North Stonington — Months after the town approved a $38.5-million project to renovate the town's schools, the building committee has been moving quickly to keep to a rapid timeline for the project, which would see renovations to the schools completed by the summer of 2019 and demolition of the middle school wing completed by that year's end.

The School Modernization Committee has met frequently — sometimes a few times a week — to fulfill the tasks required in the early stages of the building project.

Those tasks, in June and July, included forwarding information to the State Office of School Construction grants for reimbursement of construction costs, and applying to the Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Program for a loan.

At the beginning of August, the town was approved for a $23.49 million loan of the town's share of the school project costs, in one of the biggest projects approved by the USDA in the state, according to Area Director Johan Strandson.

The 2.75 percent interest rate, locked in when it was approved, means the town will likely save millions in interest over traditional bonding. The town's Center for Emergency Services also has been approved for funding through that program.

Strandson said the flexible term of the bond — extended up to 40 years by an act of the legislature, with no additional costs if the town decides to pay off the loan early — allows small towns to make large capital investments.

"This gives an opportunity for small rural communities to make necessary health, safety and cultural improvements and make it affordable, especially with projects that run into millions of dollars," he said.

Last week, the committee selected Quisenberry Arcari Architects as the architect for the project. The firm was one of eight that responded to a Request for Proposals issued in July — and chairman Mike Urgo said the firm was selected using a ranking matrix.

In part, it was Quisenberry's understanding of the strict timeline that the committee hopes to adhere to that made them an appealing partner in the project, Urgo said.

Principal Rusty Malik has worked alongside the committee since the previous two referendums in 2014, conducting a facility study and advising the building committee as they developed the design specifics to bring to the town.

Malik will work alongside the committee until the project is finished, and members of his firm will be taking advantage of the empty schools next Monday to document them as they prepare their design proposals for renovation.

The building committee has also made the decision to hire a construction manager for the project, and issued a Request for Proposals Aug. 2.

Representatives of 20 firms attended a pre-proposal building walkthrough with the building committee on Aug. 10. Questions were due Monday.

They anticipate selecting a firm in September. Meanwhile, they will also be looking to make some decisions on the building specifications.

"One of the things we're doing is making sure we hone in on the final design," Urgo said. "We're working on soliciting additional feeback from educators in the next few weeks."

n.lynch@theday.com