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City committee reviews $5 million federal grant to renovate Nazzaro Community Center
Summary
The Boston City Council committee heard a presentation Jan. 30 requesting approval to accept and expend $5 million in federal ARPA funds for repairs and capital upgrades at the Nazzaro Community Center in the North End; officials outlined an assessment of building systems, a design-and-construction timeline and plans to limit program disruptions.
The Boston City Council Committee on Strong Women, Families, and Communities on Jan. 30 heard a request for the city to accept and expend $5,000,000 in federal funds to renovate the Nazzaro Community Center in the North End, city officials said.
Commissioner Eamon Shelton of the Department of Property Management told the committee the grant, which the city reports originated with the U.S. Department of the Treasury and passed through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development, would fund repairs and capital improvements to “maintain current functionality in programming at the Nazzaro Community Center.”
The grant is being delivered through the city’s Boston Resilient Buildings initiative, Shelton said; work will focus on building systems and the exterior envelope to prevent future emergency closures. “We’re here to request approval of an order for the City of Boston to accept and expend $5,000,000 for the Nazzaro Center in the North End,” Shelton said.
Mary Staikos, special assistant on the project, told the committee the city has hired an architect (listed in the record as Odens Ello) and completed a detailed 3-D laser scan and an initial existing-conditions report. The assessment identified needs in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, drainage (the basement has experienced flooding), the roof and exterior walls, accessibility and fire protection. Staikos said the work will prioritize “behind-the-scenes” systems and the building envelope.
The project schedule presented to the committee calls for a roughly five-month design phase, a two-month bidding period and a target start of construction in September 2025. Staikos and other staff said they will coordinate with Boston Centers for Youth & Families staff and the community to minimize program disruptions, using off-hours work and short closures rather than a long shutdown where possible.
Shelton and Staikos told the committee multiple condition assessments show about $5,000,000 in identified direct capital needs; they said additional work would be desirable in the future but the current grant will be targeted to the most critical repairs.
A resident from the North End, Victor Brogne (listed in the record as Victor Bridal in one place), asked whether state funds secured by the neighborhood’s state representative would add to the project budget. City staff clarified that the $5,000,000 are ARPA funds authorized through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development and that the amount being presented is the $5,000,000 available to the project.
Committee Chair Erin Murphy (At-Large) closed the discussion by saying the committee will move the matter forward to be placed on a future meeting agenda for approval; no formal committee vote on docket 0109 was recorded during the hearing.
The committee also noted an existing project page will be updated with the architect’s report and that staff will return with further scope and impact details once design work advances.
