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Firefighters at the scene of a fire on Wealthy Avenue on Tuesday afternoon.
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The dead-end street was blocked off.
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Pittsfield Firefighters Douse Blaze in Wealthy Avenue Home

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Firefighters quickly doused blaze in a single-family home on Wealthy Avenue late Tuesday afternoon. 
 
Scanner reports said it was called in as a lightning strike but the cause is still under investigation. The fire occurred during a line of severe thunderstorms rolling over the region.
 
Capt. Robert Stevens said the fire was called in at 4:24 p.m. and that there was heavy smoke coming from the second floor when they arrived on scene. 
 
"We did make it a double alarm fire," he said. "Engine 2 crew took a line in, made an interior attack, we were able to get the fire under control relatively quickly." 
 
He estimated it took about 20 minutes to bring it under control. Five engines, the ladder company and the chief and deputy chief responded, as well as police, Action Ambulance.
 
A second story window was knocked out of Cape Cod home and soot could be seen around it. 
 
All five occupants of the house were outside when the call came in, and Stevens said that was confirmed when they go to the scene. Non one was injured and no pets were affected. 
 
"Right now we have the double-alarm staffing and a truck company came from Lenox to cover headquarters," he said.
 
The dead-end street was blocked off to traffic during the incident. 

Tags: structure fire,   

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Pittsfield's Crosby/Conte Proposal Nearing Designer Selection

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The proposal to rebuild Crosby Elementary School and Conte Community School as a combined facility on West Street is advancing to design.  

On Tuesday, the School Building Needs Commission approved a draft request for services for the Crosby/Conte project and created a designer selection committee to guide the next actions.  The Pittsfield Public Schools are seeking up to 80 percent reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority for the build. 

Skanska USA Building Inc. was approved as the owner's project manager in early April.  An OPM is a hired consultant who oversees a construction or design project in the owner's interest. 

The next step is to select a designer for the new building; a draft request for services is due to the MSBA by May 14. Applications are due to the district on July 1 and to MSBA by July 9, to be reviewed on July 28. 

"My hope is that we can move the process as quickly as possible, meeting the first deadlines that become available," Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips said. 

The commission appointed seven members to the designer selection committee, including a superintendent's designee, Mayor Peter Marchetti, and co-Chair Frank LaRagione. They will review proposals, about 6-10 are expected, and interview the top three designers. 

School officials in 2024 toured the 69,500-square-foot Silvio O. Conte Community School, which opened in 1974, and the 69,800-square-foot John C. Crosby Elementary School, which opened in 1962. At Conte, they saw an open concept community school that is not conducive to modern-day needs, and at Crosby, they saw a facility that was built as a middle school and in need of significant repair. 

Last month, a statement of interest for repairs to Pittsfield High School was approved. 

Priority areas identified for an SOI to the MSBA Core Program are for the replacement, renovation, or modernization of the heating system to increase energy conservation and decrease energy-related costs, and replacement or addition to obsolete buildings to provide a full range of programs consistent with state and local requirements. 

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