Thursday, January 15, 2009

Take this "shard" and shove it!

Click photo to enlarge

Springfield Republican Reports (The only thing I wish the reporter included was the clearly established scientific facts regarding water temperature and scalding and at 110 it would be near impossible to scald hands in a lavatory setting)

ORIGINAL POST (Thursday early afternoon)
So the venerable crusty Gazette editors did not even deem this (Only In Amherst) school safety issue important enough to reprint in this week’s ultra-crusty Amherst Bulletin. Probably a good thing. Maybe journalistic integrity strikes them every now and then--like the dead clock that’s correct twice a day.

Here’s my reaction:

I’m disappointed—but not surprised—at the cold water (board) torture I received in the Gazette after they, finally, got around to covering the lack of hot water in the Wildwood Elementary School bathrooms.

First off, uncorroborated allegation that I left a “broken shard” in the boy’s room. The entire thermometer is made of “high impact resin” (both the tubular part containing the non-mercury red dye and the plastic backing it is housed in). I took one apart and dropped the tubular section three times from a height of five feet and it did not break.

Then I whacked it with a hammer, and the two pieces were far from sharp.

So yes, something very small was accidentally left behind (after searching I assumed it went down the drain) but it was completely harmless. Use of the word “shard” gives the impression it was one of those Viet Cong punji stick booby traps waiting to impale some innocent child--although I assume kids wear shoes in the lavatory.

The lead paragraph also suggests the Health Department checked “boys and girls rooms at Wildwood Elementary School,” when in fact the report clearly shows only one Boy’s room was checked and the temperature came back at 86.7 degrees. Certainly not” hot.”

And school officials did have over 24 hours notice the Health Department was coming so I’m sure they did everything possible to increase the water temperature in that Boy’s room (my findings were 70 degrees one time and 78 the next), and 86.7 was the best they could do?

The “No Trespass” order came after my third and last visit (a full month after accidentally leaving behind a harmless thermometer). I adhered to Superintends Sprague’s telephone demand from the previous visit and announced myself at the Main Office. I was accompanied to the rest room by Principal Matt Behnke and we both made sure no children were present.

He was with me the entire time but, yes, when he asked me not to take a photo of the thermometer readout I declined and took one photo. So I guess the 'Trespass Order' was for insubordination.

The Gazette article extensively quotes Facilities Director Ronald Bohonowitcz claiming the water is kept low to prevent “scalding”. Hmmm. A google search shows the following for scalding to occur:

Temperature Time to Cause
of Water a Bad Burn
-------------------------------------
150°F (66°C) 2 seconds
140°F (60°C) 6 seconds
125°F (52°C) 2 minutes
120°F (49°C) 10 minutes

Notice they don’t even go below 120 because most people—especially children—do not spend that much time washing their hands. And since the jump from 125 down to 120 was pretty dramatic I would guess at 80-95 degrees it would take the entire school day.

And yes, I’m amazed the state has “no minimum” temperature required for rest rooms--meaning we could shut off entirely the hot water. And if Mr. Bohonowicz is correct that the state does mandate a maximum temperature of 110, then he needs to look at the bathrooms in Town Hall and the Bangs Center that I tested yesterday at over 120.

After smashing with a hammer
#############################################################

After complaint, Amherst school water found to be OK
By MARY CAREY
Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 13, 2009

AMHERST - Town health officials found no problem with the water temperature in the boys and girls rooms at Wildwood Elementary School, after investigating an Amherst resident's complaint.

The temperature of the water is in conformance with the state plumbing code for public buildings, Ron Bohonowicz, facilities manager for the town and schools, said Monday.

"There is no legal issue there," he said.

Bohonowicz said the temperature in the restrooms is set between 80 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit, so that children don't scald their hands. The water in the boiler is set at 160 degrees, but it is mixed with colder water before it reaches the restrooms, Bohonowicz said.

