Stockbridge — With a split vote, and board member Patrick White opposed, the Stockbridge Select Board decided July 13 to nix the creation of a committee for second-home owners to have a unified voice in the town.
“My opinion is, as any taxpaying resident in town, they have access to every committee, either [by] meetings or Zooms or telephone calls, to discuss any issues they have,” said Chair Ernest Cardillo of the second-home owners. He said that, “just like any other resident in town,” the town has been diligent to respond to their needs. “To me this adds another layer of an issue I don’t think we need,” Cardillo said.
He said that treating the second-home owners as a separate entity would be to segregate them, and member Jamie Minacci said such a measure “would box them in.” Additionally, those neighborhoods housing second-home owners have their own committees and governing structures, Minacci said.
Residents attending the meeting agreed and questioned the town forming another committee. “All of the broad needs, concerns, and interests of part-time resident homeowners align with those of other homeowners,” said Patty Caya. “We care about the same issues—taxation, zoning, land management, open spaces, economic vitality, infrastructure, lake management.”
She pushed the Board to “integrate [the second-home owners] into town” instead of making them a stand-alone entity, and to actively recruit second-home owners to serve on Stockbridge’s committees and boards. “We don’t need a separate table; we just need a seat at the table that exists,” Caya said.
Resident Joseph Newberg said the second-home owners didn’t ask for a committee and aren’t all of the same mindset on every issue affecting the town but thanked the Board for considering the proposal.
Town Administrator Michael Canales said he would like to see more residents—full and part-time—get involved in town groups, with all residents encouraged to apply when there are openings on local boards or committees. Nonresidents were appointed to two of the last such openings, he said.
According to White, however, many part-time residents don’t live in Massachusetts and don’t understand the state laws or permitting process and regulations. He advocated for a second-home owner community representative who could answer the concerns of those residents as well as the group providing feedback to the Select Board of their issues. White pushed for waiting on the decision until the second-home owners meeting at the Select Board later in the month to ask their opinion on forming the committee.
Horse coach show
At the meeting, Harvey Waller, who co-owns Orleton Farm on Prospect Hill Road, approached the dais and announced that the 24th show of the Colonial Carriage and Driving Society is scheduled for the weekend before Columbus Day, October 6 through 8. The event will include a picnic, viewing of horses, and a coach-led drive through town with the coachmen adorned in traditional garb.
Other matters
At the session, Select Board members:
- Approved one-day alcohol licenses for Chesterwood on various dates;
- Approved a one-day alcohol license for Berkshire Botanical Garden on July 22;
- Approved a one-day alcohol license for the Boston Symphony Orchestra on August 5;
- Approved Patrick White as Intervenor for the Housatonic Water Works’ proposed rate increase;
- Heard Canales report that the $1.5 million MassWorks grant application was completed in June, with those funds going toward the Tuckerman’s Bridge reconstruction; discussions have occurred with the state regarding sidewalks at Pine Woods; and, the town’s new electric charging stations will go live before the next Select Board meeting set for July 27.
