Editorial

Editorial: The Toxic Highway: The Route and the Impact

Stockbridge Updates is spending time and columnar inches reporting on the PCB clean-up activities because they will have a profound impact on Stockbridge. 

Headlines

According to a letter received from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on June 4, 2024, in Stockbridge, trucks transporting PCBs will travel Routes 183 and 102, including the Main Street section. 

At public meetings, it was estimated by General Electric Corporation (GE) and the EPA that there will be between 20 – 47 trucks per day for 13 years.

1. In the June 4 letter, EPA disapproved of transportation of PCBs on Route 183 into Lenox and Route 102 into West Stockbridge making it more likely that PCB-laden trucks will travel roads in Stockbridge including Main Street. 

2. All PCBs are dangerous; however, GE will decide which trucks are carrying more dangerous PCBs and which are carrying less dangerous. The more dangerous PCBs will travel on Main Street in Stockbridge, continue on Route 102 to the Mass Pike entrance. The “less” dangerous will travel Main Street in Stockbridge onto Route 7 North to the Lee dump. 

3. The impact on Stockbridge tourism will be far greater than the $1.5 million given Stockbridge in compensation. Lee will continue to sue for adequate compensation. Lee has hired experts to calculate the danger of the amount and manner of transport while Stockbridge is still being told there is little or no impact on Stockbridge. (See SU, June 1, 2024, reprint of the Berkshire Eagle letter to the editor by Steve Shatz, Rest of River (ROR) Representative for Stockbridge.

To understand the full impact of this project, please read on: 

In his letter, Steve Shatz, our only representative to the Rest of River committee (ROR), stated, “The phase potentially affecting Stockbridge will come at the end of the project for a period estimated to last nine months.”

Presumably, he is referring to the dredging in Stockbridge, which may occur at the end of the clean-up, or not at all, because the toxic location in Stockbridge may be capped rather than dredged. 

The real impact on Stockbridge will be a function of the truck traffic – an estimated 20 – 47 trucks per day for 13 years. The toxic contents will be covered with tarps, secured by bungee cords. According to Mark Hermanson, chemist and renowned expert on PCBs, hired by the Housatonic River Initiative (HRI), the inescapable result is that it will allow PCBs to become airborne along the routes. Apart from the obvious exposure to humans, animals, and the environment, does anyone seriously believe that this will not affect tourism? (Enjoy your cocktail on the porch of the Red Lion Inn, while trucks loaded with PCBs roll by).

As of June 4, 2024, for the first time, we have published information on where the truck routes will be. Next, we must learn the order of dredging at the sites. That order has not been determined. 

An example: according to the EPA letter and the GE report, when Rising Pond is dredged, trucks would travel north on Route 183 to Route 102, and then turn right because they are forbidden to remain on 183 into Lenox. They will travel on Route 102/Church Street and turn left onto follow to the “T”, turn left onto Main Street. The trucks would diverge at the end of Main Street. Those with the “less” dangerous PCBs would turn left onto Route 7 North to the dump in Lee. The trucks with the most dangerous would continue on Route 102 to the Mass Pike entrance in Lee. 

It is our view that this will have a major impact on our village. We do not know if it will occur as Steve Shatz says, “at the end of the project for a period estimated to last nine months.” It will occur as soon as transportation begins and the order of activating the dredging sites is determined. The impact will be a function of the order of dredging, and no one knows that yet

There are two major questions:

a) Why did anyone in the five towns sign an agreement without knowing the truck routes, the sites, and the order in which the sites would be dredged? 

b) Why did anyone sign a contract with a distribution formula, that according to Shatz, “…was designed to recognize the disproportionate impact on Lenox and Lee…?” when no one had the information to determine the extent of the impact. It would be appropriate if the formula did recognize the disproportionate impact, but no one knew what that was. 

