A Fitting Final Resting Place

The Jones Library

The Jones Library Building & Facilities Committee this morning voted unanimously to request the Board of Trustees at their June 4th meeting adopt the town owned Civil War tablets and install them in the library as part of the upcoming renovation/expansion project.

Amherst Town Meeting approved $65,000 in Community Preservation Act money in 2009 to have the six large marble tablets professionally cleaned, lettering restored and then crated for safe storage and transport.

Originally the town wished to display them in Town Hall but found the flooring was not strong enough to support the weight of the tablets;  and building climate controlled weather proof cases for outside would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

   Civil War Tablets Restored

Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek attended the meeting this morning confirming the town was "still very committed to putting them on display, and using the Jones Library makes all the sense in the world."

He went on to say a simple Memo of Understanding could be drawn up maintaining town ownership of the tablets but giving the Jones Library "permanent loan."

The funding for installation could come from the state renovation grant, which would cover half the cost, or if that is not an allowable expense the town would apply for Community Preservation Act money.

The Jones Library is now in active discussion with the Strong House aka Amherst History Museum next door for purchase of land to facilitate their proposed expansion.   But this commitment to display the Civil War tablets is NOT dependent on that deal coming to fruition. 

Stirring news for this Memorial Day weekend.

"Sacred Dead" tablet with names of all 57 Amherst residents who gave their "last measure of devotion."

A Long Range Plan

Jones Library, downtown anchor and the town's "Living room"

Thursday's meeting of the Jones Library Board of Trustees became a bit more spirited during the "Long Range Plan Approval" item on the agenda, which was scheduled for 20 minutes.

   Jones Library: 5 year Long Range Plan

The discussion lasted perhaps twice that long, mainly because Trustee Bob Pam wanted to do a line by line review for possible changes of the document -- both substance and style -- while Tamson Ely and Chair Austin Sarate most definitely did not.

 Jones Library Board of Trustees in the homey Goodwin Room

Pam had sent an email to the group earlier suggesting changes that go somewhat beyond simple editing of typos or style.  And he stated firmly at the meeting that, "It is the long range plan of the Board of Trustees, not the Director."

The Trustees did vote 5-1 (Pam voting No) not to wordsmith the entire document for style or typos but whatever "policy" issues they wish to add or change should be sent to Director Sharon Sharry, and they would then discuss and vote the entire document at their next June 4th meeting. 

The "Long Range Plan" is required for the state grant covering building renovation/expansion project the Jones is now busily moving forward on.

Interestingly the Long Range Plan compiled extensive customer survey results -- 86% of them Amherst residents -- with "lack of adequate parking" being the main complaint (66%) and customer service being the main compliment (63% "extremely helpful.")

  CVS & Town parking lot located close behind Jones Library (bottom front) and could someday be the site of new (real) Parking Garage

No Move For You!

Simeon Strong House, one of the oldest in Amherst

The Jones Library Board of Trustees heard a report this morning about the conspiracy theory floated on the floor of Amherst Town Meeting last night citing rumors that the Jones was going to absorb the Amherst History Museum Stong House next door and then sell some of the property at market rate to fatten their endowment.

As usual with rumors, partial-truths make them all the more believable.

 Strong House (left) rear of Jones Library (right)

Library Director Sharon Sharry has mentioned in public a number of times now that the Jones is in "discussion" with the Amherst Historical Society about a mutually beneficial collaboration that could include land purchase.

And Select Board member Jim Wald, who is now President of the Amherst Historical Society. first mentioned it back in January at a Community Preservation Act Committee meeting.

The piece of property in question is not the spacious lawn in front of Strong House that stretches out to Amity Street.  It's the plot behind the historic building.

And if the sale should happen it would not involve trying to move the Strong House forward closer to Amity Street, or be a merging of the two entities.

 Jones Library (lower right) Strong House (top left, red roof)

Because the Jones is in the beginning stages of a $10 million renovation/expansion, 50% state funded, buying property behind the Strong House will contribute significant funding to the Amherst Historical Society.