"When one of these little kids comes in from the outside and their hands are freezing, they can't tell how hot the water is. We don't want to take any risk whatsoever of burning a child."

Amherst resident Larry Kelley had taken the temperature of the water in the boys room and posted on his blog the opinion that it was too cold and posed a health risk.

He has since received a no-trespassing order requiring him to stay out of the schools, after he left a broken shard of a non-mercury thermometer behind in the restroom while conducting one of his own investigations.

Kitchen water temperature higher

Water used in the kitchen, meanwhile, is set at higher temperatures and the temperature in the dishwashers is even higher, because they are equipped with temperature boosters.

State building code says that water temperature in public buildings should be set at a maximum of 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

It does not specify a minimum temperature.

As it takes some time for the water from the boiler to reach the restrooms, the water that initially comes out of the faucets may sometimes be colder than the desired temperature, Bohonowicz added.

"Our schools are old. The systems are not designed the way today's nice new efficient systems are."

Co-superintendent Alton Sprague said that boiler replacement for the district's schools - which would run to the millions of dollars - has been on a wish list for school maintenance.

The maintenance has been deferred by the School Building Authority, a state entity, Sprague said.

Kelley had filed a written complaint about the temperature of the water with Epi Bodhi, Amherst's health director. She could not be reached for comment.

68 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Bohonowicz said the temperature in the restrooms is set between 80 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit, so that children don't scald their hands. The water in the boiler is set at 160 degrees, but it is mixed with colder water before it reaches the restrooms, Bohonowicz said."

Bohonowicz is an IDIOT pure and simple.

Anonymous said...

id⋅i⋅ot
–noun
1. an utterly foolish or senseless person.

Example: LK

Larry Kelley said...

And if that is true, then why did I get 70 and 78?

He had the benefit of the Health Department email report of 86.7 (with 24 hours notice that they were on the way) before talking to the Gazette reporter, so it was pretty safe to use the 80-95 range.

I would be willing to bet a few bucks that even if given a week's notice those bathroom faucets could not produce 120 degree water (that Town Hall and Bangs Center seem to do pretty easily)

Anonymous said...

"When one of these little kids comes in from the outside and their hands are freezing, they can't tell how hot the water is. We don't want to take any risk whatsoever of burning a child."


Actually this is faulty logic because when your hands are really cold even cool water feels BOILING hot... No child (or even adult) can stand putting ice cold hands under HOT water. Try it yourself.

The man is dog meat and he could care less about the children he was hired to protect.

Parents of Amherst, worry about your children every single day... you have reason to.

Anonymous said...

"Dog meat may be consumed as an alternative source of meat or for specific medicinal benefits attributed to various parts of a dog. In parts of the world where dogs are kept as pets, people generally consider the use of dogs for food to be a social taboo."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_meat

Larry Kelley said...

In New England we only deal with "freezing" weather about 3 or 4 months out of the 9.5 month school year.

Anonymous said...

"When one of these little kids comes in from the outside and their hands are freezing, they can't tell how hot the water is. We don't want to take any risk whatsoever of burning a child."


Also illustrates how slick Ron operates... He's a slippery little bugger...


Did they love him at Yankee candle?

There's a possible follow up for ya!

Woof!

Anonymous said...

IF the state building code states a maximum 110 degree temp for public buildings (and I never saw it in there, but I haven't read the latest version that took effect 14 days ago) then there is a real issue.

There are public buildings - such as the Ann Whalen 667 Elderly Building (33 Kellogg Avenue) that also are bound by 105 CMR 410 residential housing code which requires 110-130 degrees.

Not that the Commonwealth would ever write regs that are in direct conflict with other regs....

Oh, and as to "freezing weather" -- hypothermia can set in at temperatures well above actual freezing, as warm as 60 degrees if someone is outdoors and wet and out there long enough. (Like a small child having fun and not wanting to admit that he/she is cold/wet because that would mean going in early...)