It is our contention that there is more than one impact. The existence of a PCB dump in Lee is one, far-reaching impact. But we must recognize that the dredging and the transportation of toxic materials also has far-reaching and potentially lethal impacts. We must recognize $1.5million will not begin to compensate Stockbridge. It was as if the 5 towns signed a contract with a blank check. They signed the agreement without the information necessary to accurately determine the impact.

The Benefit to GE

The agreement that Stockbridge, Lee, Lenox, Great Barrington, and Sheffield signed did not include compensation for the decades of damage to our waterways and to our inhabitants prior to any effort to cleanup. PCBs were invented in the last century. It was 80 years ago, during WWII, that there was widespread use of PCBs. It has been at least 50 years since GE started dumping toxic waste in Silver Lake, the Housatonic River, and the adjacent lands. 50 years that the river has flooded the land and golfers at Stockbridge Golf Club have been strolling through toxic waste and creating toxic-laden divots.

We will never know how many people have suffered from cancer as a direct result of GE’s blatant disregard for their welfare. Or how many dogs sickened and died. Or how many fish died or how many birds. 

50 years or more of poisoning our environment, but this agreement drew a line in the sand and only considered compensation for the impact of the clean-up. No compensation for the pollution! 

Who signed an agreement that ignored the totality of the problem and why?

Carole Owens
Executive Editor

Editor’s Note: Both from June 4, 2024, click these links for the letter from the EPA and the GE Transportation and Disposal Plan.

In the contributor’s section is the EPA letter responding to and refuting some of the contentions in Steve Shatz’ letter.

News

Letter from Ashlin Brooks, Community Involvement Coordinator, U.S. EPA – New England, Region 1

re Shatz letter [ Correcting the record on letter-writer’s Stockbridge Finance Committee comments — Berkshire Eagle – May 16, 2024]

Good afternoon, Carole,

RE: About the settlement received by ROR from GE

The Settlement Agreement stipulates GE will pay a total of $55 million to the towns of Lenox, Lee, Stockbridge, Great Barrington, and Sheffield. EPA had no role in the negotiation, allocation, or distribution of funds from the Settlement Agreement and is not aware of Stockbridge’s process for determining or approving the formula.

The letter is correct that there is no permanent storage or disposal of excavated material in Stockbridge. Temporary stockpiling of material excavated in Stockbridge may be required for a short period while arranging for transport.

The letter is correct that dredging of sediment from behind the Glendale Dam and excavation of floodplain soil from up to six parcels is anticipated to occur 12 years after the remediation starts in Pittsfield and is estimated to take a maximum of one year to complete. However, there may be some transport of material through Stockbridge via trucking prior to year 12 for material from Lee or Lenox to get to the Upland Disposal facility in Lee or to go to out of state landfills. Clean backfill could also potentially be transported through Stockbridge to other affected communities, however, a source of backfill has not been identified.

News

SU FYI

Stockbridge Has a Farmer’s Market!

Announcement from Stuart Kelso 

There will be a farmer’s market at the Town Hall on Wednesday afternoons from 3pm to 6pm, starting July 24 and running through August 28.

It will feature fresh organic food from local farmers.

SNAP recipients will be able to use the Market match program to make the produce very affordable.

The Abode Farm and Gaetano’s Organic Farm will be offering a variety of USDA certified organic fresh produce:

Tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, broccoli, salad greens, brassicas, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, lettuce , flowers, blueberries, and other herbs and vegetables.

We are especially delighted to have these vendors as they do not use any chemicals, herbicides, or pesticides, and are also dedicated to regenerative and sustainable farming practices that build up healthy nutrients in the soil. (composting, crop rotation, and biodynamic farming methods).

For 45 years Mill Brook Sugarhouse has been offering pure maple syrup, maple sugar, maple cream and maple granola. 

As other vendors are added, we will be sending out updates.

If you will definitely be patronizing our farmers market, please send a quick email to let us know, as that will help us successfully plan the best market that we can.

