If I have sounded like a broken record these past months, it is because these developments in American public health are as important as they are horrifying.
There was also an agreement that the Ramsdell's resources and services need to be focused, in part so that the Ramsdell is not merely duplicating the services of the Mason, but on a smaller scale.
After the planning board crafted a set of zoning regulations to deal with pot earlier this year, the selectboard reviewed them and most thought the regulations were a bit too lax since they would allow cultivation by-right in too many zones.
Highminded LLC has drafted a host agreement with the town of Great Barrington that includes the mandated annual $10,000 donation to a nonprofit of its choice. That gift will go to the Railroad Street Youth Project, which will also receive an additional 1 percent of net sales to fund a campaign against adolescent substance usage.
Great Barrington Town Manager Jennifer Tabakin suggested better marketing targeted toward students and perhaps the many senior centers across the county. In addition, she wondered why the so-called CharlieCards, the BRTA's cashless payment system, were not available for purchase at places like supermarkets and pharmacies.
As part of its Last Mile initiative, MBI will provide Charter with a grant of more than $4.4 million to defray the costs of wiring the rural towns of Egremont, Tyringham, Hancock and Peru. State Rep. Pignatelli also noted that Egremont and perhaps Monterey will have a 1 Gbps connection through Fiber Connect, 12 times faster than what Charter offers in Great Barrington.
