Pittsfield Council Flies Through Short AgendaBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
06:49PM / Wednesday, April 26, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council went through nine agenda items in under an hour on Tuesday.
This included the acceptance of a grant for MassDevelopment to create a possible Innovation District in the William Stanley Business Park and a transfer and appropriation of $200,000 from the Veteran Services Department to the Workers Compensation Department.
Under a project management and grant agreement, MassDevelopment will perform a strategic initiative to look into districting the business park. A communication from the mayor states that there will be no financial outlay involving the city.
Business Development Manager Michael Coakley explained that the conversation began several months ago when the economic development agency asked how it could help attract more innovative companies and advanced manufacturers.
"During that conversation, they talked about a consultant that they had that works with cities and towns and they put together a study for marketing the William Stanley Business Park and the Berkshire Innovation Center as an Innovation District," he said.
"They've done that in other areas of the state. They've done it in Boston, Cambridge, and Holyoke, and in fact, since we already have the Berkshire Innovation Center at the William Stanley Business Park, we've already brought in a couple of innovation companies like Electromagnetic Applications, United Aircraft Technologies, and SolaBlock, we've really done a lot of the groundwork."
With the redevelopment of Site 9 on the horizon, Coakley said it is the perfect time to look into this.
Adina Astor Consulting of Boston envisions an approximately four-month effort that involves fact-finding, conversation with key partners, a day of workshops, and engagement with stakeholders on the round. The firm would then craft a report.
The professional fees for this scope of work would be $38,250.
This year, the costs associated with worker's compensation and injured-on-duty claims are again expected to exceed the appropriated amount. The department will have a balance of about $8,500 after April expenses.
"In conversations with the director of Veteran Services, it was made clear that he was not going to need his entire appropriated amount for program expenses," Finance Director Matthew Kerwood explained.
"So if we did not take it from there, we would take it from someplace else."
Kerwood reported that the department has done a very good job of getting veterans off assistance and back into the workforce so they no longer need the services of the program.
Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren successfully motioned to declare the appropriation as an emergency order necessary for the immediately continuous provision of workers comp benefits for injured and qualifying employees.
The appointment of Emily Schilling as assistant assessor sparked conversation — and gavel pounding— after Ward 2 Councilor Charles Kronick questioned her qualifications.
He said he found it disturbing that a resume was not provided, though it was pointed out that the councilors did receive a resume.
After a back and forth with Council President Peter Marchetti and Kerwood, colleagues began to apologize for the situation. The appointment passed unanimously after Kronick had been assured of her certification.
"I don't like where tonight went," Marchetti said.
"And I don't care who the candidate is that's sitting out there in the audience, if you have questions about someone's qualifications, it is your job as a councilor to find that information out ahead of time and not attempt to embarrass them in a public meeting."
Kronick argued that it is part of the process to be under scrutiny from the council and is not an embarrassment.
"Do we have to sit here and be critiquing the candidate?" Ward 7 Councilor Anthony Maffuccio said.
Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey said he had dealt with Schilling in the assessor's office and that she is confident with a fine resume.
"I just want to be clear that the resume was provided to us and I did not have any concerns about the candidate's qualifications," Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi said.
"However, if I did, I would reach out directly to the department head and ask those specific questions."
The council voted for a three-year appointment rather than one year pending the mayor's approval. The charter dictates that it has to be a three-year term.
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