Only in The Republic of Amherst

The Price of Safety

2012-02-02T15:30:00.001-05:00

Amherst Joint Capital Planning Committee with Public Safety Chiefs

The Joint Capital Planning Committee, comprised of two members each from Select Board, School and Finance Committees and Library Trustees, heard presentations this morning from APD Chief Livingstone and AFD Chief Nelson regarding capital items required in the next fiscal year, totally $798,000.

Since police cruisers and ambulances are on the go 24/7, it's no surprise that new ones are required annually--and that they are more expensive than regular vehicles. But that did not stop Carol Gray from questioning the purchase of four police patrol cars and nitpicking in favor of hybrids.

The Chief responded with just the facts: two of the four cruisers have over 100,000 miles and the other two (both of which had transmission failures) will have over 100,000 if they do not die before July 1.

And hybrids may save money on gas but cost significantly more upfront and do not have the heavy duty mechanics--or roll cage--required for the severe beating these front line machines endure.

Computers, cameras, emergency lights, and radar would combine to overwhelm the electrical capacity of a typical hybrid.

An entirely new radio system at a cost of $125,000 is required because a new Federal Law goes into effect 1/1/13 with strict "narrow band" requirements that our current system--purchased in 1978--will not meet.

The Fire Department had the lions share of total requests ($523,000), significant portions due to the age and deterioration of our downtown Central Fire Station top to bottom: A new roof (the current one had a tree growing out of it) at $103,000 and new floor at $63,000. The station was originally built in 1930 when fire apparatus was a lot smaller and lighter, so newer heavier machines take their toll on the floor--especially where it's not solid slab.

A new ambulance costs $205,000 but will last ten years (200,000 miles) and that appropriation comes out of the ambulance fund--money generated by insurance payments from patients. On a typical day, the department can staff three ambulances, four if they are expecting a heavy call volume, such as Superbowl weekend.

Firefighters also rely on two critical, relatively tiny, but expensive items. Thermal imaging cameras (three at $6,000 each) to "see" through smoke and debris, and 24 radios ($1,000 each) for 2-way communication. Assistant Chief Stromgren would like to get to a point where every firefighter who enters a building can carry a thermal imaging camera.

The Joint Capital Planning Committee currently has $1 million more in requests than funds available. Considering how both public safety departments are understaffed, let's hope the JCPC at least recommends (to Town Meeting) giving them the necessary tools to perform their vital duties.

Potholes inside the main station

Cracks from stress of heavy vehicles

The underside of the cracked floors shows moisture leak damage

The eyes of life. Portable thermal imaging cameras. $6,000 each

Assistant Chief Stromgren in the flesh (background), thermal image (foreground)

Protective gear: $2, 500 per person

Pants and boots ready for a quick response

Rooms for rent

2012-02-02T07:18:00.008-05:00

156 Sunset Avenue will double in occupancy Note UMass Southwest Tower on right

Last night the Amherst Planning Board voted 6-2 to support the request by Eagle Crest Property Management--owned by James Cherewatti--to convert a single family residence into a two family abode, thus making it legal for eight unrelated individuals to take up residence.

James Cherewatti on left

A few of the members cited the Apple Corps Builders motto, "Close enough for South Amherst" (although in this case it's North Amherst) as the house only missed being allowed to become a duplex "by right" by being 16" to close to the road.

Jonathan O'Keeffe pointed out that conversions of single family (formerly) owner occupied housing is a problem all over town because the lucrative practice can attract unruly tenants bringing headaches to the neighborhood--but in this case the house is already student occupied.

And the with the close proximity of UMass it's better to have the students there rather than newly introduced into a traditional neighborhood further away.

The Zoning Board of Appeals has the ultimate authority over this conversion and will hear the case next week. It requires a unanimous vote of all three sitting members.

Currently the house is valued at $404,000 thus generating about $8,000 per year in taxes. Although the owners rent revenue will double, the assessed value will not go up because two family units are not assessed based on income generated, only four or more units.

Fitness Zombie Dies Another Death

2012-01-31T18:10:00.013-05:00

Blame the victim

In spite of the recent headline that the Leading Edge Health Club in Greenfield had "No Plans to close the gym" the well earned end came swiftly anyway as today their doors are locked, the music silenced and machines switched permanently off.

Apparently Home Depot did not want to forgive $300,000 in unpaid bills rung up over the past two years, probably figuring any business partnership that can fall that far behind in such a short time is not a good bet to turn around instantly simply because one loser partner purges the other.

I guess the good thing about charging a ridiculously low monthly fee is that members can't be owed too much in lost pre-paid memberships. But it is still bad for the industry, sowing seeds of distrust and giving people the wrong impression of the true cost to run a health club properly--which is reflected in normal monthly rates.

Industry standard these days is easily in the $49/month range. So when someone promises to provide the same service for $9.95/month, beware.

If it sounds to good to be true..

Still a "Grand Opening" sign over three years later

Ch 22 TV news jumps on the story

Parking Ticket Slump

2012-01-31T15:51:00.001-05:00

Only the top left gray screen is illuminated at night

Even worse than the beleaguered Cherry Hill Golf Course, Amherst parking ticket spoils are down a dramatic 25% half-way through the fiscal year, currently totaling $111,824 vs. last year at this time, $148,527.

The new parking system needs some getting used to, so enforcement officers have been spending more time showing folks how to use the parking machines and less time writing out tickets. The new machines can be a tad confusing because after you pay for time it does not confirm the payment and tell you to "have a nice day."

The machines are also hard to read in low light conditions, although they do take credit cards and payments can be made via a smartphone. Unfortunately those transactions have a slight catch: "Each mPARK transaction is subject to a minimum $1.00 purchase, made in $1.00 increments, plus a nominal service fee." So if you wish to run into a store for coffee and a paper you may want to park at the remaining traditional parking meters that take good old American change.

The Spring Street Parking lot in town center was also under construction for almost six months, which could account for substantial lost ticket revenues.

Noise and Pot

2012-01-31T07:43:00.006-05:00

Frat Row neighbor, 374 N Pleasant St, Pi Kappa Alpha. Managed by Kendrick Properties

Over the weekend Amherst police and fire personnel paid professional visits to this frathouse strategically located on the Gateway to UMass. No, that's not unusual.

According to APD logs: 2:27 AM (early Saturday morning)

Narrative: Loud Party

Music could be heard upon arrival.

Earlier that evening Amherst Fire Department responded to a smoke alarm alert due to "pot smoke near detector."

Interestingly the Amherst Zoning Board of Appeals denied the conversion of a nearby (138 Nutting Avenue) sorority to a fraternity precisely because of incidents like this. In that case, the new owners have now filed suit against the town and ZBA.

On Wednesday night the Planning Board will take up a similar issue and discuss making recommendations to the Zoning Board of Appeals, who has ultimate jurisdiction:

Eagle Crest Property - 156 Sunset Avenue - to convert a dimensionally non-conforming single-family dwelling to a two-family dwelling.

And of course "two-family" does not mean a pair of 'Leave It To Beaver' households with a stay at Mom, working Dad, and two precocious kids. It means (at least) eight UMass students.

Ownership card for 374 North Pleasant Street

Busy weekend for Amherst Fire Department

2012-01-30T11:59:00.004-05:00

Amherst Fire Department ambulance

Apparently in a "college town," unseasonably mild weather and copious quantities of alcohol go together like pizza and, ummm, beer.

In addition to numerous noise complaints all over town fielded by Amherst Police Department, their brother-and-sister First Responders were kept on the go all weekend long as well, dealing with the other byproduct of too much alcohol--a legal product, when consumed without restraint could cause death.

AFD summary of runs 1/27/12 through 1/30/12
Note cluster of ETOH (alcohol poisoning) calls at UMass late Friday early Saturday morning. And yes, that did tie up all four on duty ambulances, so that the only thing left protecting the entire town of Amherst (for fire or medical) was the Student Force--God love them.

Oh the irony: Irresponsible actions of students required the more upstanding responsible students (Student Force) to come to the aid of the town.

Party Apartment of the Weekend

2012-01-30T10:33:00.004-05:00

Puffton Village Apartments #323-#334

When you share walls with a bevy of other apartments, a little consideration would go a long way--especially after midnight. And it would save on those $300 noise tickets.

According to APD logs:

12:30 AM (early Sunday morning): RP complaining of loud music, drums and a barking dog.

Narrative: Extremely loud music and voices heard upon arrival. Such noise did disturb the reasonable quiet of Amherst residents. All residents were extremely uncooperative throughout our interaction. Approximately 15-20 guests cleared from residence.

Arrested For Noise TBL violation (and transported to APD headquarters):
Dennis Lynch, Puffton Village #330, Amherst, MA, age 21
Eric Russo, Puffton Village #330, Amherst, MA, age 21
Zachary Munsell, Puffton Village #330, Amherst, MA, age 21

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow...

2012-01-29T10:47:00.006-05:00

At least they used red ink for Fy14's $135,654

Amherst Finance Director Sandy Pooler exhibited the same curious protect-at-all-costs-the-expensive-game-of-golf attitude oozed by his predecessors John Musante (now Town Manager) and Nancy Maglione, relying on the tried and true bad weather cliche for yet another abysmal performance at the Cherry Hill Golf Course budget half-way mark.

Curiously he declared revenues only "slightly down". Hmm...17% is "slightly down"!? Are these not the same town officials who screech louder than an Irish banshee if state aid to the town is reduced by 1 or 2%?

And Mr. Pooler fails to mention the $226,308 in capital improvements slated over the next five years for the ailing enterprise. But since expensive capital items (as with insurance and employee benefits) come out of a budget separate from golf course operations, town officials hope nobody will notice.

Makes you wonder what else they're hiding.

Garage Band Shuffle

2012-01-28T12:17:00.006-05:00

370 Pelham Road, Amherst

Unseasonable warm weather last night was unfriendly to Amherst's overburdened first responders--and I fear tonight may even be worse.

According to APD logs (12:47 AM this morning):

Excessive noise from a live band and approximately 60 guests. Noise citation issued.

Steven Placzek, 370 Pelham Rd., Amherst, age 21

Busted before he hurt someone

2012-01-27T20:26:00.006-05:00

South Pleasant Street 8:15 PM (in front of my house)

Cuffed and heading towards a cruiser

After receiving a tip about an erratic auto heading north via a driver using a cell phone, the responding officer only needed to follow the car in question for a few seconds and pulled him over for driving on the wrong side of the road--a busy travel road less than a mile from Amherst town center.

Two other cruisers quickly arrived as back up. A senior officer administered a field sobriety test. The Perp failed. Now he's going to jail!

#####

According to APD logs:

RP reports white Pontiac all over the road and almost struck several other vehicles. Granby police also advised APD of this vehicle as they took a report of erratic operation as well.

MV stop for marked lanes. Observed operator (Gallagher) to have slow motor skills and pin dot pupils. Gallagher admitted to nodding off as he was on several prescriptions to wean him off heroin. Gallagher given Field Sobriety Test and several indicators of impairment were present. Gallagher was placed under arrest for OUI drugs.

Arrest: Joseph Gallagher, 120 Mill Street, Wilkes Barre, PA, age 26

A Glowing Review?

2012-01-26T07:01:00.003-05:00

The worst state report card in seven years for Amherst Elementary Schools

Not sure what Amherst Regional School Committee members were looking at in a dispassionate way (it's hard not to be passionate about a personable lady) when they came up with such a saintly review of Maria Geryk's first year as superintendent without "interim" in front of it.

At $16,413 vs state average of $13,055, Amherst elementary schools have the highest average cost per student in the Valley , a student/teacher ratio of 10 to 1 when the state average is 13.9 to 1.

And with Amherst average teacher salaries at $66,000 that enviably low student teacher ratio adds up. Now throw in the 21 administrators (Elementary and Region) making over $85,000; which is why our average cost per child for "administration" is a whopping $698 vs state average of $446.

But we get less than whopping results--especially with low income and minority children, who failed to reach proficiency at a higher rate than state average. Our Special Education results are certainly not special, with 82% failing to reach proficiency vs state average of 70%. Particularly disconcerting since Maria Geryk came from a special ed background.

A background that does not, however, include a doctorate...in a town where coffee baristas have one.

Even though Regional School Committee member Debbie Gould's husband is employed by the Regional Schools she penned the only part of the evaluation made public. No direct conflict of interest I suppose, but a little open disclosure would have been nice.

Like when Dr. Rebecca Woodland from the UMass School of Education (where Ms. Geryk attended) appeared before the School Committee 9/22/10 to sing the praise of Maria, she could have mentioned the no-bid $96,000 teacher training contract Ms. Geryk gave her that very week.

