The event was a big success—collecting almost 50 Christmas trees and other holiday greens and multiple boxes of food donations and $1,700 for the Lee Food Pantry, which serves residents from several communities in the area.
What many residents find puzzling, but can’t put their finger on, is why the renovation debate grew so heated. Some have wondered if there is another element at play, other than tax worries.
In her letter, Karen Smith writes: "I would suggest that those who think the plan put forth was flawed, to suit up, show up, be present and do the work it takes in order to remedy the situation."
In his letter, David Long of Housatonic writes: "This is not a time for the opposition to gloat, or the pro side to be discouraged. Yes one opportunity has been rejected. But now we have a new opportunity to do something even better."
"We don’t have an official plan B. We didn’t spend the money or take the time to develop alternate plans. As the budget deliberations approach, we’ll have discussions about how to proceed. Now it’s going to be in the budget.”
-- School Committee Chair Stephen Bannon
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Jacob Robbins, a junior at Monument Mountain Regional High School, pleads for voters to approve the school's renovation: "I am imploring everyone to please vote yes on the renovation project. If we are to continue to foster an incredible learning space for the kids of today and the kids of tomorrow we must adapt: The building cannot sustain itself for much longer."
Several paid political advertisements in newspapers and flyers state several blatant lies about not only the renovation project cost, but possibly about another Great Barrington town project as well.
If Great Barrington is to have a future as good as its past, it must embrace the new industries that are springing up, and the new people who are coming to town to participate in them. These new people are attracted by a town where the institutions of American civic life still function, where they can get their children a first-rate public education for their property tax dollars.
In his letter Berkshire Hills Superintendent Peter Dillon writes: "Doing the project as presented addresses the school’s inadequacies in systematic and deliberate ways that actually will cost us less than doing it piecemeal. It gives us a wonderful space for learning for the next fifty years."
Our local issue over the upgrading of Monument Mountain Regional High School is about the increasing stratification of American society. Public education is the one American social institution that can maintain the social mobility upon which our nation was founded.
If the Proposition 2 ½ override for the renovation of Monument Mountain Regional High School fails in any of the three towns, the accompanying ballot item seeking approval for the project is rendered meaningless, and the renovation will not happen. Even the ballot question says it — and the results are binding.
In her letter, Vivian Orlowski writes: "Being pro-education means supporting the people and the programs — it does not equate to being pro-construction."
In his letter Steve McAlister writes: "A 3-year delay from now could add over $6 ½ million to the same project, with nothing deleted. Who wants to waste that kind of money to put off the inevitable?"
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."
The teachers write: "We believe that the proposed renovation will dramatically improve the building's use as an educational tool, both in design and function, for the next 50+ years. The renovated MMRHS will create a safe and healthy learning environment."
In her letter, Sharon Gregory claims that "strategic resource planning and belt tightening" are preferable to renovation of the high school, and that "programmatic and facilities duplication has not been addressed."
Noticeably absent from the opportunity to query School Committee candidates were opponents of the high school renovation project, critics of the school committee and district officials, especially some residents of Castle Hill, a grand neighborhood of Victorian homes perched just above the railroad tracks.
