It's Like A Heat Wave

Town Common last week

Since my bricks-and-mortar media friends made such a big deal about Groff Park wading pool being closed on July 4th and probably not open this coming weekend, maybe the town can wound two birds with one drone and invite kids to play in the sprinklers used to water the Town Common and/or Memorial Field.

 Wading Pool leaks require constant refilling

The fire department doesn't seem to mind the DPW tapping into hydrants and if the town website disclosed the hours on a HOT weekend when irrigation is happening kids could show up in their bathing suits.

 Memorial /Ziomek Field

And, if that works, maybe employ it to welcome back college students on Labor Day weekend.  We could even charge admission (for spectators).

War Memorial aka "the big pool" is open

Mill River pool and Wading Pool are open 

Puffers Pond is open

Splash Park For Groff Park

Groff Park on a drizzly day

The town has submitted a $600,000 request of the Community Preservation Act Committee for a major overhaul of Groff Park that will include the town's first splash park, a new additional pavilion, and badly needed new ADA compliant playground equipment set on a safer surface.

The overall cost is projected to be $1.2 million so the town will also be submitting a PARC grant (Parkland Acquisitions & Renovations for Communities) in July, 2016 to help cover the other half of the costs.

But if the state grant is not approved, like our last one for the historic North Town Common renovations, the amount requested from CPA will still be enough for the splash park since the 60+ year old wading pool is ABD (All But Dead).

If the CPA Committee recommends the funding it will still require Town Meeting approval this spring.  The design work is being done by Berkshire Design Group who also recently designed the $240,000 ADA compliant make over of a preK playground at Crocker Farm School.

Now if we could just do something regarding the sorry state of War Memorial Playground ...

Wading pool was demolished last year at War Memorial Playground

Recreational Alliance

 

Community Field (rt), War Memorial Pool (ctr) High School Field (left)

The Amherst Center Recreation Working Group looks like it is finally getting off the drawing board as members will be announced before the end of August with a kick off meeting to take place in September.

Since the group will be looking at both town and school owned property, it's fitting that the first meeting will occur in September when our education oriented town springs back into life after an all too brief summer hiatus.

Town Manager John Musante originally announced the study committee back in December, 2014 although the Leisure Services & Supplemental Education (Rec Dept) Commission originally complained back in 2010 about the embarrassing conditions at Community Field.

 Field named after "Mr. Baseball" Stan Ziomek, father of Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek

Then Town Manager Larry Shaffer first floated the idea of a spray park to replace the ailing War Memorial Wading Pool, since demolished by the DPW.   Currently the town is considering Groff Park (not part of the Working Group's study area) as a possible location for a spray park.

 Former site of the War Memorial Wading Pool

The adjacent "big pool", built 1960, was renovated in 2012 via a $200K state grant but the surrounding children's play area has not been updated since President Kennedy was in the White House.

At the Select Board meeting Monday night member Doug Slaughter, who is also a school employee, volunteered to be "liaison" to the new study group.   Director of Facilities (for both the town and schools) Ron Bohonowicz is also expected to be a member.

SB Chair Alisa Brewer strongly suggested Slaughter should be more than just a liaison, aka he should be a voting member of the group.  The Town Manager makes the appointments but they must be approved by the Select Board so it's a safe bet he will take that suggestion.

 Wildwood School (below), Middle School (left), Hawthorn property (top right) High School field (top left corner)

Soggy Sunday

Amherst Community Fair:  jinx no more

In Amherst it used to be the quickest way to guarantee a monsoon was to have the Community Fair return for its annual run.  But this year, thankfully, broke that pattern.

A few jinxes remain however.

 Groff Park Wading Pool 11:30 AM.  Lifeguard is as lonely as the Maytag repairman

This is the first weekend all the outdoor pools in Amherst open for the summer season, and obviously with today's weather they will not see much use.  The only person present this morning at Groff Park Wading Pool was the lifeguard.

 War Memorial "big pool" 11:45 AM

And no lifeguard is needed at the War Memorial Wading Pool since it was ripped out last winter by the DPW.

 Former site of War Memorial Wading Pool now turned mosquito hatching area

Of course with the amount of water that had already accumulated this morning, maybe the town should station someone nearby to prevent accidental drownings in the large puddle left behind.

Town Manager John Musante announced an "Amherst Center Working Group" last December to study the centrally located Memorial Field area, also known as Ziomek Field, as well as the adjoining playing fields owned by the Amherst Regional School System, but they have yet to meet.

