Carole

“Thank you, Carole, for your undying love of and support for our humble community of Stockbridge.” Bob Feuer.

Bob, thank you, there is nothing I would rather be thanked for than a lifelong love of Stockbridge and working for it — Mary told me to ‘watch out for Stockbridge.’ No way I can do it as well as she did; but I try.” Carole

“Well, you are doing just that. Kudos, Bob

To the Editor,

Re: “My Thinking About Desisto” by Patrick White. While I don’t always agree with his stance on certain issues in Stockbridge (i.e. the RTE) and sometimes have mixed feelings about other issues in town, I wanted to commend him for taking the time to explain his reasons for voting for the DeSisto School development, and you Carole for publishing.

So often the key considerations leading to a decision get lost in the haze of choppy presentations by the interested parties at multiple Select Board and Town Meetings spread out over time, it was helpful for him to lay out the pros and cons of the project and why he decided as he did, particularly for those who may have disagreed with him or had only casually followed the evolving debate. It also fosters confidence among our fellow citizens that its elected representatives are rolling up their sleeves and working hard to achieve the best results for the Town.

I hope this is a practice that can be followed in the future, at least on major town issues.

Again, thank you both for your efforts.

Meryl and Phil Cedar

Meryl and Phil,

Thanks so much for understanding why Stockbridge Updates does what it does. SU wants the best-informed voters possible. Sharing the thought behind, and the context for, a decision is our job — whether we agree with the final vote or not. I hope all the “deciders” — elected and appointed — take advantage of the opportunity a hometown paper affords especially when it is a controversial issue. Again thanks, folks like you make our community better, Carole

Hi Carole and Patrick,

Thanks for putting us on this list (actually Mike and I share this address) and Thanks to Carole for posting this.

I’d like to congratulate Patrick on his excellent work and decision on the Desisto project. It was thorough, he considered all the relevant issues, consulted competent experts, weighed the facts, and made a well-supported decision with the good of the town and its residents in mind. Would that all elected officials, especially those at the national level, were as thorough and rational and sought advice from competent experts.

Bravo for a task well done.

Susan Pettee
Great Barrington

To the editor:

At a moment in time when the spotlight is often on conflict, divisiveness, and polarization, I would like to share a story that showcases the spirit of community and the power of grassroots action.

Three weeks ago, residents of the beautiful, historic area that encompasses Interlaken Cross, Willard Hill, and Hill Road discovered that 35 acres of land abutting Interlaken Cross were sold to a developer in February. Within days, a passionate and dedicated number of community residents rallied neighbors to support a buyout of the land by the Town of Stockbridge.

A shared passion for our area’s natural beauty, the wildlife with which we are fortunate to share our land, and a commitment to preserving the tranquility and character of our neighborhood sealed a common resolve to support conserving this land.

Following a CPC meeting during which committee members and neighbors came together to discuss the development, the CPC provisionally committed some funds to support a buyout. Two days later, a large group of residents rallied prior to a town meeting and committed $50,000 in under four hours. Carole Owens led this fundraising effort with an aim to save taxpayers money. This is just the start!

Neighbors have organized fundraising events in their homes over the next few weeks. We have even engaged people who don’t live in the area but have a deep connection to Stockbridge and want to preserve the natural beauty of the historic Interlaken neighborhood.

At a time when our nation is divided and shared norms seem to be in decline, the Interlaken community has shown that the spirit of American democracy and civil society is alive and well. What could be a more worthy cause than preserving the natural beauty of Stockbridge?

Natasha Hritzuk

Dear Jamie, Chuck and Patrick,

It has come to our attention that the citizen’s petition regarding Moffatt Family Trust property would be of no use if the selectmen vote to release the right of first refusal before the town meeting on May 19th. We are writing to ask that you NOT release the right of first refusal and instead postpone that vote, let the petition be heard and let town meeting voters decide.

More than whether or not we support the petition, we do not support elected officials who would overstep in such a way as to take the matter away from the people by this sort of workaround. Please postpone the vote until after you hear from the citizens of Stockbridge on the 19th to see if we the people of Stockbridge want to spend the money for this land.

Sincerely,

Alan, Teresa and Luke O’Brient

Thank you, Teresa, Alan, Luke, and Natahsa —

We end where the SU editorial began. It isn’t the content; it is the process. It is not what we decide to do, it is how and how decide, and we treat one another as we decide.

Carole