City Council approves $500M bond authorization for new Revere High School

By Barbara Taormina

It’s done.

Revere will move forward and build the new high school on the former Wonderland Dog Track site. City councillors voted 9-2 this week to authorize a $493,217,901 bond to pay for the new school along with approximately $238 million supported by Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Grant funding.

Mayor Patrick Keefe, who has pushed hard to get the school built at Wonderland, spoke briefly to the council before their vote. “This is the city’s largest bond authorization ever,” Keefe told the council. “ For the last four years, we have worked relentlessly to make sure we make the best choice. The council has asked every question, turned over every stone. Whatever your decision is, I respect it.”

Unlike prior council meetings and presentations regarding the high school, there were no emotional speeches or contentious exchanges. City Council President Anthony Cogliandro invited anyone in the audience who felt they needed to say something to come to the podium. But no one from the public stepped forward to speak in favor or in opposition to the bond.

According to a press release by the Mayor’s Office, the origins of the project date back to 2016, when the City of Revere began submitting annual applications to the MSBA for support in constructing a new high school. On the third attempt, in 2018, the MSBA invited the City of Revere to participate in their Core Project Program. Since then, the project has made significant strides, including procurement, designer selection, location selection and design. Now, the project has received the required funding to move forward. The City and School Building Committee anticipate that the school will have a useful life of at least 50 years.

The decision comes after months of financial review meetings hosted by Mayor Keefe and CFO Rich Viscay. “I worked closely with elected officials to make sure that all of the financials, as well as the building process, were clearly spelled out. It is important to me that each person made an informed decision.”

Mayor Keefe added, “It says a lot that we all were able to share our input and work together for a common goal, with our students and faculty in mind.”

Councillor-at-Large Marc Silvestri agreed that extra time was needed to approve the spending for the school. “Is it scary? Yes, but we don’t live in a perfect world but our students need a perfect education,” said Silvestri.

Councillor-at-Large Juan Pablo Jaramillo said he owes his career to the education he received at Revere High. “We owe it to our kids to give them a chance. We owe it to them to build a high school. It’s an investment in the well-being of our future,” said Jaramillo.

Councillors-at-Large Michelle Kelley and Anthony Zambuto voted against authorizing the bond.

“The risk is too great,” said Kelley, who listed the viability of the Suffolk Downs development, the uncertain economic atmosphere and the pending $100 million eminent domain lawsuit the former owners of Wonderland have filed against the city as some of the reasons she felt the large bond authorization was too great a chance to take. “There are too many residents, seniors, who find it difficult to stay in their homes,” she said, adding that a proposition 2 1/2 override would be devastating for some residents.

“I’m here to protect the taxpayers, that’s what I do,” said Zambuto, who has consistently opposed the project at Wonderland. “There are too many uncertainties, including unknown costs for the land. This is built on a house of cards. It’s irresponsible for me to vote for this bond – that’s why I’m not going to do it.”

Cogliandro expressed his confidence in the Keefe Administration. “This is a willingness to take a risk; we all know that,” he said. “My vote is about my trusting the ability of the administration to find the right way to pay for this school.”

“I am very proud of all of our elected officials for making this courageous decision,” said Mayor and School Building Committee Chairperson Patrick M. Keefe Jr.

Mayor Keefe continued, “One of the greatest status symbols of a city is a strong, well-equipped public school system. This decision does not only benefit the future students and teachers of Revere, but future families and property owners who may choose to plant their roots in our community.”