City Council to hold hearing on $37M bond for McKinley School renovation

By Barbara Taormina

The Revere City Council will hold a public hearing on a $37 million bond authorization for the renovation of the McKinley School at their next meeting on Jan. 26. McKinley School, which has been closed since 2014, will be redesigned into an early childhood education center, the Metro North Regional Emergency Communication Center, which will serve Revere, Chelsea and Winthrop, and city office space. The early Childhood Education Center will serve 100 children, have four classrooms on the first and second floors and have indoor and outdoor playgrounds as well as a third-floor space for activities.

City Chief Financial Officer Richard Viscay explained that the authorization is needed to execute the construction contract. Work on the renovation project is expected to begin this winter and be completed by 2027.

“The $37 million is the gross amount,” Viscay told the council. “We anticipate $20 million back from the state’s 911 Department’s grant program.”

The state has been encouraging mergers of 911 call centers to promote efficiency. Call volume and populations served are key factors in deciding on regionalization, but cost savings, funding eligibility through grants and annual budgets are also important considerations.

Ward 4 Councillor Paul Argenzio asked what would happen if any money was left on the table once the renovation project was complete. He asked if it could be spent on another project. Viscay said it could be used to support another infrastructure type of project.

Councillor-at-Large Joanne McKenna asked jokingly if it would be cheaper to just tear down McKinley and build a new building. “Thirty-seven million dollars is a lot of money,” she said.

Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselsky asked if the School Department had contributed any funding toward the project. Viscay said the School Department has invested $6.5 million in the renovation, which caused Novoselsky’s eyebrows to rise slightly. “So, this is a $43 million project,” he said.

Novoselsky also said he didn’t think he would be ready to vote on the authorization after the public hearing at the next council meeting.

City Council President Anthony Zambuto said that wasn’t the plan. My intention was to have a public hearing and then refer it to the Ways and Means Subcommittee for review,” said Zambuto.

Viscay said he intends to have a fuller explanation of the financing at the public hearing, and Chief of Planning and Community Development Tom Skwierawski will have a detailed presentation on the project.

Several months ago, when the council first learned of the project, they raised concerns about a 145-foot radio tower that would be erected next to the building. Councillors were worried about how that would affect abutters and the entire neighborhood.

But after hearing from Police Chief Maria LaVita and Fire Chief James Cullen who both said the tower is necessary to communicate with first responders in emergency situations, they accepted the tower with requests for safety information on exposure from radio frequencies and information about a possible reduction in height of the tower. That information should be available at the public hearing.