How the Briggs Opera House works

A recent Art Notes (“JAG regroups with theater series”; April 18) presented mistaken information about the Briggs Opera House and its availability to community users in recent years.

Until 2021, the owner (Gates-Briggs Corp.) rented the venue to many community arts organizations, including JAG Productions, WRIF, We The People and others for film, theater, dance and more. After the pandemic closure of 2020 and 2021, Gates-Briggs entered a partnership with CATV (Community Access Television, Inc.) to rebuild community arts usage of the venue, enabled for media.

In 2022, a flood temporarily shut the venue down; David Briggs informed CATV (now JAM – Junction Arts & Media) that Gates-Briggs Corp., needed a full-time leaseholder. JAM did not have the capacity for a multi-year lease, but I envisioned a consortium of regular users to share the lease, schedule collaboratively, and rent vacant times to other users. I met with JAG Productions and Shaker Bridge Theatre, individually and together, to inform them of the status and explore partnering. JAG indicated they were not interested but had an alternative vision for the venue; I encouraged them to contact David Briggs.

That fall, I also presented to the board of Briggs Opera House, Inc., the nonprofit formed to ensure the venue’s longevity, whose directors include Perry Allison (We The People). By year’s end, I deemed a joint lease infeasible for JAM; I encouraged other entities to proceed on their own. In February 2023, Shaker Bridge assumed the liability of a multi-year lease and asked JAM to continue facilitating public access for the unused 50% of the calendar, which we agreed to. The Briggs Opera House remains in active use by diverse community arts groups, with whom Shaker Bridge works to accommodate schedules when possible.

Samantha Davidson Green

Plainfield

The writer is executive director of JAM — Junction Arts & Media in White River Junction.

Fresh water, but not ‘clean’

A recent “Outside Story” (“Headwater streams: vital sources of clean water”; April 22) is misleading to dangerous.

Most headwater streams have lots of animal waste. Drinking this water containing animal waste can cause giardia. I have two local friends who had children who loved camping in the woods. One’s son, who died of giardia, the other’s daughter almost died of giardia, each drinking from these supposedly “high-quality, clean” mountain streams.

On a website about giardia, I quote, “one beaver can release billions of giardia spores, only drinking 10 spores can make you sick. You must filter your water.”

James Dwinell

Randolph

A question for court

At the Supreme Court hearing of Donald Trump’s claim to be immune from prosecution. for his “official acts” as president, here’s the question that was never asked but should have been:

Trump stands charged with inciting an insurrection meant to block the peaceful transfer of presidential power, which is absolutely essential to our system of government. How on earth can this flagrant violation of his oath of office ever be considered legitimately “official?”

James Heffernan

Hanover