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The Parks Commission is anticipating a large number of requests for use of the renovated Common.

Pittsfield Expecting Heavy Usage at Renovated Common

By Joe DurwinPittsfield Correspondent
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Most of Phase 3 is expected to be completed by November; finish work, such as lighting, and the new basketball court will be done in the spring.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The renovated Pittsfield Common will be substantially completed within the coming month, and city park officials are already anticipating a volume of special event requests for the refurbished site.

Parks and Open Spaces Manager James McGrath told the Parks Commission this week that the majority of the multimillion dollar redevelopment of the historic downtown gathering yard will be finished by mid-November, with the exception of a new enlarged basketball court that will need to be laid in the spring.

"Every time I go by there, it looks like it's improving each day," said Chairman Dr. John Herman.

The new construction includes a recently finished bathroom building, a gazebo, sprinkler spray ground, and a performance pavilion, along with additional lighting and some new trees, the latter also slated for next year.

McGrath told the commission the principal reconstruct is on time, and within budget. Next week, a consultant from Minnesota will come to Pittsfield to demonstrate to city grounds staff how to maintain the splash ground area.

"It's all coming together nicely," McGrath told the commissioners.

Now that it has undergone so much improvement, the city is anticipating a wave of upcoming interest in hosting functions in the Common, which has been under extensive construction the past three Summer season.

Even unfinished, the small park has already seen some interest, as the neighboring Zion's Lutheran Church relocated their annual picnic to the yard last month.



"I think there's going to be a lot of demand for events there," said McGrath, noting such requests would go through the typical permitting process used for all special events.

One of the principal activities that could be slated for the Common is Pittsfield's Shakespeare in the Park, which drew more than 1,500 attendees to its debut production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at Springside Park in July.

"There has been some talk of Shakespeare in the Park moving to the Common," McGrath said in response to questions from the commissioners, but no formal announcement or event permitting has begun for that at this time.

Due to the anticipated demand for usage because of the new amenities like the stage and restroom facilities, the Parks Commission is encouraging those who wish to hold events in the coming year to submit their requests as soon as possible.

On a smaller scale, some replacement of playground structures will take place at both Dorothy Amos Park and Raymond Crow Playground next week. These refurbishments are being paid for out of a $200,000 grant from the commonwealth combined with some federal Community Development Block Grant funds through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Other major park projects, such as revamping of the city's basketball courts and some infrastructure improvements at Springside Park, are on hold for the time being awaiting a future city allocation.

Earlier this year, these projects had been included in the city's capital improvement budget, which died on the vine following a disagreement between Mayor Daniel Bianchi and several city councilors about including a new firetruck in the capital plan. It is thought these expenditures will likely be revisited in the fiscal 2016 budget planning.

 Earlier this year, these projects had been included in the city's capital improvement budget, which died on the vine following a disagreement between Mayor Bianchi and several city councilors about including a new firetruck in the capital plan. It is thought these expenditures will likely be revisited in the fiscal 2016 budget planning.

 


Tags: parks commission,   Pittsfield Common,   

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Crosby/Conte Statement of Interest Gets OK From Council

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Architect Carl Franceschi and Superintendent Joseph Curtis address the City Council on Tuesday.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — With the approval of all necessary bodies, the school district will submit a statement of interest for a combined build on the site of Crosby Elementary School.

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously gave Superintendent Joseph Curtis the green light for the SOI to the Massachusetts School Building Authority by April 12.

"The statement I would make is we should have learned by our mistakes in the past," Mayor Peter Marchetti said.

"Twenty years ago, we could have built a wastewater treatment plant a lot cheaper than we could a couple of years ago and we can wait 10 years and get in line to build a new school or we can start now and, hopefully, when we get into that process and be able to do it cheaper then we can do a decade from now."

The proposal rebuilds Conte Community School and Crosby on the West Street site with shared facilities, as both have outdated campuses, insufficient layouts, and need significant repair. A rough timeline shows a feasibility study in 2026 with design and construction ranging from 2027 to 2028.

Following the SOI, the next step would be a feasibility study to determine the specific needs and parameters of the project, costing about $1.5 million and partially covered by the state. There is a potential for 80 percent reimbursement through the MSBA, who will decide on the project by the end of the year.

