Pittsfield West Side School Project Feasibility Study Advancing
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Planners will soon consider exactly how a new West Side elementary school would look.
On Tuesday, the Schools Building Needs Commission will see an overview of the Preliminary Design Program for the project involving Crosby Elementary School, Conte Community School, and possibly Stearns Elementary School.
The PDP is the initial feasibility phase that documents space needs, existing conditions, and evaluates design options. It will be submitted at the end of January 2027; a new school on West Street is estimated to be at least five years out.
At the SBNC’s Sept. 1 meeting, designers TSKP Studio introduced themselves and outlined next steps for the feasibility study as Pittsfield applies for funds from the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
"We are going to prioritize this," Superintendent Latifah Phillips said about Crosby.
"…The building is in a really challenging condition, so we want to move responsibly quick. We don't want to move too quickly where people feel left behind. We also need to acknowledge that that building is holding on."
The design team has completed nearly 60 school projects in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, including three net-zero-verified schools.
An existing conditions assessment and site development requirements were completed, and educational visioning is to wrap up in October. The educational plan and design options will be evaluated for the remainder of 2026.
A request for proposals was made for three enrollments: Just Crosby, Crosby and Conte, or Crosby, Conte, and Stearns. Construction strategies, such as a new build or renovation, will need to be considered as well.
This breaks down into 15 options to narrow down.
Designers said much of the work will happen before 2027 so that cost estimates can be done in January, and a draft brought forward.
Crosby Principal Candy Seward shared that the school had a rough summer with building damage and plumbing issues, as it hosts three programs during those months and is used by the city.
"The thing about the building is when there's damage, sometimes windows, they're not replaceable, so they become wood or tape, and then something is in front of it. So since the last meeting, we've had four windows broken," she reported, expressing concern about the building’s longevity and ability to serve the school community for the next five to six years.
"… When we've talked, we've really just tried saying we would love to see this happen sooner."
Jane Winn, retired director of the Berkshire Environmental Action Team, said this build gives Pittsfield an extraordinary opportunity to demonstrate a resilient, fossil fuel-free public building.
She urged the commission to pursue Passive House standards, ready the school for battery energy storage from solar generation, and design to also function as a community resilience center in the case of an extended power outage, weather, or other emergencies.
"We have an opportunity to build a school that will serve Pittsfield’s children for generations," Winn said.
"It should not only teach them about the future; the building itself should demonstrate how we can create that future- fossil-fuel-free, energy-efficient, and resilient."
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