Ruberto Has 'Aggressive Agenda' For Pittsfield
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| Mayor James M. Ruberto |
"I'm excited about everything," Ruberto said in an interview last week. "I was excited [the week before] at the groundbreaking of the new Hospice House and I'll be excited next week when I go to the Second Congregational Church for Martin Luther King's birthday. These are the elements of the work that excited me about the city of Pittsfield and how it will continue to grow and expand as a great place to live and work and play."
Top on Ruberto's list of priorities is the construction of a new high school, one that will offer diverse lessons on one campus.
"My bias is to create schools within a school, a magnet of schools within one campus where we can take advantage of joint areas like cafeterias and libraries but also have individual learning centers. I'm of the mind that the new school should be under one roof, on one campus," the mayor said.
Ruberto said he would be meeting with the project's consultants within the next two weeks as the school's construction moves into the planning phase. As of yet, no concrete plans have been developed and Ruberto said many more public discussions must be had before the city will move forward.
"Already we've had working sessions with a variety of residents to develop a vision statement on the best way education can be delivered to our children," said Ruberto. "This is a discussion the community needs to have. This is a decision the community needs to make."
Ruberto said he would wait until he reviewed the consultant's report before he decided to press forward with any initiative but he did say the city may no longer be in need of two distinct high schools.
"I have a very strong sense we should be dealing with a new facility. Neither of the current buildings really speak to the future," he said of Pittsfield and Taconic highs.
With lowered dropout rates and better scores on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System tests, Ruberto said he is proud of the direction the city's students are headed.
"We've had a number of very aggressive initiatives intended to mentor and monitor at-risk youth and we've seen results," the mayor said. "Continuing to invest in education is critical to making Pittsfield a better place to be."
Extending Work Into the Downtown
With major projects slated for the downtown area in 2008, Ruberto said his next priority is working to improve neighborhoods, a feat he hopes to accomplish by encouraging residents to become homeowners.
<L2>"We're within a month of going to the City Council and requesting support for a home-rule petition that will provide tax incentives and other considerations to first-time homeowners," he said. "While not glamorous, this initiative is vital to the revitalization of the city."
In his inaugural address at the beginning of the year, Ruberto said he would support innovative ideas that have proved successful in other communities.
"For far too long, we have been far too patient, waiting for bold ideas from various Boston bureaucracies to help us reinvent the West Side and Morningside sections of our city," he said then. "It is high time we borrow from successful best practices pioneered in other states, different ways of motivating hundreds of renters to become property owners, with each of their residences representing a foothold toward an improved neighborhood."
This year, the city will see Phases 1 and 2 of the Streetscape Project begun as major sidewalk and road improvements will transform South and North streets, including an eventual rerouting of traffic in the treacherous Park Square rotary.
The $12.9 million Beacon Cinema project on North Street will also break ground this year and the city will continue to invest in public arts projects like last year's Art of the Game and Hayman! ventures.
"When you walk down North Street, you can see what's happening in the city of Pittsfield - there's a tremendous amount of energy. The renaissance is on very, very solid footing and it will not be derailed," said the mayor.
Ruberto also said he would work to see some of the General Electric Economic Development Funds routed to the Berkshire Museum, one of the city's crown jewels.
"The museum is part of the cultural array that the city offers not only to its own residents but also for those from outside its community," said Ruberto, noting that the museum draws 85,000 people to its doors annually.
The museum galleries are closed until March as it undergoes a major renovation and addition project.
"First and foremost, the Berkshire Museum is an incredible community resource. Second, it's a key ingredient in the education of our youth. Third, it's a solid economic driver for the city," he added.
Seeking Results
Four years ago, residents weren't willing to hold community conversations about the future of the city but thanks to hard work and dedication, everyone has the opportunity to make their voices heard, said Ruberto.
"There's no such thing as a magic wand. Four years ago, we were in a much different place and, now, I can say the infrastructure of the community has improved through hard work, collaboration, understanding and support. We're doing now what we couldn't do before and what was once only a dream is now a reality. People have come to believe in the community and the potential it has," he said.
Calling his 2008 plans "an aggressive agenda," Ruberto said he fully intends to show the people of the city that he wants results.
"We're moving ideas and concepts into planning phases and that will yield results. Every element fills a need that is required for us to become the best small city in the Northeast," Ruberto said.
