image description — The newly expanded School Building Needs Commission reviewed the first steps in bringing on an OPM for the Crosby/Conte school project.

Pittsfield Seeks OPM for Crosby/Conte Proposal

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:04AM / Friday, February 06, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Building Needs Commission met with some new members under a new defining ordinance on Tuesday.

"You're joining at a very exciting time for our district," interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips said.

The Pittsfield Public Schools are seeking up to 80 percent reimbursement from the Massachusetts Schools Building Authority to rebuild and consolidate the outdated John C. Crosby Elementary and Silvio O. Conte Community School on the Crosby property.

Last week, the City Council approved an ordinance for a 19-member School Building Needs Commission. The mayor appoints seven members, the superintendent appoints five, and seven are city officials.

The council also OK'd the appointment of Frank Laragione, Brendan Sheran, Judy Gitelson, Tonya Frazier, Jared LaBeau Sr., Cristina Duhamel, and William Cameron to the commission for terms between one and five years. Duhamel and LaBeau introduced themselves as new members on Tuesday.

The MSBA has invited the district to a feasibility study phase, and a selection committee is working to bring forward applicants for an owner's project manager. This hired consultant oversees a construction or design project in the owner's interest.

Duhamel, Pittsfield's deputy purchasing agent, reported that the OPM listing will be advertised on Wednesday and on Monday, and there will be a pre-bid walk-through at Crosby. Proposals are due by Feb. 18 under this timeline, and the top three will be brought forward for interviews.

Purchasing Agent Colleen Hunter-Mullett believes that the interviews will be open to the public, but said she will confirm that information.

Former and founding director of the Berkshire Environmental Action Team, Jane Winn, asked that they select an OPM that has experience with overseeing green design and build processes that use less energy, no fossil fuels, and could be a resilient center in the event of an emergency.

"Please select an OPM that has experience using the latest technology to estimate the energy cost savings of different designs. Please select an OPM who can explore whether setting up a ground source district heating system would be an option for heating and cooling not only the new school, but the surrounding neighborhood. Please select an OPM that is familiar with the sustainable building materials that have low embodied carbon and are non-toxic," she asked.

"I wish that some of this had been included in your initial request for proposals."

Tags: Crosby/Conte project, MSBA, school building committee,

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Pittsfield Schools Get Additional Chapter 70 Funds

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:09AM / Tuesday, August 18, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield schools received almost $459,000 in additional Chapter 70 funds, and officials are looking to restore some positions.

On Tuesday, the City Council accepted an additional $458,660 for the Pittsfield Public Schools fiscal year 2027 budget. Mayor Peter Marchetti confirmed that they were Chapter 70 funds, the primary source of state aid for public elementary and secondary schools in Massachusetts.

"What I can tell you is, during the budget process, [State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier] was talking about two different pots of money that she was looking to get, and so some of this came from the per pupil aid amount. That's what the increase in our funding was for,” he explained when asked about how it will be spent.

"It was her intent, and it was the intent of the superintendent, to save positions. Positions that we were cutting from the budget. But I can't give you a definitive answer because the School Committee has not engaged in the conversation of where that money will go inside the school budget," he said.

The School Committee can appropriate the funds at its discretion. Marchetti, also School Committee chair, agreed to notify councilors where those monies went in the budget, per Ward 7 Councilor Kathy Moody's request.

The Pittsfield Public Schools' original $86,855,061 budget included $68,886,061 in Chapter 70 funding. PPS faced a more than $4 million deficit during this process.

Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Bonnie Howland on Wednesday told the School Committee that they have discussed adding at least four paraprofessionals.

"We're going to try to stretch the money as far as we can," she said, explaining that they talked about maintaining the assistant principal of teaching and learning and Reid but were notified that it will be grant-funded.

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