News

News

1. If you would like to run for office in Stockbridge, papers are available in the Town Clerk’s Office from now until March 28, 2025. They must be completed and returned by April 1, 5pm.
   There is one open seat on each of the following:
   3 Year Term
   Select Board, Board of Assessors, Board of Health, Parks and Recreation, Sewer and Water
   5 Year Term
   Planning Board and Housing Authority
   The following people have taken out papers:
   Select Board: Michael Roisman, Lisa Sauer, and incumbent, Jamie Minacci.
   Board of Assessors: no one yet
   Housing Authority: incumbent Barney Edmonds
   Water and Sewer: incumbent Peter Socha
   Planning Board: Peter Barenski, Jr
   Board of Health: incumbent John Loiodice

Editor’s note: Even if you run unopposed, please take advantage of Stockbridge Updates’ Candidate Corner and introduce yourself to the voters 

2. Jenny Hansell, President Berkshire Natural Resources Council, wanted to share that BNRC has put into conservation 66 acres in Great Barrington and over 100 acres in Tyringham. “By the time you read this,” she wrote, “we will have finalized the second of two major land conservation deals that recently came to fruition.” Read more about the impact of your support on the Berkshire outdoors in my blog post. 
3. If you would like to contact your Massachusetts elected officials representative, here is the information: Governor Maura Healey: (617) 725-4005, email Governor Healey, MA House Speaker Mariano: (617) 722-2500, Ronald.Mariano@mahouse.gov, MA Senate President Spilka: (617) 722-1500, Karen.Spilka@masenate.gov, Paul Mark, MA State Senator: (617) 722-1625, John Barrett III, MA State Representative District 1: (617) 722-2960 (Boston) (413)-743-8300 (District Office) Tricia Farley-Bouvier, MA State Representative District 2: (413) 442-4300, Leigh Davis, MA State Representative District 3 (413)-854-4623 Senator Elizabeth Warren: (202) 224-4543, Senator Edward Markey: (202) 224-2742, and Representative Richard Neal: (202) 225-5601. 
4. This has been a year of slips and falls and flu. To our other Stockbridge neighbors – in various stages of recovery – Claire Williams, Peter Williams, Mary Balle, and Sally Underwood-Miller — get better soon. In our boardrooms, at our lunch tables, on Main Street, and in the post office — we miss you.

From the Desk of Superintendent Peter Dillon

Berkshire Hills Regional School District (BHRSD)

Last Thursday the School Committee voted unanimously to approve our proposed budget. It was a challenging year responding to a range of increases driven by rising costs connected to insurance, salaries and benefits, utilities, and transportation. We worked hard to minimize the impact on students and learning.

The budget will now go to the three towns – Great Barrington, Stockbridge, and West Stockbridge to be voted on at town meetings.

There are some exciting events in the next week including the boys basketball team in the final four with a game at Worcester State University on Wednesday and the high school musical, Mean Girls, which has performances Thursday through Sunday. Next edition, I will share some updates on the high school project. Take a look at the Monument Building Project website and sign up for updates. Please reach out to me at peter.dillon@bhrsd.org if you have any questions. Please continue to join our School Committee and other meetings.

News

Notes from the Agriculture and Forestry Commission, Hybrid meeting 

Chair Matt Boudreau opened the meeting by sharing that farmers in our area are receiving notice that funds granted through the United States Department of Agriculture are now frozen for 90 days or longer. The farmers applied for initiatives, spent the money, and reimbursement is being withheld. Moreover, the Stockbridge Farmer’s Market may be negatively impacted if Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is cut.

Town Administrator Michael Canales and Highway Superintendent Hugh Page joined the meeting.

Arbor Day and “Tree City”

Arbor Day is April 25, 2025, but Stockbridge may select another day to celebrate. AFC considered April 23 or 24.

Being named a Tree City requires fulfilling certain criteria: having an Annual Arbor Day celebration, having a tree bylaw, having a designated board, and having a tree-planting plan. AFC qualifies as the designated board. Page has a tree log as required. The planting plan will be reviewed by Page and AFC and specific trees will be identified as the most advantageous trees to plant. Canales will write the required Town proclamation. The other requirements are satisfied so it appears Stockbridge can receive the designation this year or next. It helps a municipality qualify for certain grants.

