August 4, 2011Volume II, Issue 11

www.berkshirebeacon.comLenox, MA 01240

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1 Local News 6 Editorial6 From the Tower7 Op-Ed10 Fun & Games12 Books12 Movies13 Calendar15 Girl-2-Girl

Becket Quarry

- Page 9

The Berkshire Beacon

Index

Susan WickerBeacon Staff Writer

Steepletop, a lush and picturesque place that’s a combination of birds, flowers, rolling hills, towering trees, remnants of sunken gardens, and poignant memories, was the home and working farm of one of America’s most well known poets, Edna St. Vincent Millay.

An American literary speaker and figure, Millay was also the first wom-an to receive a Pulitzer Prize for Po-etry in 1923. A prolific reader as well as poet, she influenced writers, stu-dents and hundreds of people throughout the world who loved poetry.

Steepletop is located in Austerlitz, N.Y., not far from West Stockbridge and Richmond, contains a Victorian frame design white house with black shutters where “Vincent,” as she pre-ferred to be called, lived with her husband, Eugen Jan Boissevain, who

A tour of Steepletop,home of a great poet

Sparks Fly at Select Board Meeting

Kyle CheneyState House News Service

Without looking back, Massachu-setts lawmakers ambled into their unofficial August recess, uncertain whether the nation was on the fast track to a debt default that could crush their constituents with higher interest rates or unpaid benefit checks.

But at least the people will get their sales tax holiday.

Aside from sudden interest in the state’s cash-flow capacity in the event of a default, officials appeared to cup their hands over their eyes and hone in on more parochial issues, such as a reorganization of the state court sys-tem and a widely supported overhaul of state alimony laws. The sales tax holiday grabbed most of the atten-tion during a week that featured little movement on other more complex policy issues.

Patrick intends to sign the tax holi-day bill that landed on his desk Fri-day, his signature essentially wiping away what has historically been about $20 million to $25 million in tax col-lections, a boon for retailers but one a few dozen liberal members ques-tioned while the nation careens to-ward a potential fiscal nightmare.

Patrick criticized the sales tax holi-day as a political gimmick more than an economic jolt but promised to sign it anyway, in part because it’s a “relatively small expenditure.”

In other news, the state’s top judges

Bera DunauBeacon Staff Writer

The Lenox Select Board held a con-tentious meeting Wednesday, cen-tered on the controversy over the re-cently erected Kennedy Park Belvedere.

The Kennedy Park Belvedere was unveiled on June 1st, in honor of Dr. Jordan B. Fieldman. Dr. Fieldman passed away at the age of 38 after a distinguished medical career and a long battle with cancer. Dr. Fieldman worked at Berkshire Medical Center, Pittsfield, and was a frequent visitor to Kennedy Park.

Since its completion, both the Bel-vedere itself and the process that led to its approval have come under criti-cism from members of the communi-

see POET page 8 see TAX page 4

see SPARKS page 4

Tax Holiday center in debate on Beacon

Hill

Photo Credit / SuSan WiCker

The Steepletop home is now partially open for tours.

Photo Credit / Bera dunau

The Kennedy Park Belvedere is dedicated to Dr. Jordan Fieldman, a Pittsfield resident who practiced Medicine at Berkshire Medical Center, and who passed away in 2004 at the age of 38 after a distin-guished medical career and a long battle with cancer. Dr. Fieldman was a frequent visitor to Kennedy Park.

4 The Berkshire Beacon June 2, 2011

told lawmakers on Wednesday that they could alleviate many of their purportedly cataclysmic budget woes with about a $30 million infusion of cash.

That lawmakers were so willing to part with sales tax revenue after approving a budget that decimat-ed a range of public health pro-grams was even more curious af-ter the admission of the governor and Senate Ways and Means Chairman Stephen Brewer that the tax holiday is more political tool than economic engine. Even the liberal members who silently opposed it in the House didn’t bother to show up at the State House Friday despite an opportu-nity to block it, or at least speak up. The more vocal Senate Dem-ocrats who ripped the sales tax holiday were also absent Friday.

Patrick spent his week wrap-ping up a statewide “conversa-tion” tour, making little public ef-fort to promote his policy agenda, while quietly girding for addi-tional changes to state pension laws and debate on a signature

health system overhaul in the fall. The governor coasted into the dog days with a relatively high approval rating and a full year to enact his remaining priorities.

When Patrick was confronted Thursday with questions about tax policy on WTKK, a venue where he typically offers more substantive dialogue than he does in his exchanges with the State House press corps, Patrick ripped the sales tax as “regressive” and said he hoped the state would have a discussion about its entire tax code.

Patrick, now in his fifth year, appears in no hurry to lead the conversation.

“It’s a very involved thing and I think what I want to do, and be-yond - I’m not just talking about one tax. I am very interested in a comprehensive relook at the tax code. How do we make it sim-pler? How do we make it easier on people?” he said, adding, “It’s so time for that because [the tax code] is marbled with all this stuff that is past its time.”

