Editorial

Editorial: Running for Office — About the Town Meeting and Moderator

“Town meetings are to liberty what primary schools are to science; they bring it [democracy] within the people’s reach, they teach how to use and how to enjoy it.”

— Alex de Tocqueville

Colonists considered attending Town Meeting (TM) an honor and privilege. For free men and landowners, it was also a requirement. 

Dorchester claimed it held the first TM in 1633. However, the New England Historical Society said the first TM took place in Plymouth, 1622. The moderator was William Bradford. 

TM was so important to the colonists, that when the British threatened a ban, it was one reason that prompted the Revolutionary War. In 1774, British Soldiers tried to stop a Salem TM. The moderator (actually a committee of three) ordered the door barred and continued the meeting, “completing all voting.”. 

On April 19, 1775, at 2am, the last thing they did before firing “the shot heard around the world,” was call a TM. Members of the Lexington militia gathered on the town common “to consult what might be done” about the British soldiers marching on Lexington from Boston. Who was the moderator? Perhaps the leader of the Minute Men, John Parker.

What does the Moderator do?

From the first TM, there was always a moderator, an elected official who presided over TM. The moderator:

• Announces and explains the articles on the Warrant or invites members of the Select Board or Finance Committee to do it. 
• Conducts the discussion of each article
• Makes rulings (as needed) on the articles and any proposed amendments to the articles
• Calls for a vote on each article
• Announces the results 

The procedural basis for conducting TM is Meeting Times or Robert’s Rules of Order. One town explained, “the moderator makes sure the rules are followed and everyone has a good time.” 

Moderator is a fun and friendly job, but there is also a serious side. It is the responsibility of the Moderator to do it all “in good order.” 

The office of moderator has a serious side: In 1715, the General Court of the British Crown Colony of Massachusetts passed Article 244 “…for the better regulating of town meetings, because of the disorderly Carriage of some Persons in the Meetings…” 

The moderator, according to Article 244, must keep order and not allow business to be obstructed. 

In Stockbridge, the Town Moderator is also responsible for appointing the members of the Finance Committee (FC). That’s serious but straightforward.

When a member’s term expires or for other reasons, leaves the FC, the moderator replaces the member. The task to find the most qualified person to serve the best interests of Stockbridge regardless of political affiliation or personal attachment. I have spoken to former moderators and chairs of FC and been advised it is as simple as that.

It is a great job: to bring the Town together and “consult what might be done” about our town’s challenges. I would be happy to serve as your moderator and ask for your support.

by Carole Owens , Executive Editor

News

SU FYI

Call for Nominations

The Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires, in partnership with The Berkshire Eagle, will host the 7th annual Berkshire Nonprofit Awards on Tuesday, May 21 at Kripalu Yoga Center in Stockbridge. The awards recognize exceptional work being done by individuals in the nonprofit sector.

For the Board Leadership Award, Stockbridge Updates nominated Teresa O’Brient, Chair of the Board, Berkshire Waldorf School for guiding the purchase and restoration of Old Town Hall, Stockbridge. Years of patient work — fund raising, restoration planning, and purchase – to present a gift to the BWHS students and to the Town of Stockbridge. Architect Pam Sandler, Executive Director Stephen Sagarin, Attorney Lori Robbins, CFO Patrick White, board and staff all pitched in, but Teresa was the leader. Hope you win, but win or lose, thank you.

If readers wish to nominate someone, go to https://npcberkshires.org/

It is an Election Year 

Last Day to Obtain Nomination Papers is Friday, March 29, 5pm

Last Day to Submit Nomination Papers (with 25 signatures) is Tuesday, April 2, 2024, 5pm

Last Day to Object or Withdraw is Thursday, April 18, 2024, 5pm 

OFFICES FOR ELECTION: 

3 Year Term 

• Moderator 
• Select Board 
• Tree Warden 
• Board of Assessors 
• Board of Health
• Sewer & Water Commissioner 
• Parks & Recreation 

5 Year Term 

• Planning Board 
• Housing Authority

Candidates who have taken out papers:

• Don Schneyer: Water and Sewer
• Gary Pitney: Board of Assessors
• Charlie Kenny: Board of Health
• Katie Szwyd: Parks and Recreation
• Nick Fredsall: Parks and Recreation
• Anne Rabinowitz: Housing Authority

Candidates who have taken out and returned papers:

• Gary Johnston: Moderator 
• Carole Owens: Moderator

Get to Know the Candidates

Stockbridge Updates will spotlight all the candidates and invites all those running to send Stockbridge Updates the answers to The Candidates’ Q&A:

• What prompted you to run?
• If elected, what would be your primary focus?
• What would you like voters to know about you?

