Pittsfield Civil Service Task Force Hears From Fire Chief

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
Print Story | Email Story
Acting Fire Chief Robert Czerwinski met with the task force on Thursday.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Civil Service Task Force now has a good handle on the benefits of Civil Service. Next, it will  be researching the benefits of other options.

The task force met with acting Fire Chief Robert Czerwinski on Thursday; it met with acting Police Chief Michael Wynn previously.

Both chiefs threw their support behind the Civil Service program — particularly with using assessment centers and an exam in narrowing down candidate lists.

"It takes the politics out of the position," said Czerwinski.

The Civil Service process sets restrictions on how an employee can be fired — thus ending most of the risk that a chief would lose the job at the whim of a new mayor. That stability raises the morale of employees and allows the chief to make unpopular political decisions and to set long-term plans.

Czerwinski used the example of a children's theater group looking to rehearse in a building without proper alarm systems. A mayor could force the chief to look the other way, jeopardizing public safety, or risk of losing his or her job. Police Union President Jeff Coco also said a newly elected mayor could oust a chief to give the position to someone else the new mayor owes a favor to.

"The fire chief or police chief can get in place a master plan," Czerwinski said. "It's good to have that consistent for the long term. We need to have a clear direction of where we need to go and the leader sets the vision of the organization."

If a vision is in place and then the chief is changed following an election, that demoralizes employees because they don't know what the long-term goals are, he said.

Further, the Civil Service's assessment center and exam process helps narrow down the candidates to three very qualified ones. The city has used Civil Service for the positions based on only an exam. However, the system also allows for an assessment center, which tests candidate by presenting real situations.

Czerwinski said with the test, there have been some candidates who "fell through the cracks" and would have been great for promotion but were beat out by another candidate who did not possess the needed skills. The assessment center would help alleviate that by ensuring not only are the candidates knowledgeable but that they also possess the people and situational skills needed.


"All promotions should be done through an assessment center," Czerwinski said, though the task force narrowed its focus to only the process for hiring chiefs.

But the system isn't perfect, Czerwinski said in response to questions. The test results take up to six months to be returned, certain numbers of candidates need to apply, the agency is difficult to get answers from and oftentimes the exam covers issues seldom faced, he said.

"There is definitely a disconnect between the agency and the people who have questions," Czerwinski said.

According to Chairwoman Pamela Green, other towns had moved away from Civil Service and implemented their own exams and contracted assessment centers. They opted to go without Civil Service because of rules that allow laid-off employees from other communities to have first chances at open positions. Those employees would take the job, receive their training and when the home community has an opening, return there, she said.

Czerwinski said that isn't likely the case with Pittsfield because salaries are lower here than other parts in the state. He said captains earn more in the eastern part of the state than the chief does here.

"We don't appeal as much to people in the eastern part of the state," Green agreed.

The group now has a better understanding of the process and are leaning toward assessment centers if opting to stay with Civil Service, Green said.

But, the members now need to question the benefits of opting out of the system. The task force is looking to speak with communities that do not have the system so they can weigh the benefits of each aspect.

The task force was formed to provide a recommendation to the mayor for granting permanent chiefs.


Tags: advisory committee,   appointments,   civil service,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

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.
 
View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories