- Permit granted to build a porch onto a house at 2 Cherry Street.
- Request for public comment – no comments
- Michael Dutil was appointed to the Agricultural and Forestry Commission
- Town Administrator explained we share a Building Inspector with Becket and Great Barrington. This vote made the fees uniform across those three towns.
- Adam Plummer, resident living on Wheatleigh Drive, Stockbridge, brought forward a request to add to the Warrant for this Town Meeting (TM). He wanted Chapter 40, Section 6N of the Mass General Law added. A vote in the affirmative would grant help from the Town maintaining and repairing Wheatleigh Drive, a private road. The discussion was lengthy.
History: David Rothstein gave Stockbridge 22 acres on Wheatleigh Drive. Plummer suggested, if that made the Town a “resident” on the road, then the Town may have a legal obligation to maintain and repair the road as other residents do. It may also have some legal liability.
Michael Canales said he consulted Town Counsel and Stockbridge has no obligation.
Plummer said he had to “push back.” Plummer pointed if any suit were brought, a court would decide any obligation or liability not a lawyer.
Plummer asked the SB to approve an addition to the Warrant for this Town Meeting (May 18th] about assistance in maintaining Wheatleigh Drive, a private road.
Cardillo was opposed to the Wheatleigh Drive suggestion because it could open flood gates and encourage all folks on private roads to come forward. That could add costs to the Town budget. Canales corrected Cardillo and explained that the Town can assist and the landowners still pay the costs of maintenance and repairs on private roads.
As the discussion continued, the SB encouraged Plummer to postpone the addition to the Warrant this year and work out the details attendant on the Town helping maintain private roads – as they did with the request from Beachwood a few years ago. The SB decided to open the discussion to all residents on private roads.
After much discussion, it was decided that SB would not place the initiative on this year’s Warrant as suggested by Plummer speaking for Wheatleigh Drive. Instead, the Wheatleigh Drive residents would work to create a detailed plan and come back to SB for inclusion on the 2027 TM Warrant.
- Boat Ramp closed until end of May for repairs and redesign
- The operating budget was approved after discussion of the amount of money awarded to the Stockbridge Bowl Stewardship Commission. The amount ($2500) remained in the approved budget.
- The Warrant was approved after discussion of the possibility of removing the SBSC from our bylaws. If removed, it would be dissolved as a commission, but could possibly continue as presently constituted(?) and be called a committee. The motion to dissolve SBSC failed, Cardillo requested that SBSC report more regularly to SB, and the Warrant was approved and closed.
- Patrick White asked that an article be added to the Warrant for $50,000 for the South Berkshire Ambulance Squad (SBAS) — $25,000 toward operating costs and $25, 000 for capital expenditures (new trucks). It was approved as two articles. Cardillo explained it would be a temporary cost because when our new firehouse and paid staff were in place, then Stockbridge and SBAS would provide Mutual Aid for which neither service charges the other. As always, it would be available free just as Stockbridge has Mutual Aid agreements with Lee and Lenox.
Click Here to read the Warrant approved at SB meeting
