Alfred Nobel (1833-1896), the inventor of dynamite, was a chemist, engineer, businessman and, most memorably, philanthropist; he was also a scholar, fluent in Russian, French, English and German. Above all, he loved poetry.
Interviewed by Jim Frangione, Berkshire Edge Managing Editor Heather Bellow discusses the issues she's been covering: proposed PCB dump in Housatonic; the new Jane Iredale/Louisa Ellis store in Great Barrington; the redevelopment of the top of Railroad Street; access to broadband Internet in the rural Berkshires; and the Democratic primary election.
Louisa Ellis owner Melissa Bigarel said the Tune Street space will be renovated and repainted for a Tuesday, Nov. 1, opening where she will join forces with Iredale Mineral Cosmetics founder and president Jane Iredale.
1Berkshire has put out a final call for nominations for its Berkshire Trendsetter Awards. Nominations can be made online and are due by Friday, July 1.
The hotel was designed by the same people who designed the adjacent former Bryant School, turning it into Iredale Mineral Cosmetics’ modern world headquarters while sensitively preserving the former school’s charms.
Retired filmmaker and small-scale redeveloper Bobby Houston has made a competing “full cash offer with no contingencies” for the Searles School property.
She loved her Iredale company family watching their comings and goings from her window, usually with a cup of tea in her hand, her cat Charley by her side.
A hotel in the middle of town should be an amenity to the town. Rather than wait for events to unfold, I felt we had to seize some initiative, and show them what an alternative [to their design] might be.”
-- Jack Musgrove, member of the Great Barrington Planning Board
Since it was unveiled two weeks ago, the hotel proposal has taken some hits over the design and size, since its historic designation allows it to evade the town’s 45-room hotel limit bylaw.
“It’s still the story of America,” noted Congressman Richard E. Neal, a story of the success of an immigrant family with tenacity and ambition. "Congratulations from the United States of America."
Local business leaders, innovators, educators, and town and state officials, say that Broadband — also called high-speed, high-capacity Internet connectivity –– is deemed critical for the Berkshires economy to stay afloat and expand.
According to Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli, Gov. Charlie Baker has released an additional $19 million for broadband expansion to rural communities in Western Massachusetts, to augment the $50 million his administration has already committed..
Their philosophy is to not grow more than they can sell. They scrutinize what sells, and if a crop does not make money, it’s dropped the next year. “With 2 ½ acres of growing land, everything has to work.”
The Great Barrington Farmers Market took over the train station on Saturday mornings for years, but moved to the fairgrounds last year. This year they have an arrangement with Great Barrington’s fairy godmother, Jane Iredale, who is generously leasing them space on her company’s conveniently located property, with a lot of room for parking.
