Editorial

Editorial: A New Year’s Resolution

Barney Edmonds pointed out a quote from The Stockbridge Story published in 1989 on the 250th anniversary of the town. John Beacco, then Chair of the Select Board, was asked to write an answer to the question: what will Stockbridge be like in the 21st century?

Well, here we are in the 21st Century, how did Chairman Beacco do? He wrote:

There are more reasons for optimism than for despair as we approach the year 2000. First, we are blessed with an enlightened and involved citizenry committed to preserving our residential village. It is ever vigilant to any attempt to alter the direction and ambiance charted for us so very long ago. This communal attitude manifests itself in the carefully constructed, strict bylaws which reflect our values and future. Not only is it in place, but it is consistently revalued to eliminate areas of weakness that could be exploited. But a bylaw…is useless without leadership confident and courageous to implement it. Over the years, Stockbridge has been very fortunate to have selectmen, planning boards, conservation committees, and zoning boards of appeal willing to make difficult, altruistic decisions.

From a distance of 35 years, Beacco called our bylaws strict and carefully constructed. Moreover, he explained why they were worded and focused as they were, that is, to preserve our residential village. 

In the intervening years, towns around us mushroomed. As their density increased, so did their taxes, so did the expense and complexity of governing, while the charm, personality, and livability decreased.

Stockbridge did well. Its tax rate is down, property values are up, and the beauty of Stockbridge is intact. Even so, some call for revamping our bylaws. Perhaps we might first read and understand them — their purpose and manner of achieving it. Then we might make our New Years Resolution.

Beacco cautioned it takes courage and confidence to enforce the bylaws. In recent years lawyers and lawsuits made it even harder than in 1989. Still…

Let’s acknowledge the difficulty of enforcing our bylaws. Let’s appreciate those on the line doing the job. Let’s support them in their efforts made on our collective behalf, and

Be it resolved: let’s enforce our bylaws.

Carole Owens< br />Executive Editor

News

SU FYI

1. Click here to review all properties in Stockbridge with Tax Exemptions under Chapter 61 of Mass General Laws. 

2. Rest of the River Update

After years of the public being kept in the dark about the PCB Cleanup and its impact on our community, there is more information available, much more public awareness, and with it, much more public involvement.

At the Select Board meeting (see below) there was a vote to be a signatory of a proposed letter from the five towns (Lee, Lenox, Stockbridge, Great Barrington and Sheffield) to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA New England) about truck transport of PCBs through our villages. The SB considered other related matters (see below). Click here for the link previously published in Stockbridge Updates and read the letter. 

3. Happy 90th Birthday to Allen Hyman and Berkshire Botanical Garden!!! May they have many more.

4. Berkshire Grown Winter Farmers Market Season announces “Markets will run every third Saturday of the month through April 20, 2024. SNAP matching at the Winter Farmers Markets is funded by Berkshire Agricultural Ventures’ Market Match program. The Winter Farmers’ Market is at 1064 Main Street, Housatonic. Saturdays, 10 am–2 pm. 

5. Many folks mentioned they would like to compost, but don’t want material in their yards that attracts bears. There are compost services in the County. Here is one: Tommy’s Compost Service owned and operated by former teacher, Mary Stuckler who wished to “help improve the future of the planet—and provide a value-add service to the community.” 

There are several alternatives: Composting in the Berkshires, Berkshire Compost, and Second Chance.

6. Did you know?

A complaint was received from an unidentified person about a book, Gender Queer, available in our middle school. The police responded. During the visit to the school, police requested, but did not receive, a list of every child who took out the book.

District Attorney, Timothy Shugrue, and Great Barrington Police Chief Paul Storti received a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union. In it, the ACLU called the search unwarranted and unlawful. We can leave the law to the lawyers, however… 

As a nation, we were never perfect; our country was never perfect, but we were always improving. More felt worthy and accepted. More were granted more rights. It was not until 2023 that the Supreme Court took away a right. No one liked it. Let’s not do that again.

Some of our children are bullied, made to feel different, made to feel lesser, and unhappy. Some of our children suffer from depression, and worse, some are suicidal. All that can be done, should be done to correct that. If these books are helpful, why seek to ban them? 

Shouldn’t we resolve to protect our rights, our neighbors’ rights, and above all, shouldn’t we protect our children and their teachers? This is our school.

News

Notes from the Kampoosa Bog Committee (KBC), December 18, 2023, Hybrid

KBC is receiving a lot of information and the Committee discussed how to organize it.

