To the Editor:
In response to Maia Conty’s letter regarding the Berkshire Hotel project, I’d like to respond:
Dear Maia,
Your energy and enthusiasm for new ideas is both exciting and a bit misplaced in Great Barrington in context with the proposed hotel project at the former Searles School campus.
My family moved to GB in 1990 from NYC (we were originally tourists!). GB has evolved and changed in many positive ways since then.
We love living and working in downtown GB. It has been a wonderful town to raise our three boys (2 born at Fairview), start a small business, participate in local Town government and organizations and make many friends in the process.
We have a number of facilities and services that you talk about, just in Great Barrington. Here are a few that I know of (not in any order of importance):
- Existing Community Center with ample space for most everything you wish for. What an awesome facility!
- Existing VIM and CHP for FREE medical, dental services.
- Existing low cost medical service options at Fairview Hospital including a dental clinic plus the best/least expensive breakfast and lunch one can get in in GB in their cafeteria. Plus our own ambulance service.
- Construct Inc. provider of affordable and low income housing.
- CDC: Planning and building affordable and work-force housing.
- Bostwick Gardens the only housing for low income retired folks.
- BCC offering all levels of post high school classes right in our downtown.
- Great Barrington Housing Authority which operates affordable housing provided by the Town.
- Community Access to the Arts (CATA) nurtures and celebrates the creativity of people with disabilities through shared experiences in the visual and performing arts.
- Berkshire Taconic foundation which is an awesome supporter financially of difficult to run programs.
- Railroad Street Youth Program providing critical outreach and programs for teens.
- Our School District which offers a great-solid public education, extra curricular activities, superb guidance counseling and after school programs.
- Rudolph Steiner School offering an alternate learning environment that we are lucky to have in GB.
- Our Churches and Synagogues that sponsor public events and forums and help out in so many quiet ways.
- Parks Committee which manages our parks system, life guards at Lake Mansfield, etc.
- A volunteer Fire Department that is second to none in the Region.
- Numerous volunteer youth sports programs including Golden Knights Girls Basketball League, Housatonic Boys Bball League, Little League baseball, Babe Ruth Baseball, Youth Soccer Leagues, etc.
- The Food COOP, our downtown member owned food and gathering place.
- A robust Farmers Market in downtown during the summer.
- Our Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce offering many family oriented events in GB and south Berkshire County.
- Mahaiwe Theater offering free cultural programs throughout the year.
- Future St. James Cultural Center with the best acoustical performance space in town, the Food Bank, public meeting rooms, office space for non-profit organizations, etc.
- Etc.
There are many more organizations and services I have not listed that now provide the facilities and programs that you ask for Maia.
Any of these organizations would welcome your participation and energy. They are mostly volunteer driven.
It would be great for the readers of The Edge to help expand on this list.
Craig Okerstrom-Lang
Great Barrington
