PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council rejected a $74 million capital request to renovate the wastewater treatment center late Tuesday night.
Shortly before midnight, the request from Mayor Linda Tyer to borrow for upgrades to the plant fell one vote short of the supermajority needed. Councilors Christopher Connell, Melissa Mazzeo, Kevin Morandi, and Donna Todd Rivers all voted down the project.
"I cannot move forward and vote on this, say yes, until all of the questions are answered," Mazzeo said.
The council only discussed it briefly at the end of Tuesday's five-hour meeting. The vote had been put off multiple times, with Connell using a charter objection two weeks earlier to thwart a vote.
The rejection could very likely make the city miss the next deadline as part of an administrative order issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has warned the city that it is prepared to impose fines for not lowering the levels of phosphorous and aluminum in the water coming out of the plant. The project proposed by the consultants, Kleinfelder, also called for a nitrogen optimization process.
"Further delay also will result in increased costs of the upgrades and in the ongoing discharge of higher levels of pollutant to the Housatonic River for an even longer period of time. In light of the history of this matter and the importance of the upgrades to the protection of human health and the environment, please be advised that EPA is prepared to take further enforcement as necessary to ensure compliance with the requirements of the permit should the city fail to meet its obligation to begin construction by August 1, 2018," reads the letter penned by Karen McGuire, acting director of the office of environmental stewardship.
The issue dates back to a 2008 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit restricting the flow of contaminants into the Housatonic River. The city had fought that in court but ultimately lost. Since then, the city put forth money to design a plant that would meet specifications laid out by the EPA.
The design came back to the City Council early this year and the administration sought to receive the borrowing authority for construction.
The City Council had many concerns over that design and debated over multiple lengthy meetings. But ultimately, not enough councilors were convinced to move forward.
At this point, it isn't clear what the vote will mean. But it is likely to come back to the council in the future, in one way or the other.
For more information, read our prior stories on the topic below.
The administration is seeking authority to borrow the $74 million in an effort to comply with an EPA administrative order, which calls for significantly decreasing the amount of phosphorus, and aluminum treatment, released into the Housatonic River. The plan developed in consultation with Kleinfelder also calls for a nitrogen optimization process.
The City Council's finance subcommittee is recommending that the city hold off on borrowing $74 million to make major repairs to the wastewater system.
The City Council doesn't want to rush into making a $74 million decision. Mayor Linda Tyer had put forth a petition calling for the borrowing of $74 million for a massive project with the wastewater system. The city is under an administrative order from the Environmental Protection Agency holding the system to higher standards of phosphorus, aluminum treatment, and nitrogen removal. The project has been in design for about a year, coming after years of ultimately losing appeals in federal cou
The mayor is asking for the authority to borrow $74 million for a major upgrade of the city's wastewater treatment center. The expense has been a long time coming, starting with the city seeking to renew its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit in 2005. The Environmental Protection Agency oversees those permits in an effort to keep waterways clean and had issued a permit in 2008 requiring significantly higher standards of phosphorus, aluminum treatment, and nitrogen removal.
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Pittsfield Celebrates Robert 'Bob' Presutti on Arbor Day
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
Bob Presutti, right, is presented the Hebert Award in 2017 for his volunteer efforts at Springside Park. He died in 2023 at age 88.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A tree has been planted next to the Berkshire Athenaeum in honor of local "giant" Robert Presutti.
Officials celebrated Arbor Day on Friday by installing a commemorative plaque next to the American elm sapling. This is a tree that James McGrath, the city's park program manager, said Presutti would have been particularly proud of.
"Today is a day where we yes, celebrate trees, but today is also a day where here in the city we intentionally try to acknowledge the good work of folks in our community who spend their time and their efforts and their talents to make Pittsfield a more beautiful place," he said to a crowd of about 20 people.
"Today we are honoring a longtime community volunteer named Bob Presutti. I'm sure a lot of you here know Bob and know his contributions to the city, not only when it comes to trees and parks but also to the Retired Senior Volunteer Program."
The longtime volunteer passed away last year at the age of 88. He contributed more than 10,600 hours to RSVP and had great impacts on the Parks Department over the years from sharing his knowledge and talents to ensuring that workers were safe when working on trees.
"This morning I went through my emails to see how many emails Bob Presutti sent me since the year 2001 when I started with the city. Bob Presutti sent me 14,000 emails and nearly every single one of those was about trees," McGrath said, prompting laughter and smiles from attendees.
One thread struck him as particularly important because it showed Presutti's empathy when it comes to the safety of city workers while caring for trees.
"There were multiple emails from Bob about the need to get the Parks Department maintenance guys into a program learning about chainsaw safety and learning about ladder safety. He was really into making certain that our city workers were well cared for and had all of the instruction that they needed and in fact, he even offered his own time and services after he became certified to teach our city workers," McGrath said.
Officials celebrated Arbor Day on Friday by installing a commemorative plaque next to the American elm sapling. This is a tree that James McGrath, the city's park program manager, said Presutti would have been particularly proud of.
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Albert Ingegni III was applauded for four decades of service on the Zoning Board of Appeals during City Council. Mayor Peter Marchetti presented him with a certificate of thanks for his commitment to the community.
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Between disagreements about site design and a formal funding process not yet established, more time is needed before a decision can be made.
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The Ordinances and Rules subcommittee on Monday unanimously supported a pay raise for election workers, free downtown parking for veterans, and safeguards to better protect wetlands.
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