They resolved on three steps

1. Comb through and pare down to single copies of each item

2. Create a digital spread sheet that lists all information

3. Copy onto Google Drive (similar to Excel)

KBC discussed the prevalence of invasive species especially in the Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). They concluded it was better to catalogue where the invasives are and educate the public about how to identify invasives rather than encouraging the public to destroy invasives. It can be difficult and complex getting rid of invasives and if people use chemicals/sprays it can be destructive.

Finally, KBC discussed finding land in the ACEC that might be available for purchase and working on ways to purchase it to conserve it.

News

Notes from the Zoning Board of Appeals, December 19, 2023, Hybrid

This was a Public hearing on the application filed by Berkshire Waldorf High School, Inc. and The First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Stockbridge, MA pursuant to Stockbridge Zoning Bylaws, Section 7.2.2 requesting variances with respect to Section 5.5 Table of Dimensional Requirements for the Residential R2 requirements as well as the dimensional requirements stated in section 6.14 (2) of the Bylaws with regard to property at 4 Main Street and 6 Main Street. Properties are RC and R2.

One variance was because the building (former Town Hall and future Berkshire Waldorf High School) does not have sufficient frontage, and second, land coverage, that is the ratio of building to land in not 10% as required. Finally there is a parking reviewed by the Planning Board in January.

The grounds to grant the variances were: age of building and differences in requirements when built, miniscule differences in requirements, for example, the frontage required is 250 feet and the extant frontage is 205 feet, and seller/abutter supports granting variance and new use. 

Granting the variances clears the way to transfer the building from the church to the school and begin restoration.

Passed unanimously.

News

Notes from the Affordable Housing Trust (AHT), December 21, 2023, Hybrid

First on the agenda was the gift of 35 acres from Hans and Kate Morris to the AHT, and AHT’s vote to accept the gift. The purpose of the land will be to build affordable and workforce housing.

If in five years, the specified housing has not been built, AHT can gift it to the Town of Stockbridge for open space subject to approval at a Town Meeting. If neither of those purposes are executed, the land reverts to the Morrises.

The gift document was altered to say – housing plans will be submitted to Hans and Kate Morris with right to approve provided they do so within 10 days.

Chair Ranee Warner made clear that the gift was to AHT and not the Town of Stockbridge. She also explained that some of the property is in Chapter 61 (a tax category) when it is transferred to AHT, that designation disappears.

The vote to accept the gift was unanimous.

Discussion was open to the neighbors attending the meeting. They had many concerns. Some were issues that had not been reached yet. That is, the gift was accepted subject to Due Diligence which means AHT will hire engineers to evaluate and describe the land (boundaries and characteristics e.g. wetlands etc) That will result in better understanding of how many acres are buildable, which are the prime buildable sites, and sewer viability and water availability.

Neighbors were concerned about how many homes would be built, descriptions of what would be built (such as single family, apartments or duplexes), where they would be built, and access roads to the homes built, etc.

While Select Board member Patrick White said he would not support any designs not in keeping with the character of Stockbridge, he also explained we are only at the beginning stages. Warner said they don’t know any of those answers yet. Neighbors also shared that water pressure was insufficient for fire suppression ad the sewer connection is small.

The Chair explained there were two options for Due Diligence: one less in depth and therefore cheaper and the other more detailed and expensive. Without a vote, AHT apparently accepted the Chair’s suggestion to take the cheaper options for due diligence although some members worried doing a more in-depth evaluation only if determined necessary would take more time because it turned it into a two-step process.

Three engineering firms responded to do the land evaluation — White cautioned that no one from the AHT could communicate with them until one is chosen. The Town Administrator would make the selection according to established procedure, however, the Chair wished to work with Michael Canales in making the selection. Due Diligence must be completed by May 15, 2024, when the settlement is scheduled.

News

Notes from the Select Board (SB), December 28, 2023, Hybrid

The SB considered signing a letter from the five towns to the Rest of River (RoR) agreement (letter included in December 15, 2023, issue of Stockbridge Updates). The letter advocates in favor of rail transport of PCBs. SB also considered adding West Stockbridge as a sixth signatory. Both motions passed unanimously.

In a related matter, Town Administrator, Michael Canales, will request of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission all minutes of the RoR Committee. The RoR Committee was dissolved as of December 2023. Similar requests were made by Lee and Sheffield. Lee SB also approved release of attorney-client privileged records.

White explained, “I’m just trying to make sure that if there’s any sort of detail that we don’t really have access to around trucks versus trains, I would like to have a chance to review that and have it in the form of our comments that are due February 1.”