Hugh Page mentioned the removal and replanting of trees along Main Street which are stressed from being planted incorrectly.

Farmers’ Markets

Berkshire Botanical Garden presented their plan for a Farmers’ Market on Mondays 3pm – 6pm. It has taken advantage of being on a bus route, and opening when campers are picked up by parents who may shop. It also precedes Music Monday (See Events in this issue) The Town Farmers’ Market, at Town Offices on Wednesdays, is now 3 years old. Farmers expressed that they are pleased about the profits they make. The Town does not charge fees for the booths but will charge beginning next year. It is well situated along Main Street to attract customers.

It begins at 4pm because office workers leave at that time. That is a double bonus – when they leave, the parking lot empties, and they may shop before they leave. Parking is an issue but using the basketball court is being investigated. To date it is food only – no crafts. That discussion will continue.

Boudreau thanked Stuart Kelso for the excellent job he has done establishing the market and shepherding it annually over the 3 years.

AFC wanted to “keep an eye” on the portion of the application for a special permit submitted by 37 Interlaken for 17 acres of “farmland”. The plan is to cut down many trees for a “farm” without any specifics about type of farm – vegetable, fruit grove, poultry, dairy, or grains – and no explanation of the necessity for so large an area as 17 acres

The Chair iterated that AFC may have to apply to the Town for funds if SNAP is defunded.

Notes from the Board of Assessors (BOA), March 3, 2025, Hybrid meeting. 

1. The Assessors will sign the FY25 Real Estate Abatement Certificate 
2. BOA will review the motor vehicle abatement applications.
   Both are done in an Executive Session to ensure privacy. 
3. Rollback tax and Right of First Refusal for the land owned by the Moffat Family Nominee Trust – to Chapter 61 land on Interlaken Crossroad. Then Roll-back tax has been calculated. (See Editor’s note) 
4. Right of First Refusal: While Planning Board apparently has no role, both it and BOA can comment.
   The decision is at the discretion of the Select Board (SB) The SB has 120 days from the filing of the Right of First Refusal and notification made to review and decide if it wishes to exercise its right and purchase the land. SB can order an independent appraisal to be performed. SB should review at a public meeting, entertain comments, and then decide. Citizens, BOA, PB and others can submit opinions/comments. 
5. Equalized Valuation (EQV) finalized for 2024 by the Department of Revenue (DOR). All 351 Massachusetts municipalities have a valuation. EQV is the estimated value of taxable property. The relative EQV in each municipality is the basis for the amount of state money allocated to municipalities for libraries, schools, school construction, and also to determine the debt limit. Our EQV is 1 billion 352 million up 42 million. Any town can question the calculation itself or the final EQV. 
6. BOA will review remainder of real estate exemption applications. 
7. There is a new disabled veterans’ exemption established by the “Hero Act.” 
8. Discussion of the Board of Assessors Stipend.
   Background: There are 7 elected boards in Stockbridge – Select Board, Planning Board, Board of Health, Board of Assessors, the Housing Authority, Water and Sewer, and Parks and Recreation.
   For the first time, the Planning Board requested a $500 annual stipend for each member. In the course of discussion, it was noted that BOA members receive $4000 per member. The decision to grant all members of all elected boards $500 per member which reduced the BOA stipend from $4000 to $500. Only one other elected board, the SB, received as much or more per member. The SB exempted itself from the vote.
   Town Assessor Michael Blay expressed outrage and called the decision “hasty, ill-conceived, and done with no knowledge [of what the Assessors do].” Blay asked Select Board member Chuck Cardillo if the decision was final. Cardillo said it was not and invited Blay to submit a report to the SB about the duties and requirements for someone to serve on the BOA.
   BOA member Doug Goudey called the decision “retaliatory” for the BOA’s consistent resistance to endorsing the Residential Tax Exemption. He added, “D.C. comes here.” Pitney shared that he wrote a personal note to Select Board member Patrick White expressing his disappointment and saying it was not the way things were done in Stockbridge. Evidently referring to the surprise action with no discussion with, or ‘heads-up” to BOA. White replied to Pitney that his concern was relate to the rising cost of health insurance. None of the BOA members have Town health insurance. (See Editor’s note.)
   Goudey wanted to take the opportunity to urge “Pat and Mike” [White and Town Administrator Michael Canales] to be careful about subcontracting certain services for two reasons – confidentiality and keeping good jobs in our village. Vote to enter Executive Session