There is a lot to be said for washing hands & face with warm water (100-120 degrees) to warm the body up again. And the person above who posted that even cold water feels burning hot when your hands are cold - when I was younger I used to ride a motorcycle in weather like this, it actually is safe as it is too cold/dry for there to be any ice if the roads already were cleared, but yes, even cold water "burns" when you are warming your hands up again afterwards.

No child would get burned with water colder than his/her blood, though. Can't happen, simple physics that you can't heat something higher (ie burn) than it already is with a heat source colder than it is to begin with....

Anonymous said...

Sounds to me that you need to once again politely ask for an apology and then start filing lawsuits.

Libel comes to mind at this point -- if the thermometer didn't have glass in it and they are accusing you of leaving a glass shard that is defamation of your character. Not to mention the trespass.

Yes, a lawsuit will hurt the children, but maybe someone in some position of authority is bright enough to know that and will avoid making that necessary.

Anonymous said...

Another Wildwood issue to tackle...

LK quote: "I assume kids wear shoes in the lavatory."
They don't at WW! After taking off winter boots, students are allowed to wear their slippers (fuzzy, character ones are popular)throughout the building.

Not the brightest idea- but it has been done for years there. (my kids wore their shoes)

Max Hartshorne said...

Well LK once again you've found a way to get more comments than any blog I read. But really....this is all about bathroom water temperatures? All of these comments are about that topic? I guess I am like the rest, a pile-up and snarky backtalk gets my attention. shrug.

Larry Kelley said...

Hey Max,
Yeah, oftentimes the Comments are the most interesting (revealing) part of this blog.

Jacob Ditkovski said...

I had a hard time finding contact info for you. I wanted to ask you a question via email because it isn't necessarily interesting to the world at large. What's your email address?

Larry Kelley said...

amherstac@aol.com

Anonymous said...

this blog, always entertaining and often legitimately relevant, has taken an incredible detour into the absurd. what exactly is the issue here? given all of the challenges we face, is this really worth our self-appointed watchdog's efforts? i much prefer legitimate issues to this. aside from larry's energies, i find it especially shocking how many people are egging him on.

Anonymous said...

"this blog, always entertaining and often legitimately relevant, has taken an incredible detour into the absurd. what exactly is the issue here? given all of the challenges we face, is this really worth our self-appointed watchdog's efforts? i much prefer legitimate issues to this. aside from larry's energies, i find it especially shocking how many people are egging him on."


You find it shocking because you want him to go away. This is your way of trying to make that happen... by making people feel bad about themselves, or even guilty, when in fact, the work that Larry is doing is EXACTLY what SOMEBODY has needed to do for a long LONG time...

So yeah, I would really hate to have to deal with you in any business or personal way because, well, you're not a very well developed person, in your heart, very insensitive and unconcerned. You should do something about that. Really.

Anonymous said...

Shh! 30,000 people were laid off at Circuit City today. This is the only comedy we've got. A person completely oblivious to the inanity of railing against 86 degree bathroom water. Someone willing to hit a thermometer with a hammer. It's priceless. Don’t listen to him Larry, please keep going, surely there must be some more measurements you can take. What are the urinal temperatures? We need to know. Honest we do.

Anonymous said...

"Shh! 30,000 people were laid off at Circuit City today. This is the only comedy we've got. A person completely oblivious to the inanity of railing against 86 degree bathroom water. Someone willing to hit a thermometer with a hammer. It's priceless. Don’t listen to him Larry, please keep going, surely there must be some more measurements you can take. What are the urinal temperatures? We need to know. Honest we do."


Why? Are you thirsty?


Woof!

Larry Kelley said...

Yeah 86 degrees when the Health Department tested it, but a tad cooler when I tested it.

And since there is "no minimum" why not let it drop to 33 degrees?

Scalding can only occur beyond 110 and since the state MINIMUM required at "Day Care Centers" (you know younger kids than at Wildwood) is 110, it calls into question town officials excuse that they purposely keep it at 80 to 95 to prevent scalding.

