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BIC DESIGN, EMA’s PROSED USE OF STONTIUM-90, TOO GREAT A RISK FOR ENTIRE CITY

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BY DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, THE WEEKEND EDITION OCT. 11-13, 2019) — Happy Columbus Day weekend (you know where you can stick “Indigenous People’s Day,” JIV and Kathy Yon).

For THE PLANET, the most troubling aspect of EMA’s proposed use of Strontium-90 for the test facility it wants to build on the taxpayers’ dollar (a private company, mind you) is the secrecy and subterfuge, especially as it relates to the use of a lethal substance. In information presented to the city, at least that we have seen, EMA does not mention Sr-90. When alert members of THE PLANET‘s Secret Squadron perused the council packet, EMA’s parts list had a tiny line item, in agate so small you needed an electron microscope to read it.

It was an expense of $50,000 for the radioactive isotope. Neither The Boring Broadsheet or iBeserkshire noticed the inclusion.

It took THE PLANET to bring in the sunshine.

When confronted with the purchase, 37% of the $140,000 it wants from taxpayers, EMA implausibly claimed it wasn’t sure it would use the toxic substance in its testing. Is this how Justin McKennon proposes to operate his “empire?” By including $50K for a product he doesn’t intend using? Only Michael Coakley, Deanna Ruffer, Linda Tyer, and BIC executive director Ben Sosne would buy such a whopper. Sosne, by the way, and BIC board chairman and president B. Stephen Boyd have been noticeably silent on this entire matter. Great leadership, guys.

———- ooo ———-

Sr-90 is a “bone seeker.” When it gets into the human body, 97% of what is ingested and remains goes directly into the bones and bone marrow. The other 3% enters the blood and soft tissue. No amount of exposure is accidentally safe.

Building a facility that plans to use radioactive testing requires a highly specialized type of construction. For the proposed plans of EMA, the BIC appears to be dangerously unsuited.

Designing for radiation and shielding involves a byzantine array of factors and a level of construction expertise that combines ordinary building techniques with an even higher technical and scientific understanding. Retrofitting the building to accommodate Sr-90 requires intensive communication between and among the client, equipment vendors, architect, construction company, shielding designer, and shielding architect. This must happen well BEFORE construction begins.

Obviously, this didn’t happen with the BIC. EMA wasn’t even around during the building and the completion. None of this “collaborative” work could have taken place.

Here are just a few of the factors that neither Tyer, Coakley, Ruffer, Sosne, Boyd, Helen Moon, Earl Persip, John Krol, Nick Caccamo, or Crazy Guggenheim considered in their rush to push through the funding request. Not one of these people has publicly asked about them.

  • What machinery will be used?
  • What retrofits will be required to adapt existing communication systems and electrical services? What will be the cost? Will service have to be interrupted?
  • What are the primary and secondary barriers to radiation protection?
  • How is the entry to the radiation chamber designed? Direct entry? Maze entry? Door free entry?
  • What unique conditions will be present?
  • What is the design for access to the work area?
  • What are the shielding parameters?
  • What is the planned workload?
  • What are the design goals?
  • What are the applicable local, state, federal, and international regulations?
  • What of the BIC’s adjacent occupancies? Do you want to be a company occupying a building built on PCB-polluted land with a fellow tenant messing around with Sr-90?
  • Where are the placements of windows, skylights, and any mechanical openings?
  • Are their any earth-backed walls where the chamber will be built? If so, how high?
  • When was the concrete poured? Why type?
  • What are the measuring installations to monitor radiation?
  • What is the evacuation plan?
  • Is the immediate neighborhood safe?

These are only a few of the design considerations (sources: aapm.org, Wikipedia, interviews with local builders and scientists). Again, all of this should have been addressed BEFORE design, let alone build out. To the best of THE PLANET‘s knowledge, none of this was done. Will EMA place Pittsfield under a real threat of radiation poisoning?

The BIC website tells us that the building has a wet lab, a tech lab, incubator space (office), a prototyping lab, and conference rooms. There is no mention of a safe room for radiation.

Have a great weekend, everybody.

————————————————————————————————-

Nobody has to know everything” — Charles Carson, butler in Downton Abbey.

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.

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Jonathan Melle
Jonathan Melle
4 years ago

Pittsfield should market itself as the toxic waste chemicals and possibly future radiation capital of the entire World!

PEDA turned 21-years-old this summer of 2019. It is a total failure! Millions of taxpayer and GE dollars were spent on a PCBs-polluted and vacant wasteland.

“Come visit Pittsfield, Massachusetts!” We have industrial chemical pollution called PCBs in our air, land, water, and Hill 78 next to Allendale Elementary School. Most of our PCBs sites are capped. But please do worry, because all of the caps are not effective after a period of time, and they need to be monitored and tested to make sure they work. If chemicals are not enough, Pittsfield will possibly expose you to radiation from EMA’s possible use of Strontium-90.

Pittsfield also offers severe economic inequality with high per capita rates of teen pregnancies and welfare caseloads. Pittsfield also has violent crime, gangs, drugs, shootings, murders, and a dangerous downtown! And to top it all off, Pittsfield politics is ran by a corrupt group of insider, political hacks derisively called “The Good Old Boys”.

– Jonathan Melle

CC The Maze Sun
CC The Maze Sun
4 years ago

“The Man from the Press says,
We wish you success
It’s good to have the both of you back”

Johnny99
Johnny99
4 years ago

Well the boaring broadsheet has an article on Wayfair ribbon cutting and owner claims they are hiring 30 people per month. That means less than 100 jobs this year and not the 300 Tyers camping cardboard claims are coming this autumn. Furthermore, article never says why the company came here – was it really this great magic carpet team we keep hearing so much about – or was it more tax breaks so us Kapanskis pay more?? And Tyer claims these are jobs families can be supported on. How come the wages aren’t listed? And the article failed to mention the lawsuit, though it did mention at the end how the company is unprofitable. Sometim wong here.