And give the Jones Library desperately needed room to expand.  With half of it state money.

A win-win of historic proportions.

Mega Merger In The Making?

Jones Library, Amherst town center

At last night's Community Preservation Act Committee meeting, while advocating for $20,000 to do an archaeological site survey of the Strong House historic property in town center, Jim Wald mentioned the Amherst Historical Society is considering a future alliance with the Jones Library, their immediate neighbor.

Click to enlarge/read

Thus the archaeological survey (which will use ground-penetrating radar) will come in handy when the Jones Library doubles in size, possibly using Strong House property.  Since the Strong House is such a historical treasure the state would require an archaeological survey prior to any construction taking place anywhere on their property.

 Simeon Strong House, home to Amherst History Museum

Jim Wald also pointed out the 1750-era Strong House was originally a home designed for Simeon Strong, an upper crust Amherst resident (the original 1%).   Now as a public museum it houses over 1,500 artifacts related to the history of our town.

The Jones Library expansion could provide plenty of climate controlled, handicapped accessible space to help store precious artifacts under museum control possibly including the only known surviving dress of Amherst's most famous resident, Emily Dickinson.

Strong House left, Jones Library right

Last spring Town Meeting approved $25,000 in design money (matched by a $50,000 state grant) to get the ball rolling on an expansion that would double the size of the current Library.

The last time the Jones was expanded/renovated was in 1993.  The state would pay half the cost of the renovation/expansion, with a total price tag in the $10 million range. 

Of course the Jones Library will have to get in line with competing major construction projects looming on the horizon, including the forever talked about South Fire Station, a new Department of Public Works building and the renovation or demolition of Wildwood Elementary School.

Show Me The $

Jones Library Trustees meeting this afternoon

The Jones Library is looking for a new investment manager for their endowment, currently valued at $7,666,247.48 and probably the $611,219.78 in the Woodbury Fund as well.

Chris Milne, President of New England Capital sent in a resignation letter the day after Christmas, but he will continue on as an "active manager" of the funds on a month-to-month basis until the Trustees hire a new firm, probably by April 1st.

NEC had actively manged the Jones Library endowment since 2009.  Annual returns since then averaged 5.34%, but the Jones Library had set a benchmark goal of 8.77%, a hefty $250,000 per year difference.

Since "active manager" investment advisers underperformed 75% of the time compared to simply, safe, lower cost,  "Index Fund" investments, the Trustees are considering making index based investing a cornerstone of any new management strategy. 

The overall goal of the Jones Library Trustees is to ensure the endowment's annual return at least matches the amount withdrawn every year to support Library operations. 

Tintin On The Move

So yes, as one of my sagacious Anons pointed out in comments last week the Jones Library has indeed moved the suddenly (in Amherst anyway) controversial Tintin series of comic books.  But no, it has nothing to do with political pressure -- including hints of racism -- brought to bear by parents and others concerned about dated, racially insensitive material.

 

Jones Library:  Amherst's living room

According to Library Director Sharon Sharry:  "Librarians are constantly re-thinking space needs, so as part of this ongoing dialogue, we reviewed the placement of our comic books and decided to give them a new home within the Children's Room.  It's a very nice, cozy, bright spot that we think the kids will love."

 

New cozy home for comics section

A very small number of parents asked the Jones to relocate the comics out of the children's section entirely making them less accessible to their target audience, children.  They pointed out the books are located in the main entry to the Children's Room and therefor have a higher profile.

Comics section former home

I'm told the Tintin comic series has been popular at the Jones Library for the last 30 years or so. And the recent tempest seems not to have unduly tarnished their popularity: On Friday when I asked for a sample copy to photograph, I was informed all 24 comics are currently out.

A Capital Idea

 

APD Chief Scott Livingstone right

It's that time of the budget year when department heads appear before the Joint Capital Planning Committee with tin cups in hand looking to fund equipment above and beyond their "operation budget."

The Joint Capital Planning Committee is comprised of two members each from Select Board, School Committee, Finance Committee and Library Trustees.

