Bianchi Maintains Support For Pipeline Despite Complaint

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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Mayor Daniel Bianchi is in favor of the proposed pipeline.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Despite being accused of having a conflict of interest, Mayor Daniel Bianchi is maintaining his support for the proposed Tennessee Gas pipeline project.
 
Kinder Morgan's Northeast Energy Direct project is currently in the federal permitting phase and the mayor has been the only elected official to vocalize support for the natural gas line that will cut through the Berkshires. 
 
"I weighed in on this as opposed to not because everything seemed to be one sided. There weren't any discussions on the economic implications of this and that concerns me," Bianchi said on Tuesday. 
 
"A few days after the City Council decides to vote against it, Western Mass Electric decides on a 29 percent increase in rates and that is directly related to the cost of gas which is directly related to the constraints of the pipeline."
 
The project stems from the decommissioning of coal and nuclear energy plants in New England, revealing a shortage of energy. Kinder Morgan's project aims to fill that need with natural gas. But the proposals has trigger strong response. Communities and groups through the Berkshires — including Pittsfield's City Council — have objected to it for an array of reasons.  
 
One of those groups opposing the project, Berkshire Environmental Action Team has filed an ethical complaint against Bianchi. The mayor has ties to the energy company Global Montello as a former salesman and account manager. The mayor says he still reviews contracts as a consultant for the company.
 
The mayor said he has no connections with Kinder Morgan, does the consulting outside of his role as mayor and there is no conflict of interest. He says the impact on energy costs through a denial of this project could hurt the local economy.
 
"I just want to have a good, balanced, non-emotional discussion about this so people know what we are up against. We keep talking about a county that is aging and is losing populations. Well, the thing is, if we don't provide opportunities for young people to stay here in an area that has historically been strong from us — which is the applied materials industry — we are going to be sitting here in 20 years saying, 'Gee, what happened.'"
 
He cites the local applied materials industry that is a heavy electrical user as companies that would benefit from lower costs. The mayor said he is competing to attract companies that could easily go to New York state because of the lower energy costs. Bianchi says energy costs weigh more on a businesses decision on location than taxes do.
 
"They are electric and they are buying the electricity from these plants that generate their electricity from natural gas. If they become uncompetitive, that concerns me," Bianchi said.
 
That need for natural gas isn't unknown. The governors of six New England states have cited the need for natural gas. On Monday, Gov. Deval Patrick again said he believes the state needs more natural gas.
 
"I think it is probably necessary that we have additional natural gas as a transition to a clean energy future. I'm not just sure if this project is the way to do it," Patrick said on Monday.
 
The governor says he sees the anti-pipeline signs in his town of Richmond. But, he isn't on board with that position. He says there could be other pipeline projects that may make more sense for the state though.
 
"There is a long process for approving such a project. I've told you before, I am a little skeptical of this particular project. I may part ways with some of the opponents who think we should have no natural gas in the commonwealth. I don't think I am there yet," Gov. Deval Patrick said. "I'm not sure this project makes the most sense of those that are proposed."
 
Bianchi also cites the city's energy usage as a reason for the pipeline. The school system is expected to see a $500,000 increase in utility costs, the mayor said.
 
"We spend a lot of money in the school department heating those buildings and keeping them lit," Bianchi said, saying if costs go up, that is money not going to programming.
 
Bianchi differs from Patrick in that, Bianchi says the Kinder Morgan project is the best way to bring in the needed natural gas in a quick manner. The company has owned pipelines throughout the county since 1951 and already have right of ways.
 
"I have not heard of any other project that would be more appropriate and could be expedited as quick as this," Bianchi said.
 
Further Bianchi says the pipeline will help move toward energy independence from the middle east and bridge the gap in moving toward renewables.
 
"We've sent hundreds of thousands of guys to the middle east in the 10-15 years. We have talked for half a century about trying to gain our independence from middle eastern oil and now we are on the verge of doing it," Bianchi said. "And people are opposing that. I wish we could be in a position where 100 percent of our energy requirements are renewable. But we are not there year."

Tags: electrical,   energy,   gas pipeline,   

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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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