Barbados
Barbados
Reply to  Johnny99
4 years ago

Wayfair came for same reason EMA wants. Taxpayers handouts and because one of the principals lives in Berkshires. I think DV nailed it when he mentioned both plus the social engineering aspect of “economic development”.

Juicy Lucy
Juicy Lucy
Reply to  danvalenti
4 years ago

Brilliance.

C. Trzcinka
C. Trzcinka
Reply to  danvalenti
4 years ago

There is no question you are right about your economic analysis. Meanwhile Indiana is leading the nation in advanced manufacturing job growth. Why doesn’t this happen in the Berkshires? Most of this state is flat and boring. The southern third is very hilly with great foliage now but still no mountains. The % of the workforce with college degrees is lower. So why the hell not the Berkshires for advanced manufacturing? You gave the answer: government is lighter in Indiana, taxes are lower, regulation is less, and technical education is better. I am truly sorry that my Berkshire relatives and friends have to suffer the progressive stupidity that the Planet fights every day.

Joe
Joe
4 years ago

The entire list of things you describe was addressed at last nights meeting. Not to mention that the committee unanimously approved it last night.

Lenny
Lenny
4 years ago

Last night’s finance subcommittee meeting reviewing the EMA proposal was a joke. No discussion about the use of Economic Development Funds for this company – it was rubber stamped by Marchetti, Persip, Mazzeo, Connell and Morandi.
I can’t in good faith vote for any of these people who are so lax in their stewardship of city monies.
What is the city’s equity share in this company if we are investing public funds in it?
EMA is being given substantial tax cuts, and that is all they should be offered. And I don’t think the BIC is the proper place for a test chamber.

levitan
levitan
Reply to  Lenny
4 years ago

The only relevant issue for the Finance Com would be the tax questions. I am not concluding anything about the councilors’ diligence from the vote. My guess is that EMA’s worth outweighs the weak presentation, and that defines their position regarding tax credits.

Kermit Frog
Kermit Frog
Reply to  levitan
4 years ago

Three million gross is bankruptcy bound for that industry. It’s the blind leading the blind.

The school committee
The school committee
4 years ago

I believe the voters in Pittsfield now more than ever want their CC and Mayor to question everything. Mayors who control the CC also controll questions.Starting with Mazzeo we should see a taxpayers Mayor. We saw who is in control of Tyer and its simply incompetent former politicians who gave away millions in money meant for job creation that should have been in the thousands not measured in 5 or 10.Pittsfield needs to quickly move on from Tyer to a intellectually curious Mayor Mazzeo.I dont think Hancock Shaker Village would ever get 500k under her watch.

The school committee
The school committee
4 years ago

They will monitor it like they monitor the Air quality at Allendale School. Mccandless and the Mayor need a public meeting to discuss Allendale school which is its downwind neighbor.Mccandless should come out against this until we get more information. Where is Caccamo and Moon

Fooji Tarakinovatanaka
Fooji Tarakinovatanaka
4 years ago

Quote from the scientist…I don’t want to die either?

Edward R. Murrow
Edward R. Murrow
4 years ago

To pick up from yesterday on the Tyler Technologies assessment letter, this ought to sink Tyer for good. Are you kidding me?

Vote MelMazz for rotation in office.

On the panhandlers at Berkshire Crossing/Coltsville, I noticed that down in Holyoke on that road to the mall they put up signs to this effect: “Give only to verified charities,” or something close to that.

A week or two ago was the first time that I didn’t see the panhandlers there in three or four years.

Hint, hint, City of Pittsfield.

Johnny99
Johnny99
Reply to  Edward R. Murrow
4 years ago

Ed good point on the bums bumming money. Didn’t Tyer campaign on cleaning up this city?. Can’t we get these bums to move along as they say.? If we can’t get a city ordnance to outlaw this on constitution grounds outright let’s put some of those 30 cops Tyer claims she hired to stand next to these bums with the signs and they’ll move along on their own in half an hour. How is this crap acceptable? How long would Tyer tolerate that crap in front of Wayfair? Let’s hope this gets addressed at one of these debates. I’m sick and tired of my little kids asking me why these bums are standing in the middle of the intersections. MAKE PITTSFIELD GREAT AGAIN

Merry & Bright
Merry & Bright
4 years ago

Just don’t get it. This City Council has not been able to make a decision on garbage pickup or parking issues in almost four years! Yet they pass the potentially hazardous EMA proposal right through! Why should the Pittsfield residents bother even voting? Our representatives don’t ever and I mean ever listen to the taxpayers. Do any of them research anything or do they just run out for photo ops. I am totally disgusted with all of them. Might be the first time in my life I stay home on election day, maybe that is why the numbers are so low on election day, other taxpayers feel the same way! You basically have to vote for the lesser or two evils! Pathetically sad and shameful!

Johnny Absurd
Johnny Absurd
Reply to  Merry & Bright
4 years ago

I agree. And that is why any good financial advisor would not recommend Pittsfield as a place to move to. Between the crime, gangs, horrible school system and special interest politics it is a tough road to hoe.

Consider that the mayor chose to live at the farthest possible point away from her crime infested inner city. Teachers and city councilors opt their children out of the school system they work for. And multi millionaire businessmen , through their connections with city hall, get juicy tax breaks while senior citizens claw to stay in their own homes do to high taxes.