The 2016 agreement recommended train transport. White said the most recent GE transportation plan focuses on trucks with hardly any consideration of rail. White wanted to know what changed and why. 

Other votes taken at the SB meeting approved James Cornwell as new member of Stockbridge Department of Public Works Highway Department, and offer of employment to Brandon Messina for the Stockbridge Police Department.

Perspective

Together Women Rise 

For more than 20 years, a dedicated group of women in the Berkshires, and border towns in NY and CT, have been meeting monthly — in homes, community centers, and on Zoom– to help achieve global gender equality. Our chapter is just one of hundreds of local Together Women Rise chapters that support women and girls in low-income countries. We are a national nonprofit whose work focuses on three key areas: Learning–to increase understanding of global gender equality and fuel our collective action; Giving–to invest in grants and partnerships that support women and girls in low-income countries; and Community Building– to create a diverse and inclusive global community of women and allies committed to make the world a better place. 

January’s recipient is Shared Interest: Investing in Southern Africa, an organization that works to change gender norms that impede women’s ability to succeed as entrepreneurs. Our support focuses on Shared Interest’s work in Malawi, driving systematic change in the financial system and unlocking local capital for local people. This work will set the stage for systemic change in the larger financial markets of South Africa and Zambia. 

“The challenge to women’s rights continues to be an outrage so enormous that it seems impossible on a personal level to effect change,” says Stockbridge resident and Rise member Chris Ferraro. “ What I’ve learned by participating in Together Women Rise is first, that it’s far worse elsewhere in the world than here in the U.S., and second, that by working together, real change can happen in even the most oppressive places. . . .This has been one of the most rewarding community efforts I’ve experienced here in the Berkshires, and I still Iook forward to meeting new members every month!” 

Come to learn about us and share in a potluck meal with a great group of women — next meeting January 18, 2024. There is never any obligation to join or donate. There are several groups in the Berkshires—Great Barrington, Pittsfield, Williamstown. For more info about our southern Berkshire group, contact leaders Linda Baxter or Laura Mars at togetherwomenrisegb1@gmail.com

by Laura Mars

Perspective

Be A Better Gardener

On Nov. 15, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published an update of a standard gardening tool, its “Plant Hardiness Zone Map.” This map is the most popular guide about whether a particular type of plant will or won’t survive in your garden. 

You’ll find the USDA map in most gardening books and referred to on most plant labels at your local garden center, and in plant descriptions in nursery catalogs.

Interesting Changes 

Changes from the 2012 edition provide unmistakable evidence that the climate throughout most of the United States is changing. Winter cold is the primary challenge to a plant’s survivability. However, many other factors also determine whether a perennial plant, tree or shrub is going to survive from one year to the next. They are heat, draught, and additional factors in the Northeast such as warmer winters with less snowfall, can prove more challenging for cold sensitive plants. With climate change, less reliable precipitation in the Northeast — with weather tending to veer from drought to flood – and greater summer heat which are challenges.

Labels

Labels will indicate the zone recommended. The region of southwestern Massachusetts has been assigned to zone 6a.

Advice to the Gardener 

Read the map, in other words, but with a grain of salt, adjusting for climate change.

Be-a-Better-Gardener is a community service of Berkshire Botanical Garden, located in Stockbridge, Mass. Its mission, to provide knowledge of gardening and the environment through a diverse range of classes and programs, informs and inspires thousands of students and visitors each year. Thomas Christopher is a volunteer at Berkshire Botanical Garden and is the author or co-author of more than a dozen books, including Nature into Art and The Gardens of Wave Hill (Timber Press, 2019). He is the 2021 Garden Club of America’s National Medalist for Literature, a distinction reserved to recognize those who have left a profound and lasting impact on issues that are most important to the GCA. Christopher’s companion broadcast to this column, Growing Greener, streams on WESUFM.org, Pacifica Radio and NPR and is available at berkshirebotanical.org/growinggreener.

by Thomas Christopher

The Last Word

Reader to Reader

Dear Carole,

I’ve written the Selectmen, Michael Canales, and Chief Fennelly to say that I think the new crosswalks are a big improvement in safety, particularly the center sign stands.

I also suggested that, since they are to be painted in the Spring, this may be the time to rethink the color of the crosswalks: that is, to

change the color from the current 50s Green to a more traditional Barn Red, more in keeping with a vintage Stockbridge look and feel. I also noted that Lee and Lenox have opted for this much more traditional and attractive Barn Red look.

Chief Fennelly doesn’t seem to have an objection so I suggested to Patrick White that you might ‘sound out’ the community and see what people think.

