To the Editor:
Cleaning Marble Monuments, I scrape away the lichen with a plastic putty knife. Plastic doesn’t harm the marble. A soft-bristled brush removes some of the finer lichen bits living on the engraved roses framing the unreadable name. I spray water on the stone and then spray with cleanser, D/2. More lichen appears. More brushing dislodges biological growth. A stream of water from my spray bottle methodically chases the dirt from top to bottom, left to right, running down the face of the stone. I scrub some more. Through an orange hue of suds, the letters begin to reveal themselves – R E H T S E, ESTHER!
Sincerely,
Candace Currie, Vice-chair Cemetery Commission
Carole,
My wife and I lived in Stockbridge from 2015 — June 2021, and then we moved to Maine to be near both of our kids and our grandson. I moved to Kripalu in November 2014 to become their VP Finance. My involvement with the Stockbridge Library was as Board Treasurer (July 2017 — June 2018) and then as Board President (July 2018 — June 2021).
I started the weekly poetry program at SLA during poetry Month (April 2020) as a way for people to find some solace during the week. It took off after that and we just started Season 4.
I have been remiss in not emailing you earlier. Our program is on Wednesday’s at 12:30 pm via zoom.
Your weekly update letter is great.
John Gillespie
To the Editor:
In response to Laura Dubester’s comment in The Edge that in Stockbridge the part time residents have a “median income of more than $250,000”, I say she’s painting us all with a very wide brush! My family’s income is about $70,000, and our so-called second home is a small cottage my father built in 1947 that has had little improvement. It isn’t insulated or winterized, so it’s in use primarily from Memorial Day until Labor Day for a couple weeks and on weekends. The chimney needs repair so we use a small space heater on occasion.
As for the RTE promoted by John H. Hart and others, NOT all second-home owners have the finances to handle any additional tax burden. I add to the local economy but am hit by unfair costs…I pay TWICE as much in sewer fees for the approximately 14 weeks maximum I could occupy my cottage in Stockbridge than I do for the entire year at my primary residence! I receive a sewer bill for the seven months I am not there and use NO water. We don’t have metered water, and Stockbridge determines the sewer rate by the number of bedrooms, NOT by the amount/sources of water usage! My husband and I (who conserve and have low water usage) thus pay the same rate as those with three bedrooms but perhaps many more in residence for a greater number of months, and while we only have two sinks, one tub and one toilet, they may be using a dishwasher, clothes washer, outside faucet or outside shower!
One bedroom is tiny with just enough room for a twin bed and a dresser at its foot, and a small space to walk alongside. At one time it wasn’t considered a bedroom because it doesn’t have a closet, but last year an assessor told me if someone sleeps there (a young child on occasion) then it’s a bedroom and is thus used to determine what we pay in sewer fees!
My cottage is my refuge away from noise, medical appointments and procedures, plus a respite from social devices or even a TV, and a place to gather with friends and relatives. For this “privilege” I’m expected to pay a disproportionate amount in taxes?
Unfairly targeted,
Lynda Overlock
