PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Building Needs Commission recognizes that it has a significant amount of work ahead of it related to the proposed Crosby/Conte rebuild. 

Last week, members mapped out a path forward as the city approaches a possible feasibility study for a rebuild of Crosby Elementary School and Conte Community School on the West Street site. 

After being accepted into the Massachusetts School Building Authority's queue in late 2024, the proposal is entering a "scope definition" phase where it has local authorization for feasibility study funds and the project team starts to come together. 

This includes the SBNC, which has seen some attendance problems. 

An order established the commission, and Mayor Peter Marchetti insists that it will have more teeth if it is an ordinance in the city code.  A draft was brought before the commission, but the mayor found several issues with it and will return with a revision. 

His concerns included the provisions that reduce the number of members from 21 to 15 and reduce mayoral and superintendent appointees, and he wanted to see an appointee from the City Council and more language about quorum, among other items. 

"I think in the short term, because this is a two-month process in itself, because it potentially goes to the City Council, it goes to subcommittee, it goes back to the City Council," Marchetti said about establishing an ordinance. 

"And in the meantime, the superintendent and I should be engaging with our folks and saying, 'Do you really want to be part of this? And if so, you need to start showing the meetings, because now is the time that really, for this project, the rubber meets the road.'" 

Superintendent Latifah Phillips reported that the district continues to finalize enrollment numbers for the new building with the MSBA, which are due by Oct. 31. The School Committee recently endorsed a three-zone, long-term plan for reorganizing and consolidating the elementary level. 

"We are asking that the boundaries of the West Side be considered in the feasibility study, which will take place over the next 9, 10 months," she explained. 

There was a question of whether Stearns Elementary School would be included in the Crosby/Conte build, and it was clarified that Stearns isn't included in the plans, but that could be explored. While enrollments submitted in the original statement of interest included the school's population, it wasn't included in the narrative. 

"MSBA told us that the plan that had been submitted was the plan that had been approved for further study, that is, only the consolidation of Conte and Crosby," School Committee Chair William Cameron explained. 

"However, it was indicated that we could request, as part of the feasibility study, that MSBA work with us to develop a possible plan that would include Stearns as well. So the only commitment MSBA is making at this time has to do with Conte and Crosby. However, there may be discussions held having to do with Stearns, given the location of the school and the size of the population that we think ultimately would be attending, or that we hope at least would be attending, the new Conte/Crosby school, whatever name it goes by." 

Co-Chair of the SBNC Frank LaRagione said the clock will start ticking after a hopeful positive vote from the City Council to begin a feasibility study. In June, the council approved borrowing up to $2 million for the study, which could take a year to complete, and councilors are expected to take another vote by the end of October. 

The commission will need to present recommendations that meet education requirements, the needs of the student population, and size requirements, while balancing costs.  

"How are we going to be able to balance all three as we go forward is going to be a tough decision," LaRagione said. 

He worked on the $120 million rebuild of Taconic High School that was completed in 2018, and sees a few different subcommittees being formed to handle aspects such as hiring contractors and finances.  

"It really takes a dedicated group of people to be able to make this work," he said. 

Jane Winn, former executive director of the Berkshire Environmental Action Team, asked that the committee ensures its proposal for the new school is highly energy efficient, "preferably heated and cooled by ground source heat pumps, with heat recovery ventilation to be built to passive house standards and have solar on the roof and possibly south and west facing sides to dramatically reduce ongoing energy costs." 

Winn also requested that all outside lighting be dark sky compliant to prevent disrupting humans and wildlife, and that the designer explore two-way communication with the grid so that the school could potentially be paid for its electricity production. 

She added, "If you need an example of lighting that is not dark sky compliant, look at the Taconic parking lot all through the night." 

"What matters to me is that you hire a designer that has experience and knowledge about highly energy-efficient, large buildings so that the final product will cost vastly less to heat, light, and cool," she said. 

"In other parts of the state, these energy-efficient buildings are being built for the same cost or slightly higher, but over the long run, they save a lot of money." 

Reportedly, there have been five state schools built to be all electric, and another 15 are in progress.  Commission member Judy Gitelson has regularly spoken in support of green construction practices for the new build. 

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