BY DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY APRIL 2, 2018) — Clearing our the junk drawer of a writer’s political notebook:

B(R)IC-A-BRAC — One of the least known aspects of the deal that will pour nearly $14 million of taxpayer money into the ill-defined BIC building at the PEDA site next to Mountain One Bank is the switch in funding. As originally set up, the public dollars were to be funneled into PEDA, allowing at least for the theoretical possibility of representative and management oversight. The new arrangement sends the money directly to the BIC board and executive team, reducing scrutiny of the funds’ administration. That’s a lot of loose money pouring into a vague enterprise. BIC first started as the proverbial “economic engine.” Then it morphed into some sort of “jobs incubator,” though no one has ever explained just how it would work. Now the project has changed yet again. It’s now  a “training center” — but training for what, for whom? To go where? Is it so a handful of private companies can get “free” employee training with Mary Jane and Joe Kapanski paying for it? Again, as everything associated with PEDA, upon closer look it fades into the gloaming.

MORE WATER TORTURE — Now that the proposed $80 million water and sewer upgrade has been temporarily shot down, the city has put forward a pencils-in-a-tin-cup plea for upgrades to Pittsfield’s drinking water supply and distribution systems, even though the city’s consultant says the water quality is “great.” DPW commissioner David Turocy has cited unfunded mandates coming from the federal government, as he and city finance director Kufflinks Kerwood did with the sewer proposal. How much would this cost Mary Jane and Joe, the city’s bedraggled taxpayers? Kerwood and Turocy “ain’t sayin’.” You can reckon tens of millions of dollars, surely. THE PLANET normally doesn’t call anyone “surely,” homonyms aside, but surely, this must be a late April Fool’s joke. It’s interesting how Pittsfield goes about infrastructure work. It let’s things go to heck, waits for the last minute to spring plans, and meanwhile ignores perhaps the most important element in the city’s nerve system: the roads. Do we need to go into THAT?

SKOOL’S OWT 4EVAH — According to deep-inside sources, what county school district has been fudging its MCAS scores? Hmmm … could it be the same one that sources say had a shooting-scare and waited 90 minutes — an hour and a half — before responding because both the principal and vice principal were somewhere not in the building? And is this the same district school where nepotism has been rife, where teachers’ disgust has been kept to a boil by fear of retribution for whistleblowers, and where authorities, including police, worked feverishly to keep the late response to the feared shooting incident out of the press? THE PLANET isn’t telling until one or more of the teachers or staff wants to step up to the plate, tell the story, and allow us to name sources. For once, why can’t it truly be “for The Children.” They’re the ones who ultimately suffer under such an abusive system. As for the alleged MCAS fixing scandal, we hear the AG is beginning to snoop around.

UNIFORMITY — What supplier of school, Babe Ruth, and Little League uniforms — if any — has also come to the attention of state attorney general Maura Healey? Reliable sources say that for years, this politically-wired supplier has been cheating customers, with not-for-profits being a particular target. THE PLANET can say from experience that this type of dealing typically occurs with help on the inside. In this case, “inside” could include a motley crew of jesters from the Mercer building, city hall, local leagues, and individual schools. No formal allegations have been made, but we can say our sources have a history of near-infallibility, all Pope-ing aside. Sources say that the company has been told that all its troubles will go away, no harm no foul, if the owner(s) sell. It also makes us wonder where the sleeping local daily is on such stories. Where is there enterprise reporter? Why isn’t he on the trail? THE PLANET hasn’t a clue.

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“The worst of all seasons for any journey of change is the Season of Immobility” — Sir Tiberius Fruitjuice.

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.LOVE TO ALL

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