Revere officials say high school project remains on schedule; early bids show roughly $10 million under construction budget

Brian Dakin, the owner's project manager for Revere’s new high school project, told the City Council on Aug. 25 that the project has completed the 60% construction document phase and that early peer estimates put construction costs roughly $8.6 million to $10.9 million under the prior construction budget.

Dakin said the Consiglio estimate was “$8,600,000 under the prior budget, and the peer estimate was 10,900,000.0 under for construction costs,” and cautioned both are estimates that will be refined as bidding proceeds.

Why it matters: The high school project represents the city’s largest current capital undertaking. Dakin said early competitive bidding for “early scope” packages — site work, concrete, steel and elevators — should produce firm numbers in the coming weeks and that the team is aiming to preserve at least $10 million in contingency savings against the approved construction budget.

Schedule and permitting: Dakin told the council that phase 1 site demolition is about 95% complete with no unexpected underground contamination found; the MEPA process is expected to conclude and the Conservation Commission was scheduled to act imminently. The project team expects to complete 90% construction drawings in September, release more bid packages over the winter and be in a construction phase that will pour foundations through the winter and move to steel and elevated concrete decks in late winter into spring. Dakin projected interior work in 2027 and occupancy in 2028 if the schedule holds.

MSBA reimbursement and funding: Dakin said the city should receive an initial MSBA reimbursement once environmental permitting is complete and forecasted the first state reimbursement to be “up to about $14 to $16,000,000” to cover prior eligible expenses, followed by monthly reimbursement submissions.

Council questions and concerns: Councilor Kelly said she welcomed news of savings but pressed for assurances that any bid savings be retained for the project rather than reallocated elsewhere. “If we do come in under budget, that that money is saved and not spent on other things,” Kelly said. Dakin responded that bid savings are tracked and that as the project completes bidding those savings would be captured and could reduce the final borrowing.

Operational costs and maintenance: Several councilors asked about life-cycle and maintenance costs for a larger facility and whether the city’s maintenance staffing and budgets are sized for a new building. Dakin said lifecycle cost estimates and operating cost models are being produced but that operations and maintenance decisions ultimately rest with the school department and CFO as the building moves toward occupancy.

Next steps: Dakin said the team will return in roughly two months with updated bid results, an expanded value-engineering log in plain language and a clearer picture of net bid savings and borrowing needs.