By Katy Savage
Children have been displaced for the past three months since the Rutland County Parent Child Center on Chaplin Avenue flooded Nov. 25, and there’s been no progress on the damaged building.
“Nothing has changed in three months. I say that to every parent who asks me, there’s no secret. There’s just no forward movement,” said Executive Director Mary Zigman.
The flood occurred over Thanksgiving break, when the unoccupied building froze. There were about three inches of water on both floors of the two-story building, Zigman said.
Zigman has declined to say how the building froze.
About 50 children have been in temporary spaces nearby since then. They occupy a Rutland Community Programs, Inc. building at 15 Juneberry Lane and the First Baptist Church on Center Street.
Temporary location permits for both those sites expire Feb. 28, according to State Fire Marshal Patrick Banks. A temporary licensing variance from the state also expires Feb. 28.
Parents teachers say it seems like the organization is “falling apart.” Two long-time employees, Madeline Denis and Dana Pellistri, said their positions were terminated by Zigman.
“One thing I know was a bone of contention was me asking questions about what the updates were for the building that was flooded,” said Denis, who had worked at the center for 20 years
“I’m feeling very unsettled and very badly for an agency I’ve loved so dearly and advocated for,” she said. “It’s like the whole agency is falling apart right now .”
The day care serves children starting as early as 6 months old. It operates many state-funded programs. The agency also received a $65,000 city tax reimbursement after winning a Supreme Court case for tax exemption.
Zigman became director about a year ago. Some teachers and parents say Zigman has created a “hostile” environment.
“If you question her even about the slightest thing she feels like she can’t trust you,” Denis said.
Staff said Zigman has not acted aggressively toward children, but she’s difficult to work with.
Lisa Sargent, the former finance manager, resigned, calling Zigman “abrasive and hostile.”
Parents are pulling their children from the program due to resignations and lack of trust in the leadership.
Just after hearing of Pellistri’s postion being cut, parent Laurie Smith pulled her 5-year-old daughter.
“Dana was the heart of the Rutland site,” Smith said. “There were a lot of things that weren’t fair and Dana and Madeline…kept speaking about what they thought was wrong. I guess they got sick of hearing it.”
Smith, a former teacher at the center, left her job last summer.
“I got sick of feeling unappreciated,” she said. “They talk down to everybody – like you’re just stupid – like you don’t know what you’re talking about. When it comes to the way you treat your employees she [Zigman] knows nothing about that.”
Parent Eric Taur said the environment at the daycare has shifted since the flood.
“The center’s focus isn’t on kids right now,” he said. “All I know is that we are in the process of looking for a new school because it’s not fair to my child.”
The child center held a board meeting last month, but many parents who attended said they weren’t able to voice their concerns.
“They weren’t addressing any issues – they were not answering any questions. It was like, what was the point?” said Tonia Huizenga, who takes her grandson to the agency.“It’s a sad day when parents can’t go there and speak in full.”
RCPCC board chair Andrea Coppola said the organization was going through a restructuring. She directed questions to Zigman.
Zigman declined to comment on personnel matters.
“No staff were fired for asking questions,” she said.
Zigman said she was working with community partners, including Home Depot, to repair the damaged facility.
“I’m anxious to get into the building,” she said.