In addition, SU will offer space for The Candidates’ Opening statements – 400 words or less posted in an issue between now and Election Day. 

So far there is only one contested race, but even if you are running unopposed, send your answers and your statement to SU — introduce yourself to the voters. An informed electorate is the bedrock of democracy.

News

West Stockbridge Approved for $250,000 Grant to Build Town’s First Dog Park

Residents are encouraged to get involved, share feedback at February meeting

WEST STOCKBRIDGE, MA, February 5, 2024 — Last year, a group of West Stockbridge residents volunteered to serve on an ad hoc town committee to explore the possibility of building a dog park for the town. A generous grant ($250,00)0) from a Massachusetts-based foundation could bring their efforts to fruition by 2025. The community is invited to learn about the project on February 24, 2024 at 3pm. The meeting will be held at the West Stockbridge town hall.

Contact: Jana Sax, Co-Chair, West Stockbridge Dog Park Committee (617)388-4481

News

Events

CATA and Berkshire Botanical Garden Present “Wild Findings”

CATA and Berkshire Botanical Garden Present “Wild Findings” — An Exhibit of Nature-Inspired Work by Artists with Disabilities

STOCKBRIDGE, MASS. — Community Access to the Arts (CATA) and Berkshire Botanical Garden present “Wild Findings,” a collection of paintings, drawings, photographs, and collages inspired by nature, created by artists with disabilities. The exhibition will be on display at Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Leonhardt Galleries from March 1-24. 

The gallery, located at 5 West Stockbridge Rd., Stockbridge, Mass., is open Tuesdays through Sundays, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free.

A free, opening celebration will be held on Friday, March 1, from 3 to 5 p.m. RSVP’s are requested at CATAarts.org/BBG2024. 

The 30-plus works featured in the exhibit were created through CATA’s year-round workshops serving children, teens and adults with disabilities. Some of the works were created on-site at Berkshire Botanical Garden as part of an ongoing partnership between CATA and BBG, while others were created by CATA artists at day programs and residences serving people with disabilities, as well as in CATA’s studios in Great Barrington. The exhibit includes botanical studies, landscapes, abstract paintings, and photographs each ranging widely in stylistic expression and scale of size. 

All works are available for sale. Every work sold provides a commission to the individual artist and supports CATA’s programs.

About Community Access to the Arts: Community Access to the Arts (CATA) nurtures and celebrates the creativity of people with disabilities. Through dynamic arts workshops and public events, CATA artists tap into their potential, explore new talents, and share their unique points of view with the wider community. CATA collaborates with 50 partner organizations to bring visual and performing arts programs to 800 people with disabilities across Berkshire County, Massachusetts and Columbia County, New York. Learn more at CATAarts.org.

About Berkshire Botanical Garden: Established in 1934 as the “Berkshire Garden Center” and revered as one of the older public display gardens in the Northeast, Berkshire Botanical Garden is a not-for-profit, membership-supported educational organization encompassing 24 acres. The Garden is open year-round for classes, lectures, workshops, and exhibits, and the display gardens can be visited daily from April 29 through Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Garden’s mission is to fulfill the community’s need for information, education and inspiration concerning the art and science of gardening and the preservation of our local environment.

Calendar listing:

“Wild Findings” — Community Access to the Arts (CATA) and Berkshire Botanical Garden present an art exhibition featuring nature-inspired paintings, drawings, photographs, and collages by artists with disabilities. The exhibition will be on display at Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Leonhardt Galleries from March 1-24. The gallery, located at 5 West Stockbridge Rd., Stockbridge, Mass., is open Tuesdays through Sundays, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free. Visit BerkshireBotanical.org for more information.

