By Journal Staff
The Revere Conservation Commission (ConsCom) held its regular monthly meeting last Wednesday evening, February 19, in the City Council Chambers. Chair Nicholas Rudolph and fellow members Brian Averback, Joseph LaValle, Amelia Viscay, and Wilson Correa were on hand for the lengthy (almost two hours) session that touched upon a number of major ongoing and future projects in the city.
The first matter was a request from Stack and Co. for a Certificate of Compliance (COC) for their nearly-completed, 30-unit apartment building at 810 Washington Ave. A representative for Stack and Co. said the project is within just a few days of being finished.
Rudolph said he had walked the site a few days previously and noted, “It’s a very large building, but it is compliant with the Wetlands Protection Act.” The commission unanimously voted to issue the COC.
Next up was an application for a Notice of Intent (NOI) from the City of Revere for preparation activities that include demolition and erosion control for the proposed new Revere High School on the site of the former Wonderland Dog Track at 190 VFW Parkway.
Claire Hoogeboom, a Wetlands Scientist with LEC Environmental Consultants, Inc., made a presentation to the commission for what she termed, “Phase 1 of the overall project, which involves matters related solely to site preparation activities.”
Hoogeboom explained the steps that the contractor will be taking for erosion and sedimentation controls to ensure that contamination does not run into the adjacent watershed areas, including the Eastern County Ditch.
She said that a large amount of trash and decommissioned utility infrastructure will be removed, and that there is lead contamination from the former race track on the site, which lies entirely within the floodplain.
Hoogeboom and members of the engineering team who were on hand answered a few questions from the commissioners regarding stormwater management and dust-control measures (as well as fencing-in the work site to ensure that trespassers will be discouraged).
In response to a question about time-frames from Rudolph, Laura Garvey, an engineer with Sanborn, Head, and Associates, said that debris mostly will be removed on a daily basis, and any debris not removed immediately will be covered. The demolition project will begin in June and is expected to be completed in August.
“You have a very robust plan to mitigate this,” noted Rudolph. There were no opponents of the project and the commissioners unanimously approved issuing the NOI.
The next matter was another request from the city for an NOI for work described as follows on the agenda: “Route 1A Southbound Infrastructure Improvement — Roundabout — Gibson Park Access Road. Proposed construction of a roundabout to promote and improve access to Rt. 1A and Gibson Park.”
Julie DeMauro, the Transportation Coordinator from the city’s office of Planning and Community Development who is the lead manager for the project, came before the commission accompanied by Teren Wong and Peter Wroblewski, from Hudson Stein Hudson, a traffic consultant firm, and Devin Herrick from Weston and Sampson, an environmental consulting firm.
DeMauro said the matter before the commission was just Phase 1 of the project, which will take about two years to complete. The total time to completion will be about three years. Bids have yet to be sent out and approval from Mass DOT has not been received as of yet.
DeMauro said that “erosion control” was the focus of this NOI and the measures to be taken to reduce the impact to the environment .
Herrick and Wong explained to the commissioners the scope of the project. Wong spoke of the coordination between the planners and the Revere Fire Dept. regarding the new Point of Pines fire station to ensure that there always will be direct access to the Riverway neighborhood across the highway. DeMauro emphasized that the project will vastly improve the ability of the Fire Dept. to respond quickly to the Riverway area.
“This project will be a game-changer in terms of access for both public safety and the public to this area,” said DeMauro.
DeMauro explained at length the scope of the project to show how traffic that comes off the Lynnway heading south will enter the new rotary at the foot of the off-ramp from Rt. 1A South. There will be no changes for northbound traffic heading either onto or from Rt. 1A.
Among the benefits of the project highlighted by Wong will be improved access to Gibson Park, improved safety for access to the Pt. of Pines neighborhood, reduced response time for emergency vehicles, and elimination of the present slip lane for traffic heading onto Rt. 1A south.
In response to a question from LaValle, Wroblewski said the improvements to Gibson Park and the addition of the new residential complex on Gibson Point will not cause traffic backups on the existing off-ramp from 1A northbound.
Herrick noted that the project will impact three wetlands resource areas: the barrier beach & coastal dunes (which overlap) and the 100-year floodplain. The project will include about 45,000 sq. ft. of new, native dune-plantings.
Ward 5 Councillor Angela Guarino-Sawaya asked questions about adequate notice to ensure that all residents who will be impacted by the project will be notified of the construction schedule and detours as they arise. Guarino-Sawaya also raised concerns about possible safety issues during the construction phase.
A resident of Alden Ave. also asked questions about the project. DeMauro assured those in attendance that there will be a public meeting prior to the start of construction to inform residents of the project’s impacts. “We want full transparency in this process,” DeMauro said.
After Rudolph noted the “strict adherence” to the requirements of the Wetlands Protection Act and the many benefits of the project, the commission unanimously voted to issue the NOI.
The commission performed the following site visits in February:
810 Washington Ave. – Cert. of Compliance
Gibson Park – NOI – Roundabout
55 Sagamore – NOI – Pavers
190 VFW Parkway – NOI – site preparation
96 Lee Burbank – NOI – Revere Commerce Center