The target expenditure goal for capital is 7% of the $45 million projected tax levy, or $3,130,466.  However two-thirds of that -- $2,008,575 -- is already spoken for to service debt on previously authorized projects, leaving available $1,044,588.

Plus $180,000 in Community Preservation Funds (the Community Preservation Act Committee is in charge of those funds) and another $255,000 in ambulance funds bringing the grand total to bankroll new capital purchases to $1,480,000.

But the problem is requests to the JCPC are always w-a-y over that limit, with requests this year totally $3,881,311-- so cuts have to be made.

The Amherst Police Department was first up last week and their modest request consisted of 3 new vehicles, total of $105,000, and a $15,000 fingerprint scanner,

The front line police patrol cars are used 24/7 and rack up more miles than a NASA orbiter.  Both of the cruisers are Ford Interceptors -- one an SUV and the other a sedan -- and the third car, for administration, will be a politically correct Ford hybrid Escape.

Ford Interceptor SUV (Crown Vics are no longer manufactured)

Everybody APD arrests has to be fingerprinted.  The current eight year old scanning unit is outdated and breaks down frequently.  The new unit will automatically link to Massachusetts State Police data base for instant background checks.

Of course like Amherst Fire Department one serious problem faced by APD is a lack of people power.  The Town Manager has put the hiring of one new officer ($62,908) for downtown patrol on his "prioritized list of budget restorations" if the Regional Dispatch Center should miraculously happen and saves the town $62,908.  Kind of a Public Safety robbing-Peter-to-pay-Paul scenario.

This morning the JCPC heard pitches from the Jones Library ($39,000), Planning Department ($52,000), and Conservation Department ($10,000).

The Library is looking for $4,000 for a new snowblower.  Finance Director and JCPC staff liason Sandy Pooler pointed out the committee has a minimum threshold of $5,000 per item and half jokingly suggested, "Why don't you order a bigger snowblower?"

The North Amherst Library is in need of new carpet so no problems making the $5,000 minimum there, since a lot of equipment needs to be removed and stored before going back in on the new carpet.  A company that specializes in libraries will do it all for $10,000.

The request that will stir the most controversy, but was described by Library Director Sharon Sharry as their #1 priority is for $25,000, representing a one-third contribution to apply for a $50,000 State Planning and Design Grant (25 out of 35 libraries will win be awarded grants).

If the Jones does not win the $50,000 grant the town's $25,000 will be returned.

The $75,000 will go towards hiring a project manager and architect to start the process of a major renovation that could double the size of the Jones Library.  The state would cover half the cost of the renovation/expansion, but on a $10 million project that's still $5 million of town tax dollars.

JCPC Chair Kay Moran called it a "very exciting project, but we have these other very large needs" as she rattled off major renovations coming up -- two elementary schools, a new DPW building and
the forever talked about new Fire Station.

Planning Director Jonathan Tucker presented a request for $52,000 to complete a project already underway:  remapping the 100 year flood plains.  Town Meeting approved $100,000 in 2012 and $15,000 of that was used to hire a consultant.

The consultant concluded the cost to integrate new information into new maps would be $137,000 total or another $52,000 on top of the remaining $85,000 from 2012.  Tucker described the current set of maps (dating back to 1972) as a "Very accurate representation of old information."

David Ziomek took off his Assistant Town Manager hat and put on his Director of Conservation and Development hat to request $5,000 for a new brush hog mower and another $5,000 for a trailer to cart it safely and efficiently around Amherst.

The Conservation Department oversees 2,000 acres, including 40 open fields where mowing is a big part of that upkeep.  The current brush hog is five years old and tends to break down.  But if the new one is purchased the old one would be kept as a back up.

Sandy Pooler gingerly asked (his boss when he's wearing his Assistant Town Manager hat) if he could borrow a DPW mower.  Ziomek replied the DPW is busy with theirs at the same time so it's hard to schedule, although items like a chipper, which is not used as frequently, can be borrowed. 