Editor’s note: 

1. Chapter 61 is the Forestland Taxation Act. It requires municipalities to reduce assessments of forest land when a landowner is enrolled in and observes the Chapter 61 program requirements. Chapter 61 enables landowners to realize the value of the current use of the land in exchange for a ten year commitment to leave the land undeveloped and grow only forest products which could include – wood, timber and Christmas trees. 
2. Rollback taxes are a type of property tax that is imposed when a property’s use changes. They are based on the difference between the property’s previous value and new tax value based on the changed use. 
3. Relationship between stipends for elected board and Town Health Insurance – apparently, every elected member of a board qualifies for Town health insurance if their stipend is $4000 or more. To address that concern, one option would be to lower the BOA members stipend by $1 to $3999 not by $3500 to $500. Another would be to ask elected members of the BOA to waive their right to Town health insurance. All three members of the SB receive a stipend which is greater that $4000 and all are on Town health insurance.

Notes from the Historical Commission, March 3, 2025, Hybrid meeting.

On behalf of Kate and Hans Morris, attorney Nick Arienti asked for a finding that could enable his clients to tear down a structure in order to preserve a larger and older structure.

It was found that the goat shed attached to an historically significant barn could be torn off because “it would not substantially alter a significant historic building [the barn].” There was brief discussion about the ‘Berkshire Cottage” on the Desisto property (37 Interlaken)and concern that front façade preservation with a new hotel built behind was not in the spirit of preservation. However, Chair Carl Sprague said it was his understanding that there was almost nothing left of the historic interior or its former architectural detail.

Contributors

Twenty-First Century Farming

By Mathieu Boudreau

I still remember In March 2020 when overnight the farm I managed went from having roughly 60 families to having over 120 families. The panic of Covid-19 had set in and families in the Berkshires looked to Community Supported Agriculture (CSA’s) for a source of community, nourishing food, and a feeling of security in a time of uncertainty. Now those same farmers that provided so much for the communities they support are seeing their federal funding stolen from them.

Many farmers work with grants from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement strategies to save energy and water, buy new equipment, implement solar panels, and develop regenerative strategies for the land they care for. Many of these grants require extensive documentation and aren’t reimbursed until after a project is complete. These funds allow farms to be better stewards of their land, while allowing them to grow their business and hire staff. Without access to these funds farmers can’t hire more staff, pay for the contractors for the work they may have started, or hire consultants to help develop strategies to improve their practices.

Over the past few weeks, I have received numerous “News Letters” from farms all over telling their horror stories of finding out that their Federal Funding has been frozen. From Dutchess County and The Berkshires alone I have tracked close to $3.6 million that is not being distributed either because it is “frozen” or because the Farm Bill has not passed. What makes this harder on these particular farmers is that the previous administration asked Queer, Black, Women, Indigenous, POC owned farms to raise their hands for funds; to acknowledge their existence in a field that is heavily dominated by white men and is hard to break into without generational wealth. Now in the middle of the spring season when farmers are supposed to be planning the layout of the fields, training new employees, planting the first seeds in the ground they find themselves figuring out if they can afford to hire new employees or even be able to finish the projects they started.

If you can, buy a CSA share. If you can, buy from your local farm store. If you can, buy from your local farmers market. If you can, ask your farmer if they are okay.

Cottage Experience

By Lou Schroeter

I was studying at Cornell University Hotel and Restaurant Administration when my parents moved from Long Island to Lenox and bought Sunnyridge II in Lenox and the Morgan House in Lee. With little interest in becoming a restauranteur, I moved into the carriage house at Sunnyridge and started a metal fabrication business named Atlantis.

