By JOSEPH FITZGERALD

NORTH SMITHFIELD — A faulty sprinkler system at the new $30 million middle school forced the cancellation of Thursday’s dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony at the new facility.

School Superintendent Stephen F. Lindberg in an announcement yesterday said the ceremony as well as two nights of student orientation that were scheduled to be held before school opens Sept. 3 were cancelled after an inspection at the school this week found the sprinkler system to be  defective.
“The unforeseen circumstance is that we were informed that the fire suppression system motor that supports the 50,000-gallon tank needs to be replaced or rebuilt,” Lindberg said.
 “It should be completed by Friday.
According to Lindberg, the problem was discovered during final testing of the system. He said the repaired or rebuilt motor will undergo extensive testing before students are allowed in the building next week.
The superintendent said the new school will open as scheduled on Sept. 3 and that student orientation will be held that day. “We will organize the day so that students will have more than enough time to familiarize themselves with their schedules and the building.”
The dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony, he said, will be held on a date to be announced.
Middle School students can pick up their supply list and schedules in the High School lobby or main office today from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Town voters approved the middle school bond in 2006. Three years later, the 105,000-square-foot facility on Providence Pike, designed by Providence-based Robinson Green Beretta Corp. and constructed by Gilbane Building Company, was completed Aug. 15.
The new middle school fits within the existing high school campus, and will accommodate 550 students in grades 6, 7 and 8. Housed in the building in addition to classrooms will be a state-of-the-art library and media center, a full-size gymnasium, and multipurpose cafeteria.
The 2008-2009 town budget approved by the Town Council in July provides a total of $20,595,086 for the schools next year under a compromise worked out with the school department allowing school officials to restore most of the programs and staffing positions threatened during the budget process. The budget funds the new middle school with the help of an override of the state’s cap on property tax revenues but only on the bond payment for the project covering principal and interest.
When the new middle school opens on Sept, 3 there will also be some changes to the program of studies in tandem with the transition to the new facility, including expansion of the physical education program; changes in the social studies program (including two years of history for seventh and eigth graders; changes in rotating electives; and a new journalism program, among other things.