The JCPC will be meeting with town department heads every Thursday until mid March, and in April will issue a final report to Town Meeting with their Golden Ticket recommendations. 

Torpedo Tintin?

Jones Library:  The people's living room

I guess Bill Clinton would say it depends on how you define "censorship".

Clearly Jones Library Director Sharon Sharry subscribes to the American Library Association's definition:  "A change in the access status of material, based on the content of the work and made by a governing authority or its representatives. Such changes include exclusion, restriction, removal, or age/grade level changes.

The group of concerned parents who want to relocate the "Tintin" series of colorful comics believe there's a "principled middle ground" that would allow for "placing material that uses derisive portrayals of a racial group that has been historically discriminated against purely to entertain the reader, as is the case in the comics, to areas for older readers."

 But clearly, that would be a "Change in the access status of the material, based on content ..." Or in the eyes of the ALA, censorship.

And of course the concerned parents "drive this point home" using the racially offensive book "Simple Additions by a Little Nigger," as an example of a historically dated work targeted at children they would expect not to find in the Jones Library.

And last I looked (this morning),  the book "Simple Additions by a Little Nigger" was NOT available at the Jones.

But I'll let the two opposing sides speak for themselves:

Request for Reconsideration 

Jones Library Director's response presented to Trustees 

Gazette Internet Poll

 

Tu Parle Francais?

Well worn copies of Tintin at the Jones Library

So it turns out the only Jones Library copy of the most offensive entry in the "Tintin" series -- "Tintin In The Congo" -- is in french, so it is located in the foreign language section, and not with the other ones (pictured above) at the higher profile entryway to the Children's Room.

Of course when I asked to peruse "Tintin in the Congo, "  err, I mean "Tintin au Congo" it was, naturally, already taken out.  Not that I parle francais.

A really long-time Jones Library employee confirms the Tintin series has been available since she first arrived at the Jones back in 1972, and replacement copies have been ordered over the years (English versions of course) because they have worn out from avid readership.

Library Director Sharon Sharry also confirmed that the most recent written “request for reconsideration of library materials” filed by the concerned parents over Tintin was the first such formal request she has had in her 17-month tenure thus far at the Jones.

Back in 1996 a traveling photo exhibit "Love Makes A Family:  Living in Lesbian and Gay Families" sparked controversy in Amherst because some parents did not want their elementary school aged children exposed to it.

Although they were a tad vague as to what "it" was that children needed to be protected from.

The schools stood firm, the photo exhibit went on (probably to a much wider audience because of all the controversy) and our local civilization did not fall.  

Censorship is censorship. A doomsday device -- no matter which political persuasion employs it.

Racism vs Censorship

Jones Library on a snowy day

The Jones Library is now in that unenviable position of dealing with a handful of parents concerned about reading material available in the Children's Room.  The formal name of the room kind of gives you an idea of the room's demographic. 

The problem is an ancient comics series "Tintin" that has some, err, dated ideas about race relations which could pollute the minds of young children.  Their solution, fortunately, is not outright censorship, aka the 1999 'West Side Story' "racism" debacle at Amherst Regional High School.

They simply want the book series moved to the Young Adult section.

Although that would probably be like moving 'Cat In The Hat' from the Children's Section to Young Adult where the clientele would be a tad too mature to wish to read it.

Dr Seuss war effort

Of course the argument could be made that Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, penned some let us say less than flattering portrayals of Emperor Hirohito and should also be moved.  That too was a "different time," and that particular cartoon appeared in print less than three months after the Japanese perpetrated their infamous Ninja raid on Pearl Harbor.

This morning Jones Library Trustees took up discussion of the potentially volatile issue after the Library Director Sharon Sharry refused to take the parents suggestion.  The Trustees took the safe way out by not taking a formal position because no one made a motion one way or the other.

But the board did send three suggestions to the Library Director:   Let patrons know the Jones Library does not vet material for content (even children's books); perhaps move the items within the Children's Room to a less visible location; and work with the concerned parents to come up with an educational program on racism in children's books.

