City adjusting plans to cover higher than anticipated construction bids
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In advance of meetings with the Board of Aldermen and the School Committee concerning the reconstruction of the East Somerville Community School (ESCS), Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone is publicly reaffirming the City’s commitment to the project.

The first phase of rebuilding the school, which was gutted by fire in December of 2007, began last December. Recently, the construction timeline has been disrupted by bids that came back higher than anticipated, leaving the City with a $5 million gap to close.

“It is not unusual for bids to come back higher than expected and, when that happens, we roll up our sleeves and figure out how to get the project done,” Curtatone said. “I understand ESCS parents and people in the East Somerville community are anxious to see the next phase of construction underway, but this is just small setback. The City’s commitment to the project has not wavered one iota. Let there be no doubt that we will bring ESCS back under a single roof and back into the neighborhood it calls home.”

In order to close the gap, the City is looking into leveraging long-term energy savings that result from many of the new school’s green features, and is investigating different financing options. Savings on building materials and possible other revenue streams are also being considered.

The City negotiated extensively with the state to build the school on its same footprint and to maintain the full-sized auditorium and gymnasium in the school. All of those elements will remain part of the project.

“We worked with the community to design the new school and we will preserve the key elements of that design,” Curtatone said. “The scope of the project is not up for revision.”

Curtatone is working with the School Administration to hammer out the details on how to move the project forward.

“Everybody on the School side and everybody on the City side understand it is an absolute necessity to rebuild this school,” said School Superintendent Tony Pierantozzi. “The parents, students, teachers and staff have shown remarkable spirit in keeping the ESCS community together, even growing it, while it has been physically separated into different buildings. We would all prefer no delays, but the reconstruction of ESCS will resume in the near future.”

Ward 1 Alderman Bill Roche promised that City government will move with purpose to complete this project.

“A big part of our civic vision is to make Somerville a great place to raise a family,” he said. “East Somerville is an ideal place for a family with school age children, with great neighborhoods and most everything you need within walking distance. Yet it is crucial we rebuild our school in the heart of East Somerville. This is a priority project.”

Ward 1 School Committee Member Maureen Bastardi struck a similar note.

“The ESCS reconstruction project remains the top priority in the City,” she said. “We all look forward to, and are working towards, the day when our students, staff, families and community members can enjoy the new ESCS building. I appreciate the patience the community has demonstrated during this very long process.”

School Committee Chair Adam Sweeting emphasized that ESCS has educational significance even outside of East Somerville.

“Our educational mission relies on a rebuilt East Somerville Community School,” he said. “We are organized around a chain of neighborhood schools, and citywide programs such as Unidos, and this facility is an essential link in that chain.”

Ward 2 Alderman Maryann Heuston chairs the Finance Committee, which will be charged with reviewing any funding adjustments to the project.

“My intention is to move quickly on this issue so that we can get back to work on this school,” she said. “An enduring characteristic of Somerville is we rise to meet challenges. This is a situation where government needs to work even harder to deliver for the people and this is exactly what we are prepared to do with ESCS.”