PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayor Linda Tyer says the goal isn't to create places of work for the younger generation.

Rather, it is about creating a dynamic city for millennials to live, work and raise families in.

That's Tyer's vision of the future.

 

Tyer delivered a 50-minute speech Monday afternoon at the Colonial Theater outlining both the successes and the challenges facing the city over the last year. Highlighting a number of partnerships in various sectors, the mayor engaged in myth busting — spurning common narratives about the city — and set the table for her future vision.

 

"Let's pivot from our past narrative that we need to create jobs first and then recruit the next generation to those newly created jobs. Let's do the kind of work that makes our city a vibrant, dynamic, interesting place to live so that the next generation chooses us," Tyer said. "There are high-quality jobs here already. Research shows that millennials prefer to first find a place to live and then create their job opportunity. We must turn our attention to this reality."

 

Tyer went after busting the myth, as she called it, that there are no jobs. In January 2016, the city's unemployment rate was at 6.6 percent, she said, and by November it was down to 3.3 percent. In Berkshire County, there are 1,264 open jobs, 45 percent of which are full-time professional jobs and 55 percent are entry-level or seasonal, she said. 

 

"It is a lot easier to save existing jobs than to create new jobs from outside sources. Our local, hard-working business leaders and their employees deserve, in equal measure, our attention to their struggles and to their hopes. A historic review of Pittsfield's economic development fund proves this theory. Every time we've invested in an outside startup, like EV Worldwide and Workshop Live, we got zero return on our investment," Tyer said. 

 

"Every time that we invested in our local businesses, significant returns were realized for them and us. The Colonial Theater, LTI SmartGlass, Berkshire Museum, Ice River Springs, all of them still with us today employing people, driving the local economy."

 

That message rang true for the youngest member of the City Council, Ward 3 Councilor Nicholas Caccamo. He highlighted the efforts of the council to help save the Covanta waste-to-energy plant from closure, saving 25 jobs. He, too, envisions a city in which a younger person can move in, have job growth, and start a family. 

 

"I was a big supporter of Covanta and I think we have some anchor businesses that provide some entry level jobs with room for advancement. That's what we need. We need people to come in in their 20s and 30 and work their way up to management, want to have a family, want to send their kids to Pittsfield Public Schools," Caccamo said. 

 

Beyond Covanta, the mayor said the city used incentive programs to help the Beacon Cinema, Region's Wine Bar & Nosh, Shire City Herbals, and Cafe Namaste. But Tyer said she isn't eliminating efforts to recruit new businesses and says she has four prospects in the pipeline.

 

"Before you become too uncomfortable with this disruption of strategy let me reassure you, of course, we'll continue to pursue outside economic development prospects. In fact, there are four on my desk right now that have my attention. We can do both and we can do both at the same time," Tyer said.

 

Making the city a better place to live is shown through the efforts in the downtown corridor, the mayor said, including the Transformative District Initiative, which is funded by the state. That program has given the city a steward to help usher in the redevelopment of Tyler Street, which is anchored by major employers Berkshire Medical Center and General Dynamics. 

 

"The Tyler Street district will become a unique, thriving, working, residential neighborhood where all of the typical day-to-day needs can be met within walking district," Tyer said. 

 

Adding to that, the mayor highlighted the city winning a $75,000 Kresge grant to development food initiatives in the Morningside neighborhood. She said the city is looking to use a housing incentive to usher along the redevelopment of the former St. Mary of the Morning Star complex into market-rate housing. 

 

Much of that work requires state support and new state Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield, said the mayor's vision is "lockstep" with his own. He said issues "across the board" can be helped with the state support and he looks forward to trying to make that happen.

 

"I was impressed by the vision the mayor laid out today. It was a realistic and aspirational vision that included very clear work in preserving businesses and business development while making sure we have a brand and a city that people want to move to," Hinds said. 

 

One piece of state support from 2016 came in the Community Compact agreement signed with Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito. That gives the city funding to contract with the University of Massachusetts' Collins Center to create a five-year financial forecast and create a new budget document eyed to include more information. Both will help tackle the city's financial challenges. The city's levy ceiling is now lower than the levy limit, meaning there is very little left that the city can add to the tax levy and that new growth is critical.

 

"Fiscal challenges lie ahead. Many steps will be undertaken to stabilize this condition including cost containment, debt management, new revenue, and strategic investments that will prepare Pittsfield to not only survive the downtown but to thrive well into the future," Tyer said. 

 

That hit a particular note for City Council President Peter Marchetti, who says that is a top priority of the council as well. 

 

"I think the mayor did a comprehensive review of where we are and set the tone for 2017," Marchetti said. "I think we all have the same priorities in making sure we have the fiscal house in order. From that perspective, we are on the same page."

 

Capitalizing on grants is one way the mayor says her administration began tackling that issue, securing some $2.3 million. Grant support was also used to complete the North Street reconstruction, which has been a decade in the making. Tyer highlighted the Department of Public Services' efforts to resurface 11 miles of roadway, including using "hot-in-place recycling" to reuse asphalt materials to be more economical.

 

North Street also now has parking meters, which completes a state requirement for a previous grant to renovate the McKay Street garage. Now, the mayor is seeking funds for a new Columbus Avenue garage.

 

"We've got to have a new parking garage on Columbus Avenue. It is not a small thing. The garage is needed to support our new boutique hotel, Barrington Stage audience, downtown businesses and residents, and the Intermodel Transportation Center," Tyer said. 