Most people don't wash their hands in urinals so temperature doesn't matter. Makes me wonder why you would use it as an example?

Anonymous said...

You may see this effort as irrelevant but why do town officials use intimidation to stop Larry? So Ron if you really think this is such a useless effort why read the blog, why try and manipulate the truth, and why are you so defensive? Job insecurity—be afraid of your job you have no more friends.

Larry Kelley said...

To be honest I don't know or care if the snarky sniper is Bohonowicz or any other town official.

But the highly public excuse put forward via Bohonowicz memo and then parroted by School Committee Chair Churchill at the meeting Tuesday night that temperature is set low for the good of the kids to avoid scalding simply doesn't hold water.

And I thought Amherst was overly-educated. Guess not. Well...Amherst town officials anyway.

Anonymous said...

I think the issue here is that in "Amherst" town officials and school officials apparently have their own narrow minded guidelines for things irrespective of state laws or state policies.
Amherst is as always one of the biggest laughing stocks in the northeast as far as passing bizarre and pc correct policies while turning a blind eye to relevant problems that affect the average town resident. Quite insane!

Anonymous said...

It is really too bad that Amherst Officials have resorted to shady tactics. Where are their morals, and do they teach their children to be the way that they are? If that is how you run this town, maybe I should run for office. I may actually be dumb enough to wiUntil later...............

Anonymous said...

You may want to check the Jones library bathrooms - they seem a little cold too. You may want to take a stop watch to record the time it takes to get warm. This probably should be videotaped for proof.

Bob Williams

Anonymous said...

Take this "shard" and shove it!

Ah, and you are a poor sport to boot.

Larry Kelley said...

Actually it's a joke. Point being (pun intended) the thermometer never broke or shattered and thus could still function as either an oral or rectal thermometer.

Anonymous said...

it doesn't matter if it broke or not... you left it there and any child could have stuck it in their mouth or butt.....then broken it. whose fault would that have been?

give it a rest, and admit you were in error. that is what a big man would do.

or let's just leave giant piles of unbroken glass tubes laying around an elementary school. now that's funny.

Larry Kelley said...

Hey Bach,
Come on now you gotta pay attention. Click the photo to enlarge. None of the thermometer was made of glass.

I used a hammer to break it. Pretty sure they don't allow those in Elementary Schools (although their security does leave a lot to be desired so who knows?)

Barry Roberts will be pleased you have found a new outlet for your anger.

Anonymous said...

but in an earlier post you admitted that the glass tube fell and you couldn't find it, so you assumed it went down the drain and left. you see i do pay attention...and i am not angry at all...i get a kick out of public tomfoolery.

as for the barry roberts thing....well that has to do with me trying to do a really cool thing for the town with my creative experience...at their urging request (hell gretchen fox was calling me back in 2006 about this.) i said i was willing to donate my work for free, but the committee insisted i get paid. then after months of hard work and meetings, they dumped the project, without explanation, and never even suggested they would pay me for all the hoops they had me jump through.

when i met with barry, what should have been in a professional location, he sat me down at his overprice coffeehouse, bumping elbows with other patrons as i tried to spread my drawing out, it was loud, and hard to talk about very detailed information. that rang for me a sense of unprofessionalism, which rang true when he never got back to me after that meeting, like he promised. i had to track him down, only to be met with apathy and disdain.

that's what i got out of 150+hrs of heartfelt contributions.

so larry, do you think i should get paid? kind of a catch 22 for you huh. you would like to say i shouldn't get paid, but that would put you on the side of the administration.

what i should be angry about is the post you made with my picture the day my house was foreclosed on. you could have chosen to do nothing at all, but rather you exposed me at my time of greatest weakness and turmoil. i should add that if the 250th hadn't have wasted all my time in those critical months before foreclosure, maybe i could have saved my house. likewise if they had actually paid me.

that is where my anger lies. within the lies of the 250th committee.

i will send my bill from atlanta when i finally get all of the facts straight on paper....new facts have arisen since they started posting committee minutes on the amherst site. it ain't over, good buddy!

