New High School: aging culvert, MSBA reimbursement could factor into new school site

By Barbara Taormina

Brian Dakin, senior project manager for the Revere High School construction project, met with the City Council to update them on the latest news about the school. And there were some surprises.

Dakin and the design team have been working on a feasibility study for building on the existing site. The council voted to look at this option partly because of financial concerns with the $500,000,000 price tag of the original plan to build at Wonderland. But according to Dakin, the cost of building on the existing site will be upwards of $540,000,000 due to the aging culvert that runs next to the school.

“We were told we wouldn’t have a problem [with the culvert]. Now, all of a sudden, we have a problem and it’s a $40 million problem,” said City Council President Pro Tempore Joanne McKenna.

Dakin said he and his colleagues are waiting for an engineering report from CDM Smith about the work needed on the culvert and the cost.

Don Ciaramella, Superintendent of the city’s Water and Sewer Department, said the culvert, which drains much of the city, has been a concern for years, but the focus has been on water delivery, not drainage. “Whether or not we rebuild the culvert, it’s the city’s responsibility,” said Ciaramella. “It will have to be replaced and that’s part of reality.”

Councillor-at-Large Marc Silvestri asked if the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), which pays part of the cost of school buildings throughout the state, would allow Revere to revert back to the original plan to build at Wonderland. “Would the MSBA have our back?” asked Silvestri.

Dakin said he believes MSBA would support the city.

Dakin did bring some good news to the council. The MSBA has changed its funding formula and they have increased reimbursements from $39 a square foot to $55. “That’s very good news,” said Dakin. “The deal looks about 10 percent better because of the change in the MSBA reimbursement metrics.

Dakin estimated the cost to Revere after the reimbursement would be between $310,000,000 to $317,000,000 depending on the final design chosen.