite fascinating to watch what the sand does and why,” McGourty said. “People assume that it stacks up in front of the fencing, but it seems to be very effective in capturing sand behind it too. It all depends on how the wind is blowing and a number of other factors.”

Facilities & Operations Manager Will Cronin said the Beach Commission has been clear it wants to do whatever reasonably possible to preserve Second Beach and the fencing switch seemed like a good idea.

Longterm, Cronin said there were no plans to eliminate any of the existing pathways onto the beach permanently.

“Last summer was outstanding for us, but we saw what can happen from 2023-24, so we want to be as proactive as we can here,” Cronin said. “Everyone will still have access to the beach and the fencing seems like a low cost, potentially high reward solution.”

Document Link: https://mdl.town/NYCU-Beach-Fence 

About Middletown

The Town of Middletown is a vibrant municipality located on Aquidneck Island, known for its scenic beauty, historic landmarks, diverse economy and strong sense of community. For more information about all we have to offer, visit MiddletownRI.gov online.

Media Contact

Matt Sheley

Public Affairs Officer

401-842-6543

msheley@middletownri.gov