“Good for Berkshire Hills. If at the end of the day it takes five, fifteen, maybe twenty years, what education will look like in south Berkshire County is that Berkshire Hills will be the mothership.”
-- State Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli
“There is no financially sustainable model for schools anywhere in Berkshire County right now. With less than 3,500 high school students in all Berkshire County, the way the lines are drawn now, doesn’t make sense. If you don’t change, someone will make the change for you — in this case it’s the state.”
-- State Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli
The symposium will gather business leaders, policymakers, town planners and other community partners to examine how affordable housing can serve as a boon to economic development.
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission’s Berkshire Benchmark’s data shows that of the 400 children under age three in South County, around 10 percent of the population have some sort of developmental issue. Sixteen children under three in Berkshire County have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), “a shockingly high number," according to PDC Executive Director Maureen Atwood.
Planning Board Chairman Jonathan Hankin hopes the designation of volunteers as "Special Municipal Employee" will “encourage more volunteers to fill vacancies on town boards and committees and not prevent all volunteers from doing business in our town,” he wrote in an earlier email to the Selectboard. “We need to reward people who donate their time, energy and considerable expertise in serving the town, not punish them.”
In her letter, Leigh Davis, a member of the Great Barrington Finance Committee, notes: "One of the best and most compelling ways to attract young parents to come to or stay in Berkshire County is to have schools that are attractive and desirable for their kids to attend."
BerkshireSpeaks: Seven pioneering speakers will present their visions of what it will take for the Berkshires to thrive and prosper in the coming decades.
Selectmen and life-long Lenox resident Dave Roche invoked the concept of an environmental legacy. “Let’s leave something better for our children,” he said.
“It’s a cycle. We’re at the end of the automobile cycle. It’s now cutting edge to realize that a private company can make a buck at passenger rail service.”
-- Housatonic Railroad President John Hanlon
'This is absolutely a good idea. It's a massive investment in infrastructure, and it will be significant for the Berkshire economy.'
-- State Sen. Benjamin Downing
"Census data is not necessarily what you want to guide strategy. There is no wall around Great Barrington.'
-- Great Barrington Town Manager Jennifer Tabakin