The mid Seventies brought continued interest in the cottages but they were way out of reach. Pretentious and unrealistic as owning a cottage was, the desire continued to grow. There may be a path to cottage life, but it was yet to be found. The fulfillment of the dream began from the defining work, “The Berkshire Cottages, A Vanishing Era” by Carole Owens. I consumed every word of the stories and quotes that bring the Cottage Era to life. As the Era was vanishing from society, it was coming into view for me.

The late Eighties business success still had a cottage out of reach but building my own became a reality. The shingle style mansions like Elm Court, Naumkeg, and houses of coastal Maine cemented the decision to build a correct shingle style cottage of my own. The interior would include a drawing room, library, conservatory, and staff kitchen. The house would become the stage on which to act in the Gilded Age lifestyle.

We named the house Deerlawn and it gradually became filled with antique furniture and fixtures. Additions were made and rooms would be remodeled to a higher level of style and quality. If you remain modest in self-assessment the house will be superior and never fail to impress. My wife and I would tour cottages and great houses all over the Northeast and we began to feel more of a connection with their beauty and owners. Visit www.deerlawn.org for more.

One legacy of the Cottagers is their philanthropy. It is an ethic that can be pursued at any level. Business taught me the value of dedication and investment in one’s self. The time came to make investments in other causes. The highest level of satisfaction for myself would come from giving to education and historic preservation. Supporting scholarships at my prep school Alma Mater allows students with less means to lay the groundwork for future success.

Ventfort Hall in Lenox was fascinating from the first encounter to today. The first look was on a tour for code requirements with the Lenox authorities and the Bible Speaks who had just purchased the property. I was at Ventfort Hall to assess the need for a fire escape but to my dismay there was already a fire escape on the building and my services were not needed. As a common vendor, I was dismissed without getting further into the tour.

In 2023 I made a bold move and approached Ventfort Hall to inquire if donating some of our Cottage furnishings would be of interest. Of course, I came with my Cottager want to be story and found the Executive Director, Wendy Healey and others engaging and inviting. Realizing that substantial funds are most needed I made a donation pledge and looked for opportunities where I could help. The invitation to join the Board and then Chair the Restoration Committee were positions never before perceived. Thriving on projects, there has become a great bond between us.

Ventfort Hall is a short walk from Town and offers tours, private and public events, talks, concerts, high teas, and more. I delight in talking to visitors and getting their impressions. They like taking pictures inside which is prohibited at most venues. The goal at Ventfort is the complete restoration from basement to third floor which will allow visitors to see not only how the owners lived but how their staff lived and performed their functions.

Restoration has been accelerated with projects that show the best of Ventfort Hall. The driveway, parking areas, and walkways will be finished this Spring. The beautiful Salon will soon be restored and air conditioning added for summer comfort. Some projects can be accomplished with grants, donations, and volunteer labor while the East End masonry restoration will require millions.

Fundraising is complex and never ending. A major antiques auction is being planned for 2026 giving the public an opportunity to donate their fine pieces of value. The major source for funds will be people in the Berkshires and beyond who can make substantial investments in the Ventfort Hall Legacy and hence, their own.

Deerlawn

Coming to Stockbridge – Part One

By Joseph Shapiro

My family and I moved to our home in Stockbridge on Halloween night of 2020. It was the height (nadir?) of the pandemic with the first wave of the Omicron variant running rampant across the globe. Behind our new home was St. Joseph’s Cemetery and, across the street, the Burial Ground of the Stockbridge Indians. In a time of death and sorrow unimaginable in our era, our home was, and of course still is, quite literally surrounded by corpses.

I had gone to summer camp in Becket as a child, the same summer camp my grandfather attended in the 1930s, and I had spent some time every summer in the Berkshires as far back as I could remember. I still have photographs from the late 70s of me as a tow-headed little boy of about four or five on the lawn at Tanglewood, my grandfather in the background, deeply tanned by the mid-summer sun.