Anonymous said...

for your readers who aren't familiar....i have 3 public artworks in amherst, crossroads salamander at cushman, mill canal newt at mill river, and minuteman crossing (stone plaza)at the umass minuteman bronze near campus pond and old chapel. not to mention many landscape/stonework installations throughout the pioneer valley.

Larry Kelley said...

Damn my man, you actually do pay attention. So I just wasted 5 minutes and found you to be correct that I did describe it as the "glass tubular part" of the thermometer broke away from the backing. At the time the main concern seemed to be mercury.

But it occurred to me that since this company took PC care not to use Mercury that maybe they also probably did not use glass.

And sure enough, when I purchased another one the packaging clearly said "high impact resin". And when I dropped it three times from a pretty good height became convinced they were not making that up.

So my apologies. I misspoke a post or two back writing that the tubular part was glass (and frankly I’m glad you pointed it out). Once again, it was "high impact resin." And I assume "high impact" means it can handle routine falls and when it did break the two pieces were not sharp at all (would you like me to upload a video of my 2-year-old daughter stabbing me with one of the pieces?)

Anonymous said...

i do respect that you have rescued some kids from a worse life, but you shouldn't keep using your kids as a foil. if i had kids in this world, i would do anything i could to maintain their anonymity.

Larry Kelley said...

Nothing is more important than my kids. I NEVER "use them as a foil".

My life has been pretty public these past 25 years--more so in the past two via this blog. So be it.

Yes, you are correct saying I (and my wife) "rescued some kids from a worse life."

But, in fact, it is THEY who have saved ME.

Anonymous said...

bach, you're the one who was posting on masslive about your forclosure back then. he was just the follow up reporter. yeah, you probably could have saved your home if you weren't so busy ranting online about your being turned down. but, hey, as you said, you've moved on...

Anonymous said...

hey, if a few minutes once in a while on the computer ranting is what lost my house, i would give that to ya. it was a way to shed my dismay of being left alone in an ocean of uncomfortable silence, with basically no recourse. barry roberts slammed that door shut with this letter:
roberts door slam letter

yet the Amherst Academy, which it was all about, endorsed it with praises:
Amherst Academy endorsement

that is what i earned for all of the work i did...a letter saying SHUT UP.

i didn't here lk have much compassion for my position either, or his position on my dilemma. don't you think that is real amherst news? headline" town committee lies to artist, catalyzes foreclosure on his amherst home."

when i spoke to schaffer concerning that scenario, he asked me "who is really responsible for the foreclosure?", implying it was all my own doing.

i wish i was quick enough on my feet to respond with "who is responsible for the amherst 250th committee's statements and misleadings?"

i contend it is the town, it is an official town committee, and the proof is there.

Anonymous said...

Interesting paragraph that also applies to Larry's concern(s) with the Town of Amherst and ARSD...



---
While FIRE does not engage in litigation, we believe you should be aware that any public university policy prohibiting constitutionally protected expression is an unlawful deprivation of constitutional rights under 42 U.S.C.S. § 1983 for which university administrators can be sued in their individual capacities. When the law is so clearly established with regard to unconstitutional speech codes, claims of immunity from liability on the part of individual administrators will likely fail. State officials and employees are offered qualified immunity only "insofar as their conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known." Harlow v. Fitzgerald, 457 U.S. 800, 818 (1982). This means that administrators may be held personally liable for continuing to maintain unconstitutional speech codes in violation of students' First Amendment rights.

Anonymous said...

"You may see this effort as irrelevant but why do town officials use intimidation to stop Larry? So Ron if you really think this is such a useless effort why read the blog, why try and manipulate the truth, and why are you so defensive? Job insecurity—be afraid of your job you have no more friends."