More events at BBG in February: 

16: Soups from Scratch

17: The Supply and Demand of Straight Native Species

17: Medicinal Mushrooms

24: Galantines Snow Moon DIY Herbal Spa Day

24-25: February Science of Plant Propagation

24 through March 16: An Introduction to Greenhouse Management

26-27: The Language of Flowers Continues with a Splash of Red

Norman Rockwell Museum Mystery and Wonder: Highlights from the Illustration Collection

March 2 through June 16, 2024 https://www.nrm.org/2023/12/mysteryandwonder/”

Explore the captivating worlds of mystery and wonder in this exhibition featuring highlights from the Norman Rockwell Museum’s Permanent Collection, which now holds almost 25,000 illustrations by prominent artists working across genres and time periods. On display are cover art for award-winning novels and mysteries, children’s book illustrations inspired by classic tales, fantastical anthropomorphic drawings, and heart-stopping editorial images.

Specific selections include Teresa Fasolino’s colorful, clue-filled mystery novel cover illustrations; Thomas Woodruff’s ethereal book jacket art for best-selling novels by Anne Tyler and Gabriel Garcia Marquez; lighthearted visual puns for Stewart Edelstein’s Dubious Doublets by James Grashow; luminous watercolors for The Wizard of Oz and other stories by Thea Kliros; steamy pulp illustrations by Everett Raymond Kinstler and Mort Kunstler; mystical three-dimensional illustrations for books and magazines by Joan Hall; fictional American histories by Julian Allen; a fun and engaging Rockwell Who-Dun-It; and a brand new Rockwell acquisition that offers mysteries of its own.

Members Free; Adults $20, Seniors/Retired Military $18, MA Teachers Free, College students $15

March 9 Members Reception 5PM – 7PM Mystery and Wonder: Highlights from the Illustration Collection. Enjoy light refreshments, meet some of the artists featured in the exhibition, and view a newly acquired Rockwell work depicting the Election of 1800. RSVP

News

Notes from the Affordable Housing Trust, January 29, 2024, Hybrid

Discussion of the first draft of the Housing Production Plan (HPP). HPP is a document created to meet Commonwealth requirements and to make grant applicants eligible.

HPP was prepared by the AHT consultant.

Areas of disagreement seemed to be with respect to building affordable housing that was either for rent or for sale. Whether zoning changes are required. Concentration of affordable or work force housing, that is, concentration on the “missing middle.” Also apparent disagreement about applying to Community Preservation Committee for funds.

Overview: there are 1638 houses in Stockbridge — 811 occupied by full-time residents; 827 by part-time residents. 

The median cost of a house is $575,000 which is above the amount most full-time residents could pay. 

The full-time population had decreased 15%; student population decreased 29%; median age has risen from 40 — 61, and as a function of an ageing population, there are more deaths than births in Stockbridge.

The character of Stockbridge has always been open space and single-family homes, however, some argued for denser rental properties such as apartment buildings.

Some mentioned changes in zoning to allow more density — Stockbridge currently has 1-, 2-, and 4-acre zoning. Others explained that is unnecessary because 40b allows builders to ignore zoning when building affordable housing. 

Finally, Stockbridge met the requirement for affordable housing, but middle-income folks including those who work in town, cannot afford to buy a house here.

There was a long discussion about possibilities and opportunities for planning and implementing the creation of more housing.

A second draft of the HPP will include the new ideas. There was no mention of when the HPP will be shared with the public. 

AHT also discussed sources of money. Patrick White suggested a $1 tax to go directly to AHT on every ticket sale in Stockbridge. With Tanglewood, theater, and cultural venue tickets, White estimated a million tickets per year at $1 each.

Editor’s Note: 40B “enables local Zoning Boards of Appeals to approve affordable housing developments under flexible rules if at least 20-25% of the units have long-term affordability restrictions.”

News

Notes from the Select Board, February 1, 2024, Hybrid

With the vote of the SB approving the transaction, the sale of Old Town Hall from the First Congregational Church of Stockbridge to Berkshire Waldorf High School was concluded. SB Chair Chuck Cardillo said it was “great for the town as a whole.”

SB approved filling a vacancy in the Stockbridge Police Department. There were seven applicants, an improvement from a time when it seemed more difficult to find applicants.