You can go to Walmart and buy all the lipstick they have in stock but it will not cover the pig any longer.
Vote accordingly.

Juicy Lucy
Juicy Lucy
Reply to  Johnny Absurd
4 years ago

Johnny, and Pittsfield police officers chose living outside “the city” and or send theirs children to schools in the other towns because they know just how dangerous the streets of Pittsfield really are. I had a former young officer tell me there is nothing they can do. This kid is now a Statie. Lack of leadership in the police department under Mikey Wynn who is “Wynning at life” while “We the People” suffer from and under his inflated ego. Amen.

Johnny99
Johnny99
Reply to  Juicy Lucy
4 years ago

Sure as shit can’t blame the coppers for living outta dodge city. What cop in his right mind would want his kids in Pittsfield schools?

Where do Farley’s go?
Where do Mazzeo go?
Where is Mazzeo by the way?

Village Knight
Village Knight
Reply to  Merry & Bright
4 years ago

Reply to Merry & Bright.– Bravo! I completely agree with you!
That’s why Alex Blumin is running for Councilor at Large.

Vigo
Vigo
Reply to  Village Knight
4 years ago

Village a Night what is your tel number? Got a question.

Johnny99
Johnny99
4 years ago

Is Mazzeo actually running for mayor or just standing for election?

Tyers’ getting lots of free press lately and spreading lots of half baked information in her campaign mailers, and that, on top of the letters from the city trying to manipulate elderly folk who don’t know better, into letting assessors inspect the inside of their homes, along with the EMA scam, and the proposed marijuana grow on PEDA land, is enough for Mazzeo to chew on from now until Election Day and yet…. what exactly? Just because she won the primary doesn’t mean she’ll win the general. She better actually campaign assuming she actually wants to win.

JohnnyComeLately
JohnnyComeLately
Reply to  Johnny99
4 years ago

Good question Johnny, According to my research election is 3 weeks from the day after Ignorant people’s day.

Wake up Pittsfield. Wake up Mazzeo.

You can expect one more magical,vibrant, dynamic, and totally phony campaign flyer at the last minute from Tyers camp. I expect it will be similar to Rubertos last gasp when he was scared shirtless that Bianchi would beat em, and he dragged up old news articles blaming potential layoffs on Bianchi because he was treasurer.

Johnny Absurd
Johnny Absurd
Reply to  Johnny99
4 years ago

Tyers campaign team is working the Facebook 411 pretty heavily. And there seems to be a Trump like desperation in the fake news approach.

MajorTom
MajorTom
Reply to  Johnny99
4 years ago

“Hello Melissa Mazzeo, are you receiving?

SallySays
SallySays
4 years ago

SallySays Planet deserves another Pulitzer for EMA coverage on this blog. The fix is in!

The school committee
The school committee
4 years ago

Mazzeo is not getting any coverage from the Berkshire Eagle or shes not really running.Why isnt Mazzeo participating withe 3 weeks to go.

The school committee
The school committee
4 years ago

I dont evdn understand what Mazzeo is doing.For god sakes film what you do with a staffer and put it on facebook.Sit with a violent neighborhood taxpayer and interview them on film and facebook it.Where are you Melissa?

p
p
4 years ago

Maz still has a couple more debates with the Mayor. She won the first one and will the next two. Please, go to her campaign page it’s on fire. You have to ask yourself has Tyer done the job? Mazzeo is ready to be Mayor.

Barrie
Barrie
4 years ago

Melissa will be fine. Governor Baker R-Ma. Threw Tyer under the bus,quote….Mayor,you didn’t have to work hard on this one, we had him at hello,unquote. Shah is a Republican and has heavily donated to the Republican Party.

Rule 27
Rule 27
4 years ago

Ex-Capeless teacher at trial: Unpalatable choice offered

BY BOB D UNN The Berkshire Eagle

PITTSFIELD — Within a month of notifying technical staff at Capeless Elementary School that Principal Candy Jezewski might know the location of missing equipment, Melissa Fawcett said, she was presented with two choices: accept an involuntary transferor resign.

Fawcett testified Thursday that she was told she was given that choice “because you talked about Candy.”

The former Capeless teacher took the stand Thursday in Berkshire Superior Court as testimony continued in a civil lawsuit filed by Fawcett under the whistleblower statute. She is suing the city and Jezewski, alleging that she was retaliated against for whistleblowing by being pushed out of her job.

In 2014, Fawcett was a fourth grade math and science teacher at Capeless. She also was the school’s webmaster and part of the “innovation team,” and as part of that role had added responsibilities regarding the school’s technical hardware.

Among that hardware were 22 iPad minis, secured for the school via a grant and intended for use by two second grade classes. According to testimony, the two second grade classes each was allotted 10. Two others that were separately shipped were allocated for staff use.

During a routine inventory of the school’s equipment June 9, 2014, two of the iPads were unaccounted for. Fawcett was asked by tech department staff if she knew where they were and said they should ask Jezewski about their whereabouts.

Fawcett testified that it was her understanding Jezewski had taken the iPads home but didn’t convey that information to those who had asked. Before the end of the day, Fawcett said Jezewski angrily entered her classroom while students and other faculty were present and wanting to know if she had told the tech department that her children had possession of the iPads, which Fawcett denied having done.

Fawcett testified that she was sure that the incident was upsetting to the children who were present.