Ron, what will you do when they open up about you and Peter? When the town learns about "stuff"?

Really, what will you do? Have Peter throw things around and smash things and scream at people?!!? Or will you intimidate them yourself... Hmm? Will you use the APD again?


Seriously.

Anonymous said...

Ron Bohonowicz:

Monday Jauary 12, 2009 interview:


"When one of these little kids comes in from the outside and their hands are freezing, they can't tell how hot the water is. We don't want to take any risk whatsoever of burning a child."


Thursday January 15, 2008 (after reading this blog):


"The logic is that students coming from the outside with cold hands could easily get burned or the sensation of burning if the temperature was any higher."


Looks like old slick Ron Bohonowicz had to add the "sensation of burning" after how his own words made him look bad, was talked about here (see earlier posts)...

So, go ahead Ron, keep trying to make yourself look good... keep on pluggin... because...

it's over.

Anonymous said...

Oh good lord whoever it is that you are...stop with the threats! It's obvious to everyone who reads this blog that you are a disgruntled former employee of the Amherst Schools who just recently got...laid off?...fired for inappropriate behavior of some sort? Whatever it is/was, please just DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT so you can get on with your life! All of this innuendo & veiled threats about swarms of locusts falling upon the houses of Pete Crouse & Ron Bohonowicz is getting old and tired. If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, move on to life-after-???? (only you can fill in that blank) for everyone's sake, but especially yours. Please.

Anonymous said...

btw...if you read the barry roberts door slam letter.....the "business owner" i "solicited" was good ole cinda jones, whom i had known for years. cinda's response was she had no interest in supporting public art, rather they were interested in affordable creating housing in town. i guess so one of her employees could actually afford to live in amherst. she then promptly stated that they would be burning down a house (affordable housing) on cowls road...which ultimately did occur...to a structure that could have been refabed instead of BURNED. makes me wonder what happened after my phone call to her.....she probably got on the line with her "horse bedding monopoly" partner barry and said let's sink sendelbach once and for all. well, i may have had to bail ship, but i am still floating. i should note that ms. jones was the president of the chamber of commerce at the time, which is located exactly next to the academy site.....hmmmmmm you would think the chamber would have approved highly an improvement to the urban spaces within the shopping district.

so the next time you go into their little lumberyard hardware store, or watch the little horsy sleigh ride, try to recall they had an unfair hand in the demise of a respected and sought after local artisan.

Anonymous said...

Aaaand he's off! You and Gibber should get together and compare conspiracy theorys.

Larry Kelley said...

Yeah and 9/11, like Pearl Harbor, was an "inside job" (both perpetrated by Jewish Bankers ensconced on a icy mountain top only accessible by black helicopters outfitted with the Romulan Cloaking Device.)

"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." Freud may not actually have said that--but he probably should have.

Anonymous said...

let's not forget motive. remember i am the one who exposed the cowls sawmill's inadequate drainage scheme for their new facility a few years back. they were forced into 10's of thousands in site work. i would say they had a beef with me.

lk, i get a kick out of that flag at ground zero, seeing that our own perpetrated the event. the facts are glaringly obvious at this point, and to deny them is sheer ignorance. there are countless youtube videos and websites that make it brutally clear....just another false flag, yes like pearl harbor.


you can hide your head in the sand, that doesn't change the truth....and you never know where that cigar has been.

Anonymous said...

"Oh good lord whoever it is that you are...stop with the threats! It's obvious to everyone who reads this blog that you are a disgruntled former employee of the Amherst Schools who just recently got...laid off?...fired for inappropriate behavior of some sort?"

What about a dead child makes you want people to back-off? What about a dead child makes you want to place you own veiled threats against a person you perceive to be a "former employee"?

Oh yeah, the answer: a dead child. Duh.

Imagine what the readers of this blog think of YOUR agenda... of it getting in the way of protecting the lives of children.

God I hope you don't drive/work for Amherst-Pelham schools.

