Dear Readers,
Sadly, we have received several communications that state the same problem:
“I stopped receiving your Stockbridge Updates and I’m sad. Hopefully I can get back on your email list.”
First and most important, anytime you did not receive Stockbridge Updates, go to www.stockbridgeupdates.com and in the upper right corner add your name and email again.
2. You can read the issue you missed and any back issue from the very first issue.
3. We are doing everything on our end to prevent this but as often as not it is your server that has decided to block SU.
4. There is a way to instruct your server to “always allow” SU. It varies from server to server so I can’t tell you exactly how. Use your “Help” button.
Thank you for reading SU. Thank you very much for missing it when it didn’t come. The Internet is like a living thing constantly changing. We are so lucky to have so many subscribers that we can get blocked. We are doing everything we can think of to get to your inbox. Keep letting us know when it fails, and we will try something else.
Thank you, Carole
To the Editor:
The comment in the August 1 issue of Stockbridge Updates “Once more the meeting was cancelled” references a Planning Board meeting that was never scheduled in the first place. The implication that the PB is shirking its responsibilities is inaccurate and does not comport with objective journalism.
At the July 2 meeting of the PB, the board voted 5 to 1 to schedule meetings on a need-be basis with the understanding that business would be consolidated when possible, never delayed. Vice Chair Gary Pitney, who could not attend the meeting, agreed with this approach. The Select Board, Zoning Board of Appeals, Finance Committee and Historic Preservation Committee all meet on a need-be basis.
The Planning Board has specific duties that involve the review of requests, applications, plans and bylaws as required by our zoning bylaws. This process, which requires a thorough understanding of the bylaws and attention to details, often involves site visits and when needed, input from town counsel. While this kind of scrutiny is a lot to ask of a volunteer board like ours, without it, Stockbridge will not be well served. A well-functioning board needs to be mindful of making good use of everyone’s time. Flexibility in scheduling aligns with my own interest in attracting capable members to the board — something that I believe benefits both the board and our community.
Kate Fletcher, Chair, Stockbridge Planning Board
To the editor:
I am writing to give my full support to Patrick White running for state representative the 3rd Berkshire District.
As a recently retired public health doctor who has dedicated his career to assuring that quality healthcare is available and accessible to all, I found Patrick White to have the insight and awareness of this very complex crisis we face in Berkshire County.
In speaking with Patrick on several occasions, I found him to be thoughtful, intelligent, and honest about the role state government can play in helping to address this crisis. He understands that recruitment must come with retention of healthcare practitioners. To attract and retain practitioners to the rural communities of the Berkshires, we must consider their families, affordable housing, loan forgiveness in exchange for a time commitment. Perhaps, we must work with medical schools to engage with future practitioners, providing insight into the practice opportunities of rural medicine in primary care, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and geriatric medicine.
In addition, Patrick opened up the discussion to include first responders from the various towns throughout the Berkshires as a key link with practitioners in rural communities.
Patrick White has demonstrated to me that he understands this issue and all its complexities, asking insightful and intelligent questions, ready to build realistic solutions with all the stakeholders.
We need the type of critical thinking and demonstrated abilities that Patrick White has to represent the rural communities of western Massachusetts in Boston on this and many other critical issues.
Timothy G Wighton, M.D., Dr.PH, Otis
