By Adam Swift
The city will be able to use unexpended bond proceeds from several completed capital projects to help fund some new projects.
At the city council’s last meeting of the year in December, it held a public hearing on the use of almost $2.4 million in the unexpended bond revenues to help fund the construction of drainage systems for McMackin Ball Field, a new conference center at the McKinley School, and public drainage construction projects throughout the city.
About $1.3 million of the unexpended funds are from a Revere High School project that was initially approved in 2008 and has no remaining costs left. Just under $700,000 remains in bond funding from the completed Hill Elementary School project, and just over $350,000 remains from the completed 2018 DCR maintenance facility project.
“The ability to move these unexpended bond proceeds to a new account to use for some of the recent capital items on the capital plan will help us tremendously and avoid us from issuing more costly debts since we have that cash sitting in accounts right now,” said city finance director Richard Viscay.
The city council unanimously approved the transfer of the unexpended bond funds.
In the fall, Mayor Patrick Keefe announced a plan for the revitalization of MacMackin field in conjunction with the public works department. The field has gone largely unused for over a decade.
The revitalization project is expected to be completed by the spring of 2026, with most of the work being done in-house by the public works department, according to the mayor.
One of the key components of the project is ensuring proper infrastructure installation for proper drainage, Keefe stated.
“When I played youth baseball, I used to be excited to play my All-Star games at McMackin Field, and I know I am not alone. I have heard residents speak of similar fond memories of McMackin, and I know how much the space means to our community,” Keefe said in November. “I am proud to say that the team at the Department of Public Works is committed to delivering an attractive and practical field to our City, while also improving the infrastructure, to make certain it remains a community staple for generations to come.”
In addition to the unexpended bond funding, state Representative Jessica Giannino helped secure a $250,000 state earmark for the project.