As a student and then as an attorney in New York City, I began to visit this area as an adult, experiencing the magical Berkshire autumns for the first time as well as its winter, a time when few tourists would brave the sleet and snow that made Route 7 somewhat of a gamble. I always had the vague notion that, should I ever have a child, I would want to raise him or her in a place like this.

For me, the Berkshires in general and Stockbridge in particular, always seemed a place removed from the noise, both figurative and literal, of the contemporary world. It was a place of art and culture; a place that selectively preserved the past while embracing the modern in a discerningly New England fashion. It seemed a place of hearty souls who lived thoughtful, intentional lives. It was a place of artists and intellectuals and hard workers. It also embodied a certain mystery that I longed to discover and dissect for myself. It’s difficult to convey to those who have not experienced it what it was like to bring a young child into the world during the global pandemic. Our son was born in January of 2020 and within a few months everyone was in masks, washing their mail and, when they did venture out for necessities, viewing everyone over the top of said masks as deeply suspect, a potential vector of disease that should not be trusted. For my wife and me, it was an odd combination of elation over our new child mixed with sadness along with a pervasive mind-numbing boredom and a dash of terror. We watched alone in fascination as our son took his first steps and began to talk. My parents would not meet our son until well after his second birthday.

The Problems with Berkshire Hills Regional School District

By Jan Wojcik

Let us start with the natural history of the Berkshire School districts. The first regional school district was formed in 1953. The Southern Berkshires School District was formed with the towns of Alford, Egremont, Monterey, Sheffield and New Marlborough. Seventy-two years later, they are still together.

Great Barrington did not join SBRSD, but as Searles High School aged something had to be done to initiate the construction of a new high school. Stockbridge was also considering constructing a new high school to replace Williams High School as Town Offices was proposed to move there. This led to the development of the Berkshire Hills Regional School District (BHRSD) in 1965. Great Barrington, Stockbridge, and West Stockbridge joined together. The arrangement allowed the towns to have a new high school with the subsequent construction of new middle and elementary buildings in close proximity. Jumping forward sixty years, BHRSD would like to build a new high school after several prior attempts to renovate or expand the school failed.

There are many issues to consider in contemplating such a project. The issues can be broken down into two separate categories, namely performance and cost. Performance The performance data provided by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) lends interleaf to interesting comparisons.

The dropout rate for BHRSD is the third worst in Berkshires/Pioneer Valley and higher than the state average. The attrition rate of BHRSD is the worst of all Western Massachusetts school districts that are not inner-city based.

The percentage of students completing advanced courses is the lowest of all Berkshire/Pioneer Valley schools that are not inner city schools.

The percentage of students going to college is third worst when looking at the same non-city school districts.

The percentage of experienced teachers in the BHRSD is second worse in the Berkshire school districts.

Cost

When looking at the cost side of the equation the DESE data is remarkable.

The percentage of actual net school spending vs Chapter 70 foundation is the third highest in the Berkshires. We are spending much more than others.

The average teacher salary is the second highest in the Western Massachusetts area including Amherst, Northampton, Longmeadow and the Berkshires.

The salary of the Superintendent of BHRSD is higher than any other Western Massachusetts school district other than Longmeadow which has 2,800 students while BHRSD has only 1,131 students.

The total expenditure per pupil is higher than any school district in the Berkshires or the Pioneer Valley.

In summary, BHRSD school district has very high costs/spending per pupil as well as high teacher salaries and the highest paid superintendent without clear cut educational data to warrant such an expense.

The current schools budget truly needs to be assessed and administrative costs decreased, and academic positions maintained. 

Analysis

It is back!

The Josh Billings runaground, a fixture in Stockbridge since 1976, was leaving town. It is back!

News Alert

Blackmail, Transactions, Bribes, Sops, and Retribution 

What if something nice was accomplished? What if it was lets-have-a-celebration nice? Do we care if in the murky backroom it was the result of blackmail? Does the end justify the means? Right now, we are one foot over the threshold of a very different political landscape. We may have to ask ourselves very different questions.

