Wake Robin Inn planners introduce tree plan

Aradev LLC’s map of tree health based on Bartlett Tree Experts’ survey.

Provided

Wake Robin Inn planners introduce tree plan

LAKEVILLE – The public hearing considering the redesign of the Wake Robin Inn has been continued to Dec. 2, following another round of critical commentary from residents at its fourth iteration on Nov. 18.

The major revelation of Monday’s meeting is Angela and William Cruger, whose property sits directly across from the Wells Hill Road entrance to the Inn, will now hold intervenor status in the proceedings, and will be represented by attorney Perley Grimes. As intervenors, the Crugers and associated representatives now hold party status, alongside the applicant, Aradev LLC, and the Planning and Zoning Commission.

The intervention, which Planning and Zoning Chair Michael Klemens attested was filed on the morning of Nov. 18, is concerned with the ecological ramifications of the project. Specifically, the petition states that the project is “likely to have the effect of unreasonably impairing or destroying the public trust in the natural resources of the state” regarding groundwater quality at the site and in adjacent areas, and in threatening Connecticut-listed plant species that may be present in the affected terrain.

The intervenors were allotted a section of the meeting to present their arguments, but Grimes stated that consistently changing plans on the part of the developers had delayed the completion of comprehensive surveys of the land. He affirmed that a group of five experts will be prepared to present their findings at the Dec. 2 continuation of the public hearing.

Klemens asked that the experts’ reports be filed as soon as possible to ensure all parties have sufficient time to review them before the meeting. Grimes affirmed that the reports will be available promptly.

Attorney Josh Mackey, representing the applicant, criticized the intervenors’ petition “coming at the 11th hour,” claiming that there will be little time to respond to the findings of the experts.

“It’s unfair and its highly prejudicial,” he said.

Bill Cruger, speaking in the public comment section, said that the experts’ reports will be available with all due speed. “It’s not intended to be prejudicial, it’s meant to be informative,” he said.

For the applicant’s part, landscape architect Mark Arigoni of SLR Consulting gave a presentation highlighting recent efforts by the developers to respond to concerns from the public and P&Z. The report largely focused on an updated tree plan, informed by a survey conducted by Bartlett Tree Experts, who were contracted by Aradev LLC.

The survey assessed the health of approximately 800 trees, from which a map was developed that color-coded each tree in the affected area based on the survey’s findings. Arigoni stated that it is their intention to “eliminate the removal of as many trees as feasible,” and that they will continue to consult with the arborist through the construction process.

P&Z likewise focused on the tree plan in their commentary, with Klemens requesting that the plan be updated to include common species names alongside taxonomic designations so that the public may engage with the survey more easily. He also asked that an invasive species management program be added to the plans. Other commissioners expressed that they would like to see more specific numbers on how many trees will be removed throughout the construction process.

During the public comment section, residents expressed that their concerns and suggestions from prior meetings had not been met with the updated plan, which had few alterations in design from those presented at the Oct. 16 meeting.

Freya Block said that the community’s concerns, such as dangerous traffic patterns, environmental damage and noise pollution, had not been addressed by Arigoni’s presentation. She asked P&Z to consider “the enormity and incongruity of the scale of this project for this community.”

Thomas Muldoon also questioned how such a development would fit within the village dynamic of Lakeville, while also doubting the practical aspects of the project. The development would necessitate a large workforce to move to a region that is difficult to live in on low wages, he argued. “Where’s the affordable housing?”

“It’s not whether it’s a great idea, it’s whether it’s a legal idea,” Klemens responded to Muldoon’s concerns.

After the Dec. 2 meeting, the hearing will likely continue to Dec. 10. “We’re really going to have to close the hearing on the 10th,” Klemens said.

Latest News

All are welcome at The Mahaiwe

Paquito D’Rivera performs at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington on April 5.

Geandy Pavon

Natalia Bernal is the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center’s education and community engagement manager and is, in her own words, “the one who makes sure that Mahaiwe events are accessible to all.”

The Mahaiwe’s community engagement program is rooted in the belief that the performing arts should be for everyone. “We are committed to establishing and growing partnerships with neighboring community and arts organizations to develop pathways for overcoming social and practical barriers,” Bernal explained. “Immigrants, people of color, communities with low income, those who have traditionally been underserved in the performing arts, should feel welcomed at the Mahaiwe.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Living with the things you love:
a conversation with Mary Randolph Carter
Mary Randolph Carter teaches us to surround ourselves with what matters to live happily ever after.
Carter Berg

There is magic in a home filled with the things we love, and Mary Randolph Carter, affectionately known as “Carter,” has spent a lifetime embracing that magic. Her latest book, “Live with the Things You Love … and You’ll Live Happily Ever After,” is about storytelling, joy, and honoring life’s poetry through the objects we keep.

“This is my tenth book,” Carter said. “At the root of each is my love of collecting, the thrill of the hunt, and living surrounded by things that conjure up family, friends, and memories.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Beloved classic film ‘The Red Shoes’ comes to the big screen for Triplex benefit
Provided

On Saturday, April 5, at 3 p.m., The Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington and Jacob’s Pillow, the dance festival in Becket, Massachusetts, are presenting a special benefit screening of the cinematic masterpiece, “The Red Shoes,” followed by a discussion and Q&A. Featuring guest speakers Norton Owen, director of preservation at Jacob’s Pillow, and dance historian Lynn Garafola, the event is a fundraiser for The Triplex.

“We’re pitching in, as it were, because we like to help our neighbors,” said Norton. “They (The Triplex) approached us with the idea, wanting some input if they were going to do a dance film. I thought of Lynn as the perfect person also to include in this because of her knowledge of The Ballets Russes and the book that she wrote about Diaghilev. There is so much in this film, even though it’s fictional, that derives from the Ballets Russes.” Garafola, the leading expert on the Ballets Russes under Serge Diaghilev, 1909–1929, the most influential company in twentieth-century theatrical dance, said, “We see glimpses of that Russian émigré tradition, performances we don’t see much of today. The film captures the artifice of ballet, from the behind-the-scenes world of dressers and conductors to the sheer passion of the audience.”

Keep ReadingShow less