Over the course of the next week, Fawcett said, she was summoned to Jezewski’s office on three occasions to be verbally reprimanded, though no official disciplinary action was taken. In each instance, Fawcett said Jezewski said “other people” had raised issues with her about Fawcett, including disparaging the value of staff meetings, complaining about the state of office equipment and divulging confidential information regarding the employment status of a fellow faculty member.

Fawcett said she believed that framing the conversations as things that were brought to her attention by other people was a retort to her suspicion that Fawcett had given the tech department information about the suspected use of the missing iPads. In an email introduced into evidence, Jezewski had described Fawcett’s actions as throwing her under the bus.

Before those incidents, Fawcett said, she never had been disciplined on the job for any reason and, as recently as three days before the June 9 inventory, she had received an evaluation, signed by Jezewski, in which she was described as a “very valuable asset,” to Capeless Elementary.

By June 13, Fawcett had put herself on a list making herself eligible for a voluntary transfer but said she did so mostly out of a naive hope that, in doing so, someone in the school district’s administration would take note, find it odd and contact her to see what issues might be involved. But none of those things happened, she said.

On July 3, Fawcett was contacted by Superintendent Jason McCandless, who informed her that she was being involuntarily transferred to Egremont School, where she would be teaching a general fourth grade curriculum, rather than math and science, and no longer would be part of the innovation team, a position for which she received a stipend.

Fawcett testified that at a July 7 meeting with McCandless she was told she was being transferred because she talked about Jezewski. She said she asked several times why she was being transferred and that no other reason was given.

Fawcett said she felt the involuntary transfer was disciplinary action and a demotion and that, by accepting it, she would be taking on a curriculum with which she was not familiar and wouldn’t have time to become proficient in it before the start of the school year.

Fawcett chose to resign instead.

Thursday’s testimony closed with Fawcett describing her inability to find another teaching job in Berkshire County, despite sending out more than 30 applications and being granted interviews in most of those cases. She also talked about the financial hardships her family endured after being suddenly reduced to a one-income household.

Fawcett, represented by attorneys Mary Courtney and Michael Hinkley, is seeking damages including back pay, court costs and interest.

Her continued testimony and cross-examination by attorney Jeffrey J. Trapani are both expected Friday.

Bradford North
Bradford North
Reply to  Rule 27
4 years ago

Jake and company get rid of you when you tell the truth.

SallySays
SallySays
Reply to  Rule 27
4 years ago

How many more lap tops or iPads did us Kapanskis pay for that are AWOL????

Queen Bee
Queen Bee
Reply to  SallySays
4 years ago

My daughter worked for the school department. She says the laptops were routinely missing. She tried to report this to Mercer and was told if she wanted to keep her job to keep quiet. The PSD is run like a criminal operation.

If a real audit was ever done, the supt. and Ms. Behnke would have a lot of explaining to do. That’s all I will say.

BTW my daughter no longer works there. She’s in Southern Berkshire and loves it.

SallySays
SallySays
Reply to  Queen Bee
4 years ago

I’ll bet it’s not only the school department. I call for a physical audit of all city property going back 20’years.

The school committee
The school committee
Reply to  Queen Bee
4 years ago

Theere is not a system to secure anything.The School committee is so in the dark about the money spent its embarrassing to watch them vote.The schools have hired so many bad unprepared principals and its because of the Eberwien/ Massimiano/Amuso era.

Merry & Bright
Merry & Bright
4 years ago

Can anyone name one thing this present CC has done for the taxpayers of this City in the almost four years? I believe they are all in it for the basically almost free health insurance, free I-Pads and pensions! I bought a home in Pittsfield five plus years ago in what I thought was a nice quiet neighborhood. I now have methadone nombies staggering up and down my street (we have called the PPD several times, but have been told they are just “frequent flyers”, cars have been broken into and our neighborhood is surrounded by pot shops and we have to accept the skunk smell from Berkshire Roots, our elementary school is located by Mount Doyle and now the Tyer “NASA Space Capsule”. What I thought was going to be a quiet street has turned into a 50 to 60mph raceway. Never see a cop patrolling, and when the neighbors asked for speed limit signs we were told Lovely Linda will not allow signs to be installed without a speed study and she doesn’t like to spend the money on them so she won’t approve it! All this crap has happened since Lovely Linda has been in office. Not one elected official has come to defend our neighborhood. The General Dynamics security guards have been more helpful than the PPD, especially the PPD officers that sleep on New York Avenue in the driveway by the deer and also the one that tries to hide his cruiser for his nap early in the morning at the Mazda dealership! What was I thinking when I bought my home in this pathetic slimy City? Also, I believe one of the issues in this campaign and lack of information that is being presented is that not everyone likes or utilizes Facebook.

Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth
Reply to  Merry & Bright
4 years ago

Ask Ward 6 candidate and former city councilor Joe Nichols about the PPD car that is, or used to be left idling (city gas and vehicle) routinely in the officer’s home driveway for hours while he naps at home starting around 4am. ( A neighbor of Joe’s). Fighting crime there and nightly in Pittsfield Cemetery. It’s tiresome holding cell phones on road jobs.

SallySays
SallySays
Reply to  Sojourner Truth
4 years ago

You don’t think the cops should be driving around in circles all night do you? The firemen go lights out at 10 and sleep till 7, in warm beds no less, plus they dont have to worry about makin a mistake and getting shot if their reaction time is too slow from being tired. I was a nurse and let me tell ya midnight shift sucks.

Merry & Bright
Merry & Bright
Reply to  SallySays
4 years ago

Sally, these cops are sleeping at 6:30a.m. to 7a.m. during the time people are commuting to work. Meanwhile vehicles are driving 60 to 70 mph on Merrill Road and East Street many times blowing through red lights. Yes I do expect them to do their jobs! I know who they are and I see them working details right after their shifts so I don’t believe they are that tired. I hear most of them choose the night shift so they can work details during the day.

