CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The School Committee welcomed new Superintendent John Franzoni at his first official meeting on Thursday.
"I would like to welcome the new superintendent with us today," Chairwoman Patricia Prenguber said.
Franzoni, who was principal of Brayton Elementary School in North Adams, was hired in June to replace retiring superintendent Jon Lev.
"It is good to be here," Franzoni said.
Franzoni went into his first report and said the school has secured the $500,000 for the emergency roof replacement from the state and Town Administrator Carl McKinney said they now need to prepare to go out to bid.
"It's all set ... we are ready to go so we need to design that and write up some specs," McKinney said. "The sooner the better."
He added that they may want to look at potentially setting up the new roof to hold solar panels.
"I don't think that we have the technical expertise to run a solar facility but there are a couple of revenue options that may be available," he said.
Franzoni added that they also plan to replace the school's boilers with $87,000 from the town's Green Communities Grant.
He added that they are also looking at other building improvements such as more secure glass for the front of the building and an improved public address system.
The school and town have been seeking alternative ways to make improvements to the 50-year-old building after town meeting emphatically rejected a $19 million renovation and addition project last year. The Massachusetts School Building Authority would have provided about $11 million of the cost but the tax impact for the remaining $7.7 million was more than most homeowners felt they could bear.
Franzoni was asked by Select Board Chairman Ronald Boucher if he has been in contact at all with the MSBA about possibly resubmitting an application.
Franzoni said he had a general conversation with MSBA officials and thought that it would be possible to submit a scaled-down design.
"They were very sympathetic to the needed repairs our building has and they said the information is still on file and it would not be a big deal to submit a revised proposal," he said. "They encouraged me to go back and talk to people in the town to see if this is something we want to revisit."
Boucher said he thought it was important to see the project -- that voters shot down twice -- through and perhaps try to "sell it the right way" to the town.
Prenguber said she that thought they did sell it the right way and perhaps a new proposal that cost less than the originally proposed $19 million project would be easier for the town to accept.
"We did do it the right way we thought when we went for it, but I am sure there are options now that we need to look at," she said.
Franzoni said he would gather more information and bring it up at a future School Committee meeting.
In Principal Tara Barnes' report, she said the first day of school will be Aug. 30 and faculty are busy getting the building ready.
"Now we are cleaning the building and getting ready for the first day of school," she said.
She added that the PTG is organizing an ice-cream social the Tuesday before the first day.
"We want to bring families here and have students visit their classrooms, so they can see where they are going," she said. "We want new students to connect with their classmates and teachers."
She said as of now the projected enrollment is 190 with the largest classroom size of 21.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
North Street Parking Study Favors Parallel Parking
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A parking study of North Street will be presented at Tuesday's City Council meeting. The design maintains parallel parking while expanding pedestrian zones and adding protected bike lanes.
The city, by request, has studied parking and bike lane opportunities for North Street and come up with the proposal staged for implementation next year.
While the request was to evaluate angle parking configurations, it was determined that it would present too many trade-offs such as impacts on emergency services, bike lanes, and pedestrian spaces.
"The commissioner has been working with Downtown Pittsfield Inc. and my office to come up with this plan," Mayor Peter Marchetti said during his biweekly television show "One Pittsfield."
"We will probably take this plan on the road to have many public input sessions and hopefully break ground sometime in the summer of 2025."
Working with Kittleson & Associates, the city evaluated existing typical sections, potential parking
configurations, and a review of parking standards. It compared front-in and back-in angle parking and explored parking-space count alterations, emergency routing, and alternate routes for passing through traffic within the framework of current infrastructure constraints.
The chosen option is said to align with the commitment to safety, inclusivity, and aesthetic appeal and offer a solution that enhances the streetscape for pedestrians, businesses, cyclists, and drivers without compromising the functionality of the corridor.
"The potential for increasing parking space is considerable; however, the implications on safety and the overall streetscape call for a balanced approach," Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities Ricardo Morales wrote.
Bike lanes and parking have been a hot topic over the last few years since North Street was redesigned.
In September 2020, the city received around $239,000 in a state Shared Streets and Spaces grant to support new bike lanes, curb extensions, vehicle lane reductions, and outdoor seating areas, and enhanced intersections for better pedestrian safety and comfort.
Taylor Garabedian scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed five rebounds, and Abby Scialabba scored 16 points for the ‘Canes, who got 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists from Ashlyn Lesure. click for more
On Saturday afternoon at Lowell’s Tsongas Center, the Hurricanes will take aim at Division 5 State Championships in girls and boys basketball. click for more
Pittsfield High's Matt Dupuis and Lee's Bella Kotek Sunday completed a Berkshire County sweep at the State Bowling Championships at Bowlero.
click for more
Emily Holian’s strike to open the 10th frame of the Wildcats’ second game against Worcester Tech all but assured Lee a team title at Bowlero Chicopee.
click for more
Hoosac struggled to get into rhythm on the offensive end until Joey McGovern got the 3-ball working. McGovern finished the game with 21 points including a triple in the fourth quarter that cemented him in the record books. It took him nearly the whole game but he was able to join the 1,000-point... click for more
Pittsfield High's Eliza Mullen won state title and in the giant slalom and slalom, winning the former discipline by 1.6 seconds and the latter by nearly 2.7 seconds.
click for more