Editorial

Election Season

It is the political season, so let’s talk politics.

They finally did it. They nominated a woman — first woman ever. When they did, newspaper reported the people were “shaken.”

She was nominated partly because the other guy was crazier than a barn owl. Still, any woman who wanted the job was suspect. Folks dug deep to find her old misdeeds and accuse her of new ones. Here’s the story.

The hotelier, popular, respected, and male resigned from the position leaving a void and leaving the town scrambling for a replacement. A real estate man looked like a good choice, and many were prepared to back him. Sadly, it was discovered that he was none too stable. A local attorney and political operative stepped in and said any politician who backed him risked their own reelection.

They heeded the attorney’s advice and threw their weight behind a sober banker — a tad boring — but stable. The attorney was back shaking his finger and shaking his head. He had scuttled the real estate man’s ship and now moved in to sink the banker.

The bank needed that banker. He would be unable to do both jobs. Once again, the attorney’s advice was followed, and the banker’s name was dropped from consideration. Once again, they had no candidate. What now?

That attorney announced he had a solution, and by gosh, he nominated a woman as US Postmistress before anyone ever heard the word postmistress. She was nominated, but did she win?

Nope. The digging finally paid off and a plot was exposed. The attorney owned the building where the female nominee’s father had his tailor shop. The attorney extracted a promise that if she were elected, she would move the post office to the attorney’s building. The move would increase the lawyer’s rent roll substantially and increase her father’s business because townsfolk would pass his shop daily as they collected their mail.

The lawyer was exposed as self-serving. The female nominee was exposed as his dupe and withdrew her name. The banker and the real estate man stepped out of politics permanently, and, for the good of the town, the hotelier withdrew his resignation and remained postmaster. It was 1886. The town was Stockbridge. The hotel was the Red Lion Inn.

Nonetheless, thirty-four years before she could vote, Stockbridge, that forward-thinking village, nominated a woman and coined the word postmistress.

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by Carole Owens , Managing Edito

News

Notes from the Planning Board, January 18, Hybrid meeting

Present:

• Bill Vogt, Chair
• Marie Raftery
• Nancy Socha
• Kate Fletcher via Zoom
• Carl Sprague via Zoom
• Jennifer Carmichael, secretary, Patrick White, Select Board
• Many citizens present via Zoom identified if they speak

1. Approval of minutes deferred until next meeting
2. White presented a proposal called Flex Parcel Zoning meant to encourage building of moderately priced housing. (Click here to read all four pages)
3. Vogt asked how this relates to the work of the Housing Trust Fund. White said he wanted to encourage a range of housing — low income, moderate, and upper income. Evidently the Housing Trust Fund is focused on low-income housing and this proposal is meant to encourage, and be an incentive for, moderate-priced housing.
4. Fletcher suggested this was essentially cluster housing and said our bylaw allows that now
5. Raftery asked if this requires a new bylaw or bylaw revision?
6. After the Board commented, the public was invited to speak. Owens cited White’s introduction in which he said the intent of Stockbridge zoning 40 years ago was not to exclude working class housing or make Stockbridge unaffordable for folks who work in Town. Owens agreed and said it was a case in point that the marketplace is a stronger force than zoning. Example, 1700 square foot, two bed two bath attached dwellings in Stockbridge today are selling for $469,000 – $629,000. Owens doubted practicality of social engineering through zoning and feared unintended consequences.
7. White suggested Canales and the Berkshire Regional Planning consultant to work on Flex Parcel proposal — no vote was taken.
8. Chair asked to postpone discussion of Cottage Era Bylaw as two members (Gary Pitney and Wayne Slosek) were not present.

Meeting adjourned

News

Reader to Reader

Dear Carole,

Here is an Interlaken resident’s perspective on the bridge closures in our neighborhood. Over the past several years, four bridges were out of commission in Interlaken, so our neighborhood has been particularly challenged. We were delighted when the Rt.183 bridge by Larrywaug Crossroad reopened. That was a triumph for car travel; walkers and bicyclers were also pleased.