According to School Committee minutes: "Rebecca Woodland, parent and UMass education professor, stated that she believes it is unwarranted and unwise to go forward with a Superintendent search and doing so would amount to a vote of no confidence in Ms. Geryk. She noted that she has worked with Superintendents across the state and Ms. Geryk has accomplished more in her seven months on the job than most new superintendents accomplish in three to five years."

And considering our lack of Adequate Yearly Progress this past year, Dr. Woodland's expensive services do not seem to have resulted in better teaching.

Such a glowing review after one year as "interim superintendent" and now a full year as real deal superintendent does not give Ms. Geryk much incentive to do anything differently. Maybe the schools do not require an entire 12 step rehab program, but they could unquestionably benefit by the first step: Admit there's a problem!

Who ya gonna call?

2012-01-25T10:49:00.005-05:00

AFD on the scene, Kirby Theater Amherst College, 10:30 AM

One of the reasons Amherst College should increase Payment In Lieu Of Taxes to the town...

APD doubles down on rowdyism

2012-01-24T17:40:00.007-05:00

APD confiscated keg stash. Friday night acquisition, on left

There's absolutely no question the fine increase to $300 for alcohol related activities in town are working, and yes they are being paid.

Last night Finance Director Sandy Pooler told the Amherst Select Board that at the half-way point this budget year court fines collected have doubled, totaling $111,000 compared to $56,000 and $54,000 previously. Unfortunately the party season expands and gets meaner in the Spring.

On Friday night around 11:00 PM Puffton Village security called APD as they spied a handful of college aged kids lugging a keg of beer towards an apartment, who when discovered, dropped the keg and scattered, kissing goodbye perfectly good beer and their $100 keg/tap deposit.

Probably cheaper, however, than a $300 ticket for "possession of an unlicensed keg" (one of the newly increased in fees town bylaw), or being arrested for under aged drinking. In basketball it's called "hearing footsteps": when a player hurries a shot --and misses--because he thinks an opponent is bearing down on him.

The town manager recently acknowledged that both police and fire departments may be understaffed. At the rate the ticket revenues are going, Amherst could fund a pair of new positions for each department.

A sin tax for the greater good.

In Heaven There Is No Beer, but in Amherst...

Amherst Select Board mediates

2012-01-24T07:26:00.009-05:00

Amherst Select Board 1/23/12

So in addition to abiding by the School Committee's wishes to have a joint meeting February 6 to fill the seat left vacant by Steve Rivkin's departure because, as eloquently stated by Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe, it would be beyond "weird" not to indulge their wishes, the board last night also delayed approving changes to Personnel Procedures Manual that the Personal Board has been working on for three years to allow Jones Library Trustees to discuss it at their next meeting.

The changes seem to take away authority from the Town Manager and give Library Trustees--elected volunteers--power to hire and fire all employees. Union rep Tina Swift told the Select Board "impact bargaining"(on a contract that was signed only last month) needs to happen with Service Employees International Union before they adopt the revised Personnel Procedures Manual.

Librarian Susan Hugus told the board a lot of employees "are very uncomfortable about this"; and even the Town Manager agreed with delaying a decision because the original intent of the change was "to provide clarity, not sow confusion."

APD Bags Arsonist Red Handed

2012-01-23T09:40:00.018-05:00

Barbecued Dumpster at Hobart Lane. "Arson Watch" sign was at top left.

Heads up police work by a patrol officer in an unmarked car early Sunday morning (12:45 AM) may have brought an end to the serial dumpster arson cases that have plagued North Amherst for over a year now. When the officer spotted three young men near the dumpster and detained them for questioning, one individual--Travis Consolo--was acting particularly nervous.

And for good reason: While the officer was questioning him, the dumpster--which had ArsonWatch reward poster affixed to it-- exploded into a conflagration. AFD put out the fire; Consolo, a UMass student, was arrested.

Since August of 2010 this particular dumpster has been torched 30 times. Police and Firefighters distributed informational flyers to the immediate neighborhood around Hobart Lane back in October, reinforcing the reward offer posted on the abused dumpster.

Arrested for "Burn Personalty":
Travis William Consolo, 143 Birch Bark Drive, Hanson, MA, age 21

A recent (bad) example

ArsonWatch reward poster like the one attached to burned dumpster

Occupy Amherst Town Hall

2012-01-21T12:32:00.005-05:00

Amherst Town Hall in the middle of a storm 12:15 PM

Occupiers pulled a George-Washington-crossing-the-Delaware and successfully orchestrated an occupation of Amherst Town Hall...which is closed on Saturday.

And even if they managed to shut it down during normal business hours, would anyone in town even notice?

No Exit Plan (same old, same old)

2012-01-20T15:40:00.007-05:00

Leading Edge Amherst. Sign went up six weeks before business died

The Greenfield Recorder 1/20/12

Well considering Joanne DeLong and Peter Earle gave members, instructors and the general public only a couple hours notice before they scuttled their flagship The Leading Edge in Amherst last year, I'm not surprised half of that dynamic due now publicly proclaims the Leading Edge (rowboat) in Greenfield, has "no plans to close the gym."

Planning was never their strong point.

Obviously it's w-a-y more fun to plan for opening a business rather than closing, just like it is far merrier to attend a wedding or baptism vs. a funeral or divorce proceeding.

But consumers had better be wary--very wary. Both in Greenfield and the one maybe opening soon in the same complex in Amherst as the former Leading Edge. Considering their business model (low-cost, pack them in the door to sign up, then hope they never come in to use the facility) only took 13 months to accumulate massive amounts of red ink, it's hard to imagine a sudden turnaround simply because one partner ditches the other.

Apparently customer service is not a strong point either

And strangely enough, in this case, the partner getting ditched--Peter Earle--has far more fitness experience than Joanne DeLong, who jumped into the fitness field a tad late in life, with her main experience fighting with Earle at the Gold's Gym, Inc in Amherst before it morphed into The Leading Edge which only lasted another two years before suddenly going out of business.

As Scotty, Chief Engineer on the good ship Enterprise, used to say, "Fool me once shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."

#####

This from the Greenfield Recorder:

"According to court documents, Greenfield Fitness Inc. is in default of approximately $307,000 in back rent, real estate taxes and maintenance costs. The fitness center has routinely missed payments of maintenance costs ($46,420), real estate taxes ($54,896), and back rent ($205,524) since May 2010. The business opened in March of 2009."

10/24/11 They certainly cut corners with their Greenfield sign (now a weathered banner)

Throwing my hat into the ring

2012-01-20T07:14:00.004-05:00

Hat by Jada

Amherst School Committee
RE: Open Seat

Please consider this a formal application to enter the contest for the current open seat on the Amherst School Committee to be filled via a joint meeting with the School Committee and Amherst Select Board.

As a father with two young children in the Amherst public schools, former small business owner with 28 years experience managing a service oriented operation, and life-long multigenerational resident of the town, I feel unequivocally qualified to serve and look forward to a lively tenure.

Sincerely,

Larry Kelley

######

UPDATE (7:55 AM) Of course one of things I forgot to mention is my PR communication skill. For instance, I would have made sure the school district's snow cancellation line (413 362-1898) this morning had the correct day/date for informing multitudes of parents whether school is open for business (or any delays) today.

The new face of Amherst College?

2012-01-19T13:24:00.002-05:00

Jim Brassord pitches Amherst College reconstruction projects to Amherst Historical Commission

Todd Diacon and Jim Brassord pitch BID to Amherst Select Board

With recent appearances before the Select Board to support the formation of a Business Improvement District as well as the Planning Board and Historical Commission for new construction and major renovations, Jim Brassord seems to be the poster boy for all things Amherst College, although President Biddy Martin did get out for the grand reopening of the stately Lord Jeffery Inn.

Amherst College President Biddy Martin (does not require a microphone)

And both the BID and Lord Jeffery Inn will contribute greatly to the revitalization of downtown Amherst. Amherst College is the largest landowner in town and even though the vast majority of their empire is tax exempt, they are still the town's largest taxpayer contributing about $350,000 last year for 40 some odd houses used to shelter professors and of course their profitable nine hole golf course that puts the town's moribund municipal offering to shame.

The Lord Jeffery Inn, open for business

Amherst College is also refurbishing the old historical Baptist church downtown for office space and launching a $200 million, six year construction project, for a new Life Science Building on campus. And all these construction/renovation projects will be protected by the Amherst Fire Department.

Amherst College owned former Baptist Church in the heart of downtown Amherst

Former Town Manger Larry Shaffer crunched the numbers four years ago to discover Amherst College cost the town about $120,000 annually for fire/ambulance protection. That year the College, kindly enough, donated $120,000 to the town's General Fund.

Ahh, but then the stock market slid into the toilet and Amherst College's endowment declined from $1.3 billion down to a paltry $1 billion. In response they shelved the $20 million reconstruction of the Lord Jeff, and reduced the Payment in Lieu of Taxes to Amherst from $120,000 to $90,000 and let Amherst taxpayers go back to subsidizing emergency services.

But now their endowment has W-A-Y more than recovered, sitting at a historic high, $1.6 billion. The sparkling renewed Lord Jeff is open, and work is about to commence on the former Baptist Church they purchased two years ago for $2.3 million, over twice its assessed value. But even at that lower value the building generated $16,000 in taxes to the town. And at today's whopping tax rate ($19.74/$1,000) would have generated $20,000.

Amherst College, around that same time, purchased and removed from the tax rolls houses on Hitchcock and Snell Street that today would also be generating $20,000 if still on the tax rolls.

22 Snell Street

14 Hitchcock Street

Most recently the town was overly generous with the Spring Street Parking lot renovation at the Lord Jeff's front door, spending over $350,000 in enterprise fund money and providing almost two years worth of work for an already busy enough DPW.

Spring Street Parking lot adjacent to the Lord Jeff

So let me recap: Over the past three years Amherst College has added to the protection portfolio of the Amherst Fire Department, removed buildings from the tax rolls and reduced annual payments to the town, all while their endowment has grown significantly.

Currently Amherst, the town, is cobbling together the FY13 budget which goes into effect July 1, 2012. And for the first time in many a year there's no gloom and doom talk emanating from Town Hall about devastating budget cuts, although the schools, as usual, are looking at a $500,000 shortfall.

Since Amherst the College and Amherst the Town are synonymous with education it would be both fitting and nice if the College donated a chunk of change to either the town for new fire/ambulance equipment, or the schools to help close that $500,000 sinkhole.

And I'm sure Town Manager John Musante or Superintendent Maria Geryk would buy Biddy Martin (or Jim Brassord) a beer at the Boltwood Tavern.

Recent typical weekend for AFD (note calls to Amherst College compared to UMass)

Shadow O'er the Art

2012-01-18T11:05:00.009-05:00

Miss Emily gazes at the tree casting a shadow

Created by artist David Fichter in 2005, using $35,000 in privately raised money, the historic mural along the side of West Cemetery (where Miss Emily is buried) still looks striking. And yes, as senior planner Jonathan Tucker pointed out on Facebook, the graffiti "artists" have shown proper respect (or maybe it's the special coating/sealer that went over the finished work).

Meanwhile, on an adjacent wall...

Occupy the Web!

2012-01-18T07:18:00.007-05:00

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Go Google! I was so startled by this, I forgot what I was going to search for.

"Why wouldn't we want to do that?"

2012-01-17T20:53:00.010-05:00

The Amherst School Committee voted unanimously this evening to fill the seat left vacant by Steve Rivkin, although Superintendent Maria Geryk seemed skeptical that it is indeed necessary.

Once the Amherst Select Board is formally notified of this positive vote they will have time to discuss it at their January 26 meeting, issue a public call for candidates, and choose a winner at a joint meeting with the School Committee on February 6.

The new member will serve until the next election, April 4. The next few months are particularly important as the School Committees (all Amherst SC members are also members of the four town Regional School Committee along with Pelham, Leverett and Shutesbury) takes up discussion of the FY13 budget.

The Regional High School budget currently faces a $500,000 shortfall and the three other towns are already griping about their expensive assessments. Just today a highly contentious $1.4 million Library Override in Shutesbury was decided by a single disputed vote ruled valid, thus increasing taxes all the more.

According to the regional agreement, three out of the four towns must vote in favor of their assessment or else it's back to the drawing board.

Art & Graffiti

2012-01-17T13:21:00.010-05:00

So yes, the recent arrest of two Bad Boy perps for tagging the fence behind Rao's made me wonder about other sites in town where the line between art and graffiti is maybe not so clearly defined.

Amherst Cinema building. Combination art/graffiti

Eagle Crest Property Management graffiti (probably a disgruntled customer of either Eagle Crest or APD)

Art Works, Main Street (definitely art)

Snell Street Bridge. Due for replacement this year (not because of graffiti)

Whitewash

2012-01-17T12:10:00.004-05:00

Amherst Town Hall 1/17/12

Panicked citizens flooded Amherst Town Hall with calls, emails and texts this morning as folks awakened to discover a mysterious white substance coating the entire town.