Best, Donald Steven

Editor’s note: Thank you, Donald, for starting the conversation! Please, everyone, send your opinions and suggestions to SU and we will post in the next issue.

Dear Carole Owens,

We have never met, but as a resident of Stockbridge, I want to tell you how much I appreciate your work.

Thank you for letting us know what’s happening in Stockbridge and the environs. It’s so important.

I also want to say I agreed with you in your recent opinion article in the Edge about Rachael Maddow. 

I used to be such an admirer and looked forward to her show on MSNBC. I admired her thorough and unstinting coverage.

I gave up on watching her because of her proclivity to repeat herself like an aging mother and the commercial breaks that increased so massively that there was literally equal time devoted to commercials.

I didn’t see the Liz Chaney show but if I had I would have been livid. – What a shame.

I hope you enjoy the holidays, and as always, I look forward to your Updates.

Best wishes, Anne Ferril

Carole, 

Love reading your updates. I am a 1/2-year resident in Stockbridge for the last 20 years. 

Happy Holidays!!!!!!!! JB 

Jon Budish 

Dear Mr. Budish,

Thank you for your generous support of SU.

Carole

Hi Carole,

What a beautiful issue, especially with the tributes to John Beacco. My heart is breaking over his passing. Do you have the addresses of his sons, by any chance?

Wendy (Nielson) Beckman

Editor’s note: We cannot give out email addresses, but with her permission, I emailed Kip, gave him her address and told him she would like to be in touch.

Hi Carole: 

Thanks so much for all of the articles you put on this week’s, and every week’s issue. Stockbridge Updates is a wonderful gift for the town. I may, in a day or 2, send a similar version of my remembrance [of John Beacco posted in the December 15. 2023 issue] to either the Eagle or the Edge, but I wanted to have it be in the Updates first. I’d also like to send Updates a check …Have a great holiday season. 

Terry Flynn

Dear Terry,

Thank you for all you did for Stockbridge.

Carole

To the Editor:

My New Year’s Resolutions:

Advocate for Rail vs Truck transportation of PCB waste concerning the Rest of the River cleanup.

Reeducate myself as much as possible concerning the GE/EPA Rest of the River cleanup plan and process.

Encourage my town leaders to keep top of mind that our health and economic future is at stake.

Convey the truth …

Gary Pitney

To the Editor:

After reading a recent article about the Housatonic River Clean-up, I think it’s important to acknowledge and thank Stockbridge resident Denny Alsop, who obtained the signatures from several hundred Stockbridge residents on a petition to transport toxic PCBs by rail rather than by truck through the towns.

It is also apparent that a significant number of Stockbridge residents feel that they were neither involved in nor informed about discussions and decisions being made on their behalf related to the clean-up over the past several years. In a town that has made a deliberate effort to support transparency in government, and where residents have been clear about their preferences in preserving the environment, the realization that they appear to have been excluded from expressing their views on such a major and controversial action is having an impact.

I have personally spoken with more than a dozen residents with a view toward networking and sharing information with as many other residents as possible on the entire clean-up project. Among other topics already going around are the negative health and safety effects of Diesel Particulate Matter — from truck exhaust – being continuously pumped into the atmosphere during thousands of truck runs. And the use of the Thermal Desorption process to safely remove PCBs from the river. 

Much thanks should also go to the town of Lee for taking the lead on this issue while other towns stayed silent. Lee continues to lead on this, and the other towns should follow. 

Bruce Blair

Dear Editor,

Thank you for raising awareness about how best to remediate the heavily contaminated Housatonic River. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates there are between 100,000 and 600,000 pounds of PCBs trapped within the riverbed, banks, and surrounding soil. These deadly PCBs cannot simply be extracted and removed. The poisoned earth itself must be dug up, transported, buried, capped, and monitored. It’s a massive undertaking.

When I looked into the challenge of moving 1,133,000 cubic yards of General Electric’s contaminated sediment, I learned it would require up to 12,870 truck trips a year and for four years.

Those are all big numbers. To put them on a more human scale, I walked down Stockbridge’s Main Street and tried to imagine what those 65 trucks a day would sound, smell, and look like … to say nothing of the impact on our traffic flow, roadbeds, and air quality. 

There must be a better way. It’s called the Housatonic Railroad. Their train tracks essentially follow along the river and are already in place, ready to haul hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of sediment. Of course, before they can begin, some additional infrastructure will be required. But that’s also true of truck access to the several sites.

Let’s not make this important decision without fully exploring the benefits of using trains to do the job.

Barney Edmonds