PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council on Tuesday went through 13 agenda items in under an hour.

Alongside routine communications and appointments were two items pertaining to the city's infrastructure and one to its retired residents.

The panel voted to enter into a five-year Fiber Optic Cable Agreement with Dalton, approved a request to install a jointly owned pole on East Housatonic Street from Verizon New England and NSTAR Electric, and approved a recalculation of the cost of living adjustment (COLA) for retirees.

The purpose of the agreement with Dalton is to install fiber-optic cables on utility poles owned by the town for data communication between the city's existing fiber infrastructure and its two water treatment plants.

A 12-strand cable will be installed on utility poles running from the city/town border to the Ashley Reservoir Water Treatment Plant at 432 Washington Mountain Road in Dalton and a second cable from Old Windsor Road to the Cleveland Reservoir Water Treatment Plant at 601 Frank Schnopp Road in Hinsdale.

The agreement states that Pittsfield will assume all costs for installing the cable and will be responsible for maintaining it. Dalton will have use of the four strands of the cable.

The project will cost about $53,000.

Ward 2 Councilor Charles Kronick voted in opposition to the contract because he said Dalton receives "free water" from the city.

Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities Ricardo Morales said this was not relevant to the conversation.

"My position on this matter is that we do not touch this fiber-optic contract with the town of Dalton until they, actually until we, resolve all other negotiations with regards to the water and they are onboard paying their fair share for the treated water regardless of what it has to do with this fiber optic," Kronick said, insisting that his comment was valid.

He added that it should be "sent back to the drawing board."

Morales further clarified the purpose of the contract after additional questions from Councilor at Large Karen Kalinowsky.

"The running of the fiber-optic cable and the 12 strands within it has no value for Dalton. They might not even use the four lines. We are just allowing them to tap, at their own expense, to that because we're not using four of the 12, we're only using six of the 12," he said.

"We are incurring the cost of running the cable, we are getting permission from Dalton to use their poles, that's all this agreement is. There's no reason for Dalton to enter into any agreement. If we put this aside waiting for a better deal, it's not going to happen. There's no reason for Dalton to come back to us for anything."

Warren said he agrees that it is legitimate to consider all dealings with the town but added that his colleague is wrong in rejecting the agreement.

"This agreement is totally for the benefit of Pittsfield. We need that wire, that fiber-optic cable, it's to our benefit," he said.

"Dalton is not charging us or anything for the right of way, etc. They're getting to use four strands. I think it's totally for our need and they're getting a benefit. If we need to negotiate that other contract a little more aggressively that's another issue but I don't think it should stop us [from] doing something that's for our benefit and for our water quality."

The council had previously rejected the request from Verizon and NSTAR doing business as Eversource, twice due to unpaid taxes. The companies approached the panel in March and in November of last year and were rejected.

It was passed at this meeting because Finance Director Matthew Kerwood reported that the taxes are paid in full.

With taxes and interest combined, Eversource owed the city about $5 million. It is legal for the company to appeal its taxes as long as it is paying half of the personal property amount.  

The city has used a blended method to appraise the utility since 2018 and Eversource has been challenging its personal property bill since that time, paying only about half.  

The plan is to place the poles, wires, cables, and related fixtures on the north side of East Housatonic Street about 145 feet west from the centerline of Deming Street. The pole is intended to better support the existing pole line and allow for cables to continue down Copley Terrace.

"Since the last time we have met, Copley Terrace has lost power due to an underground fault," an Eversource representative said at the meeting.

"The cable is very old, they are down to one phase out of three and it's probably older than most of us in this room so I highly recommend supporting this pole."

The council also voted to increase the maximum base of retirees' COLA by $2,000, an increase that hasn't happened since 2010. This will increase the maximum base from $14,000 to $16,000.

The Pittsfield Retirement Board unanimously supported the increase in late April.

"Individuals who are retirees receive a pension and that pension varies on each individual depending on when they retired, age, years of service, etc.," Kerwood explained. "So, the purpose of establishing a COLA, which the board votes on an annual basis to give a cost of living increase for retirees, what is before you tonight is proposing to use a base of $16,000 for the purposes of calculating the COLA rather than $14,000."

Kronick unsuccessfully motioned to table this request and then voted against it. He felt that there were "a lot of questions about a lot of issues" related to it.

In other news, a petition from residents requesting a public hearing on the proposed changes to Deming Park and related infrastructure was referred to the Parks Commission.

Last month, the Parks Commission gave the city the OK to move forward with a project to address parking concerns at Deming Park, recognizing that it has been a long-standing issue during Babe Ruth and Little League baseball season.

The panel was given a conceptual layout that includes newly paved parking for 68 spaces, one way in and one way out, and some reconfiguration.

Ward 3 Councilor Kevin Sherman pointed out there there will not be a curb cut next to Palmer's variety store, as it was a possibility that has been debunked. The councilor had fielded concerns from several community members about it.

He supported sending it to the Parks Commission and hearing additional details about the project.

Park, Open Space, and Natural Resource Program Manager James McGrath said parking has been a perennial issue at the facility and that the city has worked with an engineering firm, stakeholders from the baseball community, the Parks Commission, and the Conservation Commission to come up with a design to address this.

The design is one-way in and one-way out circulation throughout the park.

McGrath added that it is appropriate if the Parks Commission wants additional community input. He believes there is a sound basis for why the repairs need to be made and that the community will support the mission.

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