Great Barrington Boards Back Lifeguards and Co-Responder, Split on Contractor Lawsuit Reserve

LENOX — June 16, 2026 — Great Barrington boards back most citizens' petition items but fracture over contractor lawsuit reserve. The Select Board and Finance Committee met jointly Monday for more than three hours to make recommendations on four special town meeting articles, voting to recommend nearly all of the roughly $342,000 in community services in Article 1 — including lifeguards at Lake Mansfield ($61,285), a mental health co-responder ($100,000), a skate park monitor ($32,679), and leases for the VFW and American Legion — while splitting sharply on whether to set aside free cash against a contractor lawsuit that has accrued to more than $940,000 including 12 percent statutory interest. The Finance Committee voted 3-2 to recommend a $500,000 free cash reserve for the lawsuit (Article 2), while the Select Board rejected every proposed amount and issued a negative recommendation. Both boards voted unanimously to appropriate $200,000 from the capital stabilization fund for legal and consulting costs (Article 3). Town Manager Liz Hartsgrove, who discovered the unpaid contractor bills on her third day in office last November, told the boards the money set aside would remain counted as free cash for bond-rating purposes, similar to the cannabis mitigation fund accounting treatment. On Article 4, the Select Board voted 4-1 to recommend the Southern Berkshire Ambulance Squad's supplemental request of $86,899 — the remainder of its full $414,000 assessed contribution — while the Finance Committee voted 3-2 against, with members citing ongoing contract negotiations expected to produce a three-year deal at 7.5 percent annual escalation before June 29.