Or, individual parents could just prevent their kids from picking up the 'Tintin' series.

 Martin Luther King, Jr.

Daily Kos agrees

American Library Association:  Bill of Rights for Minors

A Love For Books

 George Goodman (right)

If you can't trust long-time civic minded "Friend of the Jones Library" George Goodwin with a key to the historic building, who can you trust?

Although, since it's an original key dating back to 1928, it may not still work.

 Former (forever) Library Director Bonnie Isman presents the gifts of, naturally, books

This morning in the Trustees Room Ellen and George Goodwin Room, friends, patrons and lovers of the Jones Library came together to honor a long-time champion, George Goodwin.

His co-champion wife Ellen passed away early last month, but as MC Tina Swift pointed out, she was still there in spirit.

Greatness Recalled

"The Greatest Generation:  A Visual Tribute" by artist Chris Demarest

A Military Portrait Art show kicks off its national tour here in Amherst, a town not always known as a bastion of old fashioned patriotism, in the sun splashed atrium of our own Jones Library, "the people's living room."

Hometown artist Chris Demarest, a cross between illustrator Norman Rockwell and writer Tracy Kidder,  has put brush to canvas on over 80 scenes of our WW2 generation going about their daily business of contributing to the war effort.  A hard won victory only made possible by teamwork, skill and unwavering dedication to the cause that defined a generation.

And with more than an equal share of the paintings highlighting the significant contributions to the war effort made by our secret weapon: women.

Some 350,000 women served in US Armed Forces during WW2

Blue, I'm So Blue

Jones Library chimney repairs continued today (courtesy of Community Preservation Act $)

Undercover Boss

Sharon Sharry, Jones Library Director

Today rookie Jones Library Director Sharon Sharry took up front line duties serving on the circulation desk to fill in for employees being trained for a new computer check out system, but also as a means of meeting the bookloving general public.

Meanwhile the Jones has on display plans for the downstairs Woodbury Room, a renovation that will start in July and should be completed by summer's end.

 

Whiny to the bitter end

The Joint Capital Planning Committee voted 7-1 this morning to approve $3,153,200 in recommendation to the Town Manager that backtracked only slightly from last week's fireworks laden meeting, mainly to now include $20,000 for 16 Jones Library surveillance cameras and $10,000 for maintenance work at the town owned Hitchcock Center building.

Hitchcock Center

After the camera initiative was properly vetted by IT directory Kris Pacunas, the price had precipitously dropped from $60,000 to $20,000 and will certainly provide peace of mind for patrons made nervous by frisky teens frolicking in the unattended downstairs, or the homeless wandering in looking for a place to sleep.

Library Trustee Carol Gray took exception once again to cuts that were upheld: $150,000 for fire protection system and $15,000 for building insulation, which she claimed would return about $3,000 in annual energy savings, or a five-year payback. Although she neglected to factor in the $15,000 that was approved last year for insulation and never spent, thus the payback period is really ten years.

And of course being a former lawyer she held up the architectural study commissioned by Library Trustees that highlighted minor deficiencies in the current fire protection system suggesting the town would be liable for any injuries sustained in the (unlikely) event of a fire.

Ms. Gray also took a cheap swipe at $90,000 earmarked for planning studies split between two major projects:  Last fall "Form Based Zoning" failed to garner the two-thirds vote necessary (119-79) at Town Meeting--with many opponents saying the article required "more study"--that would have rezoned North Amherst center and the Atkins Corner in South Amherst.

And the Gateway Corridor Town Center rezoning study, a $40,000 item to bring Form Based Zoning to the commercial downtown and the contiguous corridor leading to our largest employer, UMass.

Former Library Trustee (Chair) Pat Holland, who was defeated last year because of her tag-team involvement with Ms. Gray in running off long time library Director Bonnie Isman, is running unopposed for the lone Amherst Redevelopment Authority seat in the April 3 election.

The ARA spearheaded, nurtured and delivered the Gateway Project plan over the past year-and-a-half, but will probably have little future involvement for Ms Holland to sabotage.

The Week Ahead

Joint Capital Planning Committee:  reports to Town Manager

Time was, not so long ago, a news junkie in Amherst looked forward to the Monday night Select Board meeting because that was the hotbed of potentially entertaining news worthy issues--usually of the embarrassing kind.

But with the, umm, retirement--or I should say relocation--of Anne Awad and the orchestrated coup d'état that ousted Gerry Weiss as Chair, driving him into retirement as well, Select Board meetings  have become a coldbed of boring routine.  Evidenced by a lack of competition for open seats in the annual town election these past few years.

Thus Joint Capital Planning Committee promises to be the most interesting meeting this week (Thursday 9:00 AM) as they will, finally, vote on $4 million worth of capital requests from all town departments including the schools, a vote that will whittling the bottom line down to only $3 million.  And a JCPC thumbs up practically guarantees a rubber stamp by Amherst Town Meeting.

Will the Jones Library get 16 new wireless digital surveillance cameras? (probably)  Will Information Technology Department get it's fancy $32,000 Ford hybrid Escape? (probably not) Will Town Hall get an $85,000 generator? (damn well better).  Will Carol Gray get twitchy again about any cuts to the Jones Library requests? (safe bet).

On Friday The Jones Library Trustees will discuss a report from the Personnel Planning Policy subcommittee regarding the six-month evaluation of library director Sharon Sharry.  Ms. Sharry took over the Good Ship Jones after Carol Gray attempted a mutiny/takeover of the micromanaging kind, driving out Director Bonnie Isman after 30 years of admirable service.

Jones Library Trustees Chris Hoffman, Carol Gray

Interestingly Ms. Gray is on the the current evaluation subcommittee, but from all the reports I'm getting, Sharry is doing an admirable job thusfar and, thankfully, no controversy like the previous kind is expected when the evaluation goes public on Friday.

Also, on the optimistic immediate horizon for the Jones Library is the election April 3rd, where Ms. Gray is expected to lose her Trustee seat, like her inquisition compatriot Pat Holland already did last year (for the same good reason).

Although, she will not have to turn in her library card.

Sparks fly over "safety"

Sandy Pooler makes a firm point to Library Trustee Carol Gray.  Comptroller Sonia Aldrich stuck in the middle

Carol Gray pulled out the classic Smothers Brothers "Mom always liked you best!" routine at an animated Joint Capital Planning Committee meeting this morning, complaining that "other departments" were given their top two or three requested items, but the Jones Library just had "six out of seven eliminated."

Finance Director Sandy Pooler had indeed decided not to recommend any of their big ticket funding requests:  $150,000 for fire safety upgrades, because AFD Chief Tim Nelson believes it can wait a year or more (especially since you can hit the Jones Library with a rock from AFD Central Station),  $125,000 for generators to turn the Jones or North Amherst library into an electricity oasis should the power ever go out again, and $30,000 for security cameras (down from the original $60,000 request).

The 16 security cameras are strongly requested because of previous incidents of (homeless) individuals "exposing themselves" and other purported general safety concerns of rank and file staff.  Although original presentation materials from last month included the statement "It has been recommended by both Amherst Police and Trustees that a security system, including cameras be purchased and installed," the Amherst Police Department was never officially asked, nor did they give such an endorsement.

The JCPC only makes recommendations to Amherst Town Meeting, but such items are all but guaranteed approval; items not recommended are guaranteed to be a Sisyphean task to now revive.

As sports fans are fond of saying:  "Wait until next year."

Generator Glut?

 
17.5 KW DPW generator: Scrap metal.

The fiscal fallout from the freak Halloween weekend storm continues as department wish lists includes back up generators as part of their capital requests for the next fiscal year.

The Jones Library Trustees are seeking $105,000 for two units, one 500 KW unit @ $82,000  for the main downtown library and another 30 KW unit @ $23,000 for the tiny North Amherst branch plus another $20,000 for installation, for a grand total of $125,000.