Sadly, the remaining three closed bridges (two at Averic Rd. and the historic Curtisville Bridge) are still off limits to pedestrians and cyclists. Many Interlaken residents enjoy taking walks to the reservoir on Averic Road and “walking the circle” from Rt. 183 to Averic to Train Hill to Interlaken Crossroad to Willard Hill, Hill Road, and Trask Lane. Stockbridge Bowl residents are also frequent walkers of those routes. All have been negatively impacted by closed bridges, the slowness of the repairs, and responses to our queries about the future of the Curtisville Bridge. The refusal to open Curtisville Bridge for walkers and cyclists is frustrating.

Currently a chain link fence sits on both sides of that bridge while a wide open, potentially dangerous, new span was built just north of the bridge to temporarily carry sewer and water pipes. That new “temporary bridge” has no top decking and is an open invitation to risk takers who might want to try to walk over it.

Speaking on behalf of many of my neighbors, we would like to have a way to walk around our village. The Curtisville Bridge is surely unsafe for cars and trucks, but pedestrians, leashed dogs, and cyclists should not pose a problem.

We sincerely hope the Select Board, Town Administrator, Highway Superintendent and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation will take another look at Curtisville Bridge. Surely a relatively inexpensive temporary solution can be found to allow safe passage for pedestrians and bicyclists across that bridge while considering long-term solutions for the bridge restoration.

Our hopes are that Curtisville Bridge remain for pedestrians only, and that when the first Averic Rd. bridge work is completed this spring, it and the bridge next to it will be opened for walkers and cyclists.

“Walking the circle” again with our neighbors and friends would be a great way to welcome the spring season in Interlaken in 2022!!

Thanks for the opportunity to share these concerns,

Lenore Sundberg

Dear Lenore,

Stockbridge Updates is delighted to provide a place to share. Your walks sound like lots of fun.

Carole

Carole,

Thought I would let you know that Berkshire Agricultural Ventures (BAV) was recently awarded two grants totaling nearly $1 million from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). BAV was the only 2021 recipient nationwide of funding from both the USDA’s Regional Food System Partnership (RFSP) and the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP). These grants will allow BAV, over the course of three years, to address long-standing food system issues in the region’s livestock supply chain, and improve access to local foods for Berkshire-Taconic Region residents while growing sales for local food producers.

Grants from the USDA’s Regional Food System Partnership (RFSP) support partnerships that connect public and private resources to plan and develop local or regional food systems.

Over the project period, BAV will leverage the $480,948 RFSP grant to enhance existing relationships with livestock supply chain enterprises, economic development and planning agencies, and agricultural service providers to build capacity for the grant activities. The outcomes for the project will be improved meat processing, new supply chain infrastructure, and enhanced marketing opportunities for meat processors and livestock producers within the Berkshire-Taconic Region.

As BAV staff member Dan Carr recently wrote, “Our nation’s consolidated meat processing industry is unhealthy for farmers, for consumers, and for the environment. While the Berkshire-Taconic/Litchfield Hills region is an ideal landscape for regenerative livestock farmers, current demand for local meat far outstrips what our region’s farmers can produce, due to bottlenecks in meat processing capacity. Supporting the growth of local small-scale meat processors can help secure our region’s meat supply, and also support local livestock producers.”

In addition to federal funding, BAV has received funding from local Berkshire foundations and individuals to help improve the availability of regional meat processing and storage. The second grant, the USDA’s Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP), funds projects that develop, coordinate, and expand local and regional food business enterprises that engage as intermediaries in indirect producer-to-consumer marketing to help increase access to and availability of locally and regionally produced agricultural products.

To fulfill this $498,068 grant, BAV is partnering with Berkshire Organics — an online food marketplace and home delivery service — to grow sales for local food producers and improve access to local foods for customers. “The LFPP award gives BAV a huge boost to carry out what we’re already good at: supporting the growth and long-term viability of local food businesses,” said Ciana Barnaba, BAV Special Projects Manager.

Best wishes,
Glenn Bergman

Dear Glenn,

Thank you for keeping us in the loop, good luck with your project.

