Bennington career center opens new world

By Susan Bush12:00AM / Wednesday, January 05, 2005Print Story | Email Story

Kristen Monroe, a 15-year-old Southwest Vermont Career Development Center Horticulture program student, selects plants for a "dish garden" arrangement from the center's on-site greenhouse. (Photo By Susan Bush)

BENNINGTON, Vt. â€” Armed with an evolving curriculum and a fierce desire to attract new students, Southwest Vermont Career Development Center officials are thrusting the 321 Park St. facility into a public spotlight. "There are many people who don't realize how much has changed," said Assistant Director David Barker this week. "It's a whole new ball game." Lance Matteson, chairman of the center's governing board and executive director of the Bennington Microtechnology Center, said the changes mean enhanced opportunity for area students, those interested in adult education and regional employers. "It's a shame to see companies begging for qualified employees and a shame to see qualified students go elsewhere when they could have opportunity here," Matteson said. "This is an economic development issue as well as an educational issue." New curriculum for the center's technical and vocational day program, utilized mostly by high school students, will launch during the 2005-06 school year. Courses in automotive maintenance, entrepreneurship and recreation and hospitality management will join about 20 existing programs, including building trades, forensic investigation, theater arts and artificial intelligence and microtechnology. A charge into uncharted center territory will begin on Wednesday, Jan. 19, when a diverse selection of online-access courses will join classroom-based adult education programs. The new choices will include introduction to Microsoft Publisher, speed Spanish, effective business writing and A-to-Z grantwriting. The online additions will deliver fresh opportunities, said Robert Mazur, the center's adult services coordinator. "This brings increased access," Mazur said. "This provides a wider variety of courses and broadens who we reach. It removes some of the barriers â€” the transportation and child care issues. The courses are reasonably priced [$89 per selection] and are high quality." Matteson noted the center's responsibility to taxpayers. "There's a focus on student and employer needs," he said. "We are seeking investment in the programs and the CDC. And we are working to produce a return to the community as quickly as possible." A groundbreaking effort to bring students from outlying communities to the center is also underway. Center Director Donna Oyama said that talks involving possible transportation arrangements are underway with Stamford public school officials. Because Stamford lacks a public high school, students are able to enroll at Mount Anthony Union High School or the Twin Valley High School in Wilmington, as well as several high schools in the Northern Berkshire region of Massachusetts â€” including the North Adams-based C. H. McCann Technical High School. Transportation logistics do play a role in high school enrollment, said Stamford Central School Principal Leo Ethier. Reliable transportation provided by the career development center could mean increasing education choices, Ethier said, adding that the center has a lot to offer. "We are not talking about eliminating other options," he said. "The CDC has expressed a willingness to offer transportation, and what that does is offer another alternative to education. And it offers an opportunity to study in [technical and vocational] areas that McCann does not have." For example, the center offers a two-year high school horticulture program that McCann does not. Conversely, McCann offers a four-year high school culinary arts program that the center does not. Oyama said discussions also include possible transportation to the Mount Anthony Union High School. While the center offers "foundation courses" to ninth- and 10th-grade students, most technical or vocational programs launch in grades 11 and 12. Students could opt to attend Mount Anthony or another high school for two years and then transfer to the center, Ethier noted. And Oyama said that, under the proposal, the center would pay transportation costs and then receive reimbursement through state revenues. "Stamford students have attended both Mount Anthony and the CDC," Ethier said. "And they've been successful." The center already offers some transportation to students from Manchester and Arlington. High school students from New York state also utilize center programs, and Oyama added that Massachusetts students are welcome to investigate the center. She said that student recruitment efforts include Vermont towns such as Readsboro, and surveys will assess student interest. School officials and students will be offered center tours. Jared Stenson, 16, of Jacksonville, opted for center enrollment over classes at the Twin Valley High School. Jared spends school-day mornings at the Mount Anthony school library with a tutor and then attends the center's Networking Academy, which focuses on Cisco Systems Inc. technology. "This is probably the best choice I've ever made," he said. "The staff and students are very friendly here. There about 12 students in the class, and you get a lot of individual attention." His transportation is provided by his tutor. The 45-minute drive to and from school "isn't bad," Jared noted. Kristen Monroe, 15, of Pownal, is a horticulture student. A member of the Future Farmers of America organization, Kristen captured a silver medal for floral design and presentation while representing the center during a 2004 future farmers conference in Louisville, Ky. "I took introduction to horticulture during my first year [at Mount Anthony] and I liked it," she said. "I am succeeding at this so far." Automotive Technology students Ashley Brady, 15, Chelsea Smith, 16, Jamie Sherman, 16, and Minneka Hayes, 17, all of Bennington, said they hope to continue their education after high school graduation. Ashley and Minneka said they plan to attend the Universal Technical Institute. Chelsea said she hopes to enroll at the Wyoming Technical School and focus on racecar mechanics. "One thing I really want to do is build an original car from the ground up," she said. The center initially functioned as a component of Mount Anthony Union. A voter-approved separation was secured in 2003, and the center now oversees its own budget. The facility is governed by an elected board of directors representing the 13 towns included in the Southwest Vermont Regional Technical School District. Tuition is paid by the towns for students attending the center â€” in 2004, the average tuition was $3,737, said Oyama. Tuition is established through several factors, including how many students are enrolled from a specific town and the number of hours each student spends at the center. Oyama said that for Fiscal 2006, which covers the 2005-2006 academic year, average tuition rates are expected to drop by 2.7 percent. "So there's some good news," she said, adding that the center's proposed budget for the upcoming school year may be about $2.8 million, up from this school year's $2.6 million budget. She stressed that the budget will not be finalized until the end of January. The center also benefits from a number of state grants. Adult education is offered through a variety of programs, said Oyama and Mazur. For example, an on-site, classroom-based adult education program operates evenings and offers a wealth of courses, including Quark Xpress (a graphic design and publishing course) and office accounting. A Learning Institute was developed by area businesses and focuses on courses including blueprint reading, welding and a resumÃ© and interview workshop. Fees vary and financial assistance is available through the state's Vermont Student Assistance Corp. Applicants who have a GED certificate but not a high school diploma may enroll in day classes with tuition paid by state funds. Those with a high school diploma may take day classes by paying 40 percent of the full-time student tuition. A five-year outlook includes working with local businesses and adding satellite learning sites as well as increased enrollment, Barker said. "We want to build bridges, and we are looking at ways to work cooperatively with the communities and the schools," Barker said. "We are trying to get the community outside of Bennington to see that we can be helpful. Within five years, we should be seeing a lot of programming in the community." Further information about all the center's programs, including enrollment information, course requirements and fees is available by calling the center at 802-447-0220. The On-Line Instruction Center may be accessed via the Internet at www.ed2go.com/svcdc.

