NEWBURYPORT — Visible evidence of progress on the city’s future $8.3 million recreation center could be seen recently as demolition and site clearing work got underway to prepare for construction.
Two workers were spotted at 59 Low St. on Monday morning as initial work on the recreation center began, using excavators to move dirt and other debris.
Once completed, the recreation center will house the city’s Recreation and Youth Services department, which has been without a permanent home since 2021 when the boiler at its last location, the former Brown School, was deemed unusable.
On May 13, voters approved a $6.5 million debt exclusion to pay for most of the city’s plan to build the recreation center on land once owned by the National Guard. Out of 15,804 registered voters in the city, 2,539 voted for the measure while 1,627 voted against, according to official results.
The complex will include a gymnasium, lobby, offices for RYS staff, a flexible art/maker space, an early education, meeting and quiet study space as well as multipurpose space. A half-basketball court will also be built outside to go along with a new patio, enclosed play space as well as an open lawn area.
The new recreation center will be built across the street from Edward G. Molin Upper Elementary School as well as Rupert A. Nock Middle School.
Harvard-based L.D. Russo Inc. was awarded the contract after submitting the lowest bid, $7.1 million, for the project in March.
The bid includes a $6.8 million base price with an option to install a new roof for an additional $317,050. An extra $214,013 would be spent hiring an owner’s project manager and $497,538 would also be necessary for a 7% contingency budget.
An additional $444,700 would also be needed for traffic safety on Low Street as well as to relocate the city’s parks division from Low Street to Perry Way. That would bring the total cost to roughly $8.3 million.
L.D. Russo Chief Executive Officer Elena Russo called the center an “exciting project.”
“Site prep and demo at the existing building are well underway, which means we’re on track for new construction. The city and architect Scott Hall have been great to work with, and we’re all excited,” Russo said.
Living in Newburyport with her husband and business partner, Nat Coughlin, she said they have always been big supporters of the city’s youth services.
“For years we’ve been excited about the idea of them finding a permanent home. That definitely made us more eager going into the bid round,” Russo said.
She said the hope is to have the prep work done by the start of the school year.
Mayor Sean Reardon said he loves seeing the activity at the site.
“L.D. Russo began working on the site the week of July 14th. Kim Turner is overseeing the project and we are going to do a groundbreaking later this fall,” Reardon said.
Ward 5 City Councilor and mayoral candidate Jim McCauley, whose wife, Liz McCauley, served as the chairperson for those leading the charge against the project, said he hopes the project is done as soon as possible since voters made it clear they wanted it built.
“I’ve driven by it a few times, but I have not been on site. Looks like there’s demo on the inside and the scraping on the outside to get what we need to get,” McCauley said.