Barbara Zanetti, Executive Director, Pam Boudreau, President of the Board, and Doug Goudey, Board member, presented a proposal for new, more durable signs including a sign that correctly places Tanglewood in Stockbridge.

There will be the opportunity for public input and the SB will vote on the signs at the next meeting.

News

Notes from the Community Preservation Committee, February 1, 2024, Hybrid.

Overview:

CPC will have an extraordinary amount of money available this year. Generally, CPC has a few hundred thousand each year. This year CPC will have $1,119,011.85. At the same time, the Commonwealth’s contribution has been decreasing, and there is every indication it will continue to decrease. Chair Sally Underwood-Miller suggested we put a sensible amount in the CPC Undesignated Fund to meet requests in future years.

There are three “baskets” that a request must fit into: open space, historic preservation, affordable housing.

Estimated Requests:

This year, local organizations requested the following estimated funds for this year:

1. Gould Meadows – out of Open Spaces for trees, benches, stump grinding and managing invasives 9,850

2. Stockbridge Library — out of historic preservation, an archival table 8-12,000

3. Stockbridge Bowl Assoc. — out of open space remove invasives 10,000

4. Construct, Inc. — out of Affordable Housing for boilers 315,000

For gutters 34,000

For decks 79,000 

5. St Paul’s Church — out of historic preservation roof repair/replace 140,000

6. Berkshire Theatre Group — historic preservation preserve collection 50,000

7. Town of Stockbridge — open space for dredging 125,000 

8. Kripalu — open space — remove invasives 4,300

Est. Open Space 149,150

Historic Preservation 202,000

Affordable Housing 428,000

Total est. requests 779,150 

Following the February 9, 2024, deadline for submissions 

Actual submissions exceeded the projection. The projection would have allowed CPC to place approximately $300,000 in an undesignated fund to fund future requests. Instead, the actual requests are $1,801,596 and exceed the $1,119,011.85 available by more than $300,000. The total requests cannot be funded in full. If it is desirable to put money aside in anticipation of cuts from the state (see Letters from CPC Chair Sally Underwood Miller in Reader to Reader). The CPC Chair cautioned CPC members there are hard decisions to make. 

The requests follow:

Stockbridge Housing Authority $32,476 (replace damaged siding)

Pinewoods 428,000 (boilers decking gutters)

Affordable Housing Trust 100,000 (Morris donation study)

Riverbrook 40,000 (restore chimneys)

St Joseph’s 87,000 (arch and pillars)

St Paul’s 397,490 (slate roof) 

Guerrieri Block 40 Main 152,100 (paint exterior) 

Waldorf/Old Town Hall 232,576 (restoration)

Hearse House/cemetery 100,000 (restoration)

Library archives 14,165 (archival table)

Town 199 (overrun on monument)

Town 15,500 (basketball back boards)

Town 100,000 (dredge The Bowl)

Berkshire Theatre 50,000 (archives and museum)

Gould Meadows 8,250 (invasives)

Gould Meadows 1,600 (stumps?)

Kripalu 4,300 (invasives)

Commission (?) 12,870 (fence posts) 

Stockbridge Bowl Assoc 10,000 (Bullard woods)

Stockbridge Housing Authority 15,500 (community garden — at Heaton Court)

News

Notes from the February 8, 2024, Select Board Meeting, Hybrid

This was a single-item agenda, special meeting in response to the state condemning the Glendale Middle Road bridge by Route 183/Glendale Road. 

The SB was presented with two choices: close the bridge or reduce the bridge to one lane during repair. The SB unanimously approved the latter. The bridge may be one lane for more than a year.

Lights will be installed to control traffic reduced to one lane. Weight limits and “no commercial vehicle” signs will be installed.

During stage one, $30,000 will be spent on engineering including underwater evaluation of the foundation. Then the work will commence.

Congratulations

Congratulations Carl Sprague!

Perspective

Announcing My Candidacy for State Representative

Friends, Neighbors, Residents:

As if the job I have isn’t hard enough, I’ve decided to go for an even harder one: I am running for Smitty’s seat as the 3rd Berkshire representative for Berkshire County.

