Letter: Lanesborough Voters Should Vote Yes

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To the Editor:

I am from Lanesborough. I went to Mount Greylock Regional School. I graduated with honors. I went to college, obtained a master's, eventually a doctorate, and now am a professor.

Needless to say, my passion for education runs deep. To read from afar the discussion regarding MGRHS is depressing. There is no debate on this issue. Voting YES is the only recourse. I live in a state where Band-Aids for school projects are plenty. Let me tell you how this is going to play out.

They close wings of the building and bring in trailers to house the students while repairs are done. Eventually someone will realize the repairs are not worth it, and after a ton of money is already spent, those wings are never reopened and the trailers become permanent eyesores on the campus. The school continues to rot away, more repairs are needed, and by the time you realize it, you are hundreds of millions dollars in debt, the school is in crisis, and everyone will look back on March 15 and realize what fools they were.

The end result? Students who have an expectation of receiving a quality education are subject to substandard facilities and equipment. Teachers who want to inspire are forced into cramped and unimaginative spaces and grow frustrated with their conditions. Administrators who wish to attract young and eager teachers to the area find no recruiting efforts good enough to overcome the lack of resources. Community members counting on the next generation to help invigorate the town are left wondering why young professionals (who were not supported earlier by a YES vote) are so eager to leave now.

The MGRHS discussion is not new. It happens all the time. I urge the voters of Lanesborough to realize there is no more time. The fantasies of the few vocal minority are incorrect, dishonest, and irresponsible.

Williams College does not owe MGRHS nor Lanesborough a dime. Drury High School is not closing. Hoosac Valley relocation will still cost taxpayers more money. I care deeply for my hometown and my old high school. I am hoping the voter of Lanesborough will do the right thing and invest in their own future by investing in MGRHS.

Aaron Terranova
Greensboro, N.C.

 

 


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Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative Corporation Scholarships

LUDLOW, Mass. — For the third year, Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative Corporation (BWPCC) will award scholarships to students from Lanesborough and Hancock. 
 
The scholarship is open to seniors at Mount Greylock Regional High School and Charles H. McCann Technical School. BWPCC will select two students from the class of 2024 to receive $1,000 scholarships.
 
The scholarships will be awarded to qualifying seniors who are planning to attend either a two- or four-year college or trade school program. Seniors must be from either Hancock or Lanesborough to be considered for the scholarship. Special consideration will be given to students with financial need, but all students are encouraged to apply.
 
The BWPCC owns and operates the Berkshire Wind Power Project, a 12 turbine, 19.6-megawatt wind farm located on Brodie Mountain in Hancock and Lanesborough. The non-profit BWPCC consists of 16 municipal utilities located in Ashburnham, Boylston, Chicopee, Groton, Holden, Hull, Ipswich, Marblehead, Paxton, Peabody, Russell, Shrewsbury, Sterling, Templeton, Wakefield, and West Boylston, and their joint action agency, the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC). 
 
To be considered, students must submit all required documents including a letter of recommendation from their school counselor and a letter detailing their educational and professional goals. Application and submission details will be shared with students via their school counselors. The deadline to apply is Friday, April 19.
 
 MMWEC is a not-for-profit, public corporation and political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts created by an Act of the General Court in 1975 and authorized to issue tax-exempt debt to finance a wide range of energy facilities.  MMWEC provides a variety of power supply, financial, risk management and other services to the state's consumer-owned, municipal utilities. 
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