Fort River Elementary School does have extensive outdoor recreation facilities to lose
One of the more interesting things to come out of the public firefight at the Amherst School Committee meeting last night was the leaking of information regarding other building projects that do not seem to get any attention at all: DPW and South Fire Station new buildings.
Vince O'Connor hatched a conspiracy plot about town officials wishing to abandon Fort River Elementary School in favor of a Wildwood mega-school, which is really twin schools under one roof, so it would then free up Fort River for the new DPW building.
DPW has outgrown its 100 year old building
And moving the DPW from it's current home in one of the classier neighborhoods in Amherst would then free up that location for the new South Fire Station, which has to be located within one mile of Amherst town center in order to abandon tired, old, cramped Central Station.
Which could then be sold to the highest bidder to create a trendy mixed use business/residential building in the heart of downtown.
Central Station could be razed for a new five story mixed use building (especially if a Parking Garage is built out back)
Thus we get three new municipal buildings -- School, Fire and DPW -- with no land acquisition costs.
"one of the classier neighborhoods" LOL, no disclosure?
ReplyDeleteAlso the visual image of Vince "hatching" something is hilarious.
Well considering how many times I've been threatened, I would prefer not to give them a road map.
ReplyDeleteHis conspiracy is actually a really good idea. I'm in
ReplyDeleteYes, I would have taken it far more seriously at the time if he had not said in the same breath that Fort River could also become "student housing" (the ultimate boogeyman scenario).
ReplyDelete"Which could then be sold to the highest bidder to create a trendy mixed use business/residential building in the heart of downtown"
ReplyDeleteMaybe that guy who failed at the burger place can buy it and make a rally nice place that won't open for two years and then will close in six months.
Vince's thinking here is a little like the thinking that has gone into the fact that Nixon was in Dallas on November 22, 1963.
ReplyDeleteHe has too much time on his hands.
We could turn Central Station into a Town Meeting Wax Museum.
ReplyDeleteWhat's his take (vince) on JFK's assassination theory?
ReplyDeleteActually, it doesn't sound like that bad of an idea.
ReplyDeleteIt has been talked about but by no means is it being used as a (secret behind the scenes) incentive to push for the Mega School at Wildwood.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Regarding the reconfiguration the school committee voted, is the middle school joining up with the high school or is that a separate issue?
ReplyDeleteSeparate issue.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but you have missed the fact that the Jones Library would like to take over the fire station. No tax revenue. Pity.
ReplyDeleteJones library is too big already. Why isn't their crazy expansion idea generating more opposition?
ReplyDeleteThis town need tax revenue badly!
DPW at Fort River doesn't forgo the loss of playing fields as your post implies. They certainly can become town fields for the usual use (soccer!) They've even got parking for parents! Helps put off that "Where will new fields go?!" crisis that pops up every few years.
ReplyDelete