My platform will consist of the following:

• I will propose a suite of initiatives to lower the burden of property taxes on homeowners. 
• I will continue my focus on environmental stewardship.
• I will promote reconciliation with the Mohican nation.
• I will embrace specific proposals that revolutionize small towns’ ability to invest in infrastructure and schools.
• I will advocate for housing initiatives, specifically small home special rental options for young adults and seniors, and homeownership solutions for working families.
• I will work with colleagues in the delegation to craft a bold economic plan for the Housatonic River Valley, modeled after the “Massachusetts Miracle” that reimagined the economy of the Merrimack River.

You would think being a state rep is a big deal, and it is. But let’s face it: it’s also a hard slog. You start off in a bullpen with other newly elected representatives. You get exactly one staffer, whose primary job will be to answer the phone and track down solutions to constituent problems. My point is the next rep is largely on their own in the State House. The person you elect had better have a command of the issues, a strong set of financial skills, and the ability to draft legislation to advance the County’s interests. Your next representative has to be familiar with Boston, how it works, how to build consensus, how to get things done. This person has to be the hardest working person you know, has to be smart, motivated, and passionate about our beautiful little corner of the world.

During my tenure as a Selectman, I have approached every decision through a single lens: what’s best, on balance, for the people of Stockbridge. Which brings me to the theme of my campaign: I have your back.

It’s the honor of a lifetime to serve you, in whatever capacity you choose.

In a few days, I will have https://www.patrickwhiteberkshires.com set up. Please check it out the week of February 19th!

Warmly,

Patrick White

by Patrick White

Perspective

From the Desk of Superintendent Peter Dillon Berkshire Hills Regional School District (BHRSD)

Budget

At last Thursday’s the School Committee meeting, I presented our draft budget (Link to FY25 Budget) with Business Administrator Sharon Harrison.

The budget process, which starts in the fall, consists of several meetings with the Finance Sub-Committee, school and district administration, and then gets presented to the School Committee and public. Last night was the first presentation. 

In the coming weeks there are several important meetings. We will have the budget public hearing on February 29, 2024 (which might include a budget vote) and you can attend in person or by Zoom. You can find links to the meeting at: https://www.bhrsd.org/school-committee-meeting-agenda-upcoming/ which will be updated a week before the meeting.

This process culminates in a School Committee vote on March 7, 2024 and then town votes on these dates: 

• Great Barrington-May 6, 2024, 
• West Stockbridge-May 6, 2024, 
• and Stockbridge-May 20, 2024. 

As I shared in the meeting, we are going into a more challenging budget cycle and worked hard to limit the growth of our budget to keep assessments to our towns (and your tax rates) to a minimum. Revenue has not increased proportionately with inflation and our costs have. Grants connected to COVID-19 have ended.

In turn, I recommended reductions in each of the schools and at the district office. 

Through many meetings and discussions across buildings and departments, the principals and I arrived at the following recommendations:

Muddy Brook — the reduction of one early grade section due to anticipated decreases in enrollment.

Du Bois — the reduction and potential reallocation of one special education position due to changes in enrollment.

Monument Mountain — the reduction and reallocation of a social studies position, an interventionist position, and .5 math position due to changes in enrollment. Some of these departments will not absorb the full impact of the reduction since we have teachers who hold multiple licenses and can teach across departments/subjects. 

District — the reduction of the DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging) position was an initial suggestion as I thought the work might be better supported by consultants in discrete and overlapping areas.

In response to some of the feedback I received from the School Committee Thursday night and in recognition of our ongoing commitment to addressing broader issues, I am shifting my recommendation to reinstate the DEIB role and fund it through grant funds for next year. The role may shift some to make it even more impactful in each of the school communities.

Police Search

The Great Barrington Police search at our Du Bois Middle School has drawn significant attention and press. We hosted several public meetings and apologized for our and my response. The School Committee hired an investigator to look into what happened and that report will be shared soon. We are working hard to reflect and to update and revise our policies and procedures. We are additionally working to support students, families and staff. We hope to rebuild trust and move forward together. 

(See Stockbridge Updates, February 1, 2024, issue for Board Resolutions)

Please reach out to me if you have any questions and continue to join our budget and other meetings at peter.dillon@bhrsd.org

Perspective

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) Information from Christine Rasmussen

Opinions sought on transit service 

TriTown Connector, Southern Berkshire On-Demand/Microtransit Service, Seeks Feedback

The TriTown Connector, in conjunction with the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is conducting a survey to collect information on public perception and feedback about Southern Berkshire County’s TriTown Connector (TTC) microtransit program. The information collected will help the program learn about rider and non-rider satisfaction, knowledge, and views, and understanding of how the program may be improved.