Video at 11:00 (if it's still present).

Tag, you're it

2012-01-16T09:40:00.007-05:00

Graffiti filled fence behind Rao's

Amherst Police arrested two old-enough-to-know-better men late Saturday afternoon for "tagging" this fence behind Rao's Coffee, a popular spot for hipsters and townies to hang out for the great coffee and free wifi.

Thus, is you are going to deface property, you probably should wait until after a popular business closes.

#####

Cuong Ly, Sunderland, MA, Age 24. Arrested for defacing property, drug possession (class D) and warrant initiated by another agency.

Tyrus Stinson, Belchertown, MA. Age 27. Arrested for defacing property.

Cuong Ly previous exploits

The Squeaky Wheel

2012-01-15T09:27:00.002-05:00

TMCC turns the table on reporter Scott Merzbach 1/11/12

So third time was the charm for the Town Meeting Coordinating Committee request for reporter Scott Merzbach to "join us" at the table for a friendly discussion of public relations in general and free press for their open house town meeting recruitment drive 1/31 in particular.

Pat Holland pulled the "I'm hard of hearing" routine and Mr. Merzbach was too much the gentleman to turn that down.

The Committee had listed the reporter as an agenda item, so I thought maybe they were going to upbraid him for something or other the way I was at the last Town Meeting for daring to use flash photography. But no, they just wanted to hit him up for free PR advice.

Although during the discussion they seemed to fully understand the basics. If you want to get media attention, send out a press release. Or, apparently, put them on your agenda as a discussion item.

Carol Gray: "You're welcome to come on our bus tour, Scott"

Daily Hampshire Gazette Friday the 13th (appropriately enough)

Da Boot

2012-01-14T09:02:00.006-05:00

If you owe Amherst ticket money, don't park near Town Hall

Now if only Amherst was this aggressive with recovering those $300 nuisance house violation tickets, our neighborhoods would be soooooo much better off. And if UMass really cared, they would assist the town by linking payment of these fines to the issuance of a diploma--like they do with their parking tickets (not that party hardy types have a high graduation rate).

Yes, within hours the fines were paid

Out With A Bang

2012-01-13T08:42:00.005-05:00

Maria Geryk, Rick Hood, Catherine Sanderson, Irv Rhodes, Steve Rivkin

Former Amherst School Committee member Steve Rivkin exited like he came in, asking the tough question no one comfortably ensconced in the current establishment wishes to answer: why do our schools have platinum costs with only base metal performance?

Comparing Amherst to Northampton he comes up with a compelling difference in number of highly paid administrators, where Amherst has ten times as many as Hamp earning over $100K (even worse when you set the bar lower at $85-K).

And anyone who has run a small business knows all too well, labor cost is you're biggest overhead--particularly in public schools, where it accounts for 90% of the budget. And in the current Fiscal Year the schools account for 53% of total town spending.

Almost two years ago when this Amherst/Hamp school cost comparison first came up, then acting Superintendent Maria Geryk told the Gazette "Sometimes comparisons are not helpful. It's not negative to look at other communities and reflect on our costs, but it takes someone very skilled at looking at finance and data reporting. It's complicated."

Interestingly, the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee--chaired by someone skilled in data analysis--was formed to get to the bottom of the problem of high cost per student compared to Northampton but essentially gave up due to a lack of cooperation by the school administration.

Kind of like the hen house shunning the fox. Geryk told the school committee, "this question is still under analysis and there will be a report soon."

Two years later, they are still waiting. And the cost difference has gotten worse. In 2009 Amherst spent $15,846 vs Northampton's $11,699 or a difference of $4,147 per elementary school child; and last year Amherst spent $16,413 vs Northampton's $12,068 or $4,345 per child, times 1242 students that difference comes to a whopping $5,396,490.

Conservative Stan Gawle pointed out, "People make comparisons when they go to the grocery store to shop, and when you see such disparity, it's incumbent on the schools to explain why."

We're still waiting...

Water, Water, Everywhere...

2012-01-12T11:00:00.002-05:00

McClellan Street 10:30 AM

The Department of Public Works is not often thought of as "first responders" like AFD or APD, but this morning their quick response became vital, with a water main break just off town center causing water pressure to drop town wide.

Since the town has instituted a water/sewer fund price increase for the upcoming fiscal year perhaps town officials should look at improving the aging infrastructure to avoid such inconveniences in the future.

The Very Hungry Gaggle

2012-01-12T06:26:00.003-05:00

UMass pond (pre-development)

Burn Baby Burn!

2012-01-11T11:53:00.002-05:00

Treemageddon. 10/30/11

Apparently Town Manager John Musante learned nothing from predecessor Larry Shaffer's PR major malfunction--charging Boy Scouts a fund raising tax on selling Christmas trees. So it's time for yet another town manager to be taken to the woodshed.

Amherst is now trying to profit on the freak Halloween weekend snow storm that littered the landscape with tree debris by charging a $25 open air burn permit paid to Amherst Fire Department (money that will not even stay in their budget), something that has been free since 1759.

Unlike Belchertown or South Hadley, Amherst saved a bundle by failing to open an emergency warming shelter in those critical first few post-storm days, and charging folks $100 ton for the storm debris cold, weary citizens dragged to the heavily tax subsidized Transfer Station, although an advertising error later forced them, grudgingly, to reduce the price to $50 ton.

So maybe now they're trying to make up for it. Last week the town announced yet another hike in user fees (water/sewer) that amounts to $24 annually for the average user, but did so with six months notice in order to give users time to adapt. This new $25 burn fee came out of nowhere (and it is fairly well buried on the town website).

Yesterday an irate citizen called Town Hall to complain, and a Town Manager staff member was not even aware of the new charge.

Like potholes, these seemingly trivial customer service items are issues l-o-n-g remembered. Snuff out the burn fee--a penny wise increase in revenue at a ton foolish cost.

South Amherst 1/11/12 A bonfire waiting to happen

Run it up the flagpole

2012-01-10T20:54:00.006-05:00

Amherst Town Flag draft

A joint meeting of Amherst Historical Commission and the Design Review Board pretty much saluted artist Barry Moser's design proposal incorporating a shield, open book and sheaves of wheat for an official town flag (even though Amherst was never known for wheat harvest) winnowed down from nine variations he submitted.

The only recommendation is to add the date 1759 in a subtle way to the background. The Amherst Select Board --a body not known as flag connoisseurs--will have final approval.

Select Board member Diana Stein first raised the idea for a town flag in June, 2010 and the town encouraged citizen submissions which resulted in 8 designs, but none of them a clear winner. Select Board member Jim Wald contacted renowned artist Barry Moser, who agreed to volunteer his design services.

The flag will hang at the Massachusetts State House in the Great Hall alongside pennants from most cities and towns in Massachusetts . Twenty years ago the state came up with the idea of hanging flags as a means of improving the acoustics in the spacious hall.

Who would have thought state government could be so practical?

And yes, Amherst is the same town that restricts the flying of 29 commemorative Americans flags on 9/11, to once every five years.

All Systems Go

2012-01-10T13:14:00.006-05:00

The Amherst Fire Department descended on the Lord Jeffery Inn this morning for final inspections, parking their rigs at nearby Town Hall.

After spending $14 million in renovations, pretty safe bet everything checked out okay.

All they need now is an American flag

Do as I say...

2012-01-10T05:58:00.000-05:00

Kid is thinking: What about Police and Fire?

Baer "The Turk" Tierkel is asking fellow Amherst liberals to post this town meeting recruiting poster on Facebook to drum up support for the aging institution. Now yes, Mr. Tierkel is an Amherst resident and a town meeting member, so no hypocrisy there...but, umm, he also does not send either of his children to the Amherst public schools. I guess it all depends on how you define "support."

The Catcher in the Rye

2012-01-09T21:29:00.003-05:00

To fill a void

2012-01-08T21:47:00.004-05:00

Amherst Regional Middle School

UPDATE (Monday morning): According to an email from SB Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe the School Committee is now scheduled to discuss this important matter at their 1/17 meeting and will make a recommendation to the Select Board for their 1/22 meeting. Let's hear it for transparency!

I also loved former chief legal counsel to Governor Romney and now State Rep Dan Winslow's tweet about this all too typical Amherst affair: "Taxation without representation in my hometown?!? Say it ain't so Amherst."
#####

ORIGINAL POST (Sunday night): According to policy published on the Amherst Regional Public Schools website, "When a vacancy on the Amherst or Pelham School Committee should occur for any reason the School Committee will notify the Selectmen that a vacancy has been created within 30 days after it has occurred. After one week’s notice has been given by the Committee to the Selectmen, so that voters of the town may have the opportunity to state their candidacy, the two governing bodies will meet to fill the vacancy by roll call vote."

Also, according to a 1/4/12 email from the Town Clerk to the Select Board, "Chapter 41, s. 11 provides for such vacancy to be filled providing the remaining school committee members give written notice thereof within one month of said vacancy, to the selectmen, who, with the remaining member or members of such board, shall, after one week’s notice, fill such vacancy by roll call vote."

According to the 1/6/12 Amherst Bulletin, however, Amherst School Committee Chair Irv Rhodes has no intention of following state law and filling the seat left vacant by the December 30 resignation of Steve Rivkin. Mr. Rhodes declares the seat will remain vacant until the next local town election, April 3.

Fortunately, according to the Town Clerk, "Chapter 41, s. 11 further provides for such vacancy to be filled by the selectmen if such board (school committee) fails to give said notice within the time herein specified."

I respectfully request the Select Board place on the agenda for their 1/26 meeting a public discussion about filling the vacant School Committee seat ASAP, with that follow up vote by the Select Board scheduled for their February 6th meeting.

(And yes, I do know of one qualified candidate willing to compete for the open seat.)

Thank You,

Larry Kelley

Cc: Select Board, Town Manager John Musante, Amherst School Committee, Town Clerk Sandra Burgess, School Superintendent Maria Geryk, Nick Grabbe

More $ down the drain

2012-01-08T12:40:00.004-05:00

Amherst Cherry Hill Golf Course (metaphorically speaking)

Just so all of us "customers" have time to adapt, Amherst announced six months in advance a 3% price hike in water and sewer rates. Yeah, that $24 annual increase takes a long time to soften the shock. Thanks.

Or I suppose households could cut back--a bath here and a toilet flush there. But try telling that to my two kids.

Now too bad the town could not correspondingly swing a magic golf club and guarantee an increase in the bottom line at our floundering golf business. Interestingly, the town has incrementally increased rates almost every year for the past decade or so but it still loses money hand over fist because of sinking interest in the expensive game of golf.

And with H-U-G-E capital infrastructure expenditures coming up soon, those already too large losses will only grow exponentially.

Government seems to do just fine in the marketplace when it has a monopoly on a vital service like running water or education, but tanks in a competitive arena where good quality at a fair price matters.

Unfortunately the taxpayers are all too easily tapped to cover the difference.

What's Old is New

2012-01-06T09:03:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Amherst indeed

Our somewhat high-profile Amherst town website just started promoting Public Service Announcements about the wonders of Amherst, under the banner headline "NEW!" Interestingly some of the production is recycled from a few years ago when, errr, another town manager first hatched the deal with a slick marketing ad agency: free PR videos for the town, but with paid local ads around them.

I actually like the older ones a little better mainly because the voice over lady knows how to correctly pronounce the town's name. Since Am_erst seems to have adopted the motto "Where only the h is silent," you would think somebody would ensure the same from official public relations materials.

And a little fact checking would also help as the "new" education tourbook promo states Amherst is "home to five renowned colleges," including Mt. Holyoke and Smith College--a not so trivial mistake the national lamestream media occasionally makes as well.

And we now have only three "town elementary schools" (thanks to Catherine Sanderson).

Lord Jeff returns

2012-01-05T07:11:00.011-05:00

Lord Jeffery Inn

After a too long hiatus of three years the historic--now LEED certified--Lord Jeffery Inn, revived by a $14 million overhaul, has returned to service as a downtown anchor just off the Amherst town common.

Amherst College President Biddy Martin welcomes the crowd

The project was originally announced as a $20 million endeavor but the stock market chill took a major bite out of Inn owner Amherst College's $1.3 billion endowment, so revitalization plans went into hibernation.

The return of the majestic old Inn that first opened in 1926 is good news for Amherst College, providing a high profile location to entertain important visitors and even better news for the bottom line of the town's coffers. Like their 111 year old Amherst Golf Course, the Lord Jeff Inn is on the tax rolls with an assessed value to jump from the current $2.4 million already up from $832,600 last year resulting in significant tax monies paid to the town to provide vital services.

Representative Ellen Story: Along with Jones Library the Lord Jeff is the "heart" of Amherst

Amherst also enacted the extra local option tax on food and lodging thus providing yet another lucrative benefit of having a new hotel/restaurant open for business. All in all, a great day for downtown Amherst.

Staff and dignitaries on one side spectators and media on the other

Town Manager John Musante

Last holdout surrenders

2012-01-04T12:13:00.007-05:00

Steve Rivkin

Like our beleaguered forces at Wake Island, Steve Rivkin's surrender is an honorable one as he is moving on up to another job in Chicago at the University of Illinois.

Rivkin was elected to the Amherst School Committee two years ago and shared a foxhole with Catherine Sanderson, constantly drawing fire for daring to question why Amherst spends sooooooo much money per student with less than stellar results--especially with low income, minority students.

If fellow school committee members decide they want him replaced before the next town election in the spring, they need to send written notice to the Select Board within 30 days so the Select Board can call a joint meeting with the Amherst School Committee and pick a successor to fill out his term.

Or if the School Committee is too lazy to ask for a replacement, the Select Board can take it upon themselves to fill the position with just their majority vote.

Either way, only the "usual suspects" need bother to apply.

AG makes Fitness Zombie pay up

2012-01-04T07:17:00.001-05:00

Letter from AG bearing a check

The New Year started off shockingly well for aerobics instructor extraordinaire Catherine Sanderson--not that she needs extra spring in her double step--as a check arrived from the Attorney General's office for back wages owed when the Leading Edge Gym (Amherst Fitness, Inc) suddenly locked their doors way back on October 20, 2010 with barely a few hours notice to staff and members.

The AG's Fair Labor Division confirmed mailing restitution checks to 37 former employees with a combined value of $14,800. Unfortunately health club members who paid for long term memberships (some of them only days before the closing) are not part of this settlement.

Don't feel bad for the former owners, Peter Earle and Joanne DeLong, as they recently sold the fire damaged small business condo in downtown Amherst for $190,000. Plus Peter (the Duke of) Earle seems to be creeping forward with his woman only fitness center a few doors down from their old "Leading Edge" location.

Although, the only thing accomplished since my previous 9/30 expose was vital window washing. And we are now into January, the number one sales month for the fitness industry nationwide. Not a great way for a new fitness business--especially one saddled with a negative rap sheet--to start the new year.

9/30/11

1/3/12

Cooper Mine tanning salon: never opened for business. Sold 7/1/11 $190,000

Get on your High Horse!

2012-01-03T14:42:00.008-05:00

High Horse Brewery and Bistro, downtown Amherst

The High Horse Brewery and Bistro, managed by Jason DiCaprio, has opened for business in the former downtown location of Amherst Brewing Company, who moved a mile down the road into a larger location last August, space formerly occupied by the (less than) Leading Edge Health Club .

Amherst could actually use a few neighborly mature adult drinking establishments like ABC, High Horse, and the other bar Mr. DiCaprio runs in South Amherst, Moan and Dove.

And no, I do not think that's in the least bit hypocritical coming from the guy who has been on an evangelical crusade against "party houses" over the past year. B-I-G difference between businesses run by seasoned individuals concerned with long term stability and immature kids "blowing off steam" every weekend after all those arduous hours of study.

Springfield Republican reports

Hello, hello, hello?

2012-01-02T10:38:00.004-05:00

Amherst Police responded to a Summer Street residence on Saturday morning and again Sunday night to referee an ongoing battle between a landlord and a female tenant who rents a room in the house. File this under "cost of doing business" (paid by taxpayers).

10:53 AM Saturday

RP states that her neighbor is banging on her door threatening her.

Spoke to landlord who stated the RP was supposed to be evicted today. Male party stated that he attempted to give the RP an ultimatum to sign an agreement about when she'd be leaving or that the Sheriff's office would be notified.

#######

Sunday 10:40 PM

RP requesting to speak with an officer regarding harassment from her neighbor.

Ongoing landlord/tenant issue. RP states she is being harassed by X, landlord's friend. RP rents a room from the landlord and was walking into common kitchen area, where X said "hello" to RP four times. RP thought this was harassing and threatening. I advised her that she can seek a 258E court order Tuesday at Eastern Hampshire District Court. This officer spoke with X. He states he was only being cordial by saying "hello". He has been advised not to talk with her. He agrees. Ok 95.

Amherst's Political tragedy of the year

2011-12-31T23:12:00.001-05:00

10/29 storm: overall story of the year

Since all politics is local and Only In Amherst is a hyper-local news blog, I'm duty bound to do that routine Main Stream Media thing and--in spite of Satchel Paige's cogent advice--reminisce over the past year, as painful as that may be.

The death of the Gateway Corridor Project, a unique coalition between Amherst, UMass and the Amherst Redevelopment Authority to significantly enhance the main entryway to UMass connecting with our downtown, had the potential to add $75 million in mixed use, high end development to our anemic tax base.

Killed by NIMBYs who feared a resurrection of the notorious Frat Row, which ten or twenty years ago could have served as a location set for an "Animal House" remake. And as an outspoken member of the ARA who never missed one of the dozens of meetings we had over the past year, it's hard not to award this debacle the most important local political news event of the year.

If the local spring election has a Prop 2.5 Override or Charter change of government question, that usually is the political story of the year. But this past election we, thankfully, had no Override or, regrettably, no Charter question, no contested races for Select Board (our highest office) or School Committee (our most revered office) so voter turnout was a pathetic 8.5%.

But still, that election is the backdrop for my political story of the year--only because Catherine Sanderson was not on the ballot. She was battered and bullied into not returning her nomination papers--duly signed by over 50 registered voters--simply because she had the temerity to expose the emperor and empress had no clothes, and did not look particularly attractive naked.

Closing Mark's Meadow (boutique) Elementary School, saving taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, alone should nominate her for sainthood.

But her real power to stir the pot like an outboard motor and actually make change (and I'm not even sure she ever realized this) was the power of her blog, that so frightened town officials from Amherst and the surrounding region they actually petitioned the District Attorney to shut it down. My God.

The 10/29 nor'easter starkly reminded us of the awesome power of Mother Nature, and a blog done right is another formidable force of nature. My School Committee Blog was so very right.

Catherine Sanderson

This one's for you

2011-12-30T14:29:00.004-05:00

Firefighter James Rice, who answered his "last call."

Governor Patrick has ordered the American and Commonwealth Flags lowered to half-staff on Friday, December 30, 2011 from sunrise to sunset in honor of Firefighter James Rice of the Peabody Fire Department, who died in the line of duty on Friday, December 23, 2011.

The Attorney General cordially demands

2011-12-30T09:30:00.002-05:00

So it comes as no b-i-g surprise that Amherst Regional School Committee Chair Rick Hood trampled yet another Open Government rule by failing to forward to the Attorney General an official response to my 11/23 Open Meeting Law complaint.

After all, in July of 2010--only four months into his school committee tenure--the local District Attorney cited him with an Open Meeting Law violation for deliberating with a quorum of committee members via email.

At least back then he could use the "I'm a newbie" excuse.

Now no longer a rookie, he will have to scramble to comply--no doubt enlisting the aid of $220/hour attorney Gini Tate who already advised ARPS Superintendent Maria Geryk and Human Resource Director Kathy Mazur to ignore a demand from the Division of Public Records to release documents concerning payouts totaling $200,000 to 13 former employees over the past five years.

What does it all mean?

Apparently the ARPS Good Ol' Girls network abhors sunshine. And Rick Hood needs to learn the difference between running a $20 million dollar private yacht company and a $50 million public school kept afloat via tax dollars--the lions share consumed in Amherst, the town built on education.

Somewhere...

2011-12-29T17:56:00.003-05:00

Florida news helicopter caught in a rainbow

You have to look real close, but about a third of the way up from the treeline, dead center in the rainbow you can see the helicopter hovering. I could tell by it's behavior pattern that it was a news helicopter, and I simply assumed they were getting footage of the rainbow for a colorful puff piece to fill time in the 6:00 PM news hour.

Since I was conveniently taking photos with my wife's nifty new iPhone from the beach, I figured using a helicopter was an expensive waste of resources.

A few minutes later, using the iPhone as a cell phone, we heard from her father that a plane had crashed and burned at the nearby Venice Municipal Airport, killing the pilot. On the short trip back to his house we drove by the police check point keeping out the curious while off in the distance a firetruck had its aerial ladder fully extended at about a 45 degree angle directly above what little remained of the small, twin engine airplane.

The next day I learned the pilot had successfully taken off but developed engine trouble soon after, declared an emergency, and was desperately trying to land. He was a successful 63-year-old eye doctor who leaves behind a wife and a 16-year-old daughter. Six years from now I will be his age and my oldest daughter will be 16. Not that I need a thread of connectivity to remember this tragic occurrence that briefly interrupted my vacation routine.

Venice Municipal Airport is where Mohamed Atta and another of the 9/11 hijackers trained to pilot airplanes...although unlike the good doctor, they cared little about landing.

As South Hadley goes...

2011-12-23T20:57:00.010-05:00

ARHS

UPDATE: Phoebe Prince's death cost the insurance company that covers South Hadley $225,000. Not enough. Not nearly enough.

Now that Hampshire Superior Court Judge Mary-Lu Rup has decided in favor of transparency and the "people's right to know" by coming down on the side of--gasp--a blogger who, unlike the mainstream bricks and mortar journalists around the Happy Valley, had the temerity to demand South Hadley officials disclose blood money paid to the family of Phoebe Prince, I'm hoping my stronger case against Amherst School officials will benefit in a collateral way.

Emily Bazelon first filed her request with the Secretary of State Public Records Division and I would bet they found in her favor, as they did with me. But then the South Hadley Schools probably did what Amherst defiantly did with me: refused to comply.

Since the Public Records folks have no enforcement power they would have to turn it over to the Attorney General's office (which I quickly requested they do in my case). They however, sheepishly suggested I take it to Hampshire Superior Court where I'm sure I would win, but only after paying a $275 filing fee.

And the schools will use big city attorney Regina Tate to defend the stonewalling, while we, the taxpayers of Amherst, cover her $225/hourly fee.

Since Ms. Bazelton works for Slate Magazine she can afford the steep up front cover charge, although she was savvy enough to request court costs as part of the settlement.

My original request for any settlement agreements over the past five years between the schools and separated employees costing taxpayers a minimum of $5,000 resulted in 13 cases with a combined cost of $200,000 and unlike South Hadley, not covered by an insurance company.

What kind of message does that send our children when public schools buy their way out of a mistake using taxpayer money, and then spend even more tax dollars trying to keep the secrets buried?

Gray Lady up

2011-12-23T14:06:00.002-05:00

Hadley Water Tower, East Street

Will Amherst rise to the challenge?

2011-12-22T08:55:00.008-05:00

Could be worse, we could be Easthampton

Unless we have another major power outage through the New Year, safe bet that between now and December 31 Amherst will not suddenly quadruple its adherence to saving enough electricity to garner a free $10,000 (suggested list price no doubt) solar panel for our schools.

Too bad, because the schools could use a a lot of (free) light shed upon them.

Cookie thief

2011-12-22T07:34:00.002-05:00

Jada, Jake and Christmas cookies

Blessings of the Juggernaut

2011-12-21T08:49:00.009-05:00

UMass Amherst

Nice to have some good news to report just before the holidays: Unemployment in Massachusetts decreased in November to 6.4%, beating the 8.6% national average, with Amherst, not surprisingly, doing w-a-y better than either at 3.7%.

The November seasonally unadjusted unemployment rate for the state was 6.4%, down from 6.8% in October. Amherst's very low 3.7% is down considerable from the (off season) summer where June was the highest at 7.8% followed by July at 7.6% and August at 5.2%, thus upholding Amherst's reputation as a "college town" where low unemployment depends on the University being in full session.

UMass is the largest employer in Western Massachusetts and the number two property owner in town behind our other tax exempt higher education icon, Amherst College.

Shalom

2011-12-21T07:23:00.003-05:00

The traditional menorah adjacent to Merry Maple on Amherst Town Common

This one's for you

2011-12-20T15:30:00.005-05:00

Matthew H. Lee: Thank you for your service

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Matthew H. Lee: Dedicated Police Officer

Bad news travels instantly

2011-12-19T17:41:00.005-05:00

JasonDunn.com

TV journalists always seem to be in a rush, and as a result the story can suffer, especially bad when it's a story about suffering. Take yesterday for instance. A Facebook friend posts a graphic photo with the succinct caption: "We just lost our house and everything we owed, but we are alive, god is great!!!!"