Carole

News

Notes from the Community Preservation Committee (CPC), January 26, In person

Present:

• Sally Underwood Miller, Chair
• Tom Stokes, Board of Assessors
• Linda Jackson, Historical Commission
• Carole Owens, Select Board Rep
• Patrick White, Select Board

1. There was technical difficulty, therefore a second meeting was scheduled so all applicants can be heard. It will be February 1, 4 pm, Select Board Room/Town Offices
2. 5 organizations planning to submit grant requests were present and were heard by a quorum (5 of 9 members present)
   1. Donna Hassler and Jerry Blanche — Chesterwood would like to repair its Studio Garden including the trail through the woodland — 2-year project with multiple funding sources
   2. Laurie Norton Moffatt — Norman Rockwell Museum will continue its plans to restore Linwood — administrative funds
   3. Congregational Church ADA approved an historically correct ramp/entrance to Jonathan Edwards Room — one part of a larger $1.2 million restoration project
   4. Doug Goudey on behalf of the Stockbridge Land Trust reporting on unexpended funds previously awarded — they will be spent this year
   5. Arthur Dutil for Gould Meadows plans to rebuild a wall, remove dead trees, grind stumps, remove invasives, and paint and finish floor in Red Milk Shed.

Editor’s Note: CPC was established after Stockbridge adopted the Community Preservation Act in 2002 to oversee disbursements from the Community Preservation Funds. The Committee makes recommendations to Town Meeting, which must approve all expenditures. Stockbridge has received more than $2 million in matching state funds since 2002.

Meeting adjourned

News

Notes from the Tri Town Board of Health Public Hearing. January 26, Zoom only

Members:

• Stockbridge Board of Health: Dr. Charles Kenny (Chair) Rae Williams, Dr. Henry Schwerner
• Lenox Board of Health Dr. Noel Blagg and Dianne Romeo
• Lee Board of Health Dr. Robert Wespiser and JoAnn Sullivan
• Jim Wilusz, Executive Director

1. Chair Charles Kenny opened the public hearing.
2. There were comments from Board members who wished to make an opening comment.
3. Following was two hours of citizen comments, both for and against the possibility of mandating restaurants to require proof of vaccination to dine. Full comments are available on CTSB
4. The Board allowed time and listened to all who wished to speak.
5. Chair closed the public hearing. No vote was taken.

News

Notes from the Cemetery Commission, January 25, Hybrid Meeting

Present:

• Karen Marshall, Chair
• Patrick White, Select Board
• Roxanne McCaffrey, Select Board
• Terri Lemolini, Town Clerk
• Peter Williams, Historical Commission
• Michael Canales, Town Administrator
• Candace Curry, member, via Zoom

1. Wendy Pearson, Stockbridge Library Director, asked for clarification regarding holding events in the cemetery. Should she present a list of dates and ask permission once or appear for each date? Canales explained there is no formal policy yet, but the issue arose when folks advertised an event on Halloween Night in Stockbridge cemetery on Facebook. There was discussion about creating a policy as well as assuring Stockbridge Library that their programs could continue.
2. Rick Atwood will cover burials until someone is hired to replace Chris Marsden. In the alternative, the position may be divided between two people. A new hire doing Marsden’s job but Atwood continuing with the burials.
3. Before he left, Marsden proposed $20,000 worth of tree work. Marshall asked if it had been done? Canales explained that to remove a tree there are six criteria; for example, it is dead, dangerous or diseased. If one of the six criteria is not met, Mark Faber, Tree Warden, must hold a public hearing. Faber removed one dangerous limb.
4. Curry wanted to be cautious about removing trees. White agreed that a shady, treed cemetery is aesthetically appealing. After discussion the Commission agreed that they would strike the balance between beauty, preservation, and safety.
5. The Commission discussed the report from the consultants. There was over $250,000 worth of work recommended.
6. Chair mentioned they had $400,000 in their Maintenance Fund — amassed over almost 40 years
7. Canales offered these thoughts
   1. The work will not be started all at once so the money will be spent in phases. Consultants should create a list of the order in which to do the work
   2. Add 10% for overages and 10% for oversight — approximately $300,000
   3. Ask the consultants if they are planning to apply to do the work themselves, oversee the work themselves, or neither?
8. Williams asked about use of volunteers to defray some costs — others agreed
9. There is a MA law that tombstones may not be removed from cemetery so they will be stored on site
10. Moved to ask Town Meeting to use $300,000 from their fund to go forward with the work — approved
11. White asked if the Gideon Smith graveyard is included (located on a hill opposite the entrance to White Pines). It was not. Have to resolve the question of who owns the historic cemetery and then, if the Town, restore it.

