The Berkshire Edge LLC is a locally owned, regional publication. Our goal is to provide – regularly and in depth – content that truly reflects the life, interests and aspirations of this unusually rich and vibrant community.
Guided by respected journalistic standards, the principle of fairness, the quest for truth, a commitment to social, economic and environmental justice, and an abiding admiration for the independent spirit of the Berkshires, The Berkshire Edge offers in-depth local news reports and features, perspectives on the arts, wide-ranging commentary, and a comprehensive calendar of events – all written, illustrated, and, in some cases performed, with wit, intelligence, insight and humor.
This week we talk about:
1. A Great Barrington special town meeting Monday night tops our news of this week:
First, the 503 town voters crammed into the Monument Mountain Regional High School auditorium preserved the ban on small plastic water bottles that had been adopted at the May 7 annual town meeting. There was a lively debate.
Then, those same voters narrowly turned aside a proposal to buy the property of a local contractor whose business resides in a residential zone. For more than 10 years, the town has issued cease and desist orders, but the contractor, Gary O’Brien has defied them. Instead, apparently, the town will now continue to pay lawyers to try to halt his operations:
2. As a followup to our story on the special town meeting, we had an extensive news analysis, pointing out that the votes reveal a deep divide in the town:
3. To poison or not to poison. That is the question before the Stockbridge Bowl Association as it ponders how to control Eurasian milfoil in Stockbridge Bowl. Our columnist and Stockbridge observer Carole Owens is concerned about using chemicals to deter the invasive species:
4. And speaking of water, the residents of Housatonic, the little hamlet in Great Barrington, is experience problems, again, with its private water system. The water is discolored out of the tap — and the pressure in the fire hydrants is alarmingly low. There’s talk the town may have to buy the water system:
5. On a brighter note the Berkshire Music School has distributed 16 painted upright pianos throughout Berkshire towns… there’s one in Great Barrington on the lawn of the Mason Library, and one at the library in Sheffield as well. Folks are welcome to play a little ditty, if the spirit moves them. Our story includes a video of BMS director Tracy Wilson playing the painted piano on the lawn of the music school in Pittsfield:
