By Adam Swift
The City Council approved several motions related to the funding and costs associated with the building of a new high school on the Wonderland property at its meeting last week.
Ward 5 Councillor Angela Guarino-Sawaya introduced a motion requesting the mayor establish a program in which residents, developers, and corporations can purchase engraved walkway pavers for the purpose of raising funds to be deposited into the Revere High School Stabilization Fund.
The councillor said the idea for the motion was brought forward by one of her constituents in response to conversations about how to ease the tax burden of the high school building project. Guarino-Sawaya said the program could offer pavers in assorted colors and materials to coincide with a tiered donation level (i.e. red $100, white $250, blue $500, gold $1,000, glass $5,000, metal $10,000).
“I’m very excited about this motion, as I feel it can bring in a couple of million dollars and be inclusive to all while taking some of the burden off taxpayers,” Guarino-Sawaya said.
High school students could also be involved with the design of the pavers to highlight the diversity of the school and the community, she said.
“I’m certain that graduates from Revere High School will come back and be honored to purchase a brick to help build the new school, and all proceeds from the bricks shall be put into the high school stabilization fund,” she said.
Guarino-Sawaya also introduced a motion asking that all revenue generated from the parking lot leases at Wonderland also go into the high school stabilization trust fund.
“This would help alleviate the burden on taxpayers by leveraging alternate revenue streams,” she said. “The community can fund essential projects without resorting to increased taxes and promote financial stability and equitable distribution of financial resources.”
The council also approved a motion introduced by Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna and Council President Anthony Cogliandro related to the environmental testing of the Wonderland site. The motion requests the mayor hire an independent environmental assessment company for the purpose of conducting a full and complete environmental assessment and thorough geotechnical testing of the proposed high school site at Wonderland to ensure that there are no hidden site development costs associated with the existence of soil conditions, hazardous materials, wetlands, and other environmentally sensitive considerations.
Cogliandro stated that the motion would essentially allow a third-party consultant to conclude the ANRAD (Abbreviated Notice of Resource Area Delineation) wetlands testing that was halted at the Wonderland site.
“My concern is that we need to restart that process so we know where we can and cannot build on that property,” said Cogliandro. “I ask that we get on top of the conservation on this property so we can really start getting into the finances, which is the number one concern for some of us up here.”