The only requirements for participation are that you are a resident of or a regular visitor to the Berkshires. The survey should take about 6-10 minutes to complete. Find the survey at this link: TriTown Connector Program Surve.

The Berkshires Outside Website

BRPC recently launched Berkshires Outside (https://berkshiresoutside.org,) a one-stop shopping for all opportunities for outdoor recreation in the Berkshires, from hiking and wildlife conservation properties to state parks, as well as a full range of other activities, such as boating, skiing, hunting, mountain biking, and road cycling, plus adventure parks, golf courses, and sports courts. It is a very well-done, helpful site to encourage residents and tourists to get outside and explore. 

Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund

Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund is accepting applications for Round 30 grants. The application deadline is March 15, 2024.

Downloadable application, instructions, and application presentation information.

Round 30 of the Massachusetts Preservation Projects Fund (MPPF) grant program. It is anticipated that funding for Round 30 will be in the range of $1,000,000.

The MPPF is a state-funded 50% reimbursable matching grant program established in 1984 to support the preservation of properties, landscapes, and sites (cultural resources) listed in the State Register of Historic Places. Applicants must be a municipality or nonprofit organization.

Historic cultural resources in public and nonprofit ownership and use frequently suffer from deferred maintenance, incompatible use, or are threatened by demolition. These important resources represent a significant portion of the Commonwealth’s heritage. By providing assistance to historic cultural resources owned by nonprofit or municipal entities, we hope to ensure their continued use and integrity. The program is administered in accordance with 950 CMR 73.00.

The Last Word

Reader to Reader

11 February 2024

Dear Governor Healey, 

I am writing as the long-time Chair of the Stockbridge Community Preservation Committee to implore you to ensure that this vital program is funded. 

Our small town of Stockbridge (year-round population of less than 2000) was founded in 1739, and, as you may know, boasts an extraordinarily rich and varied history. Once known as Indian Town, it came to being in part through the work of the Reverend John Sergeant, a graduate of Yale, who moved to Stockbridge in 1737 to live among his congregation. Sergeant’s house that he built for his family is now known as the Mission House, as he believed his “mission” was to bring Christianity to the resident Mahican tribe. The house still stands today as a museum and repository of many Native American artifacts. Sergeant was succeeded by Jonathan Edwards, widely regarded as one of America’s most important and original philosophical theologians. Edwards was the minister at the First Congregational Church of Stockbridge.

Stockbridge was also home to Theodore Sedgwick, celebrated for having successfully brought the lawsuit that freed enslaved Elizabeth Freeman (“Mum Bet”). The list goes on — author Nathaniel Hawthorne, famed psychiatrist Erik Erikson (who worked at the Austen Riggs Center where Norman Rockwell and James Taylor, among many others, received treatment), Ambassadors Joseph Choate and Graham Parsons, Daniel Chester French, director Arthur Penn, playwright William Gibson, entrepreneur Jane Iredale, etc. 

Stockbridge serves as the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood. The renowned Norman Rockwell Museum draws visitors from all over the world. Rockwell memorialized his beloved town in his iconic Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas, which is recreated as a winter festival the first weekend in December. The Berkshire Playhouse, now a part of the Berkshire Theatre Group, has featured many of this country’s most famous actors, playwrights, scenic designers, etc. Naumkeag (Ambassador Choate’s home), now one of the Trustees of Reservations properties, annually hosts their highly popular Halloween Pumpkin Festival and Winter Lights events, bringing thousands of visitors to the area in the off season. The Red Lion Inn on Main Street has been serving travellers (including 5 presidents) since 1773 when it was a stagecoach stop, and organizing site of Shay’s Rebellion!

The upkeep of these and other historically important buildings is sometimes daunting and maintaining their historic features is very expensive. Additionally, these institutions provide jobs and income to the town and the surrounding area. 

Stockbridge was one of the early signatories to the CPA. Through CPA, the Stockbridge has been able to allocate more than $5.75 million to preserve our vital Open Spaces and iconic Historic structures, as well as to create and maintain critically important Affordable Housing. 