 

She also boasted of tackling blight that, she said, "compromises quality of life, diminishes property values, and limits our appeal to new businesses and residents."

 

Four homes were razed in the summer, including one across the street from the Samuel Harrison House, and six others are in line for later this month. Meanwhile, the city's housing rehabilitation program provided assistance for two sewer projects, six heating projects, and three roofing emergencies. 

 

"Work is currently under way on six properties, four units of which will be made lead safe for the children who reside there. That's government work that makes a significant difference in the lives of the people we are called to serve," Tyer said. 

 

She highlighted support for veterans and recreational programs for children. She cited working with the West Side neighbors to make improvements to Willard and Rosemary Durant Park. And she turned her focus on education, highlighting the city reeling in a $40,000 grant from the state to develop a plan for preschool expansion.

 

"With more than 1,500 preschool age children in Pittsfield, of which 75 percent have parents in the labor force, there are so many children that could benefit from high-quality preschool programs that prepare them for their first day in kindergarten and for their future academic success," Tyer said.

 

When it comes to education, Tyer went on to "bust another myth about our schools." She said, "there is a misconception that our schools are no academically accomplished and that is far from the case."

 

The state ranks the school district as Level 3 but the mayor says the entire district can only be ranked by its lowest scoring school. 

 

"Of course we acknowledge that there's more work to do and I can assure you that the dedicated team of public school professionals are on it. But from this unfair ranking system, the district's Level 3 position is deceiving and it certainly does not tell the whole story," Tyer said.

 

Superintendent Jason McCandless echoed that sentiment, saying the district performs a lot better than those state rankings.

 

"We totally agree we do have this label of being a Level 3 district and we do have Level 3 schools so we know we have miles to go. But, it does get lost in the conversation that we have two Level 2 middle schools and three Level 1 elementary schools. Our kids, my own children included, I feel get a Level 1 education in spite of what their school might be labeled," McCandless said.

Tyer highlighted the district's work on restorative justice and cultural competency. The restorative justice way to mediate conflicts between students has led to a 64 percent reduction in disciplinary issues at Morningside, she said.

She went on to add that the high schools have the most Advanced Placement courses, with a total of 23, more than any other school district in the county.

"To have the mayor understand that is one of the things that makes us special, that is one of the the things we open up opportunities for all of our kids that many of our neighbors just can't," McCandless said.

 

"To have the leader of a city with as many moving parts as Pittsfield has, really be in deep enough with the school community to understand it and recognize it is very important to us."

 

On the environment, Tyer highlighted a new solar array at the landfill and planning for another solar project at the airport. She pointed to the Greening the Gateway Cities program in which hundreds of trees have been planted on public and private property throughout the city's downtown. She highlighted the work toward the Westside Riverway Park plans, which included cleaning the soil and creating walking and bike paths, and trails. And the city has development management plans for four conservation areas. 

 

She also stressed the city's recreational and cultural offerings like the food truck rodeo, craft beer festivals, the Eagles Band concerts in the park, Live on the Lake, and the city's first air show "Wings, Wheels & Warbirds" at the airport. At the Common, there was Shakespeare in the Park and Shire City Sessions; Third Thursday celebrated its 10th year and 10x10 Upstreet Arts Festival celebrated its fifth year. 

 

"This is what a vibrant city looks like. All of the events mentioned and the hundreds of others that take place throughout the city happen only because of many enthusiastic, energetic, brilliant citizens who have great ideas and the generous organizations, including the city, that support them," Tyer said.

 

The state of the city address couldn't exclude public safety, a key point of the mayor's election campaign and a top priority since taking office. She has increased funding for the Police Department to hire staffing, is looking to contract with the gunshot detection company ShotSpotter, and put money into purchasing new fire trucks for the Fire Department.

 

"The spate of violent incidents over the last few years was not and will never be acceptable. We have an extraordinary police force that works hard protecting our city every single day. But the stark reality is that they have been understaffed to meet the public safety needs of a city our size," Tyer said.

 

"Understanding this precarious situation, I eagerly advanced, and the City Council supported, an additional $1 million in the 2017 municipal budget to add more officers to our Police Department."

 

Ward 7 Councilor Anthony Simonelli also placed public safety as a top priority and said he is happy that those issues are being addressed.

 

"I think those were major issues that I campaigned on. Public safety was my No. 1 this year that I felt needed to take place in the future. It seems the mayor and the City Council has taken some steps to go along with that," Simonelli said.

 

The mayor's honesty when it comes to issues she addressed such as public safety and the financial picture was something that stood out for Simonelli when reflecting on her speech.

 

"I think she highlighted some pluses and touched on some negatives. So she is certainly not hiding or skirting the issues," Simonelli said.

 

 

Throughout the speech, the mayor cited various partners on the issue. McCandless said that spirit of collaboration is what is needed to address the city's big issues.

 

"To hear somebody give a speech where the word I is almost never used once, but the word we used dozens of times, I think that is very typical of who this mayor is and how she leads. She is really dedicated to this community and understands that all of us together is what is going to get the job done," McCandless said.

 

The mayor has just now entered her second of four years in the office. Caccamo says the speech explained the state of the city nicely and sets up the mayor for the next three years.

 

"I think the mayor laid it out nicely. She highlighted some of the positive things that are happening in the city. I think there is a lot of progress to be made and I think she is really setting herself up to be a very effective mayor in the next three years," Caccamo said. 

 

"I think she highlighted all of the right things, making progress in education, making progress  in the Tyler Street area, making progress in the business district and just getting people to live here."

 

The mayor's full speech is available below.