Several who spoke against it were members of the Lake Mansfield Improvement Task Force, which spent more than 10 years working on a comprehensive plan for restoring and maintaining the lake that included a plan to close the road to vehicular traffic.
If the town meeting is not able to pass a budget by the end of the fiscal year on June 30, the town of Great Barrington, like hundreds of other small municipalities in the state with a town-meeting form of government, has a problem.
Sean VanDeusen, who heads the town's public works department, told The Edge the Lake Mansfield Road paving is part of a larger $500,000 project that also includes the repaving of Lake Avenue, Oak Street and Cypress Street.
In his letter Steve Farina writes: “Utilize a technology such as Technopost , or similar, to construct a boardwalk from the beach to the boat ramp along the edge of the lake.”
Brandee Nelson said the task force is "confused" about what the selectboard's "goal is going forward" and "how confusing it might be to drivers" in transitioning the road to one-way and then going "to a closure scenario."
At issue is the fact that the Conservation Commission, which, on the local level, enforces the state Wetlands Protection Act, is also charged with enforcing the town's own wetland bylaw, which is somewhat more stringent than the state law.
Among the problems with a permanent closure, town manager Mark Pruhenski said, is the lack of a plan to deal with a "turn-around and detour of vehicles" from the sudden closure of the Division Street bridge earlier this month.
The Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire can finally proceed with its plan to build an affordable housing complex at 100 Bridge Street after receiving the go-ahead from the selectboard.
The report the task force presented Monday night said that the preliminary cost estimate for an 18-foot-wide paved road "including subsurface reconstruction, proper drainage and stabilization of the lake edge is at least $1 million."
The six candidates for Great Barrington Selectboard range from two men and one woman who have been on the scene for a long time to younger office seekers looking for generational change on the board.
In her letter to the editor, Leigh Davis of Great Barrington writes: “A new path which separates driver from non-driver would also promote fitness, socialization, reflection, and, as in my case, encourage new families to move to the area.”
In his letter to the editor, William Foster writes: “I feel that the recommendation for the road to be one-way is very short sighted. The people that have built this town to be the “Best Small Town in America” have done so with few problems using the lake road.”
In her letter to the editor, Christine Ward writes: “We respectfully request the Select Board endorse/adopt the comprehensive Lake Mansfield Recreation Area improvement plan as provided in the KZLA report. It is a balanced, expert report.”
In his letter to the editor, Bobby Houston writes: "The notion that a last-minute straw poll or petition can somehow act as a unofficial plebiscite is worrying to me."
