image description
The new location is pretty empty still.
image description
But so is the old location.
image description
Some have already set up their offices.
image description
Others have not.
image description
image description

Pittsfield Offices Start Move To New Space at 100 North

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
Print Story | Email Story
The new offices at 100 North St. are now being populated.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Several city departments are settling into their new offices at 100 North St.
 
On Saturday, the first of the departments began to move into the second floor of the neighboring offices. The city signed a lease with the owners to move the Health and Building departments, utilities inspectors, fire inspector, a community development agent and a conservation agent across the street from City Hall.
 
The Health Department made its move on Saturday and the city's engineering department followed on Monday. Building and maintenance was nearly moved in by Tuesday afternoon.
 
"We are in the process of setting up. Saturday, early morning, the Health Department moved over," Mayor Daniel Bianchi said on Tuesday.
 
The departments are moving over in phases. However, some of the inspectors will have to wait until the start of next year to move in because the portion they are set to occupy is still being renovated. 
 
Wiring for the Internet, computers and phones is being set up so there could be some disruption in the operations this week. But some departments were already servicing customers out of the new location.
 
The move has been somewhat contentious on the City Council level. Bianchi, who has the authorization to enter the city into short-term leases, signed the lease without the City Council weighing in. 
 
City Councilor Barry Clairmont was particularly upset with the move, leading to more than an hour discussion on the details at a recent City Council meeting. 
 
Bianchi, however, said the move benefits the city in a number of ways — by creating a one-stop shop for contractors to get permits, by alleviating health concerns of workers who were previously in the City Hall basement, and by creating a welcoming environment for prospective developers.
 
In total, the city is paying $126,000 to rent the space, including utilities, custodial and maintenance, for the first year, with the price dropping by $1 per square foot in years two and three. 
 
In other business, the city has installed a plastic fence along the median of East Street near Pittsfield High School. The fence is a "test fence" to see if that would deter jaywalkers. The Police Advisory Committee has been working with the administration and school officials to find ways to reduce jaywalking near the high school.
 
Ultimately, the administration agreed to install a fence along the median but only in recent weeks has the plastic one gone up.
 
"It is a test fence. ... Before we invest $100,000, we want to make sure it is going to be meaningful," Bianchi said.
 
The mayor said if all of the parties agree that it is working, the city will work on designing and installing a more appealing and permanent one.

Tags: leasing,   municipal services,   relocation,   

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

EPA Lays Out Draft Plan for PCB Remediation in Pittsfield

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Ward 4 Councilor James Conant requested the meeting be held at Herberg Middle School as his ward will be most affected. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency and General Electric have a preliminary plan to remediate polychlorinated biphenyls from the city's Rest of River stretch by 2032.

"We're going to implement the remedy, move on, and in five years we can be done with the majority of the issues in Pittsfield," Project Manager Dean Tagliaferro said during a hearing on Wednesday.

"The goal is to restore the (Housatonic) river, make the river an asset. Right now, it's a liability."

The PCB-polluted "Rest of River" stretches nearly 125 miles from the confluence of the East and West Branches of the river in Pittsfield to the end of Reach 16 just before Long Island Sound in Connecticut.  The city's five-mile reach, 5A, goes from the confluence to the wastewater treatment plant and includes river channels, banks, backwaters, and 325 acres of floodplains.

The event was held at Herberg Middle School, as Ward 4 Councilor James Conant wanted to ensure that the residents who will be most affected by the cleanup didn't have to travel far.

Conant emphasized that "nothing is set in actual stone" and it will not be solidified for many months.

In February 2020, the Rest of River settlement agreement that outlines the continued cleanup was signed by the U.S. EPA, GE, the state, the city of Pittsfield, the towns of Lenox, Lee, Stockbridge, Great Barrington, and Sheffield, and other interested parties.

Remediation has been in progress since the 1970s, including 27 cleanups. The remedy settled in 2020 includes the removal of one million cubic yards of contaminated sediment and floodplain soils, an 89 percent reduction of downstream transport of PCBs, an upland disposal facility located near Woods Pond (which has been contested by Southern Berkshire residents) as well as offsite disposal, and the removal of two dams.

The estimated cost is about $576 million and will take about 13 years to complete once construction begins.

View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories