tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post7215185526993262222..comments2023-10-17T22:56:42.784-04:00Comments on Only in The Republic of Amherst: Hidden, catastrophic cost of golfLarry Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-60988840414371325332011-12-02T08:36:07.635-05:002011-12-02T08:36:07.635-05:00Yes, still is (well, not still the mayor, but stil...Yes, still is (well, not still the mayor, but still his dad.)<br /><br />And John's brother David (named after dad) is now running WHMP radio, which did a good job--journalistically speaking--of covering Mayor Musante back in the day.<br /><br />Now that I think about it, I miss Ron Hall.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-58922092999074320242011-12-02T08:26:52.965-05:002011-12-02T08:26:52.965-05:00Was the mayor of Noho the father of Mr. Musante?Was the mayor of Noho the father of Mr. Musante?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-9485345294330360772011-12-01T18:45:46.631-05:002011-12-01T18:45:46.631-05:00Yeah, but I dogged him so hard he ran off to DC (w...Yeah, but I dogged him so hard he ran off to DC (where they have two golf courses). <br /><br />Remember when I first publicly released his salary and pointed out how it was 60% greater than the Mayor of Northampton at the time?<br /><br />But it was no so much Phil, as it was Town Manager Barry Del Castilho, who unfortunately hung around for twenty years, only to be replaced by town mangler Larry Shaffer who was even worse in his methods of defense for Cherry Hill--as in outright lying. <br /><br />I have much higher hopes for Mr. Musante.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-36575004962914415402011-12-01T18:05:13.131-05:002011-12-01T18:05:13.131-05:00Still laughing at the "little freeloaders on ...Still laughing at the "little freeloaders on the swing sets." :)<br /><br />Larry, you couldn't get rid of Cherry Hill when Phil Rollins was here, and I'm thinking it won't work now -- unless they want it for a soccer field. Face it, "they" (whoever that is) want Cherry Hill.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-13354139447232553742011-12-01T09:33:06.733-05:002011-12-01T09:33:06.733-05:00That's my goal: make half the readers laugh, ...That's my goal: make half the readers laugh, while the other half cry.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-16321776214883802162011-12-01T09:26:38.133-05:002011-12-01T09:26:38.133-05:00Thanks Larry, your blog is always entertaining. I ...Thanks Larry, your blog is always entertaining. I never leave without a good laugh.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-20966630244033911482011-12-01T09:06:10.124-05:002011-12-01T09:06:10.124-05:00Enjoy it while you can.Enjoy it while you can.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-56518589710437614772011-12-01T09:05:04.813-05:002011-12-01T09:05:04.813-05:00Played a great round there in September. Nice lit...Played a great round there in September. Nice little course. Gorgeous views.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-26009615163773496482011-12-01T07:12:12.712-05:002011-12-01T07:12:12.712-05:00Speaking of which...(coming soon).Speaking of which...(coming soon).Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-55690065550242688042011-12-01T07:07:04.632-05:002011-12-01T07:07:04.632-05:00Sorry, Larry, your "second" came after t...Sorry, Larry, your "second" came after the unanimous vote.<br />I'm reporting you to the great Ethics Commission in the sky.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-36441970005347199412011-11-30T22:42:32.482-05:002011-11-30T22:42:32.482-05:00I'll second that.I'll second that.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-30544681230075554622011-11-30T22:37:53.179-05:002011-11-30T22:37:53.179-05:00And as the family crowded around his deathbed, and...And as the family crowded around his deathbed, and waited for those last painful minutes to tick down, one of his anonymous commenters, who appeared at the door, entered the warm, cozy home and disclosed that his full name was in fact "Cowardly Nitwit". He then leaned in closely for four last, precious, whispered words of wisdom from the greatest blogmaster Amherst had ever known:<br /><br />"Close down Cherry Hill"<br /><br />And then he was gone. And the Internet was no longer such an interesting place. And we all went back to using the Web primarily to cheat on crossword puzzles.<br /><br />That following Monday evening, in tribute to Larry Kelley, the Select Board publicly conceded that he had been right all along about Cherry Hill's finances, and admitted sheepishly (but not remorsefully) that they and every single prior Select Board member had taken a solemn oath in executive session at the beginning of every 3 year term never to close Cherry Hill. The oath, ironically, had been first instituted as a continuing tribute to long-time Kelley antagonist Hill Boss, a fierce supporter of Cherry Hill when he was on Select Board. <br /><br />But now that the need to piss Larry off had become moot, the Board summarily, without debate, and on a unanimous vote, closed the course forever.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-27244967257177813962011-11-30T22:22:56.415-05:002011-11-30T22:22:56.415-05:00Further evidence I do not need writing tips from t...Further evidence I do not need writing tips from the likes of you.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-60979456818020317182011-11-30T22:11:54.240-05:002011-11-30T22:11:54.240-05:00Rather be called cowardly by a stuck-up geezer tha...Rather be called cowardly by a stuck-up geezer than be one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-6646729503705659612011-11-30T18:26:14.169-05:002011-11-30T18:26:14.169-05:00Gee, thanks for the critique.
Cowardly Anon Nitwi...Gee, thanks for the critique.<br /><br />Cowardly Anon Nitwits are so very high on my list for seeking sage advice.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-30620035516881097242011-11-30T17:40:45.978-05:002011-11-30T17:40:45.978-05:00"catastropic: disastrous event; calamitous&qu..."catastropic: disastrous event; calamitous"<br /><br />Gee, Kelley, I would have thought you'd save such a word for a real serious problems like 9/11, America's invasion of Iraq, a ship sinking. <br /><br />A golf course? You're showing your true colors as a writer. Hyperbole is the first sign of an amateur.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-73038298678500325022011-11-30T17:27:54.688-05:002011-11-30T17:27:54.688-05:00Fore!Fore!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-76873351749553252352011-11-30T16:48:33.337-05:002011-11-30T16:48:33.337-05:00count up all the new positions in the schools and ...count up all the new positions in the schools and the savings from closing marks meadow are long, long gone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-80883047121322908002011-11-30T16:45:05.534-05:002011-11-30T16:45:05.534-05:00They pay more taxes than the soccer players, not t...They pay more taxes than the soccer players, not to mention those little freeloaders on those swingsets.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-12101435754502246782011-11-30T13:45:41.431-05:002011-11-30T13:45:41.431-05:00Not nearly enough, obviously.Not nearly enough, obviously.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-65759998020171611582011-11-30T13:27:26.413-05:002011-11-30T13:27:26.413-05:00just wanted to inform you that some golfers are in...just wanted to inform you that some golfers are indeed taxpayers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-4184210094457545932011-11-30T11:37:36.100-05:002011-11-30T11:37:36.100-05:00Yeah, like the $100,000 per year they lost between...Yeah, like the $100,000 per year they lost between 2000 and 2007 just after the $286,000 in capital improvements (k-mart clubhouse and irrigation system) were thrown down the money pit.<br /><br />That would buy platinum plated barbecue grills for Groff Park.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-58406852142378994052011-11-30T10:42:21.604-05:002011-11-30T10:42:21.604-05:00All of these capital expenses are for equipment an...All of these capital expenses are for equipment and things, such as fences and paving, that will last for many years. Therefore, their true cost has to be divided up based on their projected lifespan. Amherst has parks, soccer fields, fountains, playgrounds, etc. that all require similar capital expenditures. Most of them produce less off setting revenue. For example, barbeque grills at Groff park have to be replaced when they runs out yet there is no revenue generated by them. Cherry Hill does a better job of returning most of the cost of providing recreaton than any other of our recreation facilities.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com