If you want to receive farmers market updates directly to your email, (probably one email about every two weeks), Please specifically request to be added to the list. Contact Stuart Kelso FarmersMarket@stockbridge-ma.gov

Zero interest loans for home modifications

From Berkshire Regional Planning Commission 

BRPC is inviting applications to the Home Modification Loan Program, a state-funded no-interest loan program to provide modifications to those in need of accessibility improvements to their homes.

Eligible applicants include homeowners and landlords (with fewer than 10 units) who need to change their homes to keep disabled or elderly family members in their own homes.

Possible modifications include bathroom and kitchen modifications, ramps, stair lifts, platform lifts, sensory/therapy spaces, hard-wired alarm systems, fences, accessory dwelling units, and more.

This is not a home repair program; repairs to roofs, windows, and heating systems are not eligible. All work must be completed by licensed and insured contractors.

For property owners, 0 percent interest loans range between $1,000 and $50,000. No monthly payments are required, but repayment is required when the property is sold or transferred.

For owners of manufactured or mobile homes, 0 percent interest loans range from $1,000 to $30,000.

All applications are subject to HMLP eligibility requirements.

For more information, contact Christie Lewis at clewis@berkshireplanning.org or 413-442-1521, ext. 23 or visit: https://www.commteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/HMLP-Application-May-2024.pdf

News

Events 

Berkshire Jewish Film Festival 

July 8 — August 12 — eleven films $15/per film; $136/season pass. Films shown at Duffin Theater (Lenox Middle and High School, 197 East Street)

Chesterwood 

Chesterwood presents Poetry Reading on the Studio Piazza — free poetry reading with award-wining poets Rodney Jones and Owen Lewis. Saturday, June 22 at 4 pm. Reading followed by a Q & A and reception. Advance reservations are highly recommended due to limited seating — click www.chesterwood.org/arts-alive-2024.

Berkshire Botanical Garden 

Berkshire Botanical Garden, June 8: Exhibition opening “Microcosms” Featuring Works by Peter Gerakaris; June 8: Forest Bathing; June 11: Robin Hill and Good Dogs Farm Day Trip; June 14: Cross Talk: Byzantine and Nature; June 15: Plant and Place: Integrating a Botanical Still Life Foreground and Background; June 15: Principles and Practices of Biological Farming; June 19: Cocktails in Great Gardens; June 22: The Veggie Specialist’s Garden; June 24: Farm in the Garden Camp Begins; June 28: Evening Firefly Watch; June 29: Summer Tree Identification and Native Plants with a Twist.

Berkshire Theatre Group presents Abe Lincoln in Illinois, written by Robert Sherwood on the Larry Vaber Stage at the Unicorn Theatre June 13, 14 and 15 closing Sunday June 16, 2024

Norman Rockwell Museum 

Norman Rockwell Museum presents a Curator Tour “Rockwell & Humor” – June 22, 2pm – 2:40pm Price: $10 for members, $20 for the general public — Duration: 40 minutes

Join Jane Dini, Curator of Exhibitions and Curator of “Norman Rockwell: Illustrating Humor” for a tour of a new exhibition organized in conjunction with “What Me Worry? The Art and Humor of MAD Magazine.” Exploring a range of Rockwell works drawn from the collection, this thematic exhibition examines how the artist used humor to reveal the humanity and emotional life of his subjects. Dini will discuss the works on view and describe how Rockwell was a master humorist who could depict a funny story in a single frame better than any illustrator of his day. For more information, go to: https://www.nrm.org/events/curator-tour-rockwell-humor.

TOTALLY MAD! Artmaking Activities 

Every Saturday from June 15th – August 31st, 11AM-4PM

Price: Free with Museum Admission

Join us to make your own art inspired by the art and antics of MAD Magazine!

Inspired by the progressive, provocative, and always playful MAD magazine, join us for drop-in art-making every Saturday, this summer. Projects will highlight different aspects of MAD magazine, featuring recurring characters, comic strips, bits, and other highlights of its history through drawing, collage, and more.

