Stockbridge — The shiny new directional signs recently installed in town received a “thumbs up” from many citizens and commercial proprietors. However, some residents say the endeavor needs tweaking. Promulgated by the Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce, the measure was approved back in February by the Stockbridge Select Board after reviewing depictions of the signs intended to denote cultural landmarks, including Tanglewood.
During the Select Board’s August 15 meeting, Jorja Marsden approached the dais—with Select Board member Jamie Minacci absent—requesting the group relocate the signs erected in front of the Civil War Monument. Although she said she wasn’t against the signs, the site is “in honor of all of our soldiers from Stockbridge that died in the Civil War.” “So, it’s a memorial,” Marsden said, adding some history to the request.
“When the land was given in 1798, it was never to be built upon or occupied for any other way than as an open common. In 1882, the selectmen voted that all obstructions or fences or other items on that square should be removed.” She also recalled a situation in the 1990s when a sign was constructed on the site but had to be removed.
Marsden proposed moving the sign to the area up Route 7, at the beginning of the Cat and Dog Fountain, with that relocation also helpful for visitors to determine which lane to access depending on the desired cultural site. Backup materials included in the evening’s agenda featured nume.