Kermit Frog
Kermit Frog
Reply to  SallySays
4 years ago

If you were sleeping on the job for most employers you would be fired. If the cops can’t do their jobs they should quit.
Isn’t driving around or patrolling what patrolmen do? Wtf. I have friends who work night shifts on other cities and they can’t sleep in their cars.

SallySays
SallySays
Reply to  Merry & Bright
4 years ago

You know what? As bad as this may sound, I dont have a problem with cops taking a break. I had a bf some years back who used to do it – he called it a power nap, and he told me some departments allow it.

The firemen sleep all night unless there’s a call and so I don’t begrudge a cop taking a little nap now and then in the middle of the night. That’s better than wrecking a cruiser and getting hurt. And beside didn’t Ruberto put the firemen on 24 hour shifts? So their sleeping about half their career.

Shakes
Shakes
4 years ago

Let’s let the experts at the Commonwealth and if needed the Federal DOE handle regulation and not the City Clowncil.

The people involved with this page can’t grasp what “restorative justice” and “social engineering” mean, and somehow think the Federalist papers are legally astute documents.

levitan
levitan
Reply to  Shakes
4 years ago

Federalist writings are not legal documents. They are Constitutional documents. They explain the virtues and reasoning behind the design and devices of the Constitution, and they provided the arguments for ratification of the Constitution. Without those, it is very unlikely that remote and small nation/states would agree to a government that would risks domination by wealthy interests of Virginia and New York. It would have been a hard sell, but for the intellectual and historical analysis that Madison provided.

Are you saying Hamilton, Jay, and Madison were less than astute? Sounds like you may have a whistleblower up your sleeve.

Shakes
Shakes
Reply to  levitan
4 years ago

All the other United States style governments across the globe are testimony to the US Constitution’s brilliance.

Levitan
Levitan
Reply to  Shakes
4 years ago

You appear to have caught me in a embarrassing error or I just don’t understand you.

Which countries or government are you talking about?

Acute Angina
Acute Angina
Reply to  Shakes
4 years ago

Take it easy Schiltzie

Seth
Seth
4 years ago

I’m one also who thinks Mrs. Mazzeo would be an outstanding Mayor. If pictures are worth anything it looked like Mr. Shah and Congressman Neal were genuinely happy in that photo with a Melissa. She’s ready!

Captain Stooge
Captain Stooge
4 years ago

What about that Candy Jezewski over at Capeless she should be in states prison.

L E Thang
L E Thang
4 years ago

Yeah,the fact Tyer-ClairmontBouvier got a four year deal and hasn’t done anything says volumes. If you are hemorrhaging millions on roadplowing!now maintenance? wouldn’t you want someone asking for that expense to know why? Aggressive plowing was the original answer.

Tail E Hoe
Tail E Hoe
4 years ago

Agree on the Jezewski comment. I know Ms. Fawcett and would-tell you she is a genuine good person.

Quaglio
Quaglio
4 years ago

The G Man was right about Terror-Achee,he and Tyer technically will cost the City tens of millions. You will put a radiation isotope at the new BIC building yet will spend tens of millions on a frivolous water plant? Tyer says Mazzeo is a Trump supporter for questioning the Clean Water Act? But,Radiation is ok? Where is Helen Green Peace Moon on this? Still can’t vote for Ken Warren though,what a boob. You can’t have everything but here’s the mixture….Caccamo..Marchetti,Connell,Morandi,Hamling,Kavey, Moon, Joe Nichols, Pope, Yuki Cohen, Blumin.

john doe
john doe
4 years ago

I never understood the whole 24 hour shift for firemen. Either you are paying people to sleep on the job, or if they’re so busy they can’t sleep, then we’re paying sleep deprived people to perform critical tasks including speeding to calls in a huge multi ton vehicle. And isn’t driving sleep deprived almost as bad as drunk driving?
It just makes no sense to me. As for police sleeping on the job-they should cap road jobs at 16 hours per week and not on the same day you are working a regular shift. Common sense tells you that you’re not going to get peak performance from a guy who just put in 8 hours on a road job.

JohnnyComeLately
JohnnyComeLately
Reply to  john doe
4 years ago

“You say you want a revolution”? There ain’t a police chief or a mayor this side of the Housy who will support that let alone enforce it. Sleep deprived may be as bad as drunk driving but so is talking on cell phones while driving and city doesn’t care about any of it, because if it did they’d outlaw it. Maybe take all those buff firemen and hose down the bums at the intersections – that’ll shag em out. What do Mazzeo and Tyler think of all this?

Tyer won’t touch their schedule because Roberto gave em the schedule that gives them 20 days off a month, and they endorsed her. Heck they all have second jobs, so it’s kimda like the cops doing road jobs on the side

The school committee
The school committee
Reply to  JohnnyComeLately
4 years ago

What does a fireman make in a year with ot?

JoePesci
JoePesci
Reply to  john doe
4 years ago

What’s the difference between a road job and a blow job?

Your wife will blow your road job money, but she won’t blow you.

MajorTom
MajorTom
Reply to  JoePesci
4 years ago

Joe,

What’s the difference between a road job and a con job?

In pIttsfield, nuttin. They are both done by city employees, all day long.

Mr. X
Mr. X
4 years ago

Ask the Capeless principal how she got that job. Was it the affair she had with Eberwein, a married man who got caught and then forced to resign his position which brought in McCandless. CJ has ruined more marriages than Jack Daniels. Not much character there.

