Councillor Jaramillo thinking beyond new High School budget

By Barbara Taormina

With the $493,217,901 bond vote for the new high school looming, many elected officials and residents are thinking about the project in terms of dollars and cents and wondering if the city can manage the costs.

But Councillor-at-Large Juan Pablo Jaramillo, chairman of the City Council’s new Climate, Sustainability, and Workforce Subcommittee, has been thinking beyond the budget and what the enormous, multiyear construction project will mean to the city. Jaramillo recently filed a motion for an ordinance to create stronger jobs for Revere residents and improve the well-being of Revere’s working families. It’s an ambitious ordinance and Jaramillo calls it a “proposal in the works.”

“We want to make sure we’re protecting workers in Revere,” said Jaramillo, adding that with the new Revere High School project, the city should make sure that “Revere workers are top of mind.”

The ordinance would cover public construction projects going up in the city that are paid for in part or in full with public dollars. According to the proposal, Mayor Patrick Keefe would be directed to explore a thorough construction delivery process to review options for a construction delivery model related to the new high school that takes into account the size, timing, complexity, costs and budget of the project. The mayor will be directed to conduct a study and analysis of how the construction of the new high school supports the local workforce, including but not limited to local hires, apprenticeships and opportunities for Revere High School graduates.

“Understanding this will help us pave a path forward on how we protect Revere workers, or, at the very least, have them at the table,” said Jaramillo.