The Berkshire Edge On-Air – Wednesday May 27, 2020

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.

1.   If there were to be any encouraging news during the pandemic-driven economic downturn in the Berkshires, the ongoing redevelopment of the Eagle Mill site in Lee would have been the candidate but now even that $40 million project is in jeopardy:https://theberkshireedge.com/pandemic-economy-forces-scaling-down-of-transformative-eagle-mill-project/

2.  On Memorial Day we recalled the 2005 tornado that ripped through the Great Barrington Fairgrounds… and the fairgrounds now lie rehabilitated but dormant, due to the pandemic tornado:
https://theberkshireedge.com/remembering-the-great-great-barrington-tornado-25-years-later/

3. Historian Bernard Drew has written a two-part account of the notorious members of the Berkshire 49th regiment in the Civil War… who returned home to rob a bank — unsuccessfully:
https://theberkshireedge.com/part-ii-the-perilous-lives-of-great-barringtons-49th-regiment-volunteers-frederick-deland-and-the-bungling-bank-robbers/
 4.  Among the victims of the pandemic is Kripalu, the yoga retreat center in Stockbridge… It is closing, laying off 450 workers:https://theberkshireedge.com/yoga-retreat-center-kripalu-closes-for-rest-of-year-lays-off-more-than-450-workers/
5.  We are into Chapter 47 of Carolyn Newberger’s account of living in the forests of Lenox. It was bound to happen: the bears arrived.
https://theberkshireedge.com/illuminating-the-hidden-forest-chapter-47-balancing-bears-and-ourselves/

6.  And finally, J. Peter Bergman, our theatre critic and a member of the Berkshire Theatre Critics Association, laments the stages gone dark this summer:https://theberkshireedge.com/a-lamentation-of-arts/

7… This just in as I was typing this … the Connecticut Supreme Court has upheld a planning and zoning ordinance, assuring that the Sunday chamber concerts at Music Mountain will continue:
(Falls Village, CT) The Music Mountain Board of Directors is pleased with the decision of the Connecticut Supreme Court that will continue the prohibition on Sunday racing at nearby Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, CT. In its ruling in Lime Rock Park, LLC v. Planning and Zoning Commission of the Town of Salisbury, handed down on May 22, 2020, the court affirmed the legality of amendments to the Planning and Zoning Commission’s town ordinances dating from 2015 that prohibit Sunday racing at Lime Rock.

“[R]acing activities on Sunday afternoons in an indoor arena in a nonresidential, urban area may be entirely appropriate, whereas the same activities on an outdoor track in a heavily populated suburban location could be extremely disruptive. We conclude, therefore, that [Connecticut statutes do] not preempt the provision of the 2015 amendments prohibiting racing activities on Sundays,” wrote Justice Christine S. Vertefeuille in a 40-page opinion, joined by the other six Supreme Court justices.

“This is an enormous relief for Music Mountain and for the future of our beloved institution,” said Music Mountain Artistic and Executive Director Oskar Espina-Ruiz. “The threat of noise from Lime Rock Park drifting up to Music Mountain, less than five miles away, has hung over us for too long. It would have made our Sunday concerts virtually impossible.

“Now we can continue planning for a bright future, as we focus on getting through this difficult time and launching an exciting new season in Summer 2021,” Espina-Ruiz said. (Earlier this year, Music Mountain was forced to cancel its 2020 festival because of the coronavirus pandemic, but a series of weekly virtual programs are in the works, starting on Sunday, June 7.)

The case was argued on behalf of the Town of Salisbury Planning and Zoning Commission by its lawyer Charles R. Andres, joined by the Lime Rock Citizens Council (LRCC) represented by attorney Timothy S. Hollister of the law firm Shipman & Goodwin. The LRCC worked tirelessly to advocate for neighbors of the park, residents of Falls Village, Lime Rock, Lakeville, and Salisbury whose activities and wellbeing would be unduly disrupted by the imposition of Sunday racing.

“We thank the LRCC for its years of dedication and the attorneys who successfully argued this final appeal,” said David Conte, Chairman of the Music Mountain Board of Directors. “And we especially thank our many supporters and concertgoers who gave generously to allow Music Mountain to support LRCC when we asked--on top of their generosity to Music Mountain. The future of Sunday chamber concerts is secure.”

“Music Mountain has long had an excellent relationship with Skip Barber and Lime Rock Park, and we look forward to putting this litigation behind us and moving forward together as important summer tourism destinations in the Northwest Corner,” Conte concluded.