A 2018 study conducted by Williams College economics professor Stephen Sheppard concluded that Kripalu directly or indirectly generates $64 million to the total economic output in Massachusetts with $56 million of it concentrated in Berkshire County alone.
The announcement was a devastating blow to the region's economy, which is already reeling from the effects of the economic shutdown and the recently announced season cancellations from Jacob's Pillow, Shakespeare & Company and the Williamstown Theatre Festival.
“It is our obligation to our audiences, musicians, and staff to do everything we can to ensure everyone’s safety and well-being during the unprecedented time of this pandemic.”
Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart
The decline is steepest among those from 18 to 39 years of age. Also, the population is skewing toward older adults, most of whom are retired or approaching retirement age.
The convening will assemble 80 staff and special guests from over 40 preserved artists’ homes and studios nationwide as well as eight colleagues from preserved sites in the United Kingdom.
By bringing back the trains, we could take a huge step in restoring the Berkshires to vibrant economic health, and integrate the best of its industrial past with the best of 21st-century economic development and environmental sustainability.
Second-home owners have no voting rights in Massachusetts, so their influence in state and local affairs is necessarily limited. They certainly are permitted to attend town meetings and, in most towns, are allowed to speak at the discretion of the moderator.
“I was incredibly surprised by the magnitude of their impacts myself,” said Williams College economics professor Stephen Sheppard. “If you live in the county, you think of Kripalu as this funky, interesting yoga thing.”
No fewer than four financial experts have agreed that the Museum’s need is not dire as claimed. We therefore advocate vigorous fundraising instead of liquidating the collection.
The Berkshire Flyer, seasonal weekend passenger rail service between New York and Pittsfield, would have free wifi, accessible stations with parking, a café car and a bicycle storage car.
For its new leader, the search panel chose a familiar face, Brooke Mead, who has been at BIC for 15 years, for many of those years the center’s only full-time staff member.
"This is a creative community that thrives with the inspiration and energy of hundreds of concerts, performances and exhibits throughout the year, as well as the educational and thought-provoking programs created through the CPB. All would be jeopardized if the nation no longer celebrated or supported the arts as integral to our democracy.”
--- Beryl Jolly, executive director of the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington
“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
