In last month's Sandisfield Times, Dr. Carl Nett of Town Hill Road published an in-depth "Out on a Limb" article that we sincerely hope everyone in Sandisfield read. It outlined Carl's opinions on important issues facing our town.

Melissa had the privilege of working with Carl on the FRRSD School Committee and witnessed first-hand the thorough and fact-driven process he employs when problem solving. Indeed, while other members of the School Committee and Superintendent Tim Lee certainly made important contributions to the effort, in our opinion it was Carl's exhaustive research and data analysis that formed the foundation for the revised Regional District Agreement. This hard work resulted in an agreement between Otis and Sandisfield that ensures that Sandisfield, after decades of overpaying, will contribute a more equitable portion to the school budget.

Like the FRRSD, public safety is an important service provided to Sandisfield citizens and constitutes a considerable portion of our town's annual budget.

One can see from Carl's article that, as he did with the school budget apportionment issue, he applied his research and problem-solving skills to the concerns surrounding our emergency services and arrived at conclusions based on that research. Carl repeatedly pointed out that the views he expressed were his "opinions." Knowing Carl as we do, we feel that a reader can be assured that those "opinions" came to fruition only after many hours of due diligence.

The fire department and EMS issues are thorny to be sure, because for many in our town, it's not just about facts, but rather takes into account personal feelings surrounding members of the Sandisfield Fire Department, Inc. (SFDI) and in particular, its founder and president, Ralph Morrison. Despite claims made by some, in our opinion, this is not a case of our Select Board harboring personal grievances towards SFDI, but rather a situation in which the town must move forward to provide all residents competent, reliable, and cost-effective fire and EMS services, all while doing so transparently. We have to let go of the past, put emotions aside, and look at the reality of our current public safety needs and give town leadership the latitude to make changes where and when they are warranted.

Our takeaway from Carl's piece is that his only aim is to share information and insight with Sandisfield's citizens and leadership about these complex and critical issues. We, and others with whom we've discussed this matter, agree that a fact-driven, transparent approach needs to be used when making necessary and difficult decisions regarding our public safety.

Subjects should be of interest to most of us and have a strong link to Sandisfield, written by and for Town residents. Address either PO Box 584, Sandisfield, or email. Opinions in Out on a Limb articles are those of the authors and do not represent The Sandisfield Times.