Meeting adjourned

News

Notes from the Stockbridge Bowl Stewardship Committee, January 21

Meeting cancelled

News

Notes from the Select Board, January 20, Hybrid Meeting

Present:

• Roxanne McCaffrey, Chair
• Chuck Cardillo
• Patrick White
• Michael Canales, Town Administrator

1. Petition from National Grid to drill/excavate for service to 36 Main Street. Since no rep from National Grid was present, therefore, approval was conditional on Canales getting responses to two questions: how will this be done and how long will it take?
2. Laurel Hill Association (LHA) requested that its annual report be included in Town Annual Report. Cardillo did not want LHA report to open flood gates to other nonprofits being included. White said it was a tradition to include the LHA report. McCaffrey suggested if any others ask, it will be decided on case-by-case basis. Request approved.
3. Canales offered project updates
   1. Larrywaug Bridge open. The project finished on time and on budget. It may close this spring for a day or two in order to black top
   2. Averic Bridge is on task and on time and will open this spring.
   3. No timetable on second Averic Bridge
   4. Bids for the Ice Glen tree treatment project expected by end of February
   5. Park Street Pump Station out for bids January 19
4. Projects the Town may present to CPC for funding
   1. Cemetery costs may qualify under CPC Historic Preservation
   2. Chime Tower
   3. Study a design for a MumBet statue
   4. Revolutionary War Memorial
   5. Painting cleanup of Glendale Fire Station or restoration of station
   6. Replace Fire Truck
   7. Kampoosa Bog restoration
   8. Tuckerman Bridge
5. Some money saved from CPC funding of Proctor roof to be returned to CPC
6. Report on Tuckerman Bridge — deferred maintenance caused situation where recommendation of engineer is “full replacement” (est. $2 million). Try to save historic parts of the foundation. Canales (Administrator), Hugh Page (Highway), Mike Buffoni (Water), and Tony Campetti (Sewer) agree with full replacement. Tuckerman Bridge now at top of list of must-dos

Meeting adjourned

News

Notes from the Board of Assessors, January 18, Hybrid meeting

Present:

• Gary Pitney, Chair
• Doug Goudey
• Tom Stokes
• Michael Blay, Assessor

1. Tax exemption certifications to be signed (executive session).
2. “Form of Lists” for businesses mailed, for second homeowners will be mailed next
3. Budget will increase as this is a certification year and there are extra costs associated: evaluation of utilities ($4000); appraisals ($2000); improved software ($1800) = $7800 increase over $6400 budget = $14,200; also there may be increased mailings — will submit to Canales.
4. Goudey said the Assessor’s Office generates income on very small budget — should be no problem
5. Maps and sketches to be uploaded
6. No update on PILOT program
7. Board went into executive Session

Meeting adjourned

News

Events

1. Stockbridge Library: The Second Annual Stockbridge Ice Festival — February 19 10 a.m. — 2 p.m. 46 Main Street
2. Norman Rockwell Museum — February 12 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm free event — Draw with illustrator Jan Brett — interactive
3. Berkshire Botanical Garden — February Classes register at www.berkshirebotanicalgarden.com
   • Ecology Lecture Series: Four Lectures Wednesdays Feb 2 — Feb 23 6:30 pm — 7:30 pm, Online
   • Iconic Birds of Massachusetts and their Habitat; Building Healthy Soil; Invasive and Non-native Plants, and Wildflowers of Massachusetts
   • Tree Care for Gardeners: Fridays, Feb 4 — Feb 18 from 1 pm – 4 pm

News

Stockbridge Annual Town Election

Open Seats

Select Board member (1 seat — 3-year term)

Town Clerk (3-year term)

Board of Assessors (1 seat — 3-year term

Board of Health (1 seat — 3-year term)

Parks and Recreation (1 seat — 3-year term)

Parks and Recreation (1 seat — 2-year term)

Planning Board Members (2 seats — each a 5-year term)