Anonymous said...

Two troubling questions:

Did the child get run over by the rear or front wheel of the bus? The MSP officer in the photo is looking at the FRONT wheel and if that is what happened, there are lots more questions as that wheel is not supposed to be blind.

Second, were all the front hood mirrors properly adjusted? Looks almost like one is missing - Bulletin's resolution isn't that good but if one on the left is missing then that is an issue of concern.....

Anonymous said...

It was an accident! 2 year olds are fast. Are you going to be this harsh if it is Moms "fault?" Is it that important to lay blame? Sounds like you will be dissapointed if it isn't due to something mechanical.

Anonymous said...

"i get a kick out of that flag at ground zero, seeing that our own perpetrated the event. the facts are glaringly obvious at this point"

Get real. Our own did not perpetrate this event. You've been watching too much 24.

Anonymous said...

For some reason a certain segment just doesn't get that America has enemies and they want to harm us. The 1993 WTC bombing proved that and that was not an inside job.

Anonymous said...

Bach,

If your house was staked on your doing an art project for the 250th than you had a bad plan. Barry Roberts and Cinda Jones are good people and not the cause of your problems.

Anonymous said...

If they were operating a defective bus then it IS relevant *if* the defect is something that likely could have helped avoid the accident.

If it had a burnt out taillight, that is a "naughty, naughty" footnote but only that. But if it is a mirror that would have (could have) let the driver see the child, or brakes not quite adjusted well enough to stop the bus as quickly as it could have been stopped, then that is quite relevant....

Anonymous said...

That's what the investigation is for. Wait and see before rushing to judgement.

Anonymous said...

From Ron Bohonowicz to Al Sprague:


Based on a compliant regarding water temps at the Wildwood School. I
conducted an inspection on Friday afternoon 01/09/09. The water
temperature in the boys bathroom was 86.7 degrees, under the domestic
water requirements the temperature cannot exceed 105(no minimum). The
temperature in the kitchen which falls under the food code requirements
was at 110 degrees at the hand wash sink, the acceptable range is
110-130 degrees. The dish machine temperatures were 154 for wash and 182
for rinse both good under the food code.

Sincerely,

Ronald Bohonowicz
Director of Facilities and Transportation
(413) 362-1855; Fax: (413)-549-9890
BohonowiczR@ARPS.org



Now when Ron checked the bathroom temps he measured a temperature of 86.7 degrees a FULL 10-15 degrees warmer than Larry's readings. That must've been after he/they boosted for the inspection. Boosted? Yes, because before doing that the kitchen faucet temps would've been BELOW the "food code" @ around 95-100 degrees... so, in fact, the school WAS in violation of the code.

Anonymous said...

Why don't you cut a hole in the roof and shimmy down and measure the temperature in the middle of the night?

Get over it. Time to move on.

Anonymous said...

To: Mr. I-Hate-Ron B-and-Pete C Anon,

If you truly cared about the children of Amherst, and wanted to do everything within your power to prevent a future incident such as what occurred with that poor unfortunate 2 year-old several months ago, then you would stop with the veiled threats and come forward with any pertinent information that you have related to the case - there IS an on-going investigation being conducted as we speak! If there has been a pattern of neglect, malfeasance, or anything of the sort - and you know about it - then you owe it to the very children you often speak about to STEP FORWARD. If, on the other hand, all you have is innuendo, hard feelings, and empty threats then you should just put a lid on it.

And I can't help but wonder...why do you keep trying to get Larry The Amherst Attack Dog to do your dirty work for you? Is it perhaps because you would be a less-than-credible "witness" who was recently dismissed by the Amhherst School system & has a vendetta against the very people you continue to criticize/threaten? Hmmmmmm....

Anonymous said...

"And I can't help but wonder...why do you keep trying to get Larry The Amherst Attack Dog to do your dirty work for you? Is it perhaps because you would be a less-than-credible "witness" who was recently dismissed by the Amhherst School system & has a vendetta against the very people you continue to criticize/threaten? Hmmmmmm..."