Patrick also poured gas on the smoldering gambling debate by

digging in on his insistence that he would support no more than one competitively bid slot parlor in any expansion of gambling in Massachusetts.

Lawmakers have marked that debate for September, but Patrick used his WTKK forum to reig-nite the conversation.

Part of Patrick’s concern, he said, is that he doesn’t want to guarantee slot licenses to wealthy racetrack owners. On Wednes-day, Patrick signed a bill carving out a special deal to permit Rayn-ham dog track - which no longer conducts live racing thanks to a voter-supported ban that took ef-fect last year - to continue operat-ing, essentially, as an off-track betting facility.

Similar licenses for Suffolk Downs and Plainridge Racecourse, both live horse racing venues, re-quire that they conduct a mini-mum number of races each year in order to maintain their ability to si-mulcast out-of-state races. Admin-istration aides said simulcasting will help Raynham preserve jobs, an argument the track has used in its pursuit of slots.

ty. Many have voiced the opinion that the Belvedere disrupts the natural beauty of the park.

Select Board Chairman John McNinch explained the process in which the Belvedere had been approved, which included three meetings of the Kennedy Park Committee and a visit to the pro-posed site, before the Select Board voted to go along with the com-mittee’s recommendation to ap-prove it.

Michael Fieldman, the father of the Late Dr. Fieldman, said he had brought the original proposal before the Kennedy Park Preser-vation Committee, and had de-signed the Belvedere himself. Dr. Fieldman was clearly troubled by the controversy that had erupted over the project. He related how money had originally been raised for a healing garden Berkshire Medical Center, to honor his son.

When the hospital decided to

pull out of the project, they re-turned the money donated by Dr. Fieldman’s friends and colleagues, and it was determined that these funds would be used for another project to honor his memory. The project that was decided on was the Kennedy Park Belvedere, as Dr. Fieldman had loved living in The Berkshires, and had enjoyed jogging in Kennedy Park.

Mr. Fieldman characterized the Belvedere as striking a balance between active use and preserva-tion. By stabilizing the wall of the Aspen Wall Hotel, replacing the old fence, creating a fire pit, put-ting up a stone bench and erect-ing an outdoor room, Mr. Field-man explained that the Kennedy Park Belvedere had been designed to give the site a sense of place, similar to the one it had enjoyed when the Aspen Wall Hotel was still standing.

“This is not a Jordan B Field-man Belvedere,” stressed Mr. Fieldman, “It is not a memorial

to Jordan as it has been character-ized in newspapers.”

Instead, Mr. Fieldman charac-terized the purpose of the Belve-dere as helping visitors to find peace and repose, and that the site was meant to be enjoyed. In-deed, Mr. Fieldman characterized the plaque on the Belvedere that memorializes Dr. Fieldman as something that was placed there to give a window into Dr. Field-man’s life, rather than mourn his

passing. “I feel that private grieving and

a private memorial should not be placed in a public park,” said Joan Mears, a grandmother and Lenox resident of forty years.

She criticized the presentation that had originally pitched the project to the Kennedy Park Committee as deceptive, taking issue with its assertions that the Belvedere would have a light foot print and be elegant. She also felt

that the transformation of the Kennedy Park Overlook into the Kennedy Park Belvedere had made the site a sad place.

“Mr. Fieldman built this pri-vate memorial in our public space and I don’t feel it’s right and I per-sonally feel that it needs to be re-moved,” finished Mrs. Mears, to loud applause.

Mrs. Mears comments were

TAX from page 1

SPARKS from page 1

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Photo Credit / Bera dunau

Christy and Jan Butler both had favorable impressions of the Belvedere. “I think it’s clean, done nicely,” said Christy Butler. “I don’t think it disturbs the view,” said Jan Butler “I think it’s very nicely done.”

14 The Berkshire Beacon June 2, 2011

Bera DunauBeacon Staff Writer

Lenox Town Planner Mary Al-bertson held a tour of the future site of the Saw Mill Brook hous-ing development for prospective developers this Tuesday.

Despite the fact that represen-tatives from only one developer showed up for the tour, both Alb-ertson and the developers present seemed optimistic about the future of the project.

The housing development seeks to build 50 housing units on 19.75 acres of land, located on Routes 7 and 20, across from Ca-ligari’s Hardware Store. 22 of these units would be reserved as af-fordable housing for families mak-ing 80 percent of the area’s median income or less. The other 28 units would be sold at market value. All units would be ownership prop-erties and the development will be a green project, with near-zero carbon footprint buildings.

The two developers who at-tended the event were both repre-sentatives from the Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire in Great Barrington.

