image description
Mayor Linda Tyer is releasing a proposed rate plan she says is required to pay for the $74 million upgrade to the wastewater treatment plant.

Tyer Releases Rate Plan to Pay For $74M Wastewater Project

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
Print Story | Email Story
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayor Linda Tyer is introducing a plan to raise sewer rates over the next seven years to pay for the $74 million wastewater treatment project.
 
The sewer rate increase will be particularly front-loaded with a 50 percent hike at the start of 2019, should the City Council approve the plan. That would raise the current rate to $362.34 per year -- an increase of $114.65 per year for a household with two toilets -- effective Jan. 1, 2019.
 
There is no proposed increase in fiscal 2020, a 15 percent increase in FY21, no increase in FY22, 12 percent in FY23, and then calls for no increases in FY24 and FY25.
 
By the end, the total bill for a household with two toilets -- which makes up the majority of the unmetered households -- the bill will go from $247.69 annually to $466.69 annually.
 
The meter rate will see the same percentage increase, going from $1.91 per 100-cubic feet to $3.69 per 100-cubic feet. 
 
"My administration inherited this EPA-required wastewater treatment plant upgrade. It came without a plan for how to get it done or how to pay for it. When we came into office, we were headed down this path of potential violations of the EPA's requirements for us to do this upgrade and the potential for fines," Tyer said. 
 
She later added, "we have built this plan and we are going to work this plan."
 
The city is well underway in getting construction going on the wastewater treatment plant, with the bids for general contractors expected to be opened next Wednesday. The city is under an administrative order by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to lower the levels of phosphorous and aluminum in the water coming out of the plant.
 
The consultants, Kleinfelder, crafted a design to do that as well as introduce a nitrogen optimization process as well -- a process the consultants say will likely have to be addressed in the future.
 
The issue dates back to 2008 when the EPA renewed the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit and set the levels higher. The city fought the new levels in court but ultimately lost. In 2012, the city put $1 million toward the design and, in 2015, the EPA signed an order requiring the plant to be under construction by August 2018.
 
Most of the first half of this year the City Council spent many hours and late evenings hotly debating the project, particularly because of the cost it will have on residents. 
 
"There has been what I would describe as misguided speculation, inaccuracies, fear tactics, all expressed in public spaces about the impact this essential upgrade to the city's wastewater treatment plant will have on ratepayers," Tyer said. 
 
Money in that initial design allocation was eyed for a rate study, which Tyer said was done by Russell Consulting out of Newburyport.
 
"This is the big money. This is what everybody is so anxious about. How could we possibly be spending $74 million on an upgrade and not have our rates go up 8,000 times or 800 times or whatever scare tactic you want to use," Tyer said. 
 
The consultants charted out where the city needs to go with the rates to cover operations, maintenance and upgrades over the next seven years, and presented a multitude of options.
 
Director of Finance Matthew Kerwood said the choice was made to front-load the rate increase more heavily to help build reserves in the wastewater enterprise account. He said the debt payments don't start until the construction is completed in 2021 so the rate structure is partly saving up to pay for the work.
 
"Part of the strategy is to building up some of those reserves and be prepared for when that actually does happen," Kerwood said.
 
The city has secured a $50 million loan through the state's Clean Water Trust Fund. That will carry a low-interest rate of 2 percent. In conversations with the state, Kerwood said the rest is also expected to come from a 2019 allocation from the same fund, with the same terms.
 
Commissioner of Public Services David Turocy added that there are additional ways some of that loan could be reduced to zero percent, but not all of it.
 
"It is federal money that is given to the state for these purposes. Every state runs it differently, some states do put out zero-interest loans and at one point Massachusetts did. But they changed the philosophy and now put it out at 2 percent and the idea behind that is the interest that is paid expands the pool of money available," Kerwood said.
 
The rate plan coincides with construction on the plant that is mandated to start by Jan. 15, 2019, following an extension of the order the EPA gave after the City Council begrudgingly approved the project. It is set to be completed by 2021 and the city is required to be in full compliance with its permit in 2022.
 
"We will have done the right thing. We will have upgraded our wastewater treatment plant to protect our environment but also have this infrastructure that will serve many generations for years to come," Tyer said. 
 
Tyer said she recognized the effect that the increased rates will have on the citizens and highlighted her administration's move to an electrical aggregation program, lowering the property tax rate, and reaching an agreement with city employees to save the budget from substantial health insurance increases.
 
"We are always on the lookout for how we can save our citizens money," Tyer said. 
 
Waterwater is only one part of the bill, however. The water rates are also going up in anticipation with projects, albeit at a somewhat smaller scale, for that system. 
 
A water bill rate hike of 20 percent will be effective Jan. 1, 2019 -- raising the annual bill from $278.22 to $333.80 per year, or $55.58 per year. Future increases to the water bill aren't quite known because the project and timelines aren't fully developed.
 
"We know more on the sewer side. On the water side, we know what we don't know in that some of the capital projects on the water side are in outer years and depending on how we go, we may or may not do those projects, do them differently, or maybe not as large scale. There is still some work on the water side as to what we actually do for capital projects," Kerwood said.
 
The water and sewer charges are on the same quarterly bill. Residents can expect an increase in the price they pay each quarter to rise by $42.56 for both water and sewer. The percentage changes remain across the board for those with more or less than two toilets.
 
 
For more information, read our prior stories on the topic below.
 
 
image description

Pittsfield Approves $74 Million Wastewater Upgrades

Begrudgingly, the City Council approved a $74 million upgrade to the wastewater system, which is estimated to more than double sewer bills within the next three years. The city has been under an administrative order form the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to lower 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 as well.

 
 
image description

Pittsfield Votes Down $74 Million Wastewater Upgrades

The City Council rejected a $74 million capital request to renovate the wastewater treatment center in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Shortly before 12:30 a.m. 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.

 

image description

Vote Delayed On Pittsfield's $74 Million Wastewater...

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.

image description

Pittsfield Finance Panel Is No on $74M Wastewater...

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.

image description

Pittsfield Council Wants More Details on $74M...

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

image description

$74 Million Wastewater Plant Upgrades Heads to City...

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.

 


Tags: drinking water,   sewer rates,   treatment plant,   wastewater,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

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.
 
View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories