NEWBURYPORT RECreation & YOUTH SERVICES
REC CENTER PROJECT
SLOGAN
Newburyport Recreation & Youth Services offers many enrichment and learning opportunities outside of school for the city's young people, as well as health and wellness initiatives that improve the welfare of all our residents. Since late 2021, the Department has been without a dedicated space, and has been using temporary solutions to try to maintain its outstanding level of services. It has been a key priority of Mayor Reardon to work with Newburyport Recreation and Youth Services, the City Council, and other partners to find a home for Newburyport Rec. The City Council took a major step forward with its purchase of 59 Low Street in January 2022 as a potential landing spot for the department.
In May 2022, the City Council authorized funds for consultant EGA Architects to complete Schematic Design and cost estimates for the Rec Center at 59 Low Street. On November 1, 2022, the plan was made public and presented to the City Council. This presentation was the result of months of hard work since purchasing the building at 59 Low Street in January of 2022..
On February 13, 2023, the City Council approved funding to progress the design of the Rec Center at 59 Low Street. Design Development plans and a 3D walk-through were presented to the community on January 18, 2024. The Council reviewed the current design plans in meetings from March through May 2024 and ultimately voted to continue on to construction documents so the City could have final plans and project costs.
Between May and November 2024, several major goals were reached in the progression of the project. In early July 2024, the City Council approved, by super-majority vote, a zoning amendment to allow a community center use within the I-1 zone of the Industrial Park, within 500' of a school. In October 2024, the Conservation Commission approved an order of Conditions and in November 2024, the Planning Board issued a decision under Major Site Plan Review. These permit approvals were necessary in order to move the project through to the bidding phase.
On January 8, 2025, the project was put to bid. General bids were due February 14, 2025 and the full set of bid documents, addendum, and bid numbers are linked below. The lowest responsible bidder was L.D. Russo, Inc. out of Harvard, MA, whose base bid was $6.8M. With the addition of the add alternate to install a new roof, L.D. Russo's number is $7.1M. The full project cost also includes $214,000 for an Owners Project Manager, which is required by State law, a 7% standard construction contingency, and $444,000 to implement traffic safety measures at Low Street and relocate the Parks Division of DPS, who are currently using the property, to Perry Way. Therefore, the overall total for the project is $8.29M.
On February 18th, 2025, the Mayor submitted a funding plan to the City Council that involves utilizing $2 million from the city levy and funding the remaining $4.5 million via a debt exclusion. It should be noted that the Mayor anticipates $1.8M from outside funding sources including the sale of the Kelley School, the sale of the Brown School, opioid settlement funds, and private donors. The City Council will consider the Mayor's plan over the coming weeks and, if approved, an early May debt exclusion vote is expected, so voting members of the community may determine whether the project will be built.
The Mayor firmly believes completing the rec center project now is in the best interest of our community. He says, "we all feel the impact of increasing costs of living, and I am well aware that tax rates are an on-going challenge. However, this is exactly why it is critical to move forward with urgency on the rec center project. Through past projects, we have seen costs escalate during time delays. For example, the Cutter Fire Station saw a $3M cost increase between cost estimates and bidding, an unfortunate statistic that we are not experiencing with the rec center project. Moreover, now is the time to invest in city assets that deliver affordable services to our residents. Recreation and Youth Services offers youth and adult activities at rates far lower than comparable private services. The amount residents will save on gym space, pickleball courts, early childhood programming, after school activities for middle schoolers, community meeting space and so much more will vastly outweigh the project costs. And the immeasurable benefits gained by increasing community wellness, neighbor connections, and mental health will create ripples of positive change throughout our community."
VIEW COMMUNITY PRESENTATION
WHAT NYS MEANS TO ME
As a former student at the Nock Middle School I have many great memories of time spent at the afterschool rec center. It was a great place for me to spend time with my friends after school, and I went there most weekdays. I remember having a great relationship with the staff members and they would often facilitate activities that I genuinely found engaging, even at the awkward age of thirteen. The rec center had many different rooms, such as a lounge, gym, playground, art room, and homework room. My friends and I made the most out of these amenities and had fun doing so, my personal favorite being the arts and crafts. I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done with my afterschool time otherwise. I’m a college student now, and I went to a different high school than my friends from the Nock. We are still super close today, and I owe a lot of thanks to the rec center as it helped develop these relationships.
early ed space