Earlier this month, city officials took a tour of both schools — some were shocked at the conditions students are learning in.

Silvio O. Conte Community School, built in 1974, is a 69,500 square foot open-concept facility that was popular in the 1960s and 1970s but the quad classroom layout poses educational and security risks.  John C. Crosby Elementary School, built in 1962, is about 69,800 square feet and was built as a junior high school so several aspects had to be adapted for elementary use.

Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi said the walkthrough was "striking" at points, particularly at Conte, and had her thinking there was no way she would want her child educated there. She recognized that not everyone has the ability to choose where their child goes to school and "we need to do better."

"The two facilities that we are looking at I think are a great place to start," she said.

"As the Ward 6 councilor, this is where my residents and my students are going to school so selfishly yes, I want to see this project happen but looking at how we are educating Pittsfield students, this is going to give us a big bang for our buck and it's going to help improve the educational experience of a vast group of students in our city."

During the tour, Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey, saw where it could be difficult to pay attention in an open classroom with so much going on and imagined the struggle for students.

Councilor at Large Alisa Costa said, "we cannot afford not to do this" because the city needs schools that people want their children to attend.

"I know that every financial decision we make is tough but we have to figure this out. If the roof on your house were crumbling in, you'd have to figure it out and that's where we're at and we can't afford to wait any longer," she said.

"We can't afford for the sake of the children going to our schools, for the sake of our city that we want to see grow so we have to build a city where people want to go."

Councilor at Large Kathy Amuso, who served on the School Building Needs Commission for about 18 years, pointed out that the panel identified a need to address Conte in 2008.

Curtis addressed questions about the fate of Conte if the build were to happen, explaining that it could be kept as an active space for community use, house the Eagle Academy or the Adult Learning Center, or house the central offices.

School attendance zones are a point of discussion for the entire school district and for this project.

"At one time I think we had 36 school buildings and now we have essentially 12 and then it would go down again but in a thoughtful way," Curtis said.

Currently, eight attendance zones designate where a student will go to elementary school. Part of the vision is to collapse those zones into three with hopes of building a plan that incorporates partner schools in each attendance zone.

"I think that going from eight schools to three would be easier to maintain and I think it would make more sense but in order to get there we will have to build these buildings and we will have to spend money," Kavey said, hoping that the city would receive the 80 percent reimbursement it is vying for.

This plan for West Street, which is subject to change, has the potential to house grades pre-kindergarten to first grade in one school and Grades 2 to 4 in another with both having their own identities and administrations. 

The districtwide vision for middle school students is to divide all students into a grade five and six school and a grade seven and eight school to ensure equity.

"The vagueness of what that looks like is worrisome to some folks that I have talked to," Lampiasi said.

Curtis emphasized that these changes would have to be voted on by the School Committee and include public input.

"We've talked about it conceptually just to illustrate a possible grade span allocation," he said. "No decisions have been made at all by the School Committee, even the grade-span proposals."

School Committee Chair William Cameron said it is civic duty of the committee and council to move forward with the SOI.
 
He explained that when seven of the city's schools were renovated in the late 1990s, the community schools were only 25 years old and Crosby was 35 years old.  The commonwealth did not deem them to be sorely in need of renovation or replacement.
 
"Now 25 years later, Crosby is physically decrepit and an eyesore. It houses students ages three to 11 in a facility meant for use by teenagers,"
 
"Conte and Morningside opened in the mid-1970s. They were built as then state-of-the-art schools featuring large elongated rectangles of open instructional space. Over almost half a century, these physical arrangements have proven to be inadequate for teaching core academic skills effectively to students, many of whom need extra services and a distraction-free environment if they are to realize their full academic potential."
 
He said  the proposal addresses a serious problem in the "economically poorest, most ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse area" of the city.
 
Cameron added that these facilities have been deemed unsatisfactory and need to be replaced as part of the project to reimagine how the city can best meet the educational needs of its students.  He said it is the local government's job to move this project forward to ensure that children learn in an environment that is conducive to their thriving academically.
 
"The process of meeting this responsibility needs to begin here tonight," he said.
 
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