Sewer and Water Commissioner (1 seat — 3-year term)

Important Dates

Tuesday February 1 — if you are running or thinking about running — pick up Nomination Papers in the Town Clerk’s Office

Thursday, March 24th, 5:00 P.M.: Last day to pick up Nomination Papers

Tuesday, March 29th, 5:00 P.M.: Last day to return Nomination Papers

Thursday, April 14th, 5:00 P.M.: Last day to Withdraw

Tuesday, April 26th 8:00 p.m.: Last day to register to vote for Annual Town Meeting/Annual Town Election

Monday, May 16th: Stockbridge Annual Town Meeting

Tuesday, May 17th: Stockbridge Annual Town Election

Perspective

The Gilded Age and the Great Estates

As the Planning Board considers the Cottage Era Bylaw, it is nice to remember the history and the original intent.

The Gilded Age was a time of unparalleled growth, industrial advancement, prosperity, and major economic and cultural change. The Gilded Age is the first time American bankers and industrialists had more wealth than their European counterparts. The first time the United States had a seat at the international table. When was it? Between the Civil War and World War I; a period that changed the United Sates permanently. Understanding the Gilded Age is key to understanding our country today.

The center of this dynamic economy, the hub that drew poor immigrants and the super-rich, was New York City. Then, as now, New York City summered in The Berkshires. They built their Gilded Age Summer Resort in our midst. 93 Berkshire Cottages were built in Berkshire County. The majority, contrary to writers who didn’t know where the town line was, were in Stockbridge.

The Gilded Age followed the American Renaissance — 1830 — 1860 which also centered in The Berkshires. Many of the greatest books of the American Renaissance were written right here by literary giants such as Melville, Hawthorne, Emerson, and Thoreau. Members of the Hudson River School painted the Housatonic River as often as the Hudson. The writers and artists gave the area the panoche needed to attract the financial giants.

The Cottagers were not just building their Berkshire Cottages, they were creating the American Schools of Architecture; they were supporting American arts, music, and literature. They were members of the famed Century Club of New York; patrons of well-known artists Durant, Inness, Cole, Church and more; customers of noted American sculptors Daniel Chester French Augustus Saint-Gaudens; architects Charles McKim and Stanford White; landscape architects, Frederick Law Olmsted, and expert jewelers and craftsman, Louis Comfort Tiffany . They brought them here and their work remains. They decorated our landscape. The Gilded age is an important part of our history. The question is: do we preserve it?

The original Great Estates Bylaw was meant to preserve our history, and its buildings, statuary, great lawns, and gardens. Yet it did more than that: it preserved the unique “look” of Stockbridge by preserving the great lawns between building and street, and the open space between structures. In exchange for developers becoming collaborators in historic and open space preservation, the bylaw offered incentives; intended as a win-win. We dismiss the bylaw at the cost of our history and the unique beauty of Stockbridge.

by Carole Owens

Perspective

Stockbridge History: South Burying Ground [Town Cemetery]

Editor’s note: As the Cemetery Commission contemplates restoration of monuments and rules for use. Rick reminds us of the tasks of the Cemetery Commission long ago.

Town Meeting Book: “August 24, 1795 voted that the selectmen be directed to erect a powder house by contract in such place as they shall think proper, & that the former shall be paid for out of the sum granted for contingent charges.” What they determined to be proper was to place it in the northeast corner of the Old Section of the cemetery. The map showing the 1848 addition to the cemetery indicated that the powder house, then referred to as the magazine, had survived. At a later date a gun house was constructed at the corner of Elm Street and Laurel Lane, now the front lawn of St. Joseph’s Church.

Meet at the Academy on the Plain Monday the tenth day of December next at one O’ Clock in the afternoon (1827)

Article 4 to see what measures the town will adopt for building a fence around the burying yard on the Plain. Voted that a new fence be built around the burying ground similar in form to the present fence & that a committee of one be chosen to build it. Loring Barnum was chosen the committee.

Voted that the posts of the fence be put in the ground in an inverted position & that the posts be cut in [during] the old of the moon [these directions are presumed to be superstition popular at the time.]

Voted that the fence be painted white.

