A view from above

The Amherst Fire Department took a break from their busy schedule to show their bosses--Amherst citizens--the important work they do. Although when the tone alarm went off, a few would disappear in one of the ambulances.

The Open House was well attended as the town was bustling today, and no one had more fun than the kids--although Smokey Bear was missed.

Town Hall

Boltwood Place

Firefighter Ryan Willey, 110 feet away

Zoo Mass deja vu (all over again)

Not that I wish to give this boy-from-the-hood wanna be free publicity or anything but...Yikes! Gotta love the reactions via posted comments. Maybe he can run this along with 121 Meadow Street video as a double feature.

Figures he lives at 33 Phillips street.

Battle of the sexes, continued...

Jeff Bagg, town planner/liaison. ZBA: Hilda Greenbaum, Barbara Ford, Eric Beal

Last night the Amherst Zoning Board of Appeals heard testimony concerning the appeal of a "cease and desist" order by the Amherst Building inspector for a conversion from Sorority to Fraternity at 38 Nutting Avenue on the outskirts of UMass, close to the notorious former Frat Row.

The board made no decision, continuing the public hearing to November 3, as new materials had arrived just that afternoon from opposing attorneys.

According to town attorney Joel Bard, "If the board were to uphold the Building Inspector's determination that a change from a sorority to a fraternity constitutes a change in use under Section 9.22, the Board would need to identify some non-subjective, quantifiable differences between these two institutions. For example, testimony from police and fire departments, or from other Town official documenting the fact that fraternities are a more consistent drain than sororities on the resources of emergency responders or other officials could be a basis for specific findings that the two are different uses."

Maybe they should use my "Party House of Weekend" series, which clearly shows young men are many times more likely to engage in rowdy behavior. Or just go back five or six years when Frat Row was still active. Of course the Frat on the other end of the street--374 North Pleasant--is still active and shows up periodically in the police logs.

Another B-I-G difference between the two is sororities ban alcohol on the premises, obviously frats do not.

Attorney James Heffernan closed his presentation with a thinly veiled threat, pointing out to the three member board that municipal officers who violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment could be sanctioned on a "civil rights" violation.

Attorney James Heffernan

Attorney Bard counters in writing: "There would be no equal protection violation in upholding the Building Inspector's decision unless the Board based its decision solely on subjective, gender-based impressions or opinions instead of identifying quantifiable differences between the two institution."

The sorority had approximately 40 women living together and the frat currently has 30. While the case is under appeal they can continue to call 38 Nutting Avenue home. Last year the building generated $179,000 in rental income and was assessed by the town at $1,087,400.

If the ZBA does not overturn the Building Inspector's order--and it takes a unanimous vote to overturn--the ongoing rowdy student behavior will have chalked up yet another innocent victim.

About 30 people showed for the Public Hearing. Opponents on left, supporters on right

Gang of 4 hears good news

Amherst confluence of four committees

Finance Director Sandy Pooler crunched the numbers for next year's (FY12) operating budget tonight at a joint meeting of the Finance Committee, School Committee, Select Board, and Library Trustees (affectionately known as "The gang of four"), and--in spite of the sputtering economy--the outlook was rosy as long as the spending increases keep to 2.8%, enough to provide level services.

The town finished the year with a $1.1 million surplus, which reverted to Free Cash. Total reserves (Free Cash and Stabilization) now stand at $5.6 million--not counting the cushion (around $1 million) in the Amherst Regional School's "Excess and Deficiency" savings account.

While the state is usually portrayed as the skunk in the room, an extra supplemental appropriation of $514,000 coming in for FY12 spruced up their bad guy image among town officials. The local option hotel/motel and meals tax tallied a handsome $495,000 in FY11, up $150,000 from the previous year--and with the historic Lord Jeffrey Inn coming back on line soon, that amount should go up even higher in FY12.

The property tax is of course far and away the town's main revenue source, contributing 63%, with state aid a distant second at 20%. And within that property tax, the disparity between commercial and residential continues to be an embarrassment.

In the current fiscal year residential taxpayers contribute 91% of the tax base compared to commercial/industrial at a pathetic 9%. In 2002 it was 89% residential to an anemic 11% commercial/industrial.

Half of Amherst is owned by tax exempt entities: Amherst College and UMass coming in at #1 and #2 respectively, with the town itself #3 (mostly conservation land) and Hampshire College #4. UMass makes annual Payments In Lieu Of Taxes of $325,000 for Fire and Ambulance protection, Hampshire College does not. Amherst College kicks in $100,000 every now and then.

Town Meeting will vote next month on a couple of warrant articles that could help turn around that dismal commercial/residential ratio by stimulating commercial smart growth development. A $40,000 appropriation for a townwide housing marketing study but with particular emphasis on the Gateway Corridor area for a proposed commercial mixed use project, and Form Based Zoning in the North Amherst and Atkins Corner Village Centers.

Of course Town Meeting is also one of the main factors in stonewalling development of any kind as the BANANAs (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) can usually muster the 34% minority vote required to kill a business friendly zoning change.

Highlighting success, a few at a time

Maria Geryk (far left) Amherst Regional School Committee to her left

Last night the Amherst Regional School Committee (representing Amherst, Leverett, Pelham and Shutesbury) heard a polished presentation from a small group of High School students concerning the Minority Student Achievement Network conference they attended in Columbia, Missouri courtesy of Maria Geryk, who found the money in her Superintendent's budget to cover costs.

The well dressed, polite students apprised the committee of their "action plan" to give back to the system they had learned to negotiate (some of them the hard way) and actually thrive, by becoming mentors to Middle School kids--teaching by example the benefits of hard work, discipline and family teamwork.

Proud parents swelled the audience demonstrating how invaluable family involvement is to academic success.

When asked what style of teaching worked best: challenging or coddling, a young woman responded in favor of the former. Another young man articulated how poverty plays an important role in disrupting education, something parental oversight helps to overcome.

Committee Member Steve Rivkin picked up on the benefits of higher expectations, even for poorer kids, by bringing up the $16,413 average student cost of education in Amherst--not known for a tough disciplinarian style-- compared to state average ($13,052), with relatively modest test scores to show for it.

Math results were particularly disappointing--especially among low income students.

He also criticized the deteriorated physical condition of Wildwood and Fort River elementary schools, calling them "substandard," while floating the idea of temporarily moving more grades (5-8 rather than current 7-8) into the underpopulated Middle School so renovations could occur at those older, less inviting schools.

Human Resource Director Kathy Mazur gave a brief presentation on Regional enrollment projections for the next five years showing a steady decline from the current 1,592 in 2011-12 year to 1,425 in 2016-17. The Regional school system enrollment peaked in 2001-02 with 1,668 total students.

Steve Rivkin

This dark drizzly evening, the Amherst schools hosted an Open House. Crocker Farm Elementary School, where my daughters attend, was packed with staff, students and parents. Maybe one reason Crocker Farm tested better than state average in math.

The sun also rises

Truck scalping bridge strikes again!

South East Street bike path overpass

No, not the Snell Street bridge that is being replaced next year at a $1 million cost while only growing a few inches taller, no wider and closing a busy road for many months; the other bike path overpass a mile-and-a-half or so to the south east on/over, naturally, South East Street.

That one too has a low clearance, but at 10 feet still matches what the Snell Street Bridge will rise to after the state spends $1 million.

On Sunday around dusk, a new-to-the-area driver piloting a Ryder rental truck was jolted by the sudden piercing screech of metal scraping metal. A confrontation the bridge, even as old as it is, always seems to win.