I submit for their perusal, whenever they do get around to meeting, Exhibit A and Exhibit B:  The Mill River Recreation in deep North Amherst vs the more centrally located War Memorial Recreation area, with the DPW tree division as an adjoining neighbor.

 Exhibit A

 War Memorial Recreation area/DPW Tree Division

At both sites the playing fields are usable but Mill River will improve dramatically after a $127,351 renovation this year.  The children's playground areas, however, are different as night and day.

 War Memorial playground equipment is seriously outdated

War Memorial has a seriously cracked basketball court where they could have filmed the movie "San Andreas," and the playground equipment is almost non existent.

Exhibit B

Mill River Recreation area: a tad more functional

Five years ago then Town Manager Larry Shaffer first floated (pun intended) the idea of a splash park similar to Northampton's Look Park at War Memorial.

 Mill River playground equipment is a tad more modern

Since then the town spent $200,000 (mostly reimbursed by a state PARC grant) to rehabilitate the War Memorial Pool, but has done nothing to the surrounding play area.  And it's not only become an embarrassing eyesore, but it's now a potential health hazard as well.

 Groff Park Wading Pool is beyond its rated lifespan

Spray parks are (relatively) cheap to build, cheap to maintain, super safe, and a heck of a lot of fun.  The town should start planning for two of them -- one at Groff Park and the other at War Memorial.  Soon! 

Everybody Into The Pool(s)

War Memorial Pool, located next to Amherst Regional High School

The 60 year old centrally located War Memorial Pool, aka the "big pool", will open tomorrow and next week Mill River out in North Amherst follows suit.

The "little pool" located next to War Memorial was ripped up over the winter and now is but a hard brown circular patch that would make a great UFO landing zone.

Former location of wading pool

Mill River Pool opens Saturday June 27

Groff Park Wading Pool will also open next week for its final season (It too will become a UFO landing zone)

The central sprinkler was removed a few years ago at Groff Park over safety concerns

End Of An Era

Crop Circles?  Nah, former War Memorial wading pool

Those of you old enough to remember when the Amherst Regional Middle School was called the Jr. High School probably remember as well referring to the War Memorial wading pool as "the little pool."

War Memorial Wading Pool looking a tad forlorn 6/21/13

Built alongside "the big pool" back in 1960 the wading pool has provided a respite from summer's withering heat for generations of Amherst youth, especially those of limited economic means.

The wading pool was closed the last two summers because of a leak which would be expensive to fix (tens of thousands).   And new state regulations that would require removal of the spray unit in the center of the pool, which most kids probably found to be the best part.

Town officials have been talking about replacing the wading pool with a spray park for all too many years now.

Town Manager John Musante is expected to appoint an Amherst Center Recreation Working Group any day now, headed by Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek, to look at an overall plan for Memorial Field, adjacent public schools playing fields, and the Hawthorn property. 

Unfortunately they will take a full year to do their study, so the chance a spray park will be spurting this coming summer is about as likely as UFO landing in town center. 

Summer Secret Revealed

War Memorial Pool

Sunday morning update 11:00 AM:
Pool did not open yesterday due to high levels of chlorine but did open this morning.  Yeah.

Saturday morning update 10:20 AM:
War Memorial Pool did not open for 10:00 AM as chlorine levels spiked during the overnight.  Facility director Alan Snow is currently working his chemical magic and reports the pool should still open today.  Although that can't help with consumer confidence.  

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Original Post:
Pssst, don't tell anyone but the town's two main outdoors pools open for business today just in time for, well, summer.  As you may remember last year the War Memorial Pool, after a $200,000 makeover, missed the opening date by a week or so.

 

War Memorial Pool was filled Thursday

The Mill River Pool and wader opened last week for a school function so they are ahead of schedule.

 DPW worker paints the Groff Park Wading Pool

Neither of the stand alone wading pools will be ready to host children however.  I'm told Groff Park should be open Tuesday and War Memorial wading pool by Friday, but my source is none too optimistic about how long the 50+ year old facility will last.

 War Memorial Wading Pool this morning looking a tad forlorn

Two years ago Town Meeting appropriated $200,000 for the War Memorial Pool renovation but then a state grant rained down money from the heavens.  The funds has been sitting in an account collecting dust ever since.

