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Taconic High School Construction: Fixtures and Finishes The Focus

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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Many of the classrooms are completed and awaiting furnishings.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Tiling, fixtures, flooring, more tiling, painting, and ceilings. 
 
That's what's getting the biggest focus at the new Taconic High School building.
 
The mechanical systems are mostly complete and now the finishing touches are being installed throughout most of the building. 
 
The $120.8 million project has been ongoing for two years and is expected to be completed this summer. At the end of June, the work will be completed and in July and August, equipment and materials from the current school will be moved to the new one.
 
The project is being overseen by Gilbane Construction and Skanska USA.
 
Many of the fixtures have been installed, including kitchen equipment, toilets, cabinets in some rooms, lighting, and heating systems, and ceilings are being installed throughout. Some classrooms are basically completed, including the art room which has a number of desks already in place.
 
Upon entering the main entrance, a hallway to the left features the nurse's office and early childhood care classrooms and to the right are offices for guidance counselors, principal, and other staff. Directly in front will be a welcome desk and this weekend a grand staircase will be delivered to be installed, bringing people up to the all-glass enclosed media center.
 
The auditorium is enclosed, which is to the left of the welcome desk and staircase. The sloped floor for the auditorium seating is completed and electricians are finishing the wiring for the lighting.
 
In the gym, painting is complete, the partition is installed, and basketball hoops are up. One of the last items scheduled to be installed is the wood floor. The locker rooms are painted and tiled, and the lockers themselves have been delivered. Those are set to be installed.
 
Across the hall from those spaces is the cafeteria. That has some of the equipment already installed. To the north, on the other side of the cafeteria, is the culinary arts kitchen and classroom. Between the two there will be a cafe for the students to serve the food they made in the program. Beyond culinary will be cosmetology.
 
On the second floor of the eastern side of the building, the arts, a computer lab, health and spaces for the medical program are all coming along. A number of fixtures and equipment has been installed and much of the flooring is complete. 
 
Many of the floors throughout the upper levels of the building have been completed and are now covered for protection. Tiling, painting, and other wall finishes are also well underway and all three elevators have been installed. 
 
There is a significant amount of tile in the building and a lot more to be done. The walls throughout the building, in hallways and stairwells, will all feature tiling.
 
Painting is ongoing throughout the building and a large number of electricians are on site.
 
Gilbane has structured the work to start on the upper floors and move downward. The academic classrooms on the third floor, on the eastern portion of the building, are pretty close to being done. The second and first-floor classrooms are trailing slightly behind. 
 
The academic classrooms are arranged in pod-like fashion. The classrooms in each pod are arranged in a half circle off of the main hallway and surround teacher's offices and a shared common area. The science labs are across the hall, with views of the mountains to the south.
 
The shops are on the first floor in the eastern portion of the building and shop classrooms are located across the hall.
 
Furniture has all been chosen and ordered. 
 
iBerkshires has been following the construction since the beginning. Below is a slideshow from each visit. The newest slides are first and the rest are in chronological order.



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Pittsfield Officials: Unlimited Trash Not Sustainable, Toters Offer Cost-Savings

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Unlimited trash pickup is not sustainable and will lead to higher taxes, city officials say.

Mayor Peter Marchetti began public outreach on Monday on the proposed five-year contract with Casella Waste Management for solid waste and recyclables. Older residents packed into the Ralph J. Froio Senior Center for the first of three community meetings.

On the table is a move to automated pickup utilizing 48-gallon toters, which would be at no cost to residents unless they require additional toters and would save the city $80,000 per year.

The goal is to execute a contract by July 1, the start of the fiscal year.

"Trash collection is not free. You're already paying for it as part of your taxes that you pay. In this administration, in this proposal there is no 'I'm looking to create a trash tax,''' Marchetti said, explaining that trash pickup for fiscal year 2025 is around $5.1 million and has doubled since he first served on the council in 2002.

"So we need to find a way to stem the cost of trash."

Some of the seniors praised the new plan while others had concerns, asking questions like "What is going to happen to the trash cans we have now?" "What if I live in rural Pittsfield and have a long driveway?" and "What happens if my toter is stolen?"

"I've lived in a lot of other places and know this is a big innovation that is taking place over the last 20,30 years," one resident said. "It's worked in most places. It's much better than throwing bags of garbage on the side of the road."

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