To the editor:
For 56 years, Brush Hill Road in Great Barrington has been central to my life. In the 1960s, I worked at Camp Eisner and took peaceful walks up what was then a quiet country road. In 1987, my husband and I purchased a home. Though unpaved, the road’s proximity to town services made it the perfect place to raise a family and eventually retire. My husband would often remark, “We may live in the woods, but we’re just minutes from the supermarket, police station, and Fairview Hospital.” That closeness wasn’t just convenient—it was vital. During several emergencies over the years, the short drive to the hospital gave us life-saving peace of mind.
In 2013, we lost our home to a fire. Emergency responders arrived within minutes. We rebuilt our home with the intention of living out our years in this place filled with wonderful memories and surrounded by the natural beauty and safety on which we had always relied. With the raging wildfires in 2024, we were a hair’s breadth away from the same tragedy.
That sense of safety has been upended. Since the state closed the Brookside Road Bridge in May 2024, the reliable access we once had to emergency services is gone. A drive that once took minutes now takes up to 30. The consequences of such a delay in a medical emergency could be devastating. It is very hard to overcome the feeling of isolation and abandonment that we feel.
I urge the residents of the Town of Great Barrington to vote ‘YES’ on May 3 at the Annual Town Meeting to fund a temporary bridge—before tragedy makes this crisis irreversible.
Merle Duskin Kailas
Great Barrington
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