By Sue Ellen Woodcock
It may be years in the making, but officials are taking the first step toward the building of a new Revere High School.
Monday night the City Council, the Mayor and the Superintendent of Schools all agreed to file an application for funding of a new high school project with the MSBA (Massachusetts School Building Authority).
An application for funding will also be filed to replace boilers at the Garfield School.
“This is a necessary first step to show the MSBA the need,†said Dianne Kelly, superintendent of schools. She added that the high school project could be many years away but officials need to prepare over the next five years.
During the last accreditation of the schools the condition of Revere High School was mentioned and may put the next accreditation at risk, Kelly said.
The boilers can be replaced as early as the Fall if the funding is approved by the MSBA through its accelerated repair program. A repair also has to be done at the Garfield to a structurally unsound exterior wall.
“The boilers are virtually inoperable and have had their last repair,†Kelly said.
On Jan. 12, the School Committee gave Kelly the authority to file with the MSAB.
The filing for a new high school cites the need to replace a structurally unsound, obsolete and overcrowded building.
“We have to look at every possibility,†said Mayor Brian Arrigo. “We have to investigate every option and we need your (the council’s) help.â€
Once the applications are approved. the MSAB will work with the city on a feasibility study.
Councillor Joanne McKenna, who taught at Revere High School, said the overcrowding is a concern.
“We need to allow housing development to come in without worry about overcrowding of classrooms,†McKenna said.
Councillor George Rotundo asked if anyone has looked into the costs of acquiring land. Councillor Anthony Zambuto said he was in favor of exploring the idea of a new high school, but he is very concerned about where the money will come from and what will be the impact on the taxpayer.