RISD board puts off decision about site for new Mt. View Middle School | Local News

The board would choose between two sites: Option 1 is the current campus site at 312 E. Mountain View Road; Option 2 is near South Main Street between West Gayle and West Jaffa streets.

Board member Hilda Sanchez asked whether the new facilities would fit at either of the sites. District staff said there was adequate space at either location. Sanchez also wanted to know if there was a difference between the site choices in the amount of time each would take to complete, and if the project would cost more if placed at one site or the other.

It would take only 18 months to build at the empty site but doing the work at the existing site could require two years to complete construction. It’s expected that building at the new site would also cost less.

Sanchez also talked about her past experiences as a teacher with the RISD. She described having to hold classes while construction occurs at a campus — which would be the process if new structures go up on the existing campus — as “stressful” and potentially unsafe.

Board member James Edwards also posed questions, including whether both sites would have the same amount of classroom and gym space. The response from Jeremy Sanchez, the district’s construction coordinator, was that if some area was to be modified, such as a gym being made larger, then something else would have to be smaller.

Edwards also emphasized that…