Mr. Fritz
Mr. Fritz
Reply to  Mr. X
4 years ago

Amen Mr. X! Spot on!

Johnny Absurd
Johnny Absurd
Reply to  Mr. X
4 years ago

City hall does not discuss embarrassing personnel issues. Nor does the local paper if told to lay low. Regular citizenry however may be treated differently unless properly connected. This is probably all in the city charter.

Johnny99
Johnny99
4 years ago

What’s the deal with the Lenox superintendent resigning? Will Ebrwein get that job? Awful fishy that Eberweinngave up a gravy part time gig with Lee. Or maybe us Kapanskis can get rid of McCandles if he goes to Lenox. I don’t begrudge Eberwin a hot piece of ass but but there’s an old saying – you don’t dip you’re pen in the company ink well.

The school committee
The school committee
Reply to  Johnny99
4 years ago

Ex Crosby Community coordinator ran a for profit ( his) store out of the teachers room.Sp ed nt most his d as y doing inventory of snacks as nd springwater that he would buy for a dime and sell for a dollar…3 hundred % Profit. Crosby had great staff and terrible leadership

Mr. X
Mr. X
4 years ago

I thought it was “you don’t shoot skunks in your own backyard” or “you don’t eat where you poop”

doomiedodger
doomiedodger
4 years ago

Is there time to put a referendum on the ballot asking the taxpayers if they are willing to pay for a forensic audit? According to the last Thursday Eagle there was an audit done of the Susan B Anthony Museum in Adams and they were shocked to learn of the variety of tactics used to divert money for personal use. Among them falsifying records and forging documents.

Just for the taxpayers peace of mind I believe the City of Pittsfield should do a forensic audit as there have been enough sketchy money issues over the last couple of decades. While I am sure officials would scream about the cost I would point to the lavish and wasteful spending that is currently going on. The money can be found.

Can we get city councilors and mayoral candidates on record as to their feeling about this subject?

How about Planet viewers?

Johnny99
Johnny99
4 years ago

Subtropical Storm Melissa is peterring out off New England coast. Is Melissa’s campaign sub par? Is it too peterrng out? What is she going to do about the panhandlers ? We know Tyer ain’t gonna do diddly, unless they ruin a photo op or start bumming off Wayfair employees parking in the free spaces Tyer wants to give em after making nautilus customers pay.

Perhaps the panhandlers are like the shopping carts problem years ago – its tolerable as long as they ain’t hanging out in the GOBSIGs neighborhoods.

Johnny Absurd
Johnny Absurd
4 years ago

Vote for Tyer THE SPECIAL INTEREST CANDIDATE

Cambier Park
Cambier Park
4 years ago

Connell Caccamo,Mazzeo, Kavey,Morandi,Blumin,Marchetti,Hamling,Yukie,Nichols,Pope, Moon.

Lenny
Lenny
4 years ago

Tyer & Marchetti going door-to-door in Ward 4.

Levitan
Levitan
4 years ago

Duplicate

Kermit Frog
Kermit Frog
4 years ago

They are all crooks, imo. Depressing.

BTW, Dan – buried in NYT article is a quote from Bard college that they took money for their high schools (Simon’s Rock, I believe) from Jeffrey Epstein AFTER his Florida jail time.

Not covered in any local paper.

Pat
Pat
Reply to  Kermit Frog
4 years ago

This is why even bigger government than we already have is to be avoided completely if we do not want to turn into a banana republic.

The real collusion is between our media and the Democratic party. They cover for each other and this is why corruption in government is out of control. Just look at what has happened in Ukraine. Our intelligence agencies have been infiltrated by partisan hacks. This is BAD for our country and corruption will get even worse if government expands even more under the far left and this collusion continues.

The school committee
The school committee
Reply to  Pat
4 years ago

Deep State Fox White News Channel is using Pat to see if there is any steam left in the journalism and oversite of goverment is your enemy weirdo storyline

Johnny Absurd
Johnny Absurd
Reply to  Pat
4 years ago

What is BAD for our country is abandoning friends and allowing them to be slaughtered. I wonder how our marines feel about that.

Make America Great Again???? Really?

Pat
Pat
Reply to  Johnny Absurd
4 years ago

The last I heard the Dems were completely against any wars and wanted our troops out of any of these situations. The Dems didn’t want us to be the police of the rest of the world. We have been there for 19 years for one country and like 8 or 9 years for another. President Trump is sending 50 million dollars to help in the protection of these people. Glen Beck is also trying to get Christians out of that area since no matter where you go in this world, the Christians are being persecuted.

levitan
levitan
Reply to  Pat
4 years ago

Pat,

Democrats voted 40% for the Hastert(R)-Gephard(D) Resolution authorizing war in Iraq, with HR Clinton breaking Senator Byrd’s filibuster attempt to stall the vote.

They never seem to be where they are needed when they are wanted.

levitan
levitan
Reply to  Johnny Absurd
4 years ago

Yes, the emotional response to the removal is understandable. We have been trained to like them (thanks NBC!), and they fight a good fight it appears. But, the Kurds had many months prior to prepare and regroup southwards. This announcement completes the policy objectives that resulted in Mattis’ resignation 12/28/18.

Consider the responsibilities shirked by the Europeans. They sat on the audience and still do and just watching, and they have the nerve to point fingers. They could stop the Turkish government from slaughtering, just as they had prevented the execution of Ocalan upon his capture.

The media is now concerned about ISIS.
The ISIS prisoners are mostly European criminals, and they refuse to take possession of them. Why should the Kurds and the US be solely responsible for imprisoning European nationals?