Amherst formed a "Community Field Study Group" that seemed to like the idea of turning the War Memorial wading pool into a splash park, which is cheaper to operate (no lifeguards needed) and uses water a lot more efficiently.  But most of all is easy get up and running each season. 

And that $200,000 stashed away would more than cover the cost. 

Show Me The Money!

So unlike Northampton, our real Sister City to the west, Amherst will not be voting on a Proposition 2.5 Override to balance the FY14 budget which starts July 1, 2013.  Although in Hamp's defense, it should be noted their property tax rate is only $13.35 compared to Amherst's $19.74 per $1,000 of valuation.

In addition to $6.2 million in reserves (plus the Regional Schools $1 million) Amherst also has unspent monies stashed in capital accounts previously appropriated by Town Meeting.  For instance the $200,000 for War Memorial Pool reconstruction.

After Town Meeting appropriated funds the state came through with a grant obviating the need for town money, so that's $200K sitting in an account without a mission.

   Amherst Capital Spending Report

Since it was appropriated for a recreational item at the town's oldest and largest playing field, why not use it to replace the aging wading pool with a spray park?

Spray parks are cheap to operate, easy to maintain, safe for our youngsters and not overly labor intensive.  After all, our kids grow up to be taxpayers.  And in this town, that's a heck of a burden.

Sultry Saturday

War Memorial Pool, 2:15 PM, 92 degrees hot

After being abandoned for four years and then missing two opening deadlines this summer, the War Memorial Pool finally did open on July 8.

But, as scheduled, a couple weeks before Labor Day, it closed ... with no signage now to indicate that (other than a lack of people).

Sizzling Saturday

The shade structure was even most popular than the water this morning at War Memorial Pool gala.  Color Guard at ease

Town officials must be doing something right as New England weather continues to provide stunningly beautiful backdrops for milestone outdoor events, today being the long awaited, long overdue grand opening ceremony for the War Memorial Pool.

The pool was scheduled to open June 23, then postponed by a week until June 30, and finally opened on July 8 under a brilliant clear sky.  The wading pool, however, still sits empty and town officials have not offered an opening date.

Stan Ziomek:  Raised private funds to build the pool 60 years ago; helped convince Amherst Town Meeting to renovate/revive it

Once again the pool is free and open to the public today until 6:00 PM.  LSSE, the overseers of outdoor pools, responded to public input and tweaked/expanded their hours for general usage.

Town Manager John Musante and SB Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe forgot their bathing suits

War Memorial Pool Open Swim

Mon.-Fri. 11 am-1 pm
Sat. & Sun. 10 am-1 pm

New Hours at War Memorial Pool:
Adult Lap Swim:
Mon.-Fri. 11 am-1 pm
Sat. & Sun. 10 am-1 pm

Open Swim:
Mon.-Fri. 11 am-5 pm
Sat. & Sun. 10 am-6 pm

Wading pool still awaiting water

Sizzling Sunday

 Kid safe shallow end of the pool

Mother Nature must feel guilty about the pounding she gave us last October 29 with that freak once in a lifetime snowstorm, because all the milestone outdoor events since then--town fair, Taste of Amherst, and now the grand opening of the long awaited War Memorial Pool--have been blessed with perfect weather.

WGGB Channel 40 TV shows up to interview acting town manager Dave Ziomek and happy participants.

New England Youth Lacrosse All Star Tournament increased car traffic dramatically

Kira poised to plunge

 

Jada the jet ready to launch

5:45 PM All's well that ends well

Bring 'em On

 War Memorial Pool 7/5/12 

UPDATE (4:45 PM).  Okay, it's finally official.  Because you can now read the official press release on the town website.  About time!

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BREAKING NEWS:  (4:00 PM) So I just spoke with Pat Desmarais (apparently the only one left at the LSSE office) and she confirmed the pool will be open Sunday 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM 6:00 PM and it is indeed free, free, free, FREE

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The War Memorial Pool looked ready for a refreshing dive (not that they have a diving board of course) around 5:00 PM this afternoon.  Buoys are out, water is clear, new fencing is up all around and the concrete looks uniformly cured.  Probably will not open tomorrow, but if town officials wish to reclaim some badly needed credibility then Saturday is a must.

 Let's hope they do not wait until 5:00 PM tomorrow to make the announcement. 

Meanwhile the "South East Street Massacre" continues unabated.  Main Street/Pelham Road is next, and the trees are already starting to quiver.