So looking for more information I search Twitter for "Fire Belchertown" and pull up a tweet linking to CH 3 TV news that breathlessly reports: "CBS 3 was first on scene of a Belchertown house fire. The family has lost everything and are homeless. A firefighter was taken to the hospital. Details in the first five."

Wow! They were "first on scene"? Maybe TV news journalists should carry a fire extinguisher in their trunks. Of course what they meant to say was they were the first journalists on the scene. But even that was wrong as someone posted a comment saying Ch 3 had been scooped by Belchertown-news.com, a hyperlocal--and obviously nimble--news operation.

A few hours later Ch 3 edited the story slightly to say "first TV news station on the scene". But they still thought that such an important fact that it graced two paragraphs out of the story's total of three .

First off a (bricks and mortar) journalist is not supposed to become part of the story--ESPECIALLY THE LEAD. And second of all--equally important--a reporter is a human being first and a reporter second. Try showing some empathy rather than hubris about being "first".

If you come upon a homeless person starting to set himself on fire, put down the damn camera and put out the flames--don't wait until it escalates into a great photo opp.

Beside the death of a friend or loved one there's nothing more painful than watching everything you own destroyed in a marauding mixture of smoke, fire and water. A compelling story like that deserves to be told properly, rather than first.

Hitchcock to Hampshire

2011-12-19T10:40:00.004-05:00

Hitchcock Center For The Environment, Amherst

The Hitchcock Center, my neighbor to the north, announced today they have signed a "non-binding Memorandum of Understanding" with Hampshire College to move their environmental education operation--a mile or south to the somewhat sprawling Hampshire College campus, joining fellow non-profit, the National Yiddish Book Center, that opened operations there in 1997.

Hampshire College is the third largest landowner in Amherst behind the other two centers of higher education--UMass and Amherst College--and poorer by comparison as far as endowments go.

Since the Hitchcock Center is already tax exempt the move will have no impact on the town tax base but could result in a net gain if a private business buys their "old" building, although unlikely, as it is owned by the town of Amherst.

News in the modern age

2011-12-19T06:21:00.005-05:00

Korea at night from space: A photo is worth 1,000 words. This one says it all.

doctorbulldog.wordpress.com

A sudden influx of visitors coming to my DMZ tour post from a few years back via a Google search forwarns me something is up on the Korean peninsula. And usually it's because of a bad thing--the North flexing military power on land or sea belonging to South Korea or threatening the United States, whom they view as the Republic's enemy number one.

This time, however, the news is different--although not unexpected. Kim Jong Il, age 69, is dead. As tyrants go he was not as bad as Saddam Hussein or Muammar Gaddafi but a tyrant never the less. I can only hope his son Kim Jong Eun, like most twenty-somethings worldwide, was an early adopter and has grown up with the Internet.

If anything can lead to the democratization of North Korea, it's the freedom of expression inherently found here.

A new dawn for Korea?

People's Republic: Here & There

2011-12-17T10:38:00.010-05:00

Old traditional style Chinese character

So my daughters birth country, which I have only visited twice, is enacting new--some would argue--more stringent rules to control the Wild Wild West, err, I mean Internet, by requiring bloggers and tweeters to register with their full names, thus removing the cloak of anonymity.

And as I'm sure some of you Anons know, that cloaking device is almost as good as alcohol for inducing bouts of bravery.

Since it's China, I'm surprised they did not go even further and threaten users who dare to criticize their government that they will become tank fodder as a result. But then Tienanmen Square was not all that long ago, so many of them probably still remember.

But I wonder what the big difference is between China and, say, New Jersey where the local school board wants to shun reporters who print stories they don't like. Or the People's Republic of Amherst where then Select Board chair Gerry Weiss wanted to enact a motion to publicly spank me because he did not like the facts I was publishing about another Select Board member (that a certain local newspaper was too timid to pursue)?

Free no more

2011-12-16T15:39:00.005-05:00

Spring Street Parking Lot eastern entry 12/16/11

The good news is the Spring Street parking lot in town center is now fully operational; the bad news is now--just in time for Christmas--we must render unto Caesar our hard earned quarters in order to park.

The lot had been mostly operational (if parking was your only concern) since the first week of November, so savvy visitors could park without giving The Man his due. But hey, at least we nickel and dimed them over the past six weeks to the tune of a few grand.

Spring Street Parking Lot Western entry 11/7/11

A Chief returns

2011-12-16T11:22:00.005-05:00

Chief Barbara O'Connor

Former UMass Police Chief Barbara O'Connor, who left UMPD two years ago after 25 years of service, eight of them as Chief, to become University of Illinois Chief, is returning to New England, this time to serve as University of Connecticut's first female police chief and Director of Public Safety.

Some of you locals may remember the UMass riot five years ago where a student dropped a full one gallon jug of liquid off a Southwest high-rise dorm, missing Chief O'Connor by only a few feet--an impact that most certainly would have been fatal.

Certainly can't get any worse at UConn.

The Hartford Courant reports

Making the big time

2011-12-15T19:30:00.003-05:00

Donna Kelley and Irv Rhodes teach Junior Achievement at Crocker Farm School

So forget those stodgy A rated, peer reviewed, academic journals so many professors are enslaved to, my lovely wife just made the really b-i-g time for publishing: The Huffington Post. Yikes!

Excuse me while I slip into unbiased reporter mode:

Yesterday at the World Bank in Washington, DC, Babson College professor Donna J. Kelley helped to launch the "Global Woman's Report," which she was lead author. A comprehensive study of women entrepreneurs in 59 countries, the report verified an age-old truism: necessity is the mother of invention.

Since starting a business is one way create a life line, it makes sense that in countries where women have less opportunity handed to them their motivation to succeed is higher.

And in countries like America, where desperation is less prevalent, woman correspondingly have less incentive to risk going it alone with a start-up business.

Kelley just returned to her Amherst home on Saturday after a prestigious Fullbright Scholarship took her to Indonesia for three weeks to teach entrepreneurship while she simultaneously coordinated a Junior Achievement business course at Amherst Crocker Farm Elementary school, where her daughters are enrolled.

The Washington Post also reports

Business Week joins the pack

This one's for you

2011-12-15T08:55:00.004-05:00

Jon Davies, Worcester FD

From the Governor:

Please be advised that Governor Patrick has ordered that the United States flag and the Commonwealth flag be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings from sunrise until sunset on Thursday, December 15, 2011 in honor of Firefighter Jon D. Davies Senior of the Worcester Fire Department who died in the line of duty on Thursday, December 8, 2011.

A short while before six Worcester Firefighters entered the "Building from Hell" and--despite the best efforts of comrades near and far--perished, I took an eight week Citizen Police Academy course where one night we did interactive, real time, audio visual training of possible patrol situations where I was killed in the line of duty.

Turns out that particular scenario was specifically designed for that chilling result to illustrate how, in certain circumstances, no matter how good your training and how well you execute that training, whereby you do everything right...death can still result.

A sobering truth for all public safety personnel--driven home once again.

The clean up continues

2011-12-14T14:21:00.004-05:00

South Amherst Common yesterday

Amherst demonstrated the shop local initiative by signing a one year contract with Wagner Wood (with an option to renew for another two years) to clear the town's public ways of brush and tree debris still remaining more than a month after the devastating October 30 nor' easter.

Wagner was originally enlisted as an emergency measure the morning after the storm reigned down debris like a biblical curse, taking out power, blocking roads and driveways while damaging public and private property.

In those first seven dark days (the time period for Federal Emergency Management Agency 75% reimbursement) Wagner, Amherst DPW and other private contractors collected 3,000 cubic yards of fallout. And over the past four weeks an additional 3,000 cubic yards but with 1,500 remaining on public right of way and 1,500 on private property.

Currently the town has spent about $225,000 to clean up the 6,000 cubic yards, or 3,000 tons of debris.

Although Wagner is contracted and funded by tax dollars for public shade tree clean up only, Amherst has coordinated a deal whereby the town (using Wagner) will extend to private homeowners--many of whom dragged debris curbside expecting town pickup--a competitive $28/cubic yard removal charge, obviating the need to drag the unwieldy material to the town's transfer station to pay $50/ton, which works out to about the same cubic yard price.

Targeted letters will got out soon to impacted homeowners.

Wagner's winning proposal to the town:
For crew and equipment to collect and transfer wood and vegetative debris $28 per cubic yard. For crew of two and equipment (chipper) to collect and chip wood and vegetative debris along public way or Town property is $275.00 an hour. For wood and vegetative waste received at contractor site it is $6 a cubic yard and/or $50 a ton.

Shays Street

Those daring young men...

2011-12-14T12:17:00.006-05:00

Shumway Landscaping still cleaning up after the Halloween weekend storm

A brave worker going after sky high, large "hangers" on the grounds of the Emily Dickinson homestead. Nice to see Amherst College using local contractors.

Dewey Defeats Truman?

2011-12-13T20:16:00.004-05:00

Contrasting headlines one day apart

Two of the oldest sayings in journalism--"Never apologize, never explain" and "If your mother says she loves you, verify it"--spring to mind with today's mea culpa edition of the Daily Hampshire Gazette, although they still exude the former after woefully violating the latter.

And since I'm citing journalistic cliches let me throw in, "Readers soon forget who got it first, but will long remember who got it wrong."

I'm referring to a front page article yesterday saying a car dealership "Appears to have closed" simply because they were not open on a Sunday, the (65-year-old) owner had not responded to a Facebook message request for an interview, an empty car lot, and non functioning website and phones.

Sure, a fair amount of circumstantial evidence but no direct corroboration from the owner, an employee or disgruntled customer, all of which would be fairly easy to acquire--especially if they waiting until Monday when the business opened up to start the workweek.

A few months back the Daily Hampshire Gazette failed to publish a morning edition because their $10 million dollar Italian four-color process printing press malfunctioned. How would they have liked it if the blogosphere jumped to the conclusion that they had apparently gone out of business?

Which--to be perfectly honest--was my initial reaction when I failed to find my Gazette aside the Springfield Republican early on a Tuesday morning.

I can excuse getting lazy over verification for a who cares kind of article appearing on the back pages which few folks bother to read; but the front page is sacred, demanding adherence to the fundamental rules of journalism.

Now if it had been one of those damn blogs...

Oh I'd love to be...

2011-12-13T14:32:00.005-05:00

Wienermobile: A snack for the Jolly Green Giant

The Wienermobile came a calling on the People's Republic of Amherst and, amazingly, they were not picketed by vegans or pelted with rotten vegetables.

Gymnastics, then the Wienermobile

AFD keeps rolling along

2011-12-12T21:45:00.001-05:00

Sunday 4:00 AM Dumpster Fire behind Hillel House near UMass

Although far fewer ETOH (passed out drunk) emergency cases this past weekend compared to last, from 13 down to 5, it is still five too many, and a time consuming drain on our emergency services.

Surprisingly UMass, with only one case (compared to seven last week), did not win the weekly drink-yourself-into-a-stupor competition between our centers of higher education, while vastly smaller Amherst College was our weekend winner with two (five last week) and Hampshire College one (zero last week).

Unfortunately dumpsters provide an easy opportunity for mischievous vandals, and like the previous weekend, AFD had to deal with another early morning bonfire in a box, which, fortunately, is made of metal.

Amherst Fire Department weekend runs 12/9

Party House of the weekend

2011-12-12T09:59:00.008-05:00

Amherst Police must be getting in the Christmas spirit as they issued ten warning tickets for noise and only two actual $300 noise complaint tickets over the weekend--the last one where UMass is still in session. So yes, the two winners had to go above and beyond the call of duty to garner a ticket.

Now anyone who has children and lives in a two story home knows how annoying it is when a temperamental child STOMPS all the way up or down the stairs...now just imagine living in an apartment complex where you share walls with immediate neighbors and it's after midnight and the "children" are fully grown.

According to Amherst Police who were called to apartment #1421 The Boulders at 12:59 AM:

Over 100 party goers with extremely loud music. Upon attempting to clear the party, the patrons began yelling and stomping up and down the stairs and refused to leave. The residents were uncooperative and after several warnings were taken into custody. Furthermore, after the guests finally were cleared out an additional noise complaint was called in due to the loud behavior in the parking lot.

Arrested for Unlawful Noise:

Since the judge dismissed their cases on Monday, I have deleted their names.

263 Grantwood Drive

At first glance this case may seem to be a tad heavy handed, as these two young ladies were all by themselves listening to (loud) music at 8:00 PM--but that was not the case last week when one of the housemates was busted for a loud party that attracted over 100 guests and was shut down at 1:00 Am.

So apparently they did not learn their lesson. Yes, 263 Grantwood is located directly across the street from 260 Grantwood Drive, my Party House of the Weekend a few weeks back.

According to this week's police report:

RP reports loud party somewhere on Grantwood Drive location.

Base heard emanating from inside the residence. Only two residents inside, no other guests. Stated they were playing music and didn't realize it was that loud.

Cited for Noise ordinance violation:

Lauren Whittemore, Fitchburg, MA, age 21
Vanessa Crespo, Fitchburg, MA, age 20

Library shelves quake project

2011-12-09T07:35:00.006-05:00

Jones Library: town center anchor

Jones Library Trustees were not overly enthusiastic to the gee whiz idea of joining the Boston College Educational Seismology Project, with a combination of cost and time commitment--$10,000 for a seismograph and a year's worth of training for the new Library Director and a staff member--quickly deflating the trial balloon floated by Trustee President Sarah McKee.

McKee and Director Sharon Sherry had journeyed east to the Weston Public Library (the only library involved in the school dominated project) last Friday to learn more about the idea, and discovered the project can be time consuming for staff and management. Not to mention the $10,000 cost.

The Trustees did not even bother to vote.

Is anybody listening?

2011-12-07T22:04:00.005-05:00

I'm a journalist unafraid to put down the pen or crawl out from behind the keyboard to say what needs to be said. Loudly.

Obviously the Amherst Bulletin is not listening

On September 9 when UMass and town officials alongside District Attorney Dave Sullivan tried to soothe the party hardy behavior patterns exhibited by a hard core minority of students by handing out oatmeal cookies (I kid you not) the Gazette/Bulletin assigned veteran reporter Nick Grabbe to cover the late night "story"--what is usually referred to in journalism as a "puff piece."

Meanwhile, simultaneously in the north end of campus, the Meadow Street riot occurred. The next day the Gazette carried the cookie caper story on the front page.

Death from above

2011-12-07T06:58:00.004-05:00

USS Arizona 12/7/41

"Some fine Sunday morning..." Colonel Billy Mitchell (1924)

“I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.”
Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto (12/7/41)

USS Arizona today

“With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounded determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.” (12/8/41)
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Amherst 12/7/2011

Amherst: "I get no respect"

2011-12-06T08:52:00.006-05:00

The professor ignores Amherst, education capital of the world

So we had an important politician peruse the Happy Valley yesterday--Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren--and she never bothered to come calling on the People's Republic of Amherst, located only 7 miles away, snugly behind the tofu curtain.

Now yes, I suppose that would be like preaching to the choir--but let's face it, as much as they try to distance themselves from our little town, the city of Northampton is cut from the same, all natural, vegan fiber.

And what's up with Ms. Warren's glitzy wine-and-cheese $1,000 per (platinum) plate affair in Hamp? Oh she who fights against the economic inequality from fat cat Wall Street investors and claims to have spearheaded the Occupy movement (right after Al Gore invented the Internet) .

Not to many of us 99%ers can come up with $1,000 for a little bit of facetime. Although...skype is free.

Amherst Town Hall in a fog

2011-12-06T07:32:00.003-05:00

Amherst Town Hall in a fog 12/5/11 7:45 AM

Yeah, that's a metaphor.

Busy weekend for AFD as well

2011-12-05T12:02:00.009-05:00

Amherst Fire Department North Station located a beer can throw from UMass

Good thing the town situated North Station on the UMass border, as once again our emergency medical responders were overrun with ETOH (passed out drunk) calls that take up at least an hour of valuable ambulance time transporting them one at a time to the Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

UMass needs to rethink the significant reduction of their Health Services hours on weekends, as our fire department can't keep up with demand now. Once again we had the dangerous situation where all full-time professional members of AFD were tied up with ambulance calls and the entire town was dependent on the Student Call Force for fire protection (no offense intended to those dedicated volunteers, but that is simply unacceptable)

AFD weekend runs 1st weekend December (note number of ETOH calls)

Riot house of the weekend

2011-12-05T09:32:00.005-05:00

202 College Street, Amherst

Amherst police could have used a couple of Texas Rangers this weekend as all available units were not enough to quell a "disturbance" (apparently UMass officials get queasy over the word "riot") at 202 College Street when a party of around fifty got out of control very early (3:47 AM) Saturday morning.

UMass police, naturally, were too busy to respond to our mutual aid call but Amherst College and Hadley PD each provided two units for back up and assisted with transporting the uncooperative perps to the Amherst Police Department jail, located only a half mile away.

One perp is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon as he struck an Amherst Police officer with a stick. And yes, most officers wear a bullet proof vest to protect their mid torso but the officer was struck below the belt. Ouch.

Arrested for "Riot, failure to disperse, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest":

Zahir Ajam Delrosario, 130th St, Harlem, NY, age 23
Jose Picot, 111 Franklin St, Northampton, MA, age 27
Jaclynn Chiodini, 211 South Pleasant St, Amherst, MA age 22

Arrested for "Unlawful noise":

Eric Cameron, 202 College St, Amherst, MA, age 23
Stephen Halliday, 17 Katherine Rd, Rehoboth, MA, age 21

Property ownership card for 200/202 College Street

Jones Library aftershock

2011-12-05T06:45:00.003-05:00

Jones Library 11/1/11 Closed after the Halloween weekend storm

Just when I thought the library had gone back to normal, meaning non controversial, there's this: On Wednesday Jones Library Trustees will discuss spending $10,000 to purchase a seismograph so Jones patrons can participate in the "Boston College Educational Seismology Project," and become one with earthquakes.

Currently the program has 33 participants--all of them schools located around Boston.

While I don't doubt the educational value of learning about earthquakes, I do question whether the library should be the lead agency in town to take on the project, since all the other participants are schools.

And then there's the matter of the $10,000 cover charge, plus potential time commitments from employees who could be shelving books. But hey, when your endowment stands at $7.85 million, perhaps $10,000 is mere chicken feed.

South Hadley: Repeat offender

2011-12-03T18:49:00.010-05:00

South Hadley officials need the lesson in "respect"

So yeah, with my staunch Irish Catholic upbringing I understand the turn-the-other-cheek principle, and everybody deserves a second chance routine, but for God's sake can somebody remind Gus Sayer that a sweet, vulnerable child was pushed to the point of killing herself under his watch?!

Why NOW does a mother--concerned about her daughter being bullied in a school already internationally known for such things--have to turn to an Internet petition to get South Hadley officials to address the problem?

As I've said before, Gus Sayer, like school officials at Penn State, protected a pedophile for the good of the system. Well, that's a system that needs to change. Now!

#####################

UPDATE: Sunday morning

Jennifer kalvinek, Petition Organizer updated at change.org:

"We have gone past 4000 signatures. that is awsome !

Kevin Mccallister emailed me last night . he wanted me to stop the petition because he had too many signatures from people. they are listening! keep it up. LETS MAKE A DIFFERENCE!"

Some things never change

2011-12-03T08:41:00.005-05:00

UMass McGuirk Stadium (pre-expansion)

God how I wish Amherst Town Meeting had been half as smart as the UMass faculty union back in 1987 when we spent a whopping $2.2 million--an astounding $4.4 million in today's dollars--to buy a golf course we could have had for free. Although interestingly enough, it was a UMass professor, Richard Minear (then Chair of the Amherst Select Board) and fellow history professor Ron Story (a few years prior to Ellen Story becoming State Representative) who led the ill fated charge.

As usual, a 159 neighbors had signed a petition supporting the purchase to, as usual, stop development; and town meeting used the sacred power of eminent domain--the political equivalent of detonating a nuclear weapon--to steal the property away from a developer who had a legal agreement signed--at far less than $2.2 million--with owner Dave Maxon.

If only Town Meeting said to the selfish neighbors: "Sure we will take the property, as long as you come up with 80% of the funding," what a different history I would now write. And the town treasury would be so better off because of it.

Of course UMass football making the big jump to FBS will make Cherry Hill look like a Powerball lottery win by comparison. The jump (the shark) has already cost $1 million with the buyout for coach Kevin Morris and staff and next year scholarships alone will cost an addition $2 million. And of course there is that $30 million to expand McGuirk Stadium that the faculty union is now wisely trying to sack.

All this for a football program that lost millions last year. Yikes!

Merry Maple: Grand but subtle glow

2011-12-02T18:45:00.008-05:00

Merry Maple (especially happy to have survived the Halloween weekend storm)

South Amherst town common

Meanwhile, two miles away in sleepy South Amherst, a more traditional multicolored evergreen proudly brightens the common. And since it sits resplendently in front of an ornate church it's probably even called a Christmas Tree.

One riot, One ranger

2011-12-02T14:30:00.001-05:00

Security guard in front of Bank Of America, Amherst

Since the sneak invasion by a mob of young protesters, who migrated from UMass to briefly occupy Bank of America and the TD Bank, this lone security guard has staked out the front of BOA in the heart of downtown Amherst.

You have to wonder how much of a difference he would make if those 50-60 occupiers returned, although--unlike the protesters--he looks pretty serious (and employed).

Although somebody should probably tell corporate headquarters that the Amherst police station is only a stone's throw away.

Let the Attorney General decide

2011-12-01T09:23:00.000-05:00

Dear Ms. Coakley:

I wish to file a follow up complaint with your office over the manner in which the Amherst Regional School Committee entered Executive Session at their 11/22/11 joint meeting with the Amherst School Committee, specifically, failing to get a "second" to the motion and the motion--at the time it was made--lacked any reason for entering Executive Session and failed to cite the specific chapter and verse of the Open Meeting Law.

In a response to my complaint (that used the form provided by your office) and copied in writing to the Amherst Town Clerk, the Chair of the Regional School Committee stated in writing:

Hi Larry,

I stated at the beginning of the meeting that we would be going into executive session for the purpose of contract negotiations. It also says so on top of the agenda:

http://www.arps.org/node/3473

It is not required to state it in the motion; it is only required to state it at some point during the pubic meeting before the exec session.

Have a great turkey day.

Rick

From: Rick Hood Sent: Wed, Nov 23, 2011 7:44 pm To: BurgessS (Amherst town clerk)

I find that response to be woefully inadequate. Yes, now that I have watched a rebroadcast of the three hour meeting (that was aired live), Mr. Hood did state casually at the very beginning of the meeting that they would be entering Executive Session to discuss "collective bargaining," but over the course of three hours members of the general public who tuned in a few minutes late would not have heard it.

While I have no problem with the reasons for the Regional School Committee to go into Executive Session, I strongly believe that it should never be taken lightly and the discipline shown by using proper procedures exhibits the due diligence expected of our public officials.

Perhaps this incident will provide a perfect "teachable moment."

Larry Kelley

11/23/11 4:54 PM

According to the somewhat newly revised Open Meeting Law I am supposed to file my complaint with you and the town clerk over the incident last night where the Regional School Committee went into executive session without clearly stating the reason for doing so and without a proper second to the motion.

Please excuse the somewhat weird formatting as I downloaded the PDF complaint form from the AG website.

Larry Kelley

OPEN MEETING LAW COMPLAINT FORM

Organization or Media Affiliation (if any): http://onlyintherepublicofamherst.blogspot.com/

Are you filing the complaint in your capacity as an individual, representative of an organization, or media? Media

(For statistical purposes only) Individual Organization Media x

Public Body that is the subject of this complaint: Amherst Regional School Committee

City/Town Amherst County Hampshire Regional/District State Mass

Name of Public Body (including city/ town, county or region, if applicable):Amherst Regional School Committee, 170 Chestnut Street, Amherst, Ma

Specific person(s), if any, you allege committed the violation: Rick Hood, Chair of the Regional Committee and Irv Rhodes Chair Amherst School Committee
Date of alleged violation:11/22/11

Description of alleged violation: Irv Rhodes made a motion to go into Executive Session "never to return" but with no explanation/reason for the action, and Mr Hood allowed it without having a proper second from another member.

Describe the alleged violation that this complaint is about. If you believe the alleged violation was intentional, please say so and include the reasons supporting your belief. No, not intentional--just careless.

What action do you want the public body to take in response to your complaint? Apologize, promise it will never happen again. After school detention.

Review, sign, and submit your complaint
Read this important notice and sign your complaint.
Under most circumstances your complaint will be considered a public record and be available to any member of the public upon request.
I understand that when I submit this complaint the Attorney General's Office cannot give me legal advice and cannot act as my personal lawyer.

I certify that the information contained on this form is true to the best of my knowledge.

Signed: ____Larry Kelley_______________________________________ Date:___________________________11/23/11
First Name:Larry Last Name:Kelley Address:596 South Pleasant City:Amherst
Phone Number:256-0491 Email:amherstac@aol.com
State:Mass Zip Code:01002

Mr. Hood

Hidden, catastrophic cost of golf

2011-11-30T08:59:00.003-05:00

Cherry Hill's K-Mart quality golf clubhouse

Last night Leisure Services director Linda Chalfant presented the FY13 upcoming budget to the four-out-of-seven members of the recreation commission who bothered to show up, and dubbed Cherry Hill squandering $40,000 last year as, "effectively a break even year." Easy to say when that money is not coming out of her $80,000 annual salary.