Otherwise, We did our share and sometimes it is time to move on. The Kurds are able to secure a place for themselves in the ex-Syrian empire.

Shakes
Shakes
Reply to  levitan
4 years ago

Speaks volumes about you that you hold Kissinger in such regard.

: “The illegal we do immediately. The unconstitutional takes a little longer.” (from March 10, 1975 meeting with Turkish foreign minister Melih Esenbel in Ankara, Turkey)

-Kissinger

The Kurds should have known better than trust US

levitan
levitan
Reply to  Johnny Absurd
4 years ago

Shakes,

Remember these wise words:

“A turbulent history has taught Chinese leaders that not every problem has a solution and that too great an emphasis on total mastery over specific events could upset the harmony of the universe.”

“Americans have a tendency to believe that when there’s a problem there must be a solution”

Where’s Europe? The EU could influence Turkey, but they are afraid that 10,000 European citizens wearing ISIS clothes will be shipped back home and then they’d have to spend their own money managing them.

-Kissinger

Kermit Frog
Kermit Frog
Reply to  Kermit Frog
4 years ago

The NYT wrote a series of articles about Epstein including one about him meetings with Bill Gates etc. Bard college president is quoted as saying they took unsolicited donations (2 – coming together around 150k) from Epstein knowing he was an ‘ex con’. They did say this was partly because of Epstein’s association knew the Clintons. Epstein has some powerful friends across the political spectrum. I read and respect the NYT, even if I accept its strong bias.

I do not know where the comments went away to. Re Syria – our soldiers have done a pretty incredible job locking down ISIS in the last 4 years. I think all the government chaos is bad for national security. I am not a Trump fan and Giuliani has reunited whatever legacy he had.

Levitan
Levitan
Reply to  Kermit Frog
4 years ago

Shakes,

You don’t have to like H.K. But, you realize your quote is a joke, which means he did not really mean it (unlike Obama, Clinton, Biden) and Den leadership in the House. So, they proved Kissinger wrong. That is impressive.

Perhaps we should have been clear 4 years back. The hardware, training were gifts, our soldiers were not. They serve the US and are US citizens.
Where’s the betrayal?

Triump
Triump
4 years ago

What’s going on in the City? Drugs now for sale, after extensive D A R E program and millions poured in for that! now grow get it in neighborhoods,convicts being hired, cops breaking drug lawssteroids, and what happened to the cop that had his girlfriend ntaken after a home shooting?phony home assessments,a deteriorating city with blight and its own building repairs in the millions, millions over budget on road plowing? Where’s the beef? (Reason) Parking issues at Wayfair,disaster waiting to happen.Imagine our President putting up with this crap?

Elegant Sun
Elegant Sun
4 years ago

The dems have no one currently to beat Our President. So, they’ll try to impeach him.

David H
David H
4 years ago

I received the below along with a number of other emails regarding EMA.
One of the emails I received included denials of requests that our legal department is looking over as they clearly have misapplied the law to deny the public access to the information. It’s a standard delay tactic, misapply the law and wait for a legal challenge.

Another email I received, which I was bcc’d on, seems to be an internal email dump includes a link to over 6 GB of data from the Mayor’s email account. It covers information well outside the scope of my initial request. Our lawyers are looking at the legal implications of this data from both a publishing perspective and as to the legality of certain aspects of the mayor’s campaign and tenure. If our legal department allows the dissemination of the data it will be hosted on Dropbox and free for the public and news organizations to use.

Below is the link to some of the emails regarding BIC and EMA.

Hello Mr. Hayes,

This email contains the emails that you have requested. If you have any questions please contact Mike Steben our Chief Informaiton Officer.

Thank you,

Michele

From: Steben, Michael
Sent: Friday, October 11, 2019 1:00 PM
To: Benjamin, Michele
Subject: EMA Records Request

Michele, the records requester can use the following link in order to access the email data that the record request has generated;

https://pittsfield.egnyte.com/fl/wEIZOw2AdR

The data includes an email archive file which can be opened in Microsoft Outlook. Here is how to open the archive file on most versions of Outlook;

1. Download the archive file.
2. Click File => Open & Export.
3. Click on the Open Outlook Data File option which is located on the Open screen.
4. Navigate to the location on the computer where the archive was saved. Select the archive and click OK.
5. A mailbox called BCAS PST Export will appear in Outlook just below the primary mailbox.
6. Expand the BCAS PST Export mailbox and click on the Unfiled folder to view the individual messages that are included in the email archive. This will include both sent and received email messages.

The requester is more than welcome to reach out to me if there are any questions or concerns.

Mike

Michael Steben
Chief Information Officer

Information Technology
City of Pittsfield
70 Allen Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 344-3765
msteben@cityofpittsfield.org
http://www.cityofpittsfield.org

Michele Benjamin
City Clerk

City Clerk’s Office
City of Pittsfield
70 Allen Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 499-9361
mbenjamin@cityofpittsfield.org
http://www.cityofpittsfield.org

Joe
Joe
Reply to  David H
4 years ago

Interesting. There’s a lot there. I doubt I’ll be able to read it all myself!

David, question for you. When you say legal department, is this a corporate inquiry of some sort? I’m certainly not an expert on public information inquiries. I know certain things are required to be provided from the little I’ve read, but that’s really where my education there ends. Not my area of expertise at all.

I guess the one comment I have is what the goal for these information requests is, aside from making sure nothing fishy was going on. Just my opinion here(and I know certain things are legally required of course), but why try and alienate the company? I would think that if any company coming in to the city here was subjected to this stuff, it would really hamper the odds of more businesses coming out this way. Take the funding pieces out of it, and I’m not sure why we’d want to give them a hard time. I guess it would depend what stuff actually was denied.