MAD fans of all ages are welcome, but no previous experience required! Materials provided

June 22nd will feature a special 90-minute artist-led workshop on gag writing with Emily Flake and Jason Chatfield 

https://www.nrm.org/events/totally-mad-artmaking-activities/2024-06-15

Stockbridge Bowl Association 

Stockbridge Bowl Association presents: Know Your Invasives, Saturday, July 6 (Rain/Wind Date July 7) 10am — 11:30am at the Stockbridge Bowl Public Boat Ramp Route 183 (parking may be limited, please carpool)

Presentation by Aquatic Roots Underwater Gardening Company on Native Plants vs Invasives and Keeping Stockbridge Bowl Healthy. Presentations will be on land and on the water. Attend by land and/or boat (Kayak, Pontoon, Zodiak). Pontoon boats may be available for a limited number of attendees. This a Family Friendly event open to all stakeholders of Stockbridge Bowl: Residents and Visitors. Sponsored by the Stockbridge Bowl Association. For questions go to www.thesba.org or thesba.info@gmail.com

News

Notes from the Planning Board, June 2024

Chair Kate Fletcher cancelled the PB meeting again. This is an opportunity to share what the role of the PB is according to Massachusetts General Law. 

“Planning Board — Purposes and Duties 

The general purpose of the Planning Board is to provide for and guide the orderly growth and development of the community. 

This is accomplished primarily through development of: a Master Plan for the Town, Zoning Bylaws, and the Planning Board’s Rules and Regulations Governing Subdivision of Land. 

The purpose of these administrative duties is to ensure the public safety, interest and welfare of the residents of the Town within the Planning Board’s functional areas as mandated by statutes and local bylaws and regulations. 

The Planning Board is responsible for the administration of the Subdivision Control Law pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 41 and its Rules and Regulations, to provide ways that are safe and adequate for pedestrian and vehicular access. 

The Board conducts meetings and public hearings in compliance with Massachusetts General Laws to review and consider subdivision plans and Approval Not Required (also called Form A or 81P) plans. 

The Planning Board also makes recommendations on the laying out and acceptance of public ways. 

Another important function of the Planning Board is to consider and prepare amendments to the Town’s Zoning Bylaw. 

The Board conducts public hearings on amendments drafted by the Board and on amendments that are submitted to the Board by way of citizen petition or by landowners or other town boards through the proper procedures for submitting Town Meeting articles. 

The Planning Board also issues certain special permits and site plan approval under the sections of the Zoning Bylaw noted below: • Special Permit Granting Authority: • Uses Within the Central Business District (Section 5-B, Table 5-B.1) • Residential Care Continuum (Section 10-A) • Independent and Assisted Living (Section 10-B) • Age Qualified Village (Section 10-C) • Open Space Residential Development (Section 10-D) • Common Driveways (Section 10-E) • Special Permits Within the Water Resources Protection Overlay District (Section 12) • Site Plan Review (Section 13) The Planning Board is responsible for developing and updating the town’s Master Plan, an ongoing process. The Planning Board also holds public hearings on proposals on designated scenic ways to remove public shade trees for construction purposes or to alter stone walls.”

Editor’s note: Sounds important. Hopefully they will meet again soon.

News

Notes from the Select Board, June 6, 2024, Hybrid Meeting

For all Boards, Committees, and Commissions, at the first meeting after an election, a new chair is supposed to be named. Since both Jamie Minacci and Patrick White are running for office, it was determined that Chuck Cardillo would remain as Chair.

The Inn at Stockbridge was granted an Annual On-Premises Hotel All Alcohol license. 

Chesterwood was granted 5 one-day liquor licenses for events.

Town Administrator Michael Canales suggested that the Compactor Sticker price be raised from $50 to $150 as the price of trucking trash has risen. Cardillo and Minacci agreed. White voted against the proposed rise. 

White suggested that the Town as a whole could meet the rising cost by leaving the sticker cost at $50 and assigning the unpaid balance, if any, to the real estate tax rather than possibly creating a burden for the many who take their trash to the dump rather than hiring a trash removal company.

