Tuesday, October 21, 2014

The Governor Came Calling

 Governor Deval Patrick

In what may be his last visit to Amherst as Governor, Deval Patrick spoke to an enthusiastic crowd of 150 gathered at Kendrick Park, representing a cross section of business, education and political leadership in our little college town.

And since he was announcing a state $1.5 million infrastructure improvement grant for the north end of town center, immediately across the street from where he was speaking, the crowd only got more enthusiastic.  The money will fund relocating ugly utility lines underground. 

 Town Mgr Musante, Governor Patrick, Stan Rosenberg

In his speech future president of the Mass Senate and forever resident of the town, Stan Rosenberg called Deval Patrick, "The best governor for public higher education in more than forty years.  Absolutely ... no question about that!"



Kendrick Place will benefit by the $1.5 million state grant, aesthetically speaking 

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good reporting!

Larry Kelley said...

Thanks. This one was easy.

And after sitting in District Court all morning, a lot more fun.

Anonymous said...

What's with the Stop signs (covered with trash bags) near Emily's home?
Looks like new lights are going in- The old ones seem to be working fine during the switchover

Larry Kelley said...

The old ones were dying intermittently.

Anonymous said...

Let me get this straight. The state is spending 1.5 million dollars of taxpayers money to bury power lines in front of a private development. Will this spur economic development in downtown Amherst?

Anonymous said...

"Will this spur economic development in downtown Amherst?"

___________________


Nothing will spur economic development in downtown Amherst. The townies won't allow it.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps the removal of unsightly powerlines will attract tenant businesses who otherwise would not consider the location...

Anonymous said...

Why don't we all chip in and pay for some nice landscaping for the new development?

Anonymous said...

If buried, power lines are not taken down by drunken drivers.

Anonymous said...

I get burying the power lines. I just don't get why the taxes from some hard working person in Athol, Orange, Gardner, etc. should go to pay for it.

Anonymous said...

This is great news. Burying power lines is another piece of the puzzle for improving the look, feel, and profitability of a currently run-down downtown area, and gateway between the town and UMass. Thanks, Larry for the aerial photo of the area.

I believe the new economic development taking place downtown was directly responsible for state grant eligibility. When the town sought a similar grant for Pine Street, it was denied in large part because there was no new development taking place in North Amherst. Boo, Nimbys.

But all the new development recently shows (i) that the Nimbys can't keep winning when the facts are against them, and (ii) that we don't need more CPA money in the town coffers. Vote NO!

Larry Kelley said...

Yeah, Mr. Mooring just confirmed for me that Pine Street when all is said and done will cost $4 million.

Which is exactly the amount we applied for with MassWorks Grant program a couple years ago, and were denied because of a lack of development in the boonies, err, I mean, North Amherst.

Nina Koch said...

Did he say when Pine Street would be done, by any chance?

Anonymous said...

Too bad you all don't see the political reality of this. None of the projects in this are about anything but political favoritism. Connected people or those who the Gov owed a favor got their favor.

Take "downtown" Hatfield (pop. 1380). Not exactly a hotbed for bikes,pedestrians, or vehicular traffic. What did they get?

Hatfield - $360,000 to the Main Street Transportation Safety Improvements project. The project includes sidewalk replacements, new pedestrian crossings and bicycle lane markings along Main Street through the town center. The improvements will enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety, while improving traffic flow.