Was there something in particular you were hoping to find here?

Gregg
Gregg
4 years ago

President Trump knows best. F the Curds.

Ab Curd
Ab Curd
4 years ago

You wouldn’t know a curd from a beet absurd.

Shakes
Shakes
4 years ago

President trump even put the $50 million on one of those big cardboard checks so the Kurds can hide behind it. Is Christian persecution what the catholic priests did to all those altar boys?

levitan
levitan
Reply to  Shakes
4 years ago

Shakes,

We have unfinished business above.

X-Lachs Lounge
X-Lachs Lounge
Reply to  Shakes
4 years ago

Will you stop sharing your fantasies?

levitan
levitan
Reply to  X-Lachs Lounge
4 years ago

Sorry, X-Lachs,

I’m an optimist; why else would I post here?

X-Lachs Lounge
X-Lachs Lounge
Reply to  levitan
4 years ago

Lev, my comment was for shakey.

levitan
levitan
Reply to  X-Lachs Lounge
4 years ago

I guess you’re and optimist too then.

Shakes
Shakes
4 years ago

You seem to embarrassingly not understand sarcasm. The US Constitution was designed to protect chattel slavery. Even the amendments after the end of the war Of southern rebellion, which really are not followed today even today, didn’t change the minority white rule.

The Federalist papers are crap advertisements for a government the rest of the world is too sophisticated to follow. Your adulation for them is akin to cheering the Planet’s fluff pieces after the Belicheats when the super bowl.

levitan
levitan
Reply to  Shakes
4 years ago

Shakes,

You may be correct about chattel slavery, though I have serious doubts. We both will likely agree that the failure to abolish slavery at the start sowed disaster for the Union and necessarily lead to the War. Mass appeal of southern demagogues lead to secession and war between the states. It was North vs South with no room for individuals to hide. I also concede that reconstruction did not rectify the sin.

You say that there is a ‘US style government’ out there that proves the Federalists incorrect and that our constitution is an unsophisticated document. I will concede your point when we identify one of those offending governments.

Shakes
Shakes
4 years ago

The more outlandish untruth is that I’m a Lions fan. If I were then my saving grace would be better to not win honestly than Belicheat to win it all.

Putting the constitution on a pedestal beyond reproach is Dishonest. The US constitution is not nimble, not dynamic, and responsible for the current 100% republican gridlock. No other country on the globe has the resources, or the shame, that ours does. We have almost 250 years to make up for, when can we start?

Levitan
Levitan
4 years ago

Shakes, I’ll accept this brief interruption to answer your questions. But I am still needing your help identifying failed ‘US style’ government.

Beyond reproach: the Constitution has process for amending it’s shortcomings.

Nimble and dynamic associates with arbitrary and unstable. As in, make up the rules as we go along.

Crimes against humanity and shame? Here’s my list:
Nazi Germany and Central Europe. France (any century). Hutu extermination of Tutsis. Kmer Rouge. Maya empire murder of children. Narco Democracies such Columbia subjecting citizens to urban warfare and mass bombings. Hugo Chavez. Soviet communism impoverishing an entire continent and subjecting it to a quixotic rule of law. Belgium colonialism. British colonialism (India, Australia, New Zealand, ) for starts. Spain any century. Italy for having not producing a second Michelangelo.

I’m now ready for list of failed US style govs.

Levitan
Levitan
Reply to  Levitan
4 years ago

I forgot the European introduction and laundering of the slave trades in the New worlds and their ‘colonies’. If they keep their dirty acts off their continent, they really believe that their hands are clean.

levitan
levitan
Reply to  danvalenti
4 years ago

Micheangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci.

Not since Rubens (Dutch, but really a torch bearer of Micheanglo) have we ever seen the likes again.

The shame Italia bears the extinguished torch is distressing and more than I can bear.

SimonSays
SimonSays
4 years ago

There was no attack it was staged and faked. If there was an attack where’s the description of the attacker?
The next thing they will tell you, there was no attack.
The only victims here are the truth and the implication that there’s any racial problems at Bard. Only racial problems are those made up by the liar who claimed to have been assaulted.

Letter: Misinformation about Simon’s Rock incident
Posted Monday, October 7, 2019 4:42 pm
To the editor:

During the past several days we have become aware of misinformation circulated on social and other media about the reported assault on our campus. For instance, it was reported to us that some believe the incident on our campus involved a stabbing, and that it was perpetrated by multiple parties. We understand why such information would cause great fear in our community and want to be clear — to date, there is no evidence or allegation of a stabbing on campus. Nor is there any indication or evidence to suggest multiple perpetrators in the incident. Rest assured that if we were aware of such information, you would be too.

This is not to minimize what occurred or its deeply troubling nature; physical violence of any type in our community is antithetical to our mission, and we are committed to investigating and eradicating any such behavior. To that end, we are in the process of retaining an independent investigator to review the incident.

Out of respect for the survivor and the open investigations, we will not comment on specific details of the ongoing inquiry. We will continue to support the survivor and take steps to help our community heal and grow. We encourage everyone to be respectful of the process, report any information you have about the incident to the school or law enforcement, and continue to support one another.

The Simon’s Rock community is vibrant, resilient, and thoughtful. We have no doubt that the subsequent actions from the Simon’s Rock community will help each other grow, learn, and heal from this incident.

Susan Lyon,

Great Barrington

The writer is vice provost, Bard College/Academy at Simon’s Rock.