Town Hall is slated for a $85,000 generator (a Town Manager request therefor a slam dunk), as key components of command and control are located there--namely the main wireless Internet routers,  with emitters sitting atop street lights--and tied into their power--around Town Hall.

When the power went off the night of the storm the downtown wi-fi went down, although the town website did not go dark, as the server is located in Holyoke. 

 Wi-fi emitter Spring Street Parking lot (uses power from streetlight)

The nearby Police Station, where 911 dispatch is located, has a generator which fortunately did its critical job during the extended outage.  The DPW was not as fortunate as their generator failed to function, but Mass Emergency Management Agency managed to get four rented generators delivered from a Springfield firm by Sunday late afternoon. 

The DPW is requesting $15,000 to replace that ailing unit with a new one in the 30 KW range.  Since DPW trucks were critical as first responders clearing the streets of snow and storm debris, and since gas pumps at the "the barn" require electricity to pump fuel, a working generator is--according to the itemized Capital Project Request--a "very high priority".

The generator at the Centennial Water Treatment Plant also doesn't work and is scheduled for replacement as part of a $4 million overhaul of the entire plant. On the day of the storm Centennial was off line and acting as a simple water tower to help keep pressure in the system.

A small booster pump (without generator back up) is the weak link. When that failed even light Sunday demand drew down water in the Centennial tank and, ominously, water pressure began to fall...

Luckily the Atkins Treatment Plant and Well #3 had working generators, otherwise town folks would have had to drink something other than water. 

Thirteen years ago in the hysterical run up to the new Millennium, then Town Manager Barry Del Castilho became overly influenced by a Happy Valley volunteer "Y2K Citizens Committee" chaired by a UMass secretary who relied on the early day Internet for research pointing to a doomsday scenario.

Del Castilho tried to browbeat the Finance Committee into using emergency reserve funds to finance a $60,000 back up generator for the downtown Bangs Community Center.  When that failed to spark enthusiasm, he talked the Select Board into placing the request as a stand alone article on the annual spring 1999 Town Meeting warrant.

In a rare rebuke for Del Castilho, the article fell short by a 20 vote margin, 81-61 (6/9/99) .  Of course New Year's Day 2000 dawned without airplanes falling out of the sky, and the power in downtown Amherst never faltered...until the night of October 29, 2011.

Like Bangs Community Center, the Jones Library does not have a generator--but then neither do the adjacent Ann Whalen Apartments or Clark House, subsidized rental units managed by the Amherst Housing Authority with a high concentration of senior citizens.  

 Jones Library 11/1/11

The North Amherst Library is not even worth considering because it's exceedingly small (under 1,000 square feet) and not ADA compliant.  The Jones Library is large and centrally located but no more so than the Amherst Police Department or Town Hall.

 Ann Whalen Apartments

When asked if Library officials have had a conversation with the Town Manager or other department heads to coordinate shared planning for emergencies like the October snowstorm, Library Director Sharon Sharry answered quietly, "No".

Safe to say the Joint Capital Planning Committee, or Town Meeting, will pull the plug on the Library's expensive wish.  And if it's that important to them, they can always tap their $7.5 million endowment. 

Amherst Bulletin Generator Column 1999  (back when I was a paid MSM journalist)

Going up?

In case you wondered why Jones Library employees were greatly concerned over the new Personnel Procedures Manual that the Personal Board worked on for three years because it seemingly increases the day to day managerial powers of the Library Trustees (i.e. micromanaging), consider this:

Jones Library Trustees President Sarah McKee ordered the elevator closed until further notice after an elderly women became temporarily stuck, then pushed every button on the panel in frustration (except for the alarm button) which did not help the situation. After making a scene she managed to get out unscathed.

An elevator technician came the next day, tested the machine and deemed it fine. About two years ago Ms. McKee had the elevator shut down for months awaiting a new panel, even though a state inspector had deemed it fine.

The Jubilat/Jones Reading Series occurred this afternoon in the Trustees Room, 3rd floor. I guess poetry aficionados also got their exercise.

Amherst Select Board mediates

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."