With two votes in favor of tripling the cost, the $150 sticker was approved. 

The Trail Bridge on the “Inlet of Stockbridge Bowl” was deemed unsafe and closed. Working quickly and efficiently a plan to replace it in a few weeks at a cost paid out of available cash was developed.

On the subject of bridges, White mentioned there could be greatly increased stress on our bridges with the planned PCB transport through town. White did not want to approve any bridge repairs until the impact on our bridges of 13 years of PCB-laden truck traffic is determined. He voted in favor of work on repairs to the pedestrian Trail Bridge and further investigation of Curtisville Bridge as a pedestrian bridge.

Canales gave a status report on the Verizon Glendale Cell Tower Land Lease. As Verizon is contemplating a move to 5G, it will need fewer towers. A 35-year contract for a tower(s) on Glendale Middle Road is due to expire in 2026. Verizon now pays the town $2400/month. Verizon is negotiating the terms of the new contract.

Meeting adjourned

News

Notes from Agriculture and Forestry, June 3, 2024, Hybrid

Stockbridge has been selected by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) as the site for a special Forestry Event in 2024. Colin Mettey and Michael Downey of the Public Lands Forestry program, DCR explained that this has been an annual celebration for 11 years,established by the Town Forest Act of 2013. 

Stockbridge was selected based on the tree work in Ice Glen initiated by Select Board member White. The work in Ice Glen earned Stockbridge the Massachusetts Municipal Association Innovation Award. In addition, the Fenn Farm property was purchased by the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans — over 300 acres of land in conservation. White was involved in each of the foregoing initiatives and will serve on the event committee.

Proposed sites for this special forestry event are Lake Averic, Gould Meadows, Ice Glen; proposed speakers include Bob Leverett, founder, Native Tree society, Sherry White, Stockbridge-Munsee Tribal Liaison, Shannon Holsey, President, Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans.

In addition, Stockbridge is home to Kampoosa Bog, a calcareous fen and Area of Critical Economic Concern (ACEC), and the first village improvement society: the Laurel Hill Association. 

News

Notes from the Affordable Housing Trust (AHT), June 10, 2024, Hybrid Meeting

Chair Ranee Warner contacted the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) with respect to the FY2020 Community Block Grant Program. She made a request for additional finds. The problem was described in the October 1, 2023, issue of Stockbridge Updates — in the archives at www.stockbridgeupdates.com

In brief, although it was a joint grant to be divided between towns with BRPC as administrator, Stockbridge received no money. Evidently there is some money left over and Warner was assured a Stockbridge resident received it for repair to a leaky roof.

Patrick White announced there is an EPA Challenge Grant available and AHT might qualify.

Vote to approve further survey of the Glendale Middle Road Property along the one boundary with the private property — not the common boundary with the Town. Motion to pay surveyor passed.

Pine Woods playground equipment installation is complete — mulch will be added for safety.

There was a long discussion about next steps in the development of the Glendale Middle Road property. There was a question about hiring a grant writer, a program developer or both. Jan Ackerman and Patrick White were appointed to a search committee.

Costs associated with development were discussed. For example, an estimated $1million per mile for a road with utilities. In addition, cost of water main estimated at $560,000 for the job. Tony Carlino, Sewer Dept, could not supply approximate costs.

Meeting adjourned

Editor’s note: Having worked many years as a program developer and grants writer, I offered that grant applications can be used as planning tools.

News

Funding for Affordable Housing Inches Forward

The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) has been following the enactment of a new Housing Bond Bill that is expected to pass both houses and be on the Governor’s desk before the end of the formal session by the legislature on July 31st. 