What about transactions: you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours? Are they commonplace or unacceptable? If unacceptable, whom do we blame? How about just blaming the sucker who did his part and did not receive a return? Do we love the winner at any cost?

But wait, every scam artist offers what we most need and badly want. Which of us would walk away? Which would rationalize and take the bait?

Those who believe interaction is merely transaction do not like us for our traits or accomplishments. They study us for our weaknesses. All bribes are not dollar bills; some are “love bombs” thrown to manipulate. Sops are cheap gifts labeled insider information shared not to inform but to manipulate. Retribution is wrong because it is the most blindly selfish. Without an ounce of concern for the other, it is done to satisfy something real or perceived by the doer.

I received a letter in which the writer called me “a talented writer who had been conned.” He hoped I would “see the light.” He hoped for me.

Wow, could it be that both sides have the same wish for the other side? Could it be that we as Americans have more in common? What if, in the voting booth, we pulled different levers for the same reason? Maybe this famous divide is not so wide. Maybe our values as Americans, our preferred outcomes, are the same. We may agree on almost every specific point – jobs, housing, education, raising kids, how we treat our veterans, being honest and responsible – and only disagree on which candidate was able to accomplish the goals. Maybe we recognized there were bad guys in the mix but disagreed on which ones the bad guys were.

I want to believe the bad guys are the minority. The ones who use their personal complaints as cudgels; the ones who can talk the talk but only use their talents and position to serve themselves, and the promiser whose word is no good.

This is a time when we must stand together. This is a moment to understand each other. I want to understand this: we are Americans, and we believe in being helpful and decent, in educating our children, sharing, following the rules, and being good neighbors. I believe, regardless of how they voted, the majority of Americans would show up at a fire, get out a rowboat in a flood, and run toward a drowning child.

Could it really be as simple as that? The great divide healed merely by addressing the task at hand and forgetting the politicians? I believe the bad guys are now, and always were, a minority. I believe they are eventually recognized whether near to us or far away. I believe we do wish the same wish for each other.

Carole Owens
Executive Editor

by Carole Owens, Executive Editor

Statehouse Updates

Home Rule and MBTA Zoning

By Christine Rasmussen

Since the 1960s, as a Home Rule state, local voters at Town Meetings, with the approval of the state Attorney General, have guided their town’s development by regulating zoning issues like the density and setbacks for new structures.

However, after seeing economic development stagnate due to a lack of housing, Governor Maura Healey’s administration prioritized creating 222,000 new housing units in the state by 2035. All municipalities are expected to participate in the process. For example, on February 2, a new state law overrode local zoning by requiring Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs or granny apartments) within an existing structure or newly built units of 900 feet or less to be allowed by right in any residential district in the state.

However, a more controversial option is getting attention in the press. It’s a new law applicable to the 170 communities in eastern MA served by or adjacent to a bus, train station, or ferry terminal run by the MA Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). The MBTA law codified in the 2023 Economic Development Bond Bill requires the creation of multi-family housing as of right in at least one zoning district of reasonable size. The district must have:

1. A minimum gross density of 15 units per acre, 
2. Fifty percent of the district’s area located within 0.5 miles of a public transportation station. 
3. A minimum gross density is 15 units per acre, and 
4. There are to be no age or family with children restrictions.

To become compliant, residents must vote to enact zoning bylaws, which the municipality develops, based on an 83-page state-developed guidance document. However, the units need not be built.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell issued further clarification in an Advisory stating that MBTA communities must comply with the statute, saying, “The law does not provide any mechanism by which a town or city may opt out of this requirement.” Her opinion continues, that “MBTA Communities cannot avoid their obligations under the Law by foregoing grant funding.” In addition, the Advisory cautions that “Communities that fail to comply with the Law may be subject to civil enforcement action” and risk liability under federal and state fair housing laws.”

Residents of the Town of Milton were the first to reject their draft bylaws, understanding they faced the loss of funds from four grant programs. The Commonwealth sued the town, and the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that Milton must comply.

