Pittsfield Council Delays Transfer of Former School Properties
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| Hibbard has been closed since 2009 and the School Department is transferring it to the city. The City Council wants more discussion over its future and Morningside school's reuse. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council wants to engage in more conversation before releasing two former school properties for reuse.
On Tuesday, councilors tabled the transfer of Hibbard School to the mayor and referred the same transfer of Morningside Community School to the Buildings and Maintenance subcommittee.
Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren took a hard stance against the petitions, wanting to ensure the council and its constituents are involved in each planning process.
"Without conditions, my vote is no, no, no, absolutely not," he said about the proposed Hibbard transfer.
Hibbard would be sold to an outside entity, and Morningside would be held in-house while Pittsfield determines its reuse; a police station is being explored.
Last month, the School Committee voted to discontinue the former Hibbard School for educational use, and the administration is planning housing in its place. The order to the council was submitted with the "intention of transforming an underutilized property by repurposing the former school to create much-needed housing in the community."
Charles E. Hibbard School opened in 1924 as an elementary school and served as such for 57 years until 1981, when it became the alternative education programs. The building at 280 Newell St. has not been used as a school since 2009, and the district has been storing supplies in it.
In April, the School Committee voted to close Morningside Community School. A request for proposals was released last month for a police station design at 100 Burbank St., and the mayor's order says further information will be communicated once a designer has been selected.
Mayor Peter Marchetti assured that the council would be involved in both processes, and that the designer would hold public meetings to hear from community members, per the usual process.
"We may find that the cost of doing a police station far exceeds what we can do, so then we go back to the drawing board," Marchetti said.
"Is it moving other city offices? I don't think that's the case. I think we're too far down a path for rearranging some other city offices, but it's another possibility of housing if a police station doesn't work. But that was the purpose of trying to, at first, get our ducks in a row."
Warren is willing to vote for the property to become a police station in the right circumstances: if it can be built right, if some of the property can be used by the community, and if the price is right.
He pointed out that the RFP places the final design in May 2027, and construction in the summer of 2027.
"It does mention the City Council in the last line, but the heading says 'turn over to the mayor.' The RFP says 'turn it into a police station.' I'm not comfortable," he said about the Morningside petition.
Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham, who petitioned to explore a police station in the recently closed Morningside school, encouraged his colleagues to pass its transfer.
"I think we could probably do a 'yes and,' pass it so that the paper is in the right place, and then also refer it to committee and hopefully start that community discussion before we get the design, so that people are aware and are watching for the designer," he said.
"And then, as a secondary effect, because people will be aware, it will hold the process accountable to having those meetings rather than announcing them a week before when people aren't aware."
Councilor at Large Alisa Costa suggested sending this to the subcommittee for further discussion and community input. Ward 7 Councilor Kathy Moody made the motion.
The council also accepted a communication from Superintendent Latifah Phillips notifying them that Hibbard and Morningside are no longer needed for use as schools, and to transfer their care and custody to the City of Pittsfield.
Tags: school building, school reuse,