And this current year, according to the numbers generated at the half-way point, Cherry Hill is on target to lose another $60,000. And the following year--hold on to your golf caps--well over $100,000!

Because unlike a household or small business, in the wonderful world of municipal accounting little things like employee benefits, insurance and expensive new commercial equipment do not count towards your "operation budget." Last year those three expenses amounted to $40,000--all of it paid for by taxpayers, not a dime from golfers.

Wouldn't it be great if you could buy a new car or truck out of a secret account nobody was watching?

At seasonal closing, the beleaguered golf business has totaled only $82,779, $17,284 under last year, and the lowest amount in six years. Expenses are identical--especially those hidden ones nobody likes to admit.

For instance, capital expenses this year include a $14,154 "fairway mower", next year another $14,154 fairway mower plus a $12,000 rough mower for a total of $26,654.

But what the Hell, since nobody cares about capital items why not go on a whirlwind shopping spree--all of it taxpayer funded? In FY14, two years from now, capital improvements will include yet another fairway ($14,154) and rough mower ($12,500) fence replacement ($24,000) and parking lot resurfacing ($24,000) for a whopping grand total of $135,654 .

If the diffident School Committee can bite the bullet to save money by closing down Mark's Meadow, a beloved elementary school, Town Manager John Musante needs to step up and make the call that should have been made ten years ago: board up the money pit.

Not so instant replay

2011-11-29T15:20:00.006-05:00

So when we cut to the video replay of the November 22 (Amherst Media incorrectly stamped the date) Amherst Regional School Committee meeting, clearly Kristen Luschen did not "second" the motion to go into executive session.

When specifically asked by Chair Rick Hood if she was seconding the motion she responds "No, I was asking about..." and then they go off on a brief tangent never to return to the proper parliamentary procedure for using an executive session--something that should never be taken lightly.

##########################

The Amherst Select Board, only 24 hours earlier, demonstrated the proper way to go into executive session. Note Alisa Brewer say under her breath, "All those lovely details." Indeed.

What say you now Mr. Hood?

A fitting tribute

2011-11-28T12:10:00.012-05:00

"We need you" indeed

Tragically, townie and long time DPW employee Timothy Banks passed away--as sudden as it was surprising--on Thanksgiving Day.

Timmy meticulously parked his car in a certain spot at the DPW.

Nobody parked there today.

Timothy H. Banks, Jr. Obit on right.

UPDATE: Wednesday morning 10:30 AM. The normally overflowing DPW parking lot is all but abandoned as fellow workers attend the funeral.

DPW parking lot. Missing man formation.

Party Apartment of the weekend

2011-11-28T09:45:00.006-05:00

Puffton Village apartments

As a testament to how tight a ship Puffton Village manager Steve Walczak operates, this is the first time a Puffton Village resident has achieved this dubious honor--although in this particular case more than well deserved.

Police were first called early THIS morning to #236 Puffton Village and immediately noticed "Loud thumping music could be heard upon arrival. The individual was slightly argumentative." But the town noise bylaw was thoroughly explained to her--and the consequences for violating it. She was issued a written warning, and the police went on their way.

Ten minutes later police are called back to the scene for--you guessed it--loud noise coming from apartment #236. According to APD narrative:

Moments after clearing the scene, music was turned back on. The arrestee was very uncooperative. The remaining guests were cleared out. A second roommate was found sleeping and explained the town noise by law.

Arrested for violating town noise bylaw:
Casey P. Sullivan, 39 Cliffview Terrace, Lunenburg, MA, age 20

Puffton Village is owned by town patriarch Steve Puffer.

Cyber Monday

2011-11-28T07:18:00.003-05:00

Some things, however, are priceless.

A tax free Christmas

2011-11-27T15:52:00.007-05:00

Amherst Pelham Boy Scouts return to Kendrick Park

President Obama could/should have learned a lesson from former Town Manager Larry Shaffer about not disparaging Christmas by instituting a tax on Christmas trees--something that makes you look heartless and indifferent to public opinion.

Amherst/Pelham Boy Scouts selling Christmas trees as a fundraiser is a much anticipated yuletide tradition dating back to when Rockwell was in his prime. And as one of my commenters previously pointed out, their sign is probably as old as the tradition.

Now all we need is a blanket of snow.

Santa drops in

2011-11-26T16:23:00.007-05:00

Live long and prosper

A huge throng of people--almost all with kids in tow--migrated to Yankee Candle in South Deerfield this morning to welcome the jolly big guy dressed in red and white who hitched a ride on a helicopter, since the weather was a tad too warm for his reindeer.

After a very brief speech and a couple of "Ho, ho, ho's" he was off, and the crowd dutifully moved indoors to shop. If you are the claustrophobic type this was not the place for you. I only hope downtown Amherst is lucky enough to see one-quarter the number of shoppers for "Small Business Saturday."

By Select Board decree, parking is free throughout the downtown, but since nobody took the time to advertise/promote it, a lot of potential shoppers are probably left unaware.

Speaking of Christmas, downtown Amherst will once host once again the lighting of the Merry Maple--Christmas Tree to you outsiders--on December 2. For the first time in memory George N. Parks will not be leading the UMass marching band as one of the main attractions...with Santa riding the AFD ladder truck and the ignition of the Merry Maple.

(Since my new camera does well in low light conditions, I may be able to get a good Merry Maple photo this year.)

The Juggernaut strikes back

2011-11-25T14:32:00.001-05:00

AFD's $635,000 Quint

So apparently Bernette A. Daly, director of UMass Health Services, reads the local newspapers as today's Gazette contains a reply to concerns from Amherst Fire Department chief Tim Nelson that his already overburdened department will pick up the slack created by the cost cutting hours reduction UHS will institute in January.

Of course the Chief will be too nice to respond to the response, so I'll do it for him: poppycock!

First off, the $346,000 Ms. Daly cites as payments to the town from UMass for ambulance services seems like a lot...until you factor in the $4 million operation cost of AFD with 25% of their time spent servicing UMass.

And the amount looks downright stingy when you compare the $1,100,000 Payment In Lieu Of Taxes Burlington, with the same population as Amherst, receives from the University of Vermont (9,000 undergrads, 1,350 grad students)--three times what the significantly larger University of Massachusetts (20,000 undergrads, 5,000 grad students) pays Amherst!

That $1.1 million is for fire services only as the University of Vermont has its own ambulance service--which it provides to the town.

Ms Daley freely admits, "The clinic treats an average of just four to seven patients after 8 p.m. weeknights, and about half that many on weekends." So what are those folks going to do when UHS is closed during their time of need? Certainly many of them--since the Cooley Dickinson Hospital is such a long walk--are going to call AFD.

On the night before the great Halloween weekend storm, at one point all five Amherst ambulances were engaged (dealing with passed out drunk students), so just one extra call that night would have overtaxed the system.

While it may indeed make economic sense to reduce the hours at UHC, it is still irresponsible for the University to reap those savings by passing the problem along to somebody else.

Director of UHS response to Chief Nelson

AFD Chief Tim Nelson

A Thanksgiving Story (worth remembering)

2011-11-24T07:00:00.002-05:00

Mother and Son Peeling Potatoes Saturday Evening Post cover, Nov 24, 1945

Only in Arlington would posing for the greatest illustrator in American history on assignment for media juggernaut The Saturday Evening Post pass for routine.

Richard (Dick) Hagelberg returned to the family dairy farm after surviving five years in the 9’th Army Air Corps, flying 65 treacherous daylight bombing missions over Europe, including D-Day.

June 6, 1944 Photo by Dick Hagelberg

One summer morning he sat beside his 51-year-old mother Saara (Finnish spelling) for an hour of modeling; and two generations later, the scene still resonates.

With a publication deadline looming, Rockwell desperately recruited the Hagelbergs'. Initially they refused his proposal, but when he offered them each $15, they acquiesced . After publication, as he often did with models, Rockwell offered to gift Dick the original painting. He respectfully refused.

Sixty years later, in 2006, Rockwell’s "Homecoming Marine" sold at auction for $9.2 million and "Breaking Home Ties" (a farmer sitting on the running board of a pick up truck with his son dressed in Sunday best clothes heading off to college) brought an astonishing $15.4 million.

Rockwell’s 1943 "Freedom From Want", an extended family gathering around a sumptuous turkey dinner, would at the time prove more popular than the minimalist “Thanksgiving, 1945: A mother and son peeling potatoes.”

But the earlier Post cover had a distinct advantage.

The Four Freedoms

Part of Rockwell’s public relations war effort, the epic series of illustrations based on FDR’s 1941 State of the Union speech, "The Four Freedoms," heartened a battered America still reeling from Pearl Harbor’s infamy.

The US Government originally rebuffed Rockwell’s sponsorship proposal, so he settled for his regular employer The Saturday Evening Post. The blockbuster results appeared over four consecutive weekly covers from February 20 to March 13, 1943.

"Freedom From Want” hit the stands on March 6, 1943, so unlike "A Mother and Son Peeling Potatoes" that appeared on November 24, 1945, it was not simply a seasonal Thanksgiving tribute.

The Office of War Information printed and distributed millions of full-color reproductions of the "The Four Freedoms" and sponsored the originals on a War Bond Tour of major cities that raised $130 million, or $1.7 billion in today's dollars.

Americans adored "Freedom From Want"; but with Europe in ruins our struggling, decimated allies didn’t want a reminder that America’s heartland escaped war’s devastation.

"To Hitler from Lt. Hagelberg"

For his Thanksgiving, 1945 cover, Rockwell journeyed to Maine for a change in scenery, starting work August 15th--the day Japan surrendered.

Rockwell enlisted a 16-year-old boy to play the veteran and a friend’s wife acted as his mother. But when the illustrator returned to his Arlington studio, he couldn’t make it work—the young man didn’t exude the stress of war.

Rockwell recruited two more locals but once again didn’t like the results, considering it too staged. Fortuitously, Dick, recently returned from battle, arrived to deliver milk fresh from the nearby Hagelberg farm to the illustrator's front door. Rockwell had his subjects.

Lt Hagelberg doing a Dr. Strangelove

Rockwell originally posed Dick in a wheelchair striking a pensive pose reminiscent of Rodan’s "The Thinker", but decided it was too melancholy. The selected scene is still slightly incongruous, as Dick is performing one of the military’s more despised chores—KP duty—yet he radiates contentment.

Saara Hagelberg’s loving expression—the look only a mother can give—to a son who survived the ravages of a conflict that had claimed so many sons, personifies Thanksgiving.

Rockwell rejoiced: this time the handsome young man had weathered the misery of war; this time his real mother sits by his side.

So why then refuse to accept the original painting Rockwell had graciously offered? As he often did with models, Rockwell took liberties with Saara's appearance--adding twenty pounds and twenty years. In fact, Hallmark later used her Thanksgiving image for an “I love you Grandma” greeting card.

The dutiful son knew that his mother—although proud of the overall result—was mad.

Saara Hagelberg died of cancer only two years later, a few months before the birth of her first grandchild. By then a priest had purchased the painting and he donated it to an American Legion Post in Winchendon, Massachusetts.

A Rockwell Museum expert rediscovered Thanksgiving, 1945 in the late 1970s and was aghast it hung in a smoke filled building with no fire suppression. The Museum borrowed it, where it remains to this day.

In 1988 the Hagelberg family returned to Arlington from a pilgrimage to Stockbridge, Massachusetts disappointed the painting was not on display.

In an apology letter curator Maureen Hart Hennessey explained, “The museum has almost 500 paintings in its collection and can only exhibit 40-50 at one time. We also rotate paintings for conservation reasons to help preserve them for future generations.”

A few weeks later the Hagelbergs' enjoyed a private showing.

Dick Hagelberg succumbed to cancer in 1993, just after helping to build a home for his daughter Nancy, high on a hill overlooking the family farm that he also built. His wife Olga, a proud WW2 Marine veteran, still lives in that home in Arlington, Vermont.

Olga and (daughter) Nancy Hagelberg

And lately--even around Thanksgiving--she struggles briefly…but then vividly recalls, keeping those magnificent memories alive.

Sad Update

(From the archives 11/21/07)

Strike two!

2011-11-23T16:58:00.000-05:00

From: Larry Kelley
To: Gerykm ; hoodr ; westmorelandD ; mazurk ; BurgessS ; avbrewer
Sent: Wed, Nov 23, 2011 4:53 pm
Subject: Open Meeting Law complaint (using AG's form)

According to the somewhat newly revised Open Meeting Law I am supposed to file my complaint with the Regional School Committee and the Town Clerk over the incident last night where the Regional School Committee went into executive session without clearly stating the reason for doing so and without a proper second to the motion.