MRS. SARAH DEMING
Wife of
Mr. Elizur Deming
Died July 24th 1804
In the 66th year
Of her age
Look on me as you Pass by
As you are Now so once was I
As I am Now so you must be
Prepare for Death and follow me
[Deming Cemetery]

Memento Mori
In memory of Mrs. Abigail the wife of the
Honourable Timothy Woodbridge, Esq.
She died Dec ye 4th 1772 in the 59th year of her age
Come hither mortals cast an eye
Then go thy way prepare to die
Here read thy gloom for die you must
One day like me be turned to dust
[Old Section South Burying Ground]

Selectmen’s Book 1792-1830
Partridge acct. for attendance on Joseph Grant pauper .67
#40 Stephen Tucker for digging grave for J Grant 1.33
#39 John Whiton for coffin for J Grant 2.27
#3 Stephen Tucker for digging a grave for Mercy Dowd 3.50
Dec 3rd 1821 #79 Stephen Tucker for digging four graves 8.50

by Rick Wilcox

Perspective

The 20 Housatonic River Bridge Crossings in Stockbridge

Part Two

A 94-foot metal suspension bridge designed by Joseph Franz was built in 1936. The Laurel Hill Association paid for the work on the new Memorial Bridge. It collapsed during construction, killing one worker. It was built one more time and is still used today.

The second crossing here (5) was a Berkshire Street Railway through-truss bridge built in 1902 so its trolley cars could make a stop at a small passenger station on the north side of the river. That little station still stands in the town park near the Mobil. When trolley service ended, the bridge was removed, though there are still signs of the track bed in the woods.

The South Street Bridge is on Route 7 near the Stockbridge train station. It’s likely the oldest bridge site in town. The present bridge is of steel and concrete. Mass. Department of Transportation in 2006 completed a sidewalk and landscaping enhancement project at the bridge. The previous bridge on the site in the 1920s appears on a postcard view to be a curved pony truss bridge not dissimilar from Tuckerman’s Bridge.

The Memorial Bridge to Ice Glen, this Route 7 bridge and the next three highway bridges over the Housatonic River were immortalized by Connecticut artist Woldemar Neufeld (1909-2002) in a series of 65 oil paintings he undertook in 1975 as a Bicentennial project to depict all the spans over the river from Hinsdale to Long Island Sound. They were all one time exhibited at Chesterwood.

Gone is the next Berkshire Street Railway bridge, a tall, metal through-truss bridge that stood west of the South Street highway bridge. It brought the trolley tracks back across the river to run alongside the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad line on its way to Glendale.

The so-called Tuckerman’s Bridge (8) is a town highway bridge at the west end of Main Street. Today’s pony truss span was built in 1928 by Boston Bridge Works. The previous 1873 truss bridge on the site was built by Richard F. Hawkins of Hawkins & Burrall in Springfield.

Bridge builders began to take pedestrians into consideration. That 1873 bridge was 23 feet wide, “17 of which will be taken up for the driveway, and six for a walk on the north side,” the Berkshire Courier said Sept. 24, 1873.

Walter Tuckerman, by the way, was an avid golfer. Which leads us to mention the Stockbridge Golf Course, which accounts for four footbridges that are still in use, one south of Tuckerman Bridge (9), the other three north at the oxbow. Golfers see them. Canoeists see them. Motorists and pedestrians don’t. You can pick them all out on GoogleMaps’ satellite view. Years ago, during the cottagers’ “tally-ho” days, summer rowboat parades drifted along the river, around the golf course and beneath the Tuckerman Bridge before debarking at the Southmayd estate for refreshments.

On Park Street is the elegant concrete bridge designed by von Empberger.

Next Issue: The final part of The Bridges of Stockbridge

`1

by Bernard A. Drew

Perspective

From the Desk of Superintendent Peter Dillon

Berkshire Hills Regional School District (BHRSD)

As the Berkshire Hills’ superintendent and a Stockbridge resident, I hope to share school and district updates on a regular basis.

For nearly two years the Regional School District Planning Board (RSDPB) has been meeting to look at possibilities around collaboration and consolidation. The 24-member group representing 8 towns has three representatives from Stockbridge: Nick Fredsall, Sean Stephen and Patrick White.

