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An illustration by BSC Group shows wider sidewalks, tree plantings, bike lanes and bus stops for Tyler Street.

Tyler Street Infrastructure Plans Include Roundabout, Traffic Improvements

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A $5.5 million makeover of Tyler Street is on the horizon.

The Department of Community Development hosted a virtual public meeting  on Wednesday for the Tyler Street Streetscape and Roundabout Project to provide the public with details on the improvements and to allow questions and feedback.

Construction is aimed to begin early this summer and run through the rest of this calendar year into next year. The project will be advertised and bid on in March following an award contract and Issue Notice to Proceed in April before construction begins in May.

Presenting at the webinar were City Planner CJ Hoss and City Engineer Allison McMordie, joined by Jeffrey Fasser and Bill Paille of BSC Group Consulting Firm.

"We were planning on doing this meeting about a year ago in person, and we held on because we knew we had time before construction was to begin and because we had to apply for MassWorks funds to actually bring all the funds together so that we could do this project as one project and not have to break it up into pieces," Hoss said.

"And when the pandemic hit, we thought we'd hold on until we can meet in person because this is a meeting we would prefer to do in person but at this point, things are not improving as far as being able to have a meeting."

The project was awarded a $3 million MassWorks grant that was matched by the city of Pittsfield, resulting in $6 million in funding.  

The streetscape project has been in the works since 2015 and will redesign Tyler Street to increase safety for all modes of transportation including automobile, bus, bicycle, and pedestrians. At the same time, it is expected to improve the safety and traffic flow at the intersection of Tyler Street, Woodlawn and Dalton avenues by constructing a roundabout.

Pedestrian safety will also be enhanced with the installation of visible crossings, curb extensions, dedicated bicycle lanes, and dedicated bus stops while preserving on-street parking.

Hoss said it is especially important to raise awareness of the coming changes to neighboring residents, businesses, and property owners as well as those who regularly drive on Tyler Street.

The planners' vision is to "maintain a mixed-use district that is a local and regional destination, serve a diverse population and workforce through a mix of housing choices and encourage economic development and collaboration for education, community engagement, access to fresh produce, and job training."



Targeted goals include creating a multimodal transportation network, connecting Tyler Street with downtown Pittsfield and anchor employers, incorporating elements of "complete streets and "complete communities," and improving connections between public rights of way and private development.

Paille explained that there are problematic areas on Tyler that are not up to code, including wheelchair ramps that have been modified or destroyed over the years without detectable warning panels, a long cross at the intersection without a traffic signal, faded markings, destroyed pavement, insufficient lighting, and curb cuts that don't make sense. There also are a number of issues with compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

"And finally, the signal is three intersections of signal lines," Paille said. "They're outdated, their rusting equipment is old, doesn't always work properly, the pushbuttons do not meet code for ADA compliance. And so that's everywhere. And, and also some of the equipment's in the wrong place. And so part of this project is not just aesthetics, its safety, its ADA compliance."

To ensure that those who will experience the streetscape project the most will have input, several community organizers were consulted from 2015 to 2021 including Better Block, the Bicycle Facilities Master Plan, local stakeholders, and the Tyler Street Business Group.

Hoss addressed comments the planners have received about a lack of recent public engagement on the project and said that is true for two reasons: one being the webinar's delay and also because the design was completed in 2019, but a survey of the entire corridor had to be done and then have engineering plans completed to get where it stands today.

"If you are a property owner, and you're listening to this, and we haven't gotten to yet, feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email," Hoss said. "We really want to talk to you about what these improvements look like and ensure that access is still being adequately maintained to your property through your company."

Both residents and business owners offered their support for the project in the webinar along with asking questions. A resident of upper Woodlawn Avenue expressed her gratitude for the intersection improvements at the end of her street, as the area has been proven to be problematic.

"Thanks for everything you're doing CJ It's been a long lead we're finally here," Tyler Street Business Group Chair Diane Marcella said.


Tags: streetscape,   tyler street,   

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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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