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Carmen Massimiano chairing one of his last meetings recently.

Massimiano Resigns From Pittsfield Licensing Board

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Carmen C. Massimiano Jr. has resigned from the Licensing Board effective June 6.
 
Massimiano served as the board's chair since 2006 and is resigning because of health reasons. Thomas Campoli was appointed by Mayor Linda Tyer to take over as chairman and Richard Stockwell was voted to become the vice chairman. 
 
"Carmen Massimiano's resignation was due to health issues he has been confronting. That was the reason we understand that he resigned," Campoli said. 
 
"As many of you know, he was the sheriff of Berkshire County. He was a member of this board since 2006. So we want to wholeheartedly thank him for his community service for all of those years and wish him well in  his retirement from this board."
 
Massimiano was the Berkshire County sheriff for 32 years before declining to run for re-election in 2010. 
 
He filed his resignation with Tyer. The mayor also spoke highly of his service in a letter to the Licensing Board, which was read on Monday.
 
"On behalf of the city of Pittsfield I would like to extend my appreciation to Mr. Massimiano for his meaningful contributions to the Licensing Board and for his dedicated service to his community," Tyer wrote.
 
In other business, the board approved the expansion of alcohol service and an entertainment license for the Proprietor's Lodge. The permits had been halted by the city over concerns from the neighborhood about traffic and parking. The lodge had a parking plan approved to receive its special permit but was accused of not following that. Eventually, the Community Development Board lifted the sanctions that kept the company from receiving any more permits to expand operations.
 
The Community Development Board felt confident in allowing the company to move forward particularly after Propertor's offered to have uniformed police officers on site for large events, that the parking lot in Lanesborough is ready to be used for parking and a shuttle service is operational, and that the company will provide monthly reports. The board reserved the right to address any issues.
 
"They saw that generally speaking the parking management plan was being followed," City Planner CJ Hoss said.
 
According to attorney Dennis Egan, Proprietor's is asking for entertainment during weddings and other events outside. The Licensing Board agreed to limit the music to just two hours a day and is not allowing amplification. The entertainment is allowed from noon until 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from noon until 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
 
"The intent is not to have rock concerts or music that is going to unnecessarily disturb the neighbors," Egan said.
 
As for the liquor license, the lodge wants to allow for cocktail hours on its deck and outdoor ceremonial area. The Licensing Board also limited deck hours to three per day but the issue got somewhat muddled when it came to the patio area connected with the restaurant. The restaurant's operations would not be limited in that way. Both would be available for service Sunday through Thursday from noon to 7 p.m. and from noon until 8 p.m. with certain areas of the property being restricted to only three hours per day.
 
The lodge has been fiercely fought by the neighborhood and that continued on Monday when a large group in opposition urged the board to deny licenses. However, the board felt that the business is an asset to the city and would like to find a compromise. The approval wasn't what the neighbors wanted but Proprietor's also didn't want as strict of hour restrictions and to lose the ability for amplification. 
 
Eric Taylor had purchased the former Itam Lodge a few years ago, renovated it, and began hosting weddings and other events. He later opened a restaurant in the building. And now, he's constructing a new deck and areas to host events. The new spaces, however, are not increasing capacity. The company opted not to seek an increase in the number of people it can host at once but instead eyes the new spaces as additional options for those looking to hold events there.

Tags: license board,   resignation,   

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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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