Revere project committee awards $3.065 million site-demolition amendment; reviews budget, MEPA and cash flow

The Revere project committee voted Wednesday to approve Amendment No. 4 to the Consigli Construction Co. contract, adding $3,065,057 for site demolition work and related preconstruction services. The committee also approved three invoices covering preconstruction, design and early-site work and heard updates on state permitting, a June 6 target for 60% construction documents, and the city’s near-term plan to sell temporary bonds to cover cash-flow deficits.

The committee discussed the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) and the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) review process, and staff said they expect to complete the final MEPA environmental impact report in July and receive MEPA approval in August. Committee members and project staff said they are coordinating with MSBA and state contacts to keep the schedule on track; officials warned that a delay in MEPA clearance would push later work and could affect winter construction and the overall schedule.

Why it matters: The amendment funds the first visible construction activity on the site — removal of racetrack grandstand foundations, removal of track heating pipe, and disposal of contaminated soils identified in prior testing — which project staff said is limited by the MEPA waiver to the portion of the site inside the approved work area. Committee members also discussed the need to monitor cash flow closely as the city prepares to issue temporary borrowing that will fund construction through the next fiscal years.

What the committee approved and why - Consigli Amendment No. 4: The committee voted to award Consigli Construction Co. Amendment No. 4 in the amount of $3,065,057 to perform phase-one site demolition and related preconstruction scope. Project staff presented a logistics plan showing the work area, erosion controls, and the project’s temporary fencing and sequencing. - Invoices: The committee approved three invoices presented on the meeting agenda: Left Field LLC invoice No. 49 for $496,069 (site-estimating / preconstruction services), Perkins Eastman invoice (number 8797) for $847,983.19 (architect/engineer design billing toward 5–10% completion of the construction-document phase), and Consigli Construction Co. preconstruction invoice No. 27 for $27,000. Staff said those invoices reflect the early-phase work and do not change the committee’s broader plan to proceed with demolition and 60% documents in June.

Permitting and schedule Project staff and the Consigli representative walked the committee through the permitting milestones: MEPA draft comments have been received and responded to, the team aims to submit the final MEPA environmental impact report in July and receive MEPA approval in August, and the MSBA final project funding agreement is expected after MIPA completion. Locally, the project has secured a temporary access permit from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT); staff said a site walk with the Revere Conservation Commission is likely May 31, and a notice-of-intent filing for the full project is targeted for the June 4 Conservation Commission meeting. The team explained that the MEPA waiver allows limited, phased demolition inside the defined work area and that further sitework beyond the purple buffer line shown in the logistics drawing will wait for final MEPA clearance.

Cash flow and borrowing City finance staff told the committee the city is preparing to sell $75 million in temporary bonds to cover construction cash needs through fiscal 2025 and into fiscal 2026. Staff said the city must cover near-term deficits by June 30 and that the $75 million issuance is intended to meet those requirements. Committee members asked that bonding and cash-flow status be a standing item on future agendas so the committee can track budget-to-date, percent of budget spent by cost code, and the effects of any schedule changes or permitting delays.

Site security and public safety Committee members raised public-safety concerns about existing breaches in the fencing along the commuter-rail corridor and about informal encampments on the site. Project staff said temporary and permanent fencing and erosion-control measures will be installed as part of the demolition scope, and that Consigli will secure and “grub” the site once work begins. Staff also said they will coordinate with MassDOT and the MBTA on fencing and site security and will confirm who is responsible for the existing rail-side fence.

Votes at a glance - Consigli Construction Co., Amendment No. 4 — motion to award site demolition in the amount of $3,065,057; outcome: approved (roll call recorded). - Left Field LLC, Invoice No. 49 — $496,069; outcome: approved (roll call recorded). - Perkins Eastman, Invoice 8797 — $847,983.19; outcome: approved (roll call recorded). - Consigli Construction Co., Preconstruction Invoice No. 27 — $27,000; outcome: approved (roll call recorded).

What’s next Project staff said the team will release the 60% construction-document estimating package on June 6, stagger major bid packages (steel, concrete, waterproofing, elevators, site work) over July–August, and anticipate awards later in the summer. Staff emphasized that steel procurement is a critical-path item because long lead times would drive any winter construction schedule. The committee set an expectation for more frequent (potentially two-per-month) meetings in late July and August to review major bid awards and cash-flow updates.

Committee members closed the meeting after the votes and agreed to add a brief, regular cash-flow-and-bonding update to future agendas.