The CDC is a non-profit devel-oper that seeks to create housing and economic opportunity for low and moderate-income house-

holds in the Southern Berkshires. They have been active as develop-ers since 1988, and are currently working on the renovation of St. James Place in Great Barrington.

The CDC has a history with the Saw Mill Brook site. For three years, they have had site control over the property, as well as a pur-chase and sale agreement. Due to the collapse of the financing and housing markets, they recently sold the property to the Town of Lenox.

“Because of the lack of financ-ing available now, we don’t have the capacity to acquire the site,” explained CDC Executive Direc-tor Timothy Geller, who attend-ed the tour, along with prospec-tive project manager, Hank Henward.

The CDC still hopes to devel-op the Saw Mill Brook site though, with the plan being to buy the site from the Town of Lenox when the financing mar-kets improves. The CDC has spent approximately $100,000 on feasibility studies of the site.

“We’re in it for the long term com-munity benefit,” asserted Geller.

One of the driving forces be-hind the Saw Mill Brook devel-opment is the need for more af-fordable housing in Lenox.

Under Massachusetts state law, towns must provide at least 10

percent of their housing stock as affordable to families making 80 percent of the area’s median in-come or less.

Currently, only 7.8 percent of housing in Lenox can be classified as affordable housing. The Saw Mill Brook project would go a long way towards helping Lenox meet its affordable housing goals.

Something that Albertson has enjoyed about her work, as the Town Planner of Lenox is the drive within the town for increas-ing affordable housing.

“It’s been rewarding as a profes-sional planner to work with a com-munity that has such an active and devoted affordable housing committee,” related Albertson,

“Folks are genuinely concerned about affordable housing in Lenox, and even without that ten percent we’d be looking at ways to bring more affordable housing opportunities to the community.

Albertson made a point of stressing that attending the tour was not a prerequisite for devel-opers to apply to develop the site.

The Deadlines for RFP’s will be August 19 at 2:00 P.M. and the project is being advertised state-wide. Interviews with prospective developers will then occur on Au-gust 25 at Town Hall. At the time of the tour, no developers had yet applied to develop the site.

Saw Mill Brook project looks to meet goal

Photo Credit / Bera dunau

Town Planner Mary Albertson and developer Hank Henward survey the site.

echoed by a number of subse-quent speakers. Common themes among those criticizing the Bel-vedere were a dislike of the out-door room/wall, concerns about the safety of the granite slabs on the ground and characterizations of the project as ugly and unnatural.

There were also criticisms of the process that led to the Belve-dere’s approval, criticisms that in-cluded complaints that the Ken-nedy Park Committee and Select Board’s deliberations on the issue weren’t publicized enough and that other committees should have been consulted before a de-cision by the Select Board was made.

One of the most substantive criticisms came from Sonya Bykofsky, a local massage thera-pist, who asserted that the con-struction of the Kennedy Park Belvedere might have violated Lenox’s Scenic Mountain Act.

“Anything that is done on an elevation of a scenic mountain like that (Kennedy Park Over-look) needs to be run by the con-servation commission first, but

that’s the first step. And then, af-ter the Conservation Commis-sion looks at the application it’s then passed on for public hearing and also public notice,” said Mrs. Bykofsky.

Town Manager Greg Federspiel responded by explaining that the Belvedere had been determined to not be covered by the Scenic Mountain Act, as it was not a structure, but agreed to refer the issue to the town’s legal council.

When Robert Coakley, chair-man of the Kennedy Park Im-provement Committee spoke, he did a great deal towards calming passions, and bringing the room together towards a common plan of action.

“We would never, ever want to do something to hurt the park,” said Chairman Coakley, pointing out that he was the last member from the original 1973 Kennedy Park Committee and that he had the other Committee members spend countless hours volunteer-ing in the park. He also stated that he agreed with much of what had been said at the meeting, and that he and the Kennedy Park Committee were willing to work towards a compromise.

SPARKS from page 4

July 29, 2011

Mr. Greg FederspielTown ManagerTown HallLenox, MA 01240BY HAND

Dear Mr. Federspiel:

Ref: The controversy at Kennedy Park with the Fieldman site…

Under the Freedom of Information Act, I am requesting copies of all documents from the Kennedy Park Commission and/or Kennedy Park Improvement Committee, to the select board and vice versa and notice of any public hearings by these boards.

Also correspondence and documents from Architect Mi-chael Fieldman, father of late Dr. Jordan Fieldman of Pitts-field to or from either board; and any replies thereof. This request is also for any minutes of the respective boards meetings.

Certainly these decisions were made out of camera and without the public’s knowledge that changes were to be made prior to any vote by the commission and/or the select board.

As you are aware, under the Open Meeting Laws, there are new regulations and the attorney general office is now the over-seer of this act.

Our deadline for the next issue of The Berkshire Beacon is Wednesday noon. Your compliance is requested.

Sincerely, George C. Jordan III

CC: Town Clerk