Mayor, City Council continue discussion on future of former Everett High School

By Neil Zolot

The cost of renovating the former Everett High School to accommodate classrooms for 7th and 8th graders is now calculated at $79 million, rising from the $72 million figure previously proposed. Mayor Carlo DeMaria, Jr. and Mount Vernon Group Architects consultant Frank Tedesco told City Councillors on Monday it was due to costs increasing over time and additional space that will be renovated for classrooms. “We’re adding footage, so the cost goes up,” Tedesco said. “We found additional space that needs renovation, including space for the Eliot Family Resource Center.”

There are also plans to expand the original plans for a cafeteria and add HVAC for the Webster Extension preschool program.

“My problem is the price going up,” Ward 6 Councillor Peter Pietrantonio reacted. “We’re at $79 million and haven’t put a shovel in the ground.”

“Are you coming back here asking for more money?” asked the councillor.

“We don’t plan to,” Tedesco answered.

The meeting packet for the city councillors included plans for the building in addition to a letter from Mayor DeMaria. “The plans show how the former High School may be used for critical community needs, including additional classroom space without compromising student safety,” it reads. “I believe the facility has the capacity to continue to host important human and social service, municipal and educational purposes our residents rely on us to provide. Meeting those critical needs is why I asked Mount Vernon Group Architects to update the feasibility study for the proposed re-use of additional space in the former High School. Updated floor plans show how the space could be used for expanded space for 7th and 8th grade. The updated information also shows new, separate and secure space that could be used to continue to host Eliot in a new location secured from school use and would also feature a new separate entrance that would not impact residents on Maple Street. The updated information would also use a portion of the existing Health and Wellness Center for use by the Broadway Boxing Club, which it should be noted, does not operate during school hours. Even with the Council’s approval, I will continue to work with School Superintendent William Hart to find options to relocate the Eliot Center and the boxing club to another location or locations. I believe the need for these services is too great not to find a way to do more for our residents.”

“A lot of people use the gym in the morning,” Councillor-at-Large Stephanie Smith pointed out.

“So, you’ve decided the Eliot is going in the basement?” asked Council President Robert Van Campen.

“This is a mixed-use building and has been for a long time,” Tedesco answered, adding, “We’ve worked on mixed-use buildings and there are always separate entrances.”

He cautioned, however, that the building is “not designed. It’s conceptual at this point. Things will change.”

In previous meetings, Van Campen has said the residents of the ward have expressed concern about how the building will be used and impacts on the neighborhood. He’s asked for community forums to disseminate information and hear concerns. “I want to make sure none of this is etched in stone before a community meeting,” he said. “We want to hear from citizens before the City Council puts its stamp on any proposal.”

“I think it’s a great idea to have neighborhood meetings,” DeMaria reacted. Given the upcoming holidays and the time needed to arrange and advertise community events, he feels they could be in January.

Ward 4 Councillor Holly Garcia asked for the School Committee and School Department to be involved in community meetings, given the building will be used as a school. The Mayor agreed, as he did with her idea that residents should be able to participate virtually.

Van Campen also asked about the status of the roof, which DeMaria has said is crucial to repair to save the building and retain insurance coverage, regardless of what happens, and for which the Council appropriated $10 million in September. DeMaria told him the project is in the bidding stage and work is planned for the spring.

Tedesco said the roof “is what you need to prevent deterioration.”

He added, “The building has held up well despite the old roof.”

Van Campen also asked for an update on the status of Pope John. “Where are we in terms of the timeframe for its use?” he asked. “People ask when.”

DeMaria answered, “We want to solve the educational issue. I want to bring the matter before you. Once we resolve this, I’ll bring it back before you.”

His letter indicates he is not planning on using the former Pope John XXIII High School for new uses because he believes it should be used to help meet needs for housing for older and veteran residents. “Unlike the former High School, Pope John would not allow the city to have expanded educational space and the current space we need for municipal functions,” it elaborates. “The former Pope John would be equally expensive and have far less value to the community.”

Smith asked what would happen to the For Kids Only Afterschool (FKO) program now in Pope John. She also noted that the afterschool program AlphaBEST is in public schools. “I don’t want to make room for one program while displacing another,” she said.

“FKO should be in the schools, where students go to school, not Pope John,” DeMaria answered. “They’d like to bid on the contract to provide services in school. We’ll see if they are the company that should have the afterschool program.”

He feels that when 7th and 8th graders are moved to the old High Schools, there will be room for afterschool programs in the neighborhood schools.

He added that that decision will be made by the School Committee, but City Councillors can have access to the process. “It’ll all be public,” he pointed out.

Councillor-at-Large Michael Marchese brought up the idea of tearing down the old Everett High School and building a new one in its place. He feels it is a better, centralized location, rather than the Rivergreen Playground site in a corner of the city mentioned by DeMaria. Regardless, the current High School would be converted to a Middle School.

“If we do, we won’t have space to relieve overcrowding in the neighborhood schools,” DeMaria answered.

Van Campen interjected that estimates in 2018 put the cost of demolition at $10 million and “I’m sure it’s gone up since then.”

DeMaria also stated that the Mass. School Building Authority (MSBA) has given its approval for Everett to build a new High School with a vocational element. How much it will cost is impossible to figure considering how much time will pass while a site is determined, plans are made and construction is undertaken. It will be higher, perhaps significantly higher, than the current Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational High School project of $317 million, but DeMaria is hoping for 70-78% in reimbursement aid.