President’s Report
I wish to say thanks to the previous Board members (Rob Lagergren, Diane Forsyth, and Carole Terlik) who resigned in August and to Karen Sangiovanni who stepped off the Environmental Committee. Fortunately, we had two residents step up to fill two of the Board vacancies: Lorraine Deyo, and myself. Lorraine also agreed to take over the Environmental Committee. I was asked to serve as HOA President and will gladly do so until the end of June, 2024. We have some tough issues to address this year. Rising costs continue to eat into our budget. You should expect a dues increase in 2024.
With all that being said, we have a wonderful place to call our home. I am looking forward to serving the HOA through June of next year. My door is always open for your questions and concerns about Walden Village.
Here is a complete list of our Board and Officers:
Board:
Lorraine Deyo Bruce Farren Jeff Gerard Tom Kelley Janet Ryan Pam Soldato
Officers:
President: Jeff Gerard Vice-President: Tom Kelley Secretary: Lori Tallis
Treasurer: Barbara Lagergren Clerk: William Frazier
Jeff Gerard
The Results Are In!
The results of the second survey for the repurposing of the tennis courts are tabulated. Out of 66 homesites, there were 27 responses. Some responses had more than one suggestion. Here are the general categories.
9 Not in favor of building a permanent structure, i.e. a Pavilion.
13 Restore at least one court. Legacy vote for covenants, village has been advertised as having tennis & kids/grandkids inheritance.
5 Pickleball
4 Community garden/natural state retreat
4 Solar to offset expenses
2 Better access
1 Indoor fitness center
1 Agreement with BCM
2 Identified as an older community
3 Keep dues as low as possible
4 Add social space within the pool area
1 Misting fans
4 Grow corn, comments not relevant to the survey.
As you can see, not much has changed except that investing in a pavilion type structure now not well received. Even though the courts get very little use, owners think there is value in maintaining at least one playable court. Thank you to the owners who took the time to respond to this survey.
Rob Lagergren
Traffic and Sidewalk updates
Our neighbor, Bruce Misher at 44 Walden Lane, recently wrote emails to Ricardo Morales, Commissioner of Public Works, Tyler Shedd, City Engineer, and to Paul Mark, State Senator for our district, regarding the difficulty with exiting Walden Lane onto North Street and about the poor condition of our sidewalks. There is a long history of efforts on behalf of residents to address these issues. This includes utilizing the open microphone at City Council meetings and a group who met with then
Representative Paul Mark (now our Senator) and several meetings with Helen Moon, our former city councilperson. In his last email to Bruce, Mr. Morales wrote: “ I will ask PPD to consider installing a speed feedback system.” Watch for this!
Many residents have expressed frustration with these issues at our annual meetings. Bruce’s efforts are a good example of a resident making an individual outreach to city and state officials. Below are the email addresses for the officials. Individual emails will make an impact.
Recently, Diane and I reached out to Ken Warren, our city council representative, expressing concern about the lack of a painted right turn lane onto Wahconah Street and the left turn onto Crane Ave. The right hand turn onto Wahconah Street has been greatly beneficial in traffic control. Ken informed us that a new contract for painting had just been signed and we should see the freshly painted signs soon. Sadly, he subsequently informed us that the contractor had defaulted and the city is now trying to find a new contractor. This painting is very much needed to keep traffic flowing.
A concerted effort by all residents will enhance any chance of success in finding solutions. WRITE EMAILS!
Ricardo Morales – rmorales@cityofpittsfield.org Ken Warren – kwarren@cityofpittsfield.org Tyler Shedd – tsheed@cityofpittsfield. org
Paul Mark – paul.mark@masenate.gov
Pool News
We had a great summer at the pool. Although it rained a lot this summer, I know many of you were still able to enjoy the warm pool water, the new chairs, and reconnecting with Village residents. I want to thank Peter, Karen, and all the pool testers. WIthout our volunteers, we would not have such a nice pool.
Jeff Gerard
Social Committee
We started off the summer social season with our Annual Hot Dog cookout. This event usually follows our Annual Meeting; however, due to the rainy forecast, we had to postpone the cookout until the next weekend. The weather cooperated and we had a very good turnout. There were many delightful side dishes and desserts brought to the cookout for everyone to enjoy. We appreciate all of you who attended and it was good be together again and to catch up with everyone. A big thank you to our grill masters, Wayne and Jeff, and thank you to Rob for providing the tent for the grilling area.
Our recent Annual Labor Day weekend brunch was also a success. The cool morning weather was a welcomed change and the various brunch dishes were delicious and plentiful. If you would like copies of any of the recipes from the brunch dishes, reach out to Cheryl as she has already collected quite a few and can share them with you. It was a wonderful way to end the summer and enjoy our last weekend at the pool.
