Ward 6 Councilor John Krol spoke in favor of the Taconic School project at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — An array of residents voiced their opinions for and against the Taconic High School project during more than 30 minutes of public comment at Tuesday night's City Council meeting.

Borrowing for the $120.8 million project will be decided by the City Council. The details of the project itself can be found here.

 

On Tuesday, Drumney Rosane & Anderson Architects Inc. and Skanska USA, the consultants crafting the project presented the plans to the council. The council is expected to cast a vote on April 14 that requires a minimum of eight votes in favor to move forward. The Massachusetts School Building Authority will need to approve reimbursing the city 80 percent of eligible costs.

 

William Mulholland, director of workforce development at Berkshire Community College, called for a positive vote saying that this project will be seen as "pivotal" in the city's "renaissance" of the workplace. 

 

"I think that the opportunity of a new high-tech facility is going to allow us to give students skills that are needed in a number of career areas," he said.

 

The new career vocational school will couple with the Berkshire Innovation Center, the new science center at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and renovations to BCC's Hawthorne and Melville halls in creating new career pathways for students. 

 

Berkshire Chamber of Commerce President Jonathan Butler echoed those sentiments, saying the school would be a boon for all of Berkshire County, not just Pittsfield. He said a major challenge to businesses right now is that the workforce is not aligned with open jobs. Currently, there are 1,700 unfilled jobs in Berkshire County that the organization knows about and more than 60 of them are in the fields of engineering and skilled manufacturing, he said.

 

"It is projected that as many as 100,000 advanced manufacturing jobs will be opening in Massachusetts in the next 10 years," Butler said.

 

Frank Laragione, a member of the School Building Needs Commission added that it will help attract young families to the area by providing work. Jeff Bradway said the new technology will help modernize education and "infuse our community with vitality," a sentiment SBNC member William Travis also spoke about. Joaquin Rosier, a carpentry teacher at Taconic, said the skills gap is the biggest thing holding businesses back.

 

"There are 3 million jobs for skilled workers that they can't fill," Rosier said. "There is a giant skills gap."

 

Students Alex Gillette and Chelsea said the current school holds them back from competing and listed problems ranging from outdated equipment to broken toilets and temperature control issues. 

 

"The existing building often inhibits our learning," Lisi said.

 

However, resident Robert O'Connor says the cost is too much. He rejected the economic arguments, saying lower taxes would entice businesses more. The city has a declining population and storefronts across the county are empty. 

 

Carl Franceschi and Dale Caldwell outlined the plan to the City Council on Tuesday.

"I am not against a new school; I am against a new school at this time. The economy is terrible," O'Connor said. 

 

He said the city should invest in fighting crime and fixing the roads instead. Frequent commentator Craig Gaetani opposed the school in a multipage letter he was cut short of finishing.

 

City Council President Melissa Mazzeo called a recess some five minutes into Gaetani's speech after he argued over the time he is allowed. Gaetani had five people sign up and yield their time for him, so he believed he got 18 minutes in total to speak. Mazzeo said he could read for another person but he couldn't read his own words in place of another person signing up. He was stopped after about five minutes.

 

Ward 6 Councilor John Krol argued that the project money would be wisely spent and be a boon to the city.

 

He said the city's tuition reimbursement is expected to be some $17,000 per student and the new building is estimated to attract 100 students from outside of the city, yeilding $1.7 million in new revenue to city coffers each year. Meanwhile, the cost to just maintain the current building would be some $36 million and it is not likely to attract new students. The new school is proposed to cost the city about $44 million.

 

"I will be enthusiastically voting in favor of this," Krol said. 

 

Councilor at Large Kathleen Amuso, a former School Committee member, said the price is expensive but "it is something we need to do so that the school serves our community." 

 

Other councilors wanted more information. Ward 3 Councilor Nicholas Caccamo said he wanted to see the entire budget and cost estimates to make sure every T is crossed and I is dotted. Council Vice President Christopher Connell asked for maintenance cost estimates while Ward 5 Councilor Jonathan Lothrop wanted closer looks at the bonding information to determine the length and interest rates that work the best.

 

"I'd rather get a shorter term," Lothrop said, referring to the projected 28-year bond with a 4.5 percent interest rate.

 

Dale Caldwell from Skanska said the actual bond would come at a different time. The City Council is only asked to agree to appropriate the funds and the bonding would be determined later.