Newport, RI On August 12^th, as renovations and construction began at Pell Elementary School, Downes Construction Company, the owner’s project manger of the project joined students, faculty, staff and community members for the official ground breaking ceremony. The students of Pell were equipped with small hard hats and shovels as they began the dig.

Downes staff Joe DeSanti, project executive; Kyle Lentini, project manager; and Nicole DeMaio, director of marketing were in the crowd, cheering for the students and grabbing their own shovels to participate in the momentous occasion. The ground breaking signified a new start for local students, as the new addition will provide 8 additional classrooms and 1,500 s/f of additional space needed to maintain the art and music programs.

“We have been working on the plans for this project for so long, it’s wonderful to see the first steps in construction take place, as it’s the first step in completing this school for the children of Newport,” said DeSanti, as students excitedly began digging.

Rhode Island Department of Education, School Building Authority Dr. Joseph Da Silva, superintendent Dr. Colleen Burns-Jermain, administrative assistant to the superintendent Cathy Nash, Pell principal Traci Westman and Facilities & NACTC/PTECH director Robert Young were also in attendance, along with the school’s building committee members Raymond Gomes and Rebecca Bolan, architect Phil Conte of StudioJAED, and Mike Behan and Jeremy Couto of Behan Brothers, the project’s Construction Manager.

The renovations and addition are expected to be completed by September of 2022.

Since 1934, Downes Construction has been building throughout New England. Downes Construction provides a full range of construction-related services, from project planning to construction. Using a unique combination of technology, in-depth staffing experience and a family commitment to maintaining the highest standards for quality.

, Downes Construction has built repeat business from a wide array of clients.