Letters to the Editor - The Lakeville Journal - 4-27-23

Tribute to Sharon Hospital

On December 30, 2022 my wife Barbara had emergency surgery at 4 a m. at a large city hospital. That was the beginning of a very difficult New Year. After spending five and a half weeks at the hospital a twelve days at a nursing and center she came home. Medical problems cropped back up after a week forcing her back into the hospital. Over the next five weeks three of her hospital stays were at Sharon Hospital. There I witnessed a level of care and kindness from the entire staff that I have not seen else wear. Two of the three stays required a couple of days in ICU. Without that department she would have been shipped of to a larger hospital. When I visited my wife there the doctor overseeing her care always took the time to keep me informed on how she was doing. This I found was very helpful and comforting that she was being so well cared for. I have come to realize just how wonderful our hospital is. We need to do all we can to keep Sharon Hospital at it’s present level of care, we truly have a gem in our little corner of the world.

Carl Marshall

Lakeville

Thanking Earth Day volunteers

A huge Thank You to the Earth Day volunteers who  pitched in to clear The Vincent Property of invasive species. It proved the adage that, “many hands make light work.”

Volunteers  are the key to creating  ecological health in our wonderful community.

We are so grateful for your hard work and dedication to maintaining our beautiful  native landscape.

Gloria Miller

Salisbury Association

Beautification Committee

The importance of the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon

As the Sharon Board of Finance decides on a new budget for the fiscal year, some board members have raised the question of whether taxpayer money should be used to support the town’s library and other cultural and nonprofit organizations.

In the case of the library, the question can best be answered by asking what Sharon would be like without it. For over 125 years, the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon has been an important educational, cultural and social resource. The library is open seven days a week and provides residents with free access to books, periodicals, newspapers in person and on the internet. Plus, there has been a robust menu of classes and programs for children and adults featuring prominent authors.

Where would Sharon residents go to find these services if the library did not provide them? The question is especially poignant for those with lesser financial resources, who cannot duplicate at home what the library offers free of charge.

In sum, the library is perhaps the soundest value-for-dollar proposition in the town’s budget, a judgment I believe would be firmly endorsed by other town taxpayers.

Dennis Ross

Library Board Member

Sharon

In support of supporting nonprofits

While this time of the year reminds us of the natural beauty of the Northwest corner, in Sharon it also brings that annual struggle — the negotiation of the town budget.  On Friday, April 28 Sharon’s Finance Committee will meet again as it looks to finalize the town’s spending for the coming year, and if the last meeting is anything to go by, it could be lively.  At issue is the town’s support for its non-profit organizations, the institutions that are vital in the cultural, educational, and social welfare life of the community.  Each year these organizations line up for a “donation” to accomplish some carefully presented capital project or service improvement, that might not otherwise be possible without the additional support from the Town of Sharon.  These funds represent a tiny fraction of the town’s total budget, but they are a crucial supplement to the fund-raising efforts of these largely volunteer outfits. No one doubts that the Finance Committee has a tough job.  But some on the committee question whether the town should provide any financial support at all to its non-profits and the unique services they provide.  We at the Sharon Historical Society and Museum successfully fund raise from private sources and state-wide grants for our exhibitions and programming.  The result is richer and more engaging than it has ever been.  But our historic building on the Green is expensive to maintain. Our collections and archives must be carefully looked after or we betray the Sharon residents who have entrusted their treasured objects and documents to us to preserve and display.

If you value the cultural, educational, and social services that Sharon’s non-profits provide, come on the 28th and let the Finance Committee know.

Christopher Robinson

Sharon Historical Society and Museum

Sharon