By Adam Swift
Construction of the new Revere High School at the Wonderland site is scheduled to get underway later this year.
At last week’s meeting, the city council got an update on design plans and the construction schedule for the approximately $530 million project.
Last week’s update focused on the design of the project, but several councillors did raise questions about the cost and funding of the new school.
Brian Dakin, from owner’s project manager Leftfield, said he will be back with the design team in March with a more detailed update on permitting and costs.
“The project is heading to the conclusion of the design development phase,” said Dakin. “(This) is the culmination of the last seven to eight months of design work between the consultants, staff, administrators, the building committee, and first responders.”
Those design documents are currently being reviewed by estimators to help provide those more detailed project financial numbers at the March meeting, Dakin said.
However, Dakin said the project will not come back before the city council for more money than has already been approved. He said there are a number of factors that could affect the cost of the new school, but that steps would be taken to control costs if the estimates are higher than originally estimated.
While there are some unknown factors such as material costs and tariffs that could possibly drive some costs up, Dakin also noted that there has been healthy competition among contractors bidding on large projects such as the new high school that could help balance those costs.
Several councillors also raised questions about the environmental permitting process and the reimbursement process from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). After accounting for the expected MSBA grants, the total cost of the project to the city has been estimated at about $285.5 million.
“We are on schedule to bid the site demolition work to remove the old foundations of the dog track and the clubhouse,” said Dakin.
He said that bidding should take place in March or April with the demolition to begin in May.
“We will continue with the construction documents and begin bidding out the building proper later in the summer,” said Dakin.
Construction on the building itself, including utilities and foundation, should get underway around August, Dakin added.
Under the current construction schedule, the new high school is scheduled to open in the fall of 2028 for the beginning of the 2028-29 school year.
Project architect Dawn Guarriello of Perkins Eastman reviewed the site plan and design of the proposed high school.
The main features of the new school will include a four-story academic wing, as well as a three-story “heart of the school” connecting public spaces such as a new gymnasium, cafeterias, and a 1,000-seat auditorium. In addition, the heart of the school will lead into an outdoor learning space, and there are plans for approximately 350 underground parking spaces for staff.
In total, Guarriello said there will be about 650 parking spaces for staff and students on the campus. The site will also include an all-purpose field, a multi-sport field for soccer and baseball, five tennis courts, and separate drop-off areas for cars and for buses.
“Essentially, the pure length of the (academic wing) … is longer than two football fields,” said Guarriello.
In order to break up the length of the building, the design incorporates some faceted curves into the design which also echo the ocean and nearby Revere Beach, she said.
In addition to the outdoor courtyard between one of the academic wings and the gym, the landscape design plans also calls for other outdoor features and learning spaces such as fitness zones, a walking path, and a microforest.
“We are also creating what is called a value management log, which is a number of ideas if we need to refine the scope to make things a little more basic than they otherwise might be to hit the budget that was approved,” said Dakin. “We will have that ready in parallel. I believe this project will be in the range of where we need it to be, and we will be able to tell with much more certainty the next time we meet.”
Ward 1 Councillor Joanne McKenna noted that there are concerns about how the city will be able to pay for the project.
“We will make adjustments to hit the budget,” said Dakin. “The project will never come back to the council to ask for more money.”
Council President Marc Silvestri said he does have some concerns about the project, but that ultimately, he is excited about the opportunities the new high school will provide for Revere students.
“I’d be excited about going to that high school,” he said. “As far as the cost, we already set the budget and we approved it, they are not coming for more money.”
