Revere High School construction advances as committee weighs $1.5M budget increase

By Barbara Taormina

The Revere High School Building Committee received several updates from the project team at their last meeting on June 17. Darren Peeler of Consigli Construction, the company managing construction of the project, brought a series of photos to the meeting that showed walls going up marking the perimeter of a large section of the building. The photos showed the project beginning to take shape.

According to Peeler, the construction budget is $395 million. Peeler said he expects the $395 million budget to hold with no change orders anticipated. In March, “bulk cut” within the building footprint was substantially complete with more than 1,400 truckloads of soil hauled off to various soil disposal facilities. Installation of new sewer structures and piping began at the west side of the site. During April, foundation work for the entire building was in the works.

Perkins Eastman, the design company working on the project, presented design elements that have been developed. Perkins Eastman set up a furniture showcase for students and teachers to test new chairs, desks, cafeteria seating and lounge chairs. School Superintendent Dr. Dianne Kelly said the final decision on furniture will take into account the ease of cleaning and moving pieces.

Although the Building Committee is accustomed to hearing the project is underbudget, and promises to remain underbudget, Senior Project Manager Brian Dakin said the $7.8 million budget for technology and furniture will need to be increased by $1.5 million. Dakin said the budget was developed a few years ago and market conditions have changed. An additional $500,000 was needed for technology, with $1 million going toward furnishing the building.

“We wanted to make sure you know there is some turbulence down the road,” Dakin told the committee.

The city’s Chief Financial Officer, Richard Viscay, who is also a member of the Building Committee, said he thought a $1.5 million jump on a $7.8 million budget is excessive, and he asked to look over the numbers.

Perkins Eastman also showed slides of the signs students and visitors will use to navigate the campus and the building. Signs in corridors will match each corridor’s specific color scheme. A large and dramatic wave-shaped donor panel where donors to the project can have their names posted was also presented to the committee. Perkins Eastman also showed a map with the large field in front of the building now named Wonderland Field and the field farther off to the left, Patriots Field, and the Community Health and Wellness path. Those sections of the campus will have signs and maps for students and visitors.

The committee is planning a site walkthrough on July 29. The project team expects more steel deliveries from Canada and a building that shows more of where it’s heading by the end of the month.