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Committee recommends council approve $750,000 increase for Blue Hills Community Center renovation
Summary
Committee sent to council a favorable recommendation for an additional $750,000 to complete renovations at Blue Hills Community Center after previously undisclosed structural and water-damage issues increased the project cost to roughly $3.4 million for a 4,500-square-foot building.
The Planning, Economic Development and Housing Committee voted Wednesday to forward to the full City Council a mayoral resolution authorizing an additional $750,000 for the Blue Hills Community Center renovation, after staff described extensive unforeseen structural damage discovered during demolition.
William Diaz, project leader for economic development, told the committee the project has encountered major wood framing replacement, a need to replace or reinforce masonry and steel supports, and retaining-wall work on the rear of the site tied to a relocated basketball court. “The whole wood framing had to be, replaced,” Diaz said. He described extensive water damage and dry rot found after interior demolition and said the project has taken “maybe a year longer than it should have.”
Members pressed for cost and size details. Diaz cited a June 2022 press release that described the property as 4,500 square feet and noted early project descriptions listed a $1.6 million budget. He said the awarded construction contract rose to about $2.2 million, abatement work cost roughly $120,000, LEP consulting about $30,000, and design work with CrossKey Architects initially cost about $300,000. Diaz estimated the city has spent “roughly, like, $1.1.2 with the contractor itself” to date and that total project costs are now about $3.4 million.
Council members asked whether demolition and rebuilding from scratch would be cheaper than continuing. Diaz said the city had already invested substantial sums and that rebuilding would likely cost more at this point: “We actually looked into that… It's 1 of the we've already invested so many dollars into it that… to start from scratch and demo in the building and redesign a building, it it's gonna be even more expensive at this point.” Another council member pressed whether a more complete needs assessment could have anticipated the problems earlier; staff replied that initial budgeting focused on what could be achieved at a lower figure and that the building’s condition worsened while the project sat on hold during funding seeks.
A committee member moved to send the resolution to the full council with a favorable recommendation; the motion passed with all members present voting aye. The additional $750,000 was described at the meeting as coming from a reserve account.
Background: Staff said the City began the Blue Hills project after a long vacancy and interior demolition revealed additional structural problems. The administration noted the community had advocated retaining the rec center rather than converting the site to a park and that the project scope expanded when concealed conditions were exposed during demolition.