After 18 months, the House enacted a Housing Bond Bill. Last Monday morning, a bill was released, and legislators needed to read and submit their amendments by 5 pm. Debate and passage of the proposed legislation occurred on Wednesday. The bill with a $6.5 billion price tag has a goal of creating opportunities and building more needed housing with funds for: 

Vulnerable populations with $60 million to modify the homes of individuals or families with disabilities or seniors so they may maintain residency or return home from institutional settings and $55 million to support appropriate housing for people with disabilities who are not DMH or DDS clients.

Housing development with $800 million for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund that provides resources to create or preserve affordable housing for households earning less than 100 percent of AMI $250 million to accelerate the development of mixed-income multifamily housing, and $400 million for the Workforce Housing Fund, which funds housing development for households earning less than 120 percent of AMI.

Housing Works with $425 million to support preservation, new construction, and rehabilitation projects through the Housing Stabilization Fund and the Community Investment and Preservation Fund and $175 million for municipal infrastructure projects to encourage denser housing development, There is also $25 million for grants to municipalities for planning and zoning initiatives that support housing production, workforce training, and economic opportunities, child care, early education initiatives, and climate resiliency initiatives and $20 million to provide incentive payments to municipalities who adopt smart growth housing districts.

This is an initial step in funding housing; the Senate will need to pass its version of the bill. Then, a conference committee will be formed to determine the differences between each bill version before it reaches the Governor’s desk, which she can enact or reject. 

There are lots of moving parts, but as Stockbridge works to develop the parcel recently given to the town, perhaps the state will be a partner in creating housing options for the elderly who are over-housed and families who want to be active participants in the life of the town. 

Editor’s note: AMI stands for Area Median Income — the figure on which eligibility is based.

by Christine Rasmussen, Alt Delegate BRPC

Perspective

Town Square

On reading the initial report, SU readers asked these questions:

Do we really want more damage to our inhabitants and the environment because of a so-called clean-up that will, in our view, only increase the problem and spread the PCB contamination even farther?

Why not leave the contamination where it is, and share the money that GE is going to spend on the clean-up among the five towns that have been affected? We could turn something profoundly negative into something positive.

It is a pity the public was not informed before, but now that we are informed (and outraged) why can’t we mount a countywide demonstration against this lunacy?

Now that the public is no longer in the dark, the public will have many more questions. We want to hear from you.

Video

Meet Candace Currie 

A video by Lionel Delevingne

The Last Word

Reader to Reader

Thank You Cemetery Volunteers

Sincere thanks to the headstone cleaning volunteers (Vince, André, Margo, Marie, Greg, Shelby and Karen) who removed the lichens, mosses, and mold from marble headstones in the oldest section of the cemetery on Saturday, May 18th. They scraped, sprayed, scrubbed and watched the relatively quick transition from dark gray to orange-ish to what will become white marble again. The product we use, D/2, continues working after we’re gone. Come check out the work at our next volunteer day scheduled for Friday, June 21st from 9 to noon. Additional dates in the fall TBD to overlap with the Preservation Inc. team when they are back at the cemetery.

Candace Currie

To the editor:

Two points.

Correcting the record

First, you may have read about the dump sticker vote in The Berkshire Eagle. To be clear, I did not propose a new property tax. I proposed we leave the sticker price at $50 and fund the transfer station as we always have. My colleagues elected to follow the Town Administrator’s recommendation to triple the dump sticker fee. I opposed this because I believe it unfairly impacts renters and property owners of modest means.

Blazing new trails

Second, I got a call from a reporter at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel a few weeks ago regarding our initiatives with the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans. With the permission of the Tribe, I was interviewed. He wrote a great story. You can read it by clicking here: https://www.stockbridgeupdates.com/journal-sentinel.pdf.

If you read the article, you will notice it mentions Mohican native Dennis Zack and his small company, Tribal Sun Soap of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. I reached out to both Dennis, who expressed an interest in selling his handcrafted soaps in Stockbridge, and the ever-wonderful Teresa O’Brient of the Williams & Sons Country Store. Teresa agreed to offer the company’s soaps in her store, marking the first location in their ancestral homeland that will sell his product.

Patrick White
Select Board Member