A dead child.


Now, keep on plugging...

Anonymous said...

Annon 1:09, You hit the nail on the head. I'm sure a little investigating would produce which wacko is this ticked off at those 2 but it just isn't worth the effort.

Anonymous said...

"Annon 1:09, You hit the nail on the head. I'm sure a little investigating would produce which wacko is this ticked off at those 2but it just isn't worth the effort."


I wonder how many of these "deflections" are coming from employees of the school.. including Bohonowicz, Crouse or maybe one of their cronies...

A quick trip to the I.T. dept. at the middle school would uncover who's been using their computer to visit this site.


Now, THAT would be a story.

Anonymous said...

Or you could just produce some evidence insead of hysteria. No, I'm not a school employee. Plus this is a holiday.

Anonymous said...

> A quick trip to the I.T. dept.
> at the middle school would uncover
> who's been using their computer
> to visit this site.

I would honestly be surprised to learn that anyone would be actually stupid enough to do that, unless -- of course -- they were truly innocent and just wanted to be forewarned about what was being said about them.

You can go to WalMart and buy a $350 laptop that - out of the box (with a battery charge) can connect to the UMass-provided Amherst wireless network. This is a truly anonymous network and if you paid cash to WalMart, there is absolutely no way you are tracable.

Even the least competent IT person would know this (I like to think) and wouldn't be posting stuff from school computers.

Having said all of that, I strongly discourage dismissing the evidence of disgruntled ex employees. THESE are the folks with the best dirt and absolutely no hesitation to smear their ex-employer with it to the best extent they can. IF there is any bad stuff out there, they will know it and use it -- and you don't really care about their motive(s) if the information is so valid and important independent of their issues.

Give me a few beers and I will tell you all kinds of things about the Amherst Housing Authority -- all true...

E

Anonymous said...

To E:
I agree, disgruntled employees may have motives but what are the motives of town employees to cover up, intimidate etc etc. Just because it's a disgruntled employees we have the right to question these town employees, especially when our children are concerned. Haven't most of the whistle blowers on corporations been disgruntled employees--they just know where the bodies are burried!

Anonymous said...

Again I say...GIVE US SOMETHING TANGIBLE!!! You continue to point fingers and deflect questions but you fail to put forth anything of any value re: possible malfeasance within the school system. Well???

And, by the way - no, I am NOT an employee of the Schools nor do i have any friends, relatives, neighbors, or family pets who work for the Schools. I'm just another blogger who knows a hidden agenda when I see one.

Anonymous said...

"I'm just another blogger who knows a hidden agenda when I see one."


Prove it.

Anonymous said...

"Prove it."

I think we've asked you to do that first.

Anonymous said...

"I think we've asked you to do that first."


"I'm just another blogger who knows a hidden agenda when I see one."


Do you keep a blog of your own or not?

If yes, please provide us a link...

Anonymous said...

Blogger indeed.


It's over.

Anonymous said...

Smart move not posting a link. Why would you want him/her posting on there too?

Anonymous said...

Exactly. And then i would have to listen to his veiled threats TWICE...once is indeed enough.

The sad part through all of this is that I am totally serious when i say: if you have any real information, please share it! My kids went through the Amherst Schools many years ago & I hate to think that some parent may have to go through what the mother of the two year-old just went through only because some Anonymous former School employee decided it was more important to engage in some on-line pissing match than to step forward with information that may indeed save lives.

Whether or not I have a blog elsewhere is completely irrelevant - what IS relevant is your continued contention that you have "insider information" that suggests malfeasance on the part of the Schools and yet you're unwilling to discuss specifics.

You are running out of straws to grasp at, my friend...it's put up or shut up time.

Anonymous said...

"You are running out of straws to grasp at, my friend...it's put up or shut up time."


Right back at cha'.