Two important meetings are coming up that the RSDPB encourages interested families and community members to attend. The first is the February 7th meeting during which the RSDPB’s research team will present their findings on indicators of educational quality and Career Vocational and Technical Education (“CVTE”) and the possibilities of a merged high school. CVTE represents what used to be called vocational programs. Current ones include horticulture, automotive, and early childhood education while we expand opportunities in small manufacturing, health care, and hospitality.

The second meeting, TBD, during the research team will synthesize its research findings to date and present the three models under consideration as they move toward a recommendation.

Both meetings will be held remotely beginning at 5:30 p.m. At the end of each meeting, there will be opportunities for public comment on the topics presented.

Visit the RSDPB’s website, www.8towns.org, for results of recent community surveys and focus groups, detailed reports, and the Zoom links for upcoming meetings.

On the lighter side, here’s a link to our recent winter concert. Enjoy.

In future issues, I hope to share updates on our work to renovate or build a new high school, on our shifts in curriculum and our approaches to teaching, and highlights around our recent graduates.

Please feel free to contact Peter Dillon at peter.dillon@bhrsd.org

Perspective

From the Desk of Police Chief Darrell Fennelly

For Your Safety: Scams

Four signs that it’s a scam

Scammers who call text or email…

1. Pretend to be from an organization you know.
2. Scammers say there’s a prize or a problem.
3. Scammers pressure you to act immediately.
4. Scammers tell you to pay in a specific way.

What you can do to avoid a scam…

1. Block unwanted calls and text messages or simply hang up if you feel uncomfortable.
2. Don’t give your personal or financial information in response to a request that you didn’t expect.
3. Resist the pressure to act immediately.
4. Never pay someone who insists you pay with a gift card or by money transfer. And never deposit a check or send money back to someone.

You can find more info at: www.consumer.ftc.gov

Report scams to the Federal Trade Commission at: www.ReportFraud.ftc.gov

For Your Safety: Tips

A general safety tip for our residents. Please make sure you lock your cars whether you are out and about or at home for the night. An unlocked car is an open invitation for a thief to take your belongings. Unfortunately, unless someone sees something these types of crime are very difficult for us to solve, so please protect yourself. Remember, we have investigated these types of crimes in the past here in Stockbridge. Criminals are opportunistic but we can make it difficult for those attempting to victimize us. If you see something suspicious call us right away. If you have a gut feeling something is wrong, your gut is usually right. Call us anytime. We are here 24/7. Stop and talk to someone you trust or call the Stockbridge Police Department at 413-298-4179 for advice.

From the Desk of Police Chief Darrell Fennelly

FYI

On Tuesday, December 28th Police in Berkshire County received a Be on The Lookout report related to two brazen coordinated shoplifting incidents at liquor stores in Lee and in Gt. Barrington.

Shortly thereafter, Sgt. Kirk Nichols of the Stockbridge Police Department posted at Ice Glen Road and South Street shortly thereafter observed a vehicle matching the description of the suspects’ vehicle speeding north on South Street.

Sgt. Nichols stopped the vehicle in front of our library on Main Street. As he exited his cruiser the suspect vehicle sped away. The Sergeant radioed for help and further attempted to stop the suspects. They fled at high speed down East Main Street into Lee. The Sergeant followed as they turned into the Quarry Hill Business Park along with Lee Police Officers, who arrived at that location at the same time. What the officers knew, but the suspects didn’t, was that the Quarry Hill Business Park is a dead end. The jig was up.

Officers found multiple people in the vehicle and quite a bit of assorted merchandise and liquor. The driver was arrested, and the vehicle towed. A subsequent search warrant was performed on the vehicle and an extensive inventory of alleged stolen goods was recorded. The investigation has turned into a coordinated multi-jurisdictional investigation as there were goods in the vehicle from many different stores around the Northeast. Charges are pending for all involved.

Even though we live and work in little old Stockbridge we are not immune to what certainly appears to be big city crime. You never know what you might run into on a sleepy Tuesday night. Thankfully no one was injured in the incident.