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Pittsfield Sees Similar Water/Sewer Rate Hike in FY27

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:57PM / Tuesday, May 26, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The mayor's office has proposed a 7 percent water rate increase and a 6.40 percent sewer rate increase for fiscal year 2027.

Budget season has begun, and on Tuesday, the City Council will see proposed water and sewer rates. This would increase scheduled accounts by about $6.50 per month, and metered accounts would rise by about $4.30 per month.

They are based on a 5.10 percent Consumer Price Index Factor.

"The rate changes proposed support the budget for the Water and Sewer Enterprise Funds and fund increases in salaries and expenses for Utilities system operations, debt service for capital projects, and the build-up of Retained Earnings," Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities wrote in a communication.

Under these rates, the average household would pay about $370 per year for one toilet and about $461 for its sewer, totaling around $831. Additional toilets would cost about $416 per year, and metered water would be $2.67 per 100 cubic feet for water and $5.48 per 100 cubic feet for sewer, totaling $8.15 per 100 cubic feet.

Swimming pool charges would increase from $100 annually to $120.

The FY26 increases were almost the same: a 7 percent water rate increase and a 6 percent sewer rate increase.

A couple of years ago, Mayor Peter Marchetti proposed a formula-based approach for water/sewer rates that aims to fairly adjust rates yearly using the Consumer Price Index Factor (CPIF) and the Operational Stability Factor (OSF).

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