UPDATE: 11:55 AM Now I'm told by my reliable source that the current structure was only about $1,000 in labor and material costs for the concrete slab. The town has tons of bike racks in storage and the plastic shelter was donated by PVTA. Mr. Shaffer is trying to get BIG bucks from the PVTA, who already received a large sum from the Feds. Of course, if the money does come through we tear up the new structure and put in the newer and BIGGER one. At some point you have to wonder what Mr. Kendrick thinks of all this as his Trust decree states:
“…to convert the land so acquired into a landscaped park to be known as ‘Kendrick Park’, for the use and the benefit of the general public, and to maintain said park for enhancement and beautification of that area of Amherst, and to erect thereon a suitable marker commemorating its benefactors.”
This is the new "Comfort Station" at Groff Park built for $140,000. About two-thirds of the structure is taken up by Handicapped Accessible bathrooms, with the remainder some storage space and a Snack Bar nobody uses.It took over 70 years to slowly clear the three acre site of 11 structures (first house was acquired in 1937 and the last one moved last year); and one of the first things the town does is erect a structure. Hmmm...
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UPDATE: 10:45AM
So I'm now told be a reliable source the the brand new bus stop shelter that went up almost overnight is not the same one Mr. Shaffer was talking about in that Gazette article six weeks ago (posted in Comments). Mr. Shaffer is talking about a much larger shelter/building that would have public restrooms and OF COURSE a LARGER bike area.
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ORIGINAL POST: last night Well at least this new bus stop on Kendrick Park will will get a lot more use than did the "skating" rink. Although at $100-K, also a lot more expensive...
Looks nice, but the so do a lot of other new things. Wait until the stucents finish wall papering the damn thing.
ReplyDeleteUntil later................
$100,000 is a good chuck of cash, especially in these times. Whose initiative was this? Who approved?
ReplyDeleteIt didn't cost $100K - LK4 just made that number up!The shelter was provided by PVTA, the Town supplied the concrete pad ($100?) and the "U" bike rack, which was already in stock (we got hundreds of these years ago, again at low cost).
ReplyDeleteIn any case, PVTA stands for Potentially Viable Transportation Alternative -- they don't care about need because they have subsidy, they don't care about cost because.....
ReplyDeleteslow news day for the blogger...make up some numbers to get the troops excited. Next comes some name-calling at the TM, then the SB, but first me (aka nitwit 22).
ReplyDeleteNext post: Cherry Hill
Followed by: water temperature at WW
Followed by: Laughing at other health clubs.
Followed by: The local newspapers
Fred (aka Nitwit 22)
Daily Hampshire Gazette
ReplyDeleteAmherst seeks added investment in public transit
By SCOTT MERZBACH
Staff Writer
Thursday, February 5, 2009
AMHERST - Amherst has requested $300,000 from the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority to upgrade its public transportation system with a new bus shelter at Kendrick Park and the purchase of two so-called diesel sprinter buses.
Town Manager Larry Shaffer sent a letter last week to Mary MacInnes, director of the PVTA, asking for $100,000 to have a bus shelter built at Kendrick Park, $100,000 for the sprinter buses to be purchased for use on community routes, $70,000 for additional bus stops and solar benches and $30,000 in solar passenger-activated lights.
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Its nice someone is keeping an eye on town hall. Was the $300K request granted? Shaffer should provide an itemized list of where the money went. That is not a $100K bus stop.
ReplyDeleteSlam.
ReplyDelete"slow news day for the blogger...make up some numbers to get the troops excited. Next comes some name-calling at the TM, then the SB, but first me (aka nitwit 22).
ReplyDeleteNext post: Cherry Hill
Followed by: water temperature at WW
Followed by: Laughing at other health clubs.
Followed by: The local newspapers
Fred (aka Nitwit 22)"
And Fred... shut it.
But the greatest tragedy is that they paved over a whole bunch of the daffodil bulbs that were planted there for the town's anniversary celebration!
ReplyDeleteRumor has it that UMass paid for it. All Amherst had to do was put it up.
ReplyDeleteBeats standing in the rain.
ReplyDelete-Commuter Jim
That is a dark area for a bus stop.
ReplyDeleteI almost hit someone crossing from the park to The Sub one night.
"But the greatest tragedy is that they paved over a whole bunch of the daffodil bulbs that were planted there for the town's anniversary celebration!"
ReplyDeletenothing could amuse me more. screw the 250th and everything they stand for!
I think there is an argument to be made that a covered bus stop in Kendrick part be built as part of the overall plan and not on the whim of the town manager.
ReplyDeleteThis is a little troubling isn't it?
asking for $100,000 to have a bus shelter built at Kendrick Park, $100,000 for the sprinter buses to be purchased for use on community routes, $70,000 for additional bus stops and solar benches and $30,000 in solar passenger-activated lights.
so once again, the blogger tries to make a tempest in a teacup with incorrect numbers. 100K? for that very modest bus shelter? Doesn't sound like the blogger was critical enough.
ReplyDeleteNext: an apology from the blogger for reporting that a 1K shelter cost 100K. Nahhh... Never admit mistakes.
Re: anonymous "Its nice someone is keeping an eye on town hall. "
Indeed.
Fred (aka nitwit 22)
Well Nitwit,
ReplyDeleteMy original post that was "corrected/updated" within 12 hours was only one photo and one paragraph.
So I wasn't trying toooooo hard to stir up a tempest.
Of course now the issue becomes should Amherst (even with federal or state money) build such a large structure on the site--that WILL cost AT LEAST $100-K?
The land was clearly donated to the town (probably now worth over $1 million if broken up and sold off for housing) for an Open Space park.
The Great Controversy Beast must be fed almost every single day (the football bush was a refreshing break from the daily ranting).
ReplyDeleteThere's only one thing that gets lost when you have to gin things up so much: perspective.
I see one change from the early days of this blog: the newspapers have decided to ignore it.
All things must pass, and this one is slowly passing into irrelevance.
Keep Kendrick Park open.
ReplyDeleteAnon: 10:25 PM
ReplyDeleteAnd when I have officially passed into "irrelevance," I'm sure you will still be here to tell me about it.