As Fall approaches we look forward to our Sunday, September 17th afternoon gathering at Balderdash Winery. Let’s hope for beautiful weather that afternoon. The winery is located on State Route 41 in Richmond and sits on a large hill that is tiered so everyone has a great view of Richmond Pond. The winery opens at noon and the music begins at 2:00. There will be a food truck on site selling munchies and you can purchase various wines and local craft beers inside the winery. No need to bring a chair as there are plenty of red Adirondack chairs to go around. We do encourage you to carpool to the winery.
The Social Committee is planning a Fall get together in October at Crust Pizza in town. We will keep you posted as to the date and time. Also, we are saving the first Friday evening in December for our Holiday Party. This event will be hosted right here in Walden Village at one or our homes.
When we gather together to celebrate the start of the Holiday Season that evening we ask that you bring an appetizer to share and the beverage of your choice. More details to follow.
We hope everyone will stay healthy and happy and all Covid cases will be just a long lost memory once again. Please let any of us on the committee know if you have any ideas or requests for future social gatherings. For those of you leaving the Berkshires soon for your winter getaways, safe travels and we look forward to your return in the Spring.
Glenna Gerard 336-918-1956
Shirlee Bresnehan 413-464-1692
Ann Callahan 413-441-0057
Cheryl Meunier 413-442-6118
Book Club:
Our Book Club has been meeting once a month at each others homes. We discuss the book and weave in and out of different perspectives on the plot, the characters, and the ending. It’s been uplifting to share our thoughts with each other with humor, knowledge, and awe-inspiring conversations. We leave our gatherings by seeing the book through other people’s “eyes” but also to learn more about each other.
New members are warmly welcomed!
TALENTED TREASURER LOVES LIFE IN VILLAGE
By Bruce Farren
Home grown, but broadly talented, Walden Village’s Treasurer Barbara Lagergren is someone whose glass is always “half full.” In her own words, “I enjoy life and think it is precious. Little things just do not bother me.”
Barb grew up in Pittsfield and, unlike her “today self,” she admits being an introvert whose best memories are being surrounded by family and friends. “Our life was filled with ski trips to Stowe and other Vermont peaks, swimming and diving meets and enjoying all the good stuff we had right here in the Berkshires back in those days,” she added.
After her father passed away early in her life, Barbara’s mom took on the role of family energizer. “Mom is still big in my life, even at 91. She still lives by herself in the family home and I call her every day.”
“When Rob and I bought this house in Walden Village to be our retirement place more than 10 years ago, we did it thinking mom would join us with the first-floor bedroom and bath making it easier for her,” said Barbara. “Mom’s response was: ‘I’m not living with you guys.” Apparently, her mom’s determination was passed on to her daughter.
Barbara had a kind of hop-scotch education. After 12 years at St. Joseph’s, she enrolled at Berkshire Community College, pursuing a degree in physical education. From there, it was off to Bridgewater State which had a reputation for Phys-Ed. But that lasted just one semester and she told her mom “I’m not going back there.” Mom told her, “If you think your not going to college, you’re wrong.”
Indeed, mom was right. After a stint at UMass, Barb went on to earn her BS at Slippery Rock State College and then earned a Masters in Special Education at American International College in Springfield.
Pittsfield Police to the Rescue
On July 3rd, as Cooper (my dog) and I went out to go for our walk, I noticed Karen Sangiovanni’ s granddaughter, Aleah, on her phone, standing on the road next to her car. I also noticed a mama duck frantically flying around.
Previously I has seen this mama duck with three ducklings. Aleah, too, had noticed the mama duck and seen the babies fall into the storm drain; she was calling for help. She had to go, so I offered to wait for help to come. It wasn’t very long before Officer Darren Derby came to the rescue. He lifted the cover on the storm drain, proceeded to jump down, and rescued seven ducklings from the storm drain. I believe it may have been the highway Department that also showed up and took a video of Officer Derby, which you can view at the Facebook page of Officer Darren Derby.
So, a big thanks to Aleah and Officer Derby from our Walden Village residents! If mama duck could talk, I am sure she would be saying thanks, too.
Hello everyone, Bill had a wonderful idea to do a story for our newsletter on Dogs of Walden Village. I thought: why not include your cat or any other pet you would like to
tell us about and share. You can share as much or as little as you would like, how he or she came into your home, their age, breed, a special story etc. You can even go one step further and do a memorial story on your pet no longer here, but forever in your heart. A picture of your pet and information would be appreciated. Send your information to Lorraine at tnldeyo@gmail.com by October 15th and we will get it together for a future newsletter.
Lorraine Deyo
My thanks to all who contributed to this issue. Any/all input is always welcome. I would also welcome anyone who is interested in taking over this volunteer job for our Village. Call me at 442-0716, please!
Bill Frazier, Editor