Please excuse the somewhat weird formatting as I downloaded the PDF complaint form from the AG website.

Larry Kelley

####################

OPEN MEETING LAW COMPLAINT FORM

A fitting tribute indeed

2011-11-22T18:36:00.001-05:00

W.D. Cowls Building Supply

My Facebook and corporeal buddy Cinda Jones emailed yesterday to inquire if anyone would take offense if she lowered the huge flag in front of the business her dad built with the blood of his bare hands, to a position of mourning.

"No, lower away," I instantly replied. Because there's a b-i-g difference between, say, Amherst College lowering their majestic flag on the hill for former employees who pass away and a dutiful daughter doing so over the sudden passing of a beloved father, friend, mentor and by all accounts icon in our town's rarest of breeds: entrepreneur.

If America was built on anything, it was family values. So when a family's respect for their father bends the unenforceable rules of flag protocol, safe bet the Founding Fathers would have no complaints.

Paul Jones obit

Bad news travels fast

2011-11-22T12:39:00.000-05:00

From the archives: (Yeah, scary to think I now have archives) The first shot rang out at 12:30 PM, the first bulletin made national news at 12:31 PM, and by the time Walter Cronkite announced to a mesmerized nation an hour later that their leader was dead, 68% of Americans had heard about the shooting, not a single one via the Internet.

##########

The ornate condolence certificate, autographed by the President, arrived two months after the sudden death of my father—a combat veteran who helped overthrow the Japanese in the Philippines but never discussed it with any of his four inquisitive children.

That letter brought radiance into our home on an otherwise dreary late November day.

So, suddenly transformed into a proud 8-year-old, I pestered my mother for the honor of bringing the document to school the following day. My pragmatic Irish mother denied the request--worried I could lose or damage the precious parchment.

Friday began as unremarkable as a hundred before: Morning prayers chanted effortlessly, the Pledge of Allegiance parroted as we stood with our right hands over our hearts facing an American flag.

I was having trouble concentrating on the curriculum, typical for a Friday when the weekend beckoned. But this time all I could think about was a letter that had arrived just yesterday from a revered man who could have met my father less than a generation ago.

With only an hour of captivity remaining, a high-school boy suddenly entered from the right door bearing a message. Snatching the note from his hand the nun appeared almost angry at the interruption. I could, however, see her face suddenly turn white—matching the mask-like habit all ‘Sisters of St. Joseph’ wore.

She crumpled the memo with one hand while reaching back to grab her desk with the other, slumping as though absorbing a blow from a heavyweight boxer. With a trembling voice she said, “Please stand.” Although puzzled, we responded immediately.

“Now extend your arms sideway, shoulder high, and hold them there,” she said still struggling to gain control. So there we stood, 26 of us, rooted near our desks like cemetery crosses wondering, as our shoulders started to ache, what could possible cause such a break in routine?

She regained the commanding voice of authority to announce, “President Kennedy has just been shot” Tears trickled down her cheeks as she concluded, “He needs our prayers.”

At St. Michael’s school in the year of our Lord 1963, President John F. Kennedy was fourth on the list of most beloved: just under the Holy Trinity and tied with Pope John. And in my home he was tied for second with St. Patrick just under my recently deceased father.

The big yellow bus rumbled back to Amherst with an interior as quiet as a crypt. The astonishing event blurred short-term memory like one too many drinks. I began to question whether the letter from the now martyred leader was actually real, or did I simply imagine it?

Bursting through the front door I quickly spied the prized possession lying on a cluttered kitchen table. With relief and reverence I held it aloft, taking in the brilliant gold calligraphy etched on a pure white background: “It is with deepest sympathy…”

A feeling the entire nation now shared.

Originally published 11/22/07

Can you hear me now?

2011-11-21T21:03:00.005-05:00

Trustee Carol Gray peeks in to a Library Trustees meeting last summer from Egypt courtesy of skype on Mary Streeter's mac laptop.

Amherst Select Board Open Meeting Law specialist Alisa Brewer reported this evening--right before they retreated into Executive Session--that Attorney General Martha Coakley has decided in favor of "remote participation" for boards and committees in Massachusetts, meaning you no longer have to be physically present to deliberate or vote on matters before your committee (although you do not count towards a quorum).

Excuses--I mean, permitted reasons--that allow for such a thing include "personal illness, personal disability, emergency, military service, or geographic distance." Of course it's the last one that will be used most often--especially in a town like Amherst where so many people are affiliated with UMass where the workplace is in full session only 7 months out of the year.

The Select Board, acting as chief executive officers have to vote in favor of adopting the regulation overall, before any of the 50 some odd boards, committees, sub committees and task forces can put it to use. Since the SB also appoints a fair amount of the citizenry to all these volunteer positions they may find remote participation to be an effective tool for recruitment.

Besides, anything that gets people to participate in government is a good thing. Even better when government itself starts to embrace the 21st century.

Attorney General's press release on remote participation

Party house of the weekend

2011-11-21T09:57:00.000-05:00

260 Grantwood Drive, Amherst (at least the couch blends in)

Located in what appears to be the student rental section of the neighborhood--and managed by, naturally, Eagle Crest Property Management--it's sad to think this single family home was once owned by nationally renowned UMass history professor Stephen B. Oats.

Just goes to show what can happen to a nice neighborhood when owner occupied single family homes are sold off to become rentals managed by Eagle Crest Property Management.

Accord to Amherst Police Department logs 1:00 AM early Sunday morning:

Approximately 30-40 cars observed on both sides of the roadway that blocked passage for emergency vehicles. Dozens of people crowded throughout the roadway while consuming alcoholic beverages. Loud music along with loud yelling observed coming from location. Residents contacted and advised of the issue with little assistance. The house was cleared of guests and all residents were placed under arrest for unlawful noise.

Deanna Helene Docoulos, 226 Rowley Bridge Rd, Topsfield, MA, age 21, Open Container

Four leaseholders arrested for unlawful noise:

Thomas Gilson Jr., 37 Davis St, Mansfield, MA, age 23
Julian Thomas Colarusso, 11 Stanley Circle, Quincy, MA, age 21
Shane Michael Viveiros, 33L Rolling Green Dr, Fall River, MA, age 22
James M Lizotte, 200 Fairbanks St, W. Boylston, MA, age 21

Property Ownership Card for 260 Grantwood Dr

Bullseye

2011-11-20T16:52:00.002-05:00

Roundabout in front of Atkins Country Market

The Atkins Corner Roundabouts are coming into their own and should start seeing traffic by this time next year (although the occasional after dark confused driver has already tread on them).

And the new bypass connecting West Street over to West Bay Road has been in use, without any problems, for a while now.

By pass over to West Bay Road (shortcut to Applewood Retirement Community or Eric Carle Museum)

The scuttling of Form Based Zoning for this part of town will probably have no impact on Atkins as the nifty new infrastructure makes it all the more easy to deliver shoppers directly to their front door. But I'm sure they would loved to have had a clustered development or two spring up nearby where folks could actually live within walking distance.

Just another lucrative sunny Sunday at Atkins

My sniper perch

Occupy Amherst...briefly

2011-11-18T21:42:00.002-05:00

Agile Gazette photographer Gordon Daniels keep pace with the protesters

About 60 mostly college aged folks descended on the downtown yesterday carrying signs and banners and chanting slogans and only briefly snarling traffic. Amherst Police Department monitored the situation closely but did not interact with the crowd. The marchers retreated from town center, down Rt 9 up Triangle Street and then North Pleasant back to UMass, with a cruiser following closely behind.

Hard to walk and keep the banner taut (must be from Hampshire College)

This was the first Occupy action in Amherst since the clash with Tea Party supporters a month ago, where they seemed a tad intimidated by direct counter confrontation.

A costly legal maneuver

2011-11-18T08:52:00.006-05:00

Amherst's Special Ed legal bill first quarter FY2012

Even though Gini Tate's $225/hour contract was terminated by a 5-4 Regional School Committee vote (9/22/10) for Special Education legal services commencing 12/1/2010, with the contract turned over to Dupere & Dupere for a $36,000 total annual cost, taxpayers recently paid the law firm of Murphy, Hesse, Toomey and Lehane (Ms. Tate's firm)$13,646 for special education legal services for only the first quarter of FY2012.

According to Regional School Committee Chair Rick Hood:

"There were three cases carried over from the transition between Dupere and MHLT (Attorney Tate). Two of the cases have reached conclusion and/or are awaiting the BSEA to issue their decision. The third case was a re-filing of a case where MHLT (Attorney Tate) had already worked extensively on it during the FY11 school year prior to Dupere being appointed the new SE attorney. Probably this is the case you are referring to.

Where MHLT was already deeply involved in a case it was thought best (and less expensive) to keep MHLT on it."

Of course that case he claims attorney Tate being "deeply involved in" had only been filed 11/13/10, less than a month after the Regional School Committee vote to terminate Ms. Tate and only two weeks before the 12/1/10 date of implementation. In fact, the case was withdrawn and refiled April 4, 2011 well after Dupere & Dupere took over.

But no, rather than let the new law firm handle it at no extra cost we have town officials opening a spigot--as though taxpayer money springs from an endless well.

Expensive "internal" copy costs

Trip the light fantastic

2011-11-17T20:45:00.003-05:00

Town Moderator Harrison Gregg calls the meeting to order (the usual 10 minutes late)

So in addition to the usually screw ups--PowerPoint snafus and sound system screeches--two hours into Town Meeting, after I had already taken 35 photos (equally divided between pro and con speakers) from my front row seated position which is designated for media, after Mary Streeter trudged to the microphone 40 feet from me, Molly Turner interrupted with a "point of order," claiming I was distracting speakers (of course she meant those on her side who opposed the article) by "flashing" in their faces.

Moderator Harrison Gregg, who I had already photographed three times, seemed confused and asked her what she was talking about. Obviously I was not a distraction to him, even though seated almost directly in front of his podium.

And Ms. Streeter certainly did not seem to notice, as she was juggling papers and asked about removing the microphone. I was taking two photos of every speaker and you can barely notice the first flash (the lighting is lousy in the auditorium and does require a flash for usable photos) and then the second and final one a full 24 seconds later.

He then flippantly bans my flash. Now yeah, I could have done what Luke Gelinas did with the South Hadley School Committee and get arrested and then suit for a First Amendment violation. But I figured a major disruption could cost votes as most people know I favored passage of the Form Based Zoning article.

That night before Town Meeting started, the Moderator announced that a member wished to enact a rule to limit all speakers to no more than five minutes. But he said since town meeting had not formerly adopted such a rule, he could not suddenly try to enforce it now.

Last spring the Town Meeting Coordinating Committee briefly discussed the use of flash photography and photographers moving about on the floor of town meeting potentially distracting or "intimidating" speakers--but nothing ever came of it. No enforceable rule enacted.

I guess that makes me and my flash...special.

Form Based Zoning: DOA

2011-11-16T22:45:00.017-05:00

Amherst Town Meeting members call for "tally vote" by holding up cards

Despite 80% support from the Select Board and 60% of Town Meeting members, Form Based Zoning in North Amherst village center and Atkins Corner in deep South Amherst failed to clear the high hurdle of a two thirds vote, going down to defeat after 2.5 hours of discussion with 119 yes votes and 79 no.

The majority of the discussion centered on North Amherst where Town Meeting was told by two speakers that over 100 "residents of Montague Road" had signed a petition opposing the article (turns out to be more like a dozen actual residents), but Atkins Corner in South Amherst also drew criticism because the two new roundabouts are not yet functioning and the noise from the Norwottuck Gun Club was portrayed as a major detriment to health and safety.

Unfortunately the cumulative effect of having two large separate areas involved--each with its own set of NIMBYs--doomed the ambitious undertaking. Perhaps if someone had divided the motion and let each village center be voted on separately one of them could have passed.

Overall, like the demise of the Gateway Project, the fear that increased density of development was not family friendly and would bring more student party houses to disrupt neighborhoods with late night noise, traffic, fighting, vandalism, unsightly trash and body fluids caused the defeat.

Maybe now town and UMass officials will get serious about controlling rowdy, alcohol fueled behavior of the tiny minority of students who are having such a detrimental impact on civility at large.

Selectman and North Amherst resident Jim Wald presented the article

Quintessential NIMBY Mary Streeter cited safety and environmental concerns with Atkins Corner

Atkins neighbor Seymour Epstein cited noise and pollution to a trout stream, calling the planning charrette a "charade"

Former Selectman Gerry Weiss was concerned the village centers would compete with downtown businesses