In her letter, Roslyn Cummings, interim director of tourism and public events for North Adams, writes: "This is an event that many in North Adams look forward to each year. It brings out a sense of community during the holiday season which is comforting and joyous."
Chip Elitzer updates his analysis of the Berkshire Hills Regional School District assessments to its three member towns, and proposes what he insists is a more equitable formula.
I believe we need to take this opportunity to model for our children -- and each other -- what civil discourse and democracy can look like in small New England communities.Â
In his letter to the editor, Chip Elitzer of Great Barrington proposes a different way to allocate assessments between the three towns of the Berkshire Hills Regional School District.
The petition must be first-rate since its authors are prominent community members. My question [about the authors of the petition concerning the future of the Berkshire Hills Regional School District] is which of us gathered to anoint them to their prominence? I do know neither I nor anyone I know was consulted.
In her letter to the editor, Claudia Laslie of Great Barrington writes: "When it comes to security and safety there are so many concerns here. Is there any greater negligence than knowing what might occur and not preventing it?"
In his letter, Jack Spencer writes: "One way to show support of the schools is to make a contribution to the nonprofit Berkshire Hills Fund for Excellence."
In her letter Susan Olshuff of Lenox write; "We’ve all heard the quote by Einstein that 'you can’t fix a problem from the same level of thinking that created the problem in the first place.' "
"The six New England states never, as the article stated, made “a decision to impose a charge of dubious legality on all New England ratepayers in order to support the funding of a natural gas pipeline that is planned to traverse Massachusetts."
-- Heather Hunt, executive director of New England States Committee on Electricity
In her letter, Karen Smith writes: "I would suggest that those who think the plan put forth was flawed, to suit up, show up, be present and do the work it takes in order to remedy the situation."
In his letter, David Long of Housatonic writes: "This is not a time for the opposition to gloat, or the pro side to be discouraged. Yes one opportunity has been rejected. But now we have a new opportunity to do something even better."
In his letter, Berkshire Hills Supt. Peter Dillon writes: "Recent posts on social media, letters and comments on radio programs are so filled with inaccuracies and glaring omissions that it makes sense to set the record straight. Our recent community dialogues about the high school renovation project have surfaced a range of concerns that may have been ignored for decades. We’re working hard to resolve them and are making significant progress."
In his letter, Lou Davis writes: "My objection is not to the cost of quality education, or paying the taxes necessary to support it. I do object to having my taxes subsidize out-of-District students."
If Great Barrington is to have a future as good as its past, it must embrace the new industries that are springing up, and the new people who are coming to town to participate in them. These new people are attracted by a town where the institutions of American civic life still function, where they can get their children a first-rate public education for their property tax dollars.
In his letter Berkshire Hills Superintendent Peter Dillon writes: "Doing the project as presented addresses the school’s inadequacies in systematic and deliberate ways that actually will cost us less than doing it piecemeal. It gives us a wonderful space for learning for the next fifty years."
