I am writing to correct some inaccuracies in the letter written by Mary Lewis and referred to in letters from Timothy Eustis and Carol Diehl.
Regarding my statement about the McTeigue & McClelland building; I never said that I wanted to see the building torn down. What I actually said was, “People are more worried about a big box store opening in town than they are about a 7th pot shop.” I did say that it would be nice if we had a store in town where we could buy underwear.
As for my remarks about the Fairgrounds, the question was, “If the Fairgrounds were purchased by the town and turned into a park, would that be your dream or a nightmare?” All three candidates said nightmare. That’s when I said, “I think we have enough parks. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against parks.” My thinking was that it might be better to have some type of economic development there. Which is why I said, “I’m not an engineer, but if there was some way we could turn it into, say, an industrial park, maybe we could create some better-paying jobs.” I was simply using that as an example. All I meant was that there could possibly be a better use for the Fairgrounds than another park.
As for the Fairgrounds being in the center of town, it seems obvious to me that it’s on the southern end of the commercial district, well south of the center of town.
I hope this clarifies my position on these two issues. I would encourage anyone that has questions on any of my positions to contact me directly at garfieldreed.gb@gmail.com.
Garfield Reed
Great Barrington
Selectboard candidate
