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The first meeting was held at Morningside Community School on Wednesday.

Tyer Rolls Out Toter Program at Public Meetings

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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The mayor is holding four meetings on the toter system.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayor Linda Tyer is rolling out the toters.
 
After the City Council sent her proposal to revamp the way trash is collected in the city back to her office, Tyer is now rolling the program out to the public.
 
Tyer has completed two of four public meetings during which residents can ask questions, test out the toters, and see for themselves how their use may impact their day-to-day lives.
 
On Wednesday, Tyer's first meeting was at Morningside Community School. There she outlined her concept of providing every household with a 45-gallon for trash and a 96-gallon toter for recycling. Anything amount of trash over that amount, residents would need to purchase overflow bags. 
 
The program is seen as a way to decrease the amount of trash the city pays to dispose of each year by increasing the recycling rate.
 
"We've got to look at everything we do in government for efficiencies, savings, and cost containment," Tyer told the 40 or so residents in attendance. "This is one of the most expensive services we provide."
 
Tyer says, currently, the city spends $3 million per year to dispose of trash. With the program, Pittsfield would save between $89,000 and $225,000 depending on the level of trash reduction. She said the toters would be paid for through a combination of a state grant, unspent bond premiums (money the city borrowed by ended up not needing to spend so it sits in a bank account), and free cash. The upfront cost is $1.4 million and Tyer said it could be repaid within five years, provided the high estimates are achieved, through savings to the annual budget.
 
"That can be reallocated to other parts of our budget," Tyer said.
 
But the numbers have been enumerated multiple times in the presentation to the City Council. So Tyer's main focus during these meetings is to show how the change will impact citizens' daily lives and to hear their concerns.
 
Some of the questions answered in the first session include:
 
Will it be mandatory?
 
Yes. It would need to be mandatory in order to have the full impact. 
 
What do you do with the overflow bags?
 
Put them beside the toter and the driver of the garbage truck will get out and pick it up. Tyer does not expect there to be too many overflow bags because the 45-gallon toters can fit four large kitchen trash bags.
 
What happens if you put out different bags?
 
The driver will not pick them up. The homeowner would then be informed of the process and if problems continue, the Health Department could issue citations for violations.
 
Will the toters be linked to individual households?
 
Tyer: "The toters will be identified by address so if they are lost or stole, we can return them."
 
What about people who don't follow the rules and put their trash bags at my address?
 
The Health Department and Republic Service will handle enforcement. But also, the city could be eligible for a state grant to employ code enforcement officers. Tyer said in no other community has there been a reported increase of illegal dumping.
 
Who pays for the garbage pals?
 
The city will purchase them for every resident and collect all of the old trash containers.
 
Why can't it be a larger toter?
 
A larger toter would not create the incentive to reduce trash, which is the ultimate goal of the program.
 
How will elderly people with long driveways handle the toters?
 
Republic Service currently provides door service for 120 people. Those with a hardship can now, and if the plan passes, apply to have the drivers pick up the bins at the door instead of the bottom of the driveway.
 
Will the pickup be put to bid?
 
Tyer is reluctant to put it out to bid especially because it is a new program. She said Republic currently services the city, knows the streets, and has experience with these types of program. She fears a new contractor will make the transition harder.
 
"I want the most experienced hauler helping us make this change," she said. "I just think there are some risks involved... I'm not sure if the lowest qualified bidder will provide the best service."
 
What happens if Covanta closes?
 
The disposal costs would increase, though the mayor does not believe Covanta will close anytime soon. But, those potential increases are even more reason to invest in starting to lower the costs now, Tyer said.

Tags: information session,   toters,   trash,   

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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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