I urge you in the strongest way to continue to fund this extremely valuable program. We would be thrilled to show you around our beautiful town so you could see for yourself what this program has meant to us.

Sincerely, 

Sally Underwood-Miller, Chair
Stockbridge Community Preservation Committee

To the Honorable Citizens of Stockbridge

Our small town of Stockbridge (year-round population of less than 2000) was founded in 1739, boasting an extraordinarily rich and varied history. Once known as Indian Town, it came into being in part through the work of the Reverend John Sergeant, a graduate of Yale, who moved to Stockbridge in 1737 to live among his congregation. Sergeant’s house that he built for his family is the Mission House, as he believed his “mission” was to bring Christianity to the resident Mahican tribe. The house stands today as a museum and repository of many important Native American artifacts. Sergeant was succeeded by Jonathan Edwards, widely regarded as one of America’s most important and original philosophical theologians. Edwards was the minister at the First Congregational Church of Stockbridge.

Stockbridge was also home to Theodore Sedgwick, celebrated for having successfully brought the lawsuit that freed enslaved Elizabeth Freeman (“Mum Bet”). The list goes on — author Nathaniel Hawthorne, famed psychiatrist Erik Erikson (who worked at the Austen Riggs Center where Norman Rockwell and James Taylor, among many others, received treatment), Ambassadors Joseph Choate and Graham Parsons, Daniel Chester French, director Arthur Penn, playwright William Gibson, entrepreneur Jane Iredale, etc. 

Stockbridge serves as the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood. The renowned Norman Rockwell Museum draws visitors from all over the world. Rockwell memorialized his beloved town in his iconic Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas, that is recreated as a winter festival the first weekend in December. The Berkshire Playhouse, now a part of the Berkshire Theatre Group, has featured many of this country’s most famous actors, playwrights, scenic designers, etc. Naumkeag (Ambassador Choate’s home), now one of the Trustees of Reservations properties, annually hosts their highly popular Halloween Pumpkin Festival and Winter Lights events, bringing thousands of visitors to the area in the off season. The Red Lion Inn on Main Street has been serving travellers (including 5 presidents) since 1773 when it was a stagecoach stop, and organizing site of Shay’s Rebellion!

Kripalu, once part of the Shadowbrook estate, provides a welcome Yoga Retreat to many. The Berkshire Botanical Garden educates and delights visitors with their grounds and plantings. Chesterwood features the works of Daniel Chester French, along with its wonderous gardens and sculptures. The town’s cemeteries provide a glimpse into our past and a occasion to reflect. Monuments to our dead, both Native Americans and Soldiers, remind us of where we’ve been and what we’ve sacrificed. The beautiful Housatonic River bisects the town, providing recreational opportunities as well as vital habitat. Eden Hill, home to the Marian Fathers, draws visitors from all over the world especially for their annual Mercy Sunday services. The Children’s Chimes, built for his grandchildren by David Dudley Field II, now restored, charms listeners from Memorial Day to Labor day at sunset. The Guerierri Block at 40 Main Street was the site Alice’s Restaurant, made famous by the misadventures of Arlo Guthrie and friends. Our historic Train Station, now being revitalized by the Berkshire Scenic Railroad, was a stop on the route that ferried residents and cottagers alike from New York City. Mail was delivered via rail, and was picked up to be taken to the post office by Tom Carey with his horse and buggy until the 1950s.

The upkeep of these and other historically important buildings is sometimes daunting and maintaining their historic features is very expensive. Additionally, these institutions provide jobs and income to the town and the surrounding area. 

Stockbridge was one of the early signatories (2002) to the CPA. Through CPA, the Stockbridge has been able to allocate more than $5.75 million to preserve our vital Open Spaces (Gould Meadows, Bullard Woods, Stockbridge Bowl, among others) and iconic Historic structures, as well as to create and maintain critically important Affordable Housing (Heaton Court, Pine Woods and Riverbrook). 

Respectfully submitted,

Sally Underwood-Miller, Chair
Jay Bikofsky
Linda Jackson
Steve Knopf
Carole Owens
Gary Pitney 
Anne Rabinowitz
Tom Stokes