Almost 120 of the MBTA Communities have either had their plans approved or are under state review, 38 are in the challenging process of gaining voter approval, and six are deciding on how to respond. In the meantime, the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission continues to monitor and provide information on legislative proposals to protect the values of our region.

The Last Word

Reader to Reader

Follow up…

Carole,

Below is the response from EPA.

John Loiodice, of Water and Sewer [S&W], tells me Don Schneyer [Chair] recalls no well condemnations that led to the extension of HWW [Housatonic Water Works] into the furnace district. On the other hand, S&W maintains the HWW lines for free, and no one seems to know how such a “sweetheart” (S&W’s term) deal was put in place. I intend to search the library historical section. I searched the Berkshire Middle Registry for deed restrictions by DEQE or EPA but there are none.

The [Board of Health] BOH does not provide testing services for PCBs and has no authority at present regarding such contamination. I see no reason for BOH to prohibit well drilling. It looks like people will have to do this at their own risk and find a private agency to test for PCB contaminants.

We are currently looking at another issue in town where someone has complained that Roundup had been used by a neighbor. The complainant is concerned that the nearby drinking water wells were contaminated. Again, BOH has no authority here, but I am hoping to bring it before the BOH after I do a little more research, with the goal of drafting a letter to DPH and DEP asking for assistance regarding testing for contaminants.

Charlie

Editor’s note: Dr. Charles Kenny is Chair of BOH

Good morning Dr. Kenny,

We have coordinated with Mass DEP’s Western Regional Office and below is our combined response to your inquiry.

The only information the EPA Consent Decree/Superfund Team has on potential contamination of drinking water sources in Stockbridge or near Rising Pond comes from the Town of Great Barrington. See attached May 9, 2018, letter from Jennifer Tabakin, Great Barrington Town Manager. The letter from Ms. Tabakin includes references to several reports, including the “Motts” reports, which investigated potential drinking water sources. You may want to check with Great Barrington and Stockbridge Town officials to see what other records they have.

EPA does not have any knowledge about any contamination in the 1970s that you reference below, or what the contaminants may have been.

EPA typically does not regulate or prohibit well drilling and specifically for this situation, superfund team is unaware of any prohibitions in Stockbridge or Great Barrington. Well installations are typically regulated by local officials or the State. We checked with Mass DEP’s Western Reginal Office and their response is below:

We do not have any information that directly addresses the questions asked by Dr. Kenny. We are not aware of any prior restrictions or well condemnations in the area. Generally, speaking this timeframe predates the existence of the MCP and it would be unlikely that DEP (DEQE then) would have been involved with private well issues.

We don’t foresee a reason for EPA to sample the groundwater in Stockbridge to implement the Rest of River cleanup or for any other regulatory reason. We don’t expect that the limited Rest of River remediation proposed for Great Barrington and Stockbridge will have any effect on the underlying aquifer.

Best,
Kelsey

Editor’s note: Kelsey Dumville is Lead Region Coordinator, U.S. EPA Region 1 Boston, MA

Hi Carole,

We cover the Select Boards for all five towns, but everyone likes to do it differently. Sheffield and Lenox have no Zoom camera or hybrid option, so we send videographers. Great Barrington and Stockbridge self-record and send us their recordings. Lee does have a zoom camera, but we continue to send a videographer.

Stockbridge does not send their meetings quickly and we often must nudge them. We post all recorded meetings from Stockbridge even though we are only required per our contract to provide select and school committees. If Stockbridge residents are having to wait more than 24 hours, they should bring this up with Michael or Patrick. If we had access to the cloud we could download almost immediately but we cannot because that cloud also contains executive sessions, so we are at the mercy of them sending the recording. If you have any other questions, please let me know. Thank you.

Rich Frederick

Editor’s note: Frederick is the Executive Director CTSB TV

Carole,

Our meeting was another life experience that was never expected when I first devoured your book in the 80’s. So much is embodied in the great houses one can find fulfillment in many ways by being associated with them. The story attached gives some insight to a similar experience that shows how what can seem impossibly out of reach can happen. Thank you so much for your time and I hope to gain more from our association.