Perspective

Thank You, Board of Health

A Special Thank you to the Stockbridge Board of Health and Tri Town Board of Health for working on our behalf during two very difficult disease-ridden years. Members of the community may not agree with every one of their decisions, but there is still room to thank them for their commitment and good intentions. There is no room for ad hominem attacks. To call well-meaning volunteers and hard-working public servants fascists and other names is very wide of the mark — unfair, untrue, and unacceptable.

Press Release

Press Release

The Stockbridge Democratic Town Committee

To the Select Board:

From Anita Schwerner, Chair

Governor Baker’s mandate that all public meetings have a remote component is set to expire on April 1, 2022.

At the January 22, 2022, meeting of the Stockbridge Democratic Town Committee a motion was passed to request that the Select Board support an article on the upcoming Town Warrant requiring that all public meetings in Stockbridge have a remote component. We ask also that the Select Board include an item on its next meeting agenda to discuss our proposal and vote on supporting a warrant article that requires the continuation of hybrid and remote meetings

At our meeting we discussed the importance of transparency in local government as well as the value of hybrid and remote meetings in enabling an informed electorate. Although the need for hybrid meetings came as a response to COVID-19, the ability to watch and participate in meetings in real time as well as to access them anytime on CTSBTV has been widely embraced by the residents of Stockbridge, both full and part-time.

At the July 15, 2021, Select Board hybrid meeting, second homeowners stated that remote meetings are extremely valuable for them and they appreciate being able to participate in town meetings. They asked that the Zoom option be continued to enable them to attend more town board and committee meetings which are held during the week.

Meetings with a remote option have the advantage of enabling participation from home or anywhere in the world. The availability of Zoom meetings has increased participation among residents and members of the public who find it difficult to attend in person due to a wide variety of reasons including harsh winter weather, inability to travel, illness or concern over exposure to illness, and conflicts with work or family obligations.

As a first step, the members of the Stockbridge Democratic Town Committee ask that the Select Board place an item on their next meeting agenda so that they can discuss and vote on supporting the requested warrant article. Thank you for your consideration.

Press Release

Press Release

Stockbridge Cultural Council (SCC) announces 2022 Grants

SCC has awarded 26 grants ranging from $100 to $300 to support cultural programs in Stockbridge and the surrounding area. The Council received 38 applications representing a range of projects including music, theater, science, and literature and awarded a total of $5400.

Stockbridge is nationally recognized for the richness of its cultural offerings and this year’s awards reflect the quality and diversity of its Berkshire community. The Council re-grants funds from the Massachusetts Cultural Council to individuals and organizations for projects in the arts, science, and humanities.

This year the Council was pleased to award grants to the following projects:

Stockbridge Library Association/Ice Festival
The Stockbridge Sinfonia/Celebration of 50 Years of Community Music
Marney Schorr/Arts in Recovery for Youth
Alex Leff/Cycle of Memory
Music in Common/The Black Legacy Project
Moving Arts Exchange/”One Box at a Time”
Pittsfield Shakespeare in the Park
Rachel Nicholson/Mary Pope Osborne event
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute/ Indigenous Peoples: We are still here
Berkshire Music School/All that Jazz Musical Enrichment
Berkshire Garden Center/Rooted in Place
Sculpture Now (at The Mount)
Great Barrington Public Theater/Berkshire Voices Reading Series
Berkshire Children’s Chorus/A Story for the Season
Shakespeare & Company/2022 Fall Festival
Berkshire South Regional Community Ctr/Berkshire Ukulele Band, Berkshire Sings!
M. Alice Spatz/Creation and Completion of “Berkshire Triptych”
WAM Theater/2022 Season and Community Engagement
Berkshire Pulse/Summer Intensives
Berkshire Theatre Group/BTG Plays!
IS183/Berkshire Artist Residency Program
Greenagers/Climate Action
Alliance for a Viable Future/Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Susan L. Smith/Community Coloring Books
Flying Cloud Institute/Stop-Motion project
Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries/Nature in Your Neighborhood

SCC members: Judith Wilkinson (Chair), Andrea Sholler, Janet Egelhofer, Barbara Cooperman, Selena Lamb, Terry Moor, Maureen O’Hanlon, Isabel Rose, Joe Tonetti, and Rena Zurofsky. Meetings are open and the public is invited to attend.