The Berkshire Edge On-Air - February 14

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. Parking parking everywhere but not a spot for me. Great Barrington Selectboard once again seeks to solve the parking riddle, as residents complain about inconsistent approach to winter parking regulations (and yes, the Selectboard changed them once again). Walking, by the way, even a block or two — is not an option.

2. With a ceremonial popping of champagne on a brisk February morning, the Tanglewood Board of Trustees formally celebrated the first steps in the creation of the Tanglewood Learning Institute, a complex of four new buildings adjacent to Seiji Ozawa Hall that will host year-roudn music study. The center ibeam of the walkway between Ozawa Hall and the new complex was lifted into place — or “topped,” as they say.

3. And not to be outdone, Great Barrington is eyeing the creation of a downtown “cultural district” that would market cultural destinations in the heart of the town.

4. At a contentious hearing in Stockbridge, the town Planning Board voted thumbs down to a proposed redevelopment of the former DeSisto school grounds on Route 183, the former Bonnie Briar Gilded Age estate. The sprawling 320-acre campus that backs up against the mountains had been proposed as a site for an upscale 40 to 50-room hotel, a restaurant, 132 condo cottages, and 34 single-family homes. It would have brought in an estimated $2.4 million in annual tax revenues.

5. The irrepressible columnist Carole Owens has a nifty column on the history of fake news: From the sinking of the Maine to the repot of life on the Moon. Of course, it’s nothing compared to the misrepresentations spewing from ur 45th president.

6. And for Valentine’s Day, we have a fetching pair of illustrations by Belle Fox-Martin.