Lou Schroeter

Correspondence and Correction

Stockbridge Updates reported that the 37 Interlaken application for a special permit would require unanimous approval from SB. If not approved, it could appeal to ZBA. If ZBA rejected it, an appeal could go to land court. That may have been incorrect, so SU wrote to Tom Schukler, Chair, ZBA as follows:

Good morning, Tom, Stockbridge Updates reported re: 37 Interlaken and I might have gotten it wrong. Could you correct me?

Thank you Carole Owens

Tom,

Thank you for your response. I would love to go to Town Counsel, but only committee, commission, and board chairs have access to Town Counsel. I can ask the Town Administrator and he can ask Town Counsel.

Carole

Canales told SU that it could NOT be appealed to ZBA, but could, within 120 days of posting the SB decision could be appealed to the Land Court, Housing Court or Superior. Schuler then amended his response and wrote, “I think Mike is right. Tom” Canales appeared to be wrong in only one regard, Housing Court did not appear to be a choice.

The Commonwealth wrote:

“In Massachusetts, a special permit appeal must be filed within 20 calendar days of the decision being filed with the Town Clerk. The appeal can be filed in the Superior or Land Court.”

Carole,

Here’s news about the Boston Event [a rally in Boston opposing General Electric’s plan for the Housatonic River Clean up and asking GE to “Do the Right Thing”] The Globe article should be out later this week but here is what we have so far…

https://ground.news/article/lee-is-taking-its-case-for-a-different-pcb-cleanup-to-ges-front-door-in-boston

https://www.wamc.org/news/2025-02-24/lee-mass-leaders-schedule-boston-protest-over-housatonic-river-cleanup-plan-from-ge-pollution

https://theberkshireedge.com/lee-officials-organize-feb-27-rally-aimed-at-general-electrics-boston-headquarters-in-conjunction-with-rest-of-river-remediation

https://www.iberkshires.com/story/78155/Lee-Residents-Rally-in-Boston-for-Alternative-Housatonic-River-Cleanup-Plans.html

https://spectrumnews1.com/ma/worcester/news/2025/02/27/lee-residents-head-to-boston–advocate-for-housatonic-river-cleanup

https://www.berkshireargus.com/noted-lee-activists-take-their-fight-against-a-pcb-dump-to-boston

https://www.berkshireeagle.com/state/lee-save-housatonic-rally-boston-pcbs-ge/article_5fd17e18-f60a-11ef-8dcf-13cf63ab8d78.html

https://theberkshireedge.com/lee-officials-organize-feb-27-rally-aimed-at-general-electrics-boston-headquarters-in-conjunction-with-rest-of-river-remediation

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/massachusetts-playbook/2025/02/24/how-healey-is-holding-up-00205669

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Chris

Editor’s note: Chris Brittain is Town Administrator, Lee

Dear Chris,

It was a great event and that is super press coverage.

Congratulations, Carole

Photo: Dana Goedewaagen

Carole,

This might be interesting for S’bridge Updates readers and the Town to pursue. Georgetown has used CPA funding in conjunction with Georgetown Peabody Library to digitize the Town’s Historic Annual Reports, and many of the local newspapers. They are available to the public in a searchable database at: http://box2.nmtvault.com/ResCarta-GPL/jsp/RcWebBrowse.jsp

Christine Rasmussen

Hi Carole,

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BPRC) is inviting applications for the Home Modification Loan Program. It is 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) with necessary changes needed to 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. Please note that this is not a home repair program; repairs to roofs, windows, and heating are not eligible. All work must be completed by licensed and insured contractors.

For property owners, 0% interest loans range between $1,000 and $50,000. No monthly payments are required, with repayment is required when the property is sold or transferred. If you own a manufactured or mobile home, 0% interest loans range from $1,000 to $30,000. All applications are subject to HMLP eligibility requirements.

For more information, please visit www.cedac.org/hmlp or contact Brett Roberts, Senior Planner at HMLP@berkshireplanning.org.

Hi Brett,

In another email, you said 2% interest loans. Folks interested should get in touch and you can clarify. Thank you for sending this.Carole