Clarksburg School Committee OKs Pre-K Feasibility Study

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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The School Committee hears from Town Administrator Carl McKinney, left, on the preschool proposal and food service manager Susan Berger, center, on cafeteria changes.

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The School Committee on Thursday voted to move forward with a preschool feasibility study — pending a decision by the MSBA next month.

The school and town are looking at the possibility of moving the Veterans of Foreign Wars post home next to Town Hall for use as preschool.

The School Committee, however, is expected to learn in December whether it will be accepted into the Massachusetts School Building Authority program.

"I would like to hold off until MSBA decides," Superintendent Jonathan Lev said. "If we are not accepted, I would very much endorse using school-choice [funds] for a feasibility study."

The school has been applying for acceptance into the MSBA program for years. Lev said he had confirmed Thursday that the MSBA board would select the next round of candidates in December.

And he learned that any new Clarksburg School could now contain a preschool, a change indicative of the state's push for universal early education. The MSBA previously would not reimburse for preschools.

But, Lev said, it was unknown how much longer the school would have to wait if not accepted in this round.

Even if accepted, a new school might take several years to complete.

"I still would want to move full steam ahead on the VFW," Chairman Jeffrey Levanos said. "I don't think anyone wants to put the pre-K aside another year."

Town Administrator Carl McKinney, who proposed the idea, attended the meeting in case School Committee members had any questions.

He said the preliminary estimate to move the structure across the street was $42,500. He was getting estimates for engineering design.

A study of putting a preschool in Town Hall cost about $8,000; the actual preschool about $250,000.

McKinney said a brand-new basement/first floor would be built as the preschool's home. That would avoid the extra expense of retrofitting for children and handicapped accessibility. It would also allow for a physical separation between the post on the second floor and the preschool.

"I just want to make it very clear that it is in the VFW charter that they do not serve alcohol," he said. "There is no bar."

McKinney had toured the building with a representative of Larmon House Movers of Schuylerville, N.Y., who said the former church was in very good condition and thought it could be moved in one piece.


Both town and school officials have endorsed the concept of using the VFW post home as a way to also preserve a historic building and support the veterans organization, which is having financial difficulty.

"Their work has always been very benefical to the town and to the school," Lev said.

McKinney agreed, saying, "they served their country very will and I think there could be a synergy. I think there is a whole lot of good that can come out of it."

In other business, the School Committee decided to hold off on raising school lunch prices until next fall.

Food service manager Susan Berger said the U.S. Department of Agriculture determined the school should be charging at least $2.65 per lunch, instead of the current $2.50.

The prices are based on a calculation of various factors, she said, noting that North Adams is still at $2.10. She said the committee could raise the price in January but recommended waiting and charging $2.75 next fall to get ahead.

"It's going to be so high it's out of sight but that's what we have to do," Berger said. "We would be ahead of the game for next year."

The cafeteria will also be eliminating the salad bar and replacing it with an alternative lunch bar of sandwiches, premade salads, fruits, vegetable cups with dipping sauces and soup several times a week.

The USDA had awarded the cafeteria a certificate of compliance for standard meals that means an extra 6 cents reimbursement as part of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. The salad bar, however, was not in compliance because there was no assurance that children were taking the required amounts of food.

The kids serve themselves and they're not taking the reimbursable items, Berger said. "If you walk around and you watch an 8-year-old choose a salad, a lot of it is Chun King noodles, cheese and bacon bits."

The new lunch option will begin after the Christmas break.

The committee declined to endorse a horse racing-based fundraiser, feeling that the adult event with gambling and drinking was not suitable as a benefit for fifth- and sixth-graders and over liability concerns.

The event would have funded the two grades' field trip to Nature's Classroom. Interim Principal Karen Gallese suggested going back to the Becket overnight trip as had been done in the past as a cheaper option. She said she would be meeting with the parents on Monday and would look into getting the Nature's Classroom deposit back.

The committee also approved expanding its Internet capability by signing on with Crocker Communications to access the broadband line the state ran to the school. The cost is $400 to connect and $99 a month; Time Warner had priced it as $160 a month.

The connection will be needed as the school begins the new Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC, testing in the spring. All of the testing is done online.


Tags: cafeteria,   Clarksburg School,   MSBA,   preschool,   school lunch,   VFW,   

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MassDOT Project Will Affect Traffic Near BMC

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Prepare for traffic impacts around Berkshire Medical Center through May for a state Department of Transportation project to improve situations and intersections on North Street and First Street.

Because of this, traffic will be reduced to one lane of travel on First Street (U.S. Route 7) and North Street between Burbank Street and Abbott Street from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday through at least May 6.

BMC and Medical Arts Complex parking areas remain open and detours may be in place at certain times. The city will provide additional updates on changes to traffic patterns in the area as construction progresses.

The project has been a few years in the making, with a public hearing dating back to 2021. It aims to increase safety for all modes of transportation and improve intersection operation.

It consists of intersection widening and signalization improvements at First and Tyler streets, the conversion of North Street between Tyler and Stoddard Avenue to serve one-way southbound traffic only, intersection improvements at Charles Street and North Street, intersection improvements at Springside Avenue and North Street, and the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of First Street, North Street, Stoddard Avenue, and the Berkshire Medical Center entrance.

Work also includes the construction of 5-foot bike lanes and 5-foot sidewalks with ADA-compliant curb ramps.  

Last year, the City Council approved multiple orders for the state project: five orders of takings for intersection and signal improvements at First Street and North Street. 

The total amount identified for permanent and temporary takings is $397,200, with $200,000 allocated by the council and the additional monies coming from carryover Chapter 90 funding. The state Transportation Improvement Plan is paying for the project and the city is responsible for 20 percent of the design cost and rights-of-way takings.

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