Afflict The Comfortable

Amherst College:  Named after the town, not the General

At least they didn't vandalize the sign

The irony is probably lost on Amherst Uprising -- a cadre of students of color suddenly energized about how evil their expensive college of choice is -- but one of the prime jobs of journalism is to "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable."

Combine that with my favorite saying, "If a tree falls in the forest and a digital journo is not there to cover it, it does not make a sound," and you will understand why I shake my head over the First Amendment issues that seem lost on student protestors.

 Blood was spilled on the streets of Chicago

When Chicago police were beating the daylights out of Hippie/Yippie protestors at the Democratic Nation Convention in 1968 the bloodied youth started chanting, "The whole world is watching, the whole world is watching."  And indeed it was.

Just as they were in the early 1960s when the Freedom Riders were being persecuted by southern mobs as good old boy police stood by and did nothing.  But the images beamed back to middle class America awakened the silent majority thus giving "voice to the voiceless."

Indeed "The pen is mightier than the sword" -- especially now in the digital age -- but your ideas still need to hold up in the open marketplace provided by the mainstream media where they receive wider vetting.

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 More than a majority of AC students are non white

Preaching to your already converted followers on Twitter or Facebook and holding closed-to-the-media events defeats the purpose of an "uprising."

Besides, if can't deal with criticism or the challenge of a debate then maybe your cause is not all that sustainable.

And here's the other "intentional parody" account, that has since been terminated:

I'm still trying to figure out of this is a parody Twitter account

The good news is the Lord Jeffs beat arch rival Williams and went undefeated for the season

Signature Saturday Success

 Amherst For All starts the campaign 8/27/15

 

Amherst For All 8:45 AM this morning

The Amherst For All Charter change enthusiasts report a whopping 700 signatures collected throughout town today, well over the target goal of 500. 

That now puts the effort at 2,400 signatures or 75% of the  way to the final goal of 3,215 signatures.

That enormous number represents 15% of the registered voters in town, and is required to get a Charter change question on the ballot for the annual election coming up March 29. In addition voters will elect a 9-member Charter Commission to hash out a new and improved form of governance.

Steering Committee member Jerry Guidera is confident the group will have the required number of signatures by Thanksgiving, giving the entire town something extra to be thankful for on that most revered holiday.

Feed Me!

Moving truck was heading west on Snell Street 8:20 AM

The truck eating bike path bridge scored another meal this morning as a moving van found out the hard way about the narrow, not-overly-tall bridge over Snell Street.

Fortunately no injuries to the occupants or the bridge but the truck will need some tender loving care before it rejoins the fleet.

 More damage caused by coming out than going in

The state replaced the old Central Mass Railway bridge in the summer of 2012 ,which did raise it one foot from 9.6 feet high to the current 10.6 feet, although the narrow width stayed the same.

Looks like the truck made it pretty far under the bridge before contact took place so it was probably not like hitting a solid brick wall.

 State should think about placing their sign a tad higher up

Although if the driver had tried this three years ago when the bridge was a foot lower the impact would probably have been a tad more explosive.

 Mass Dept of Transportation bridge inspector arrives 10:20 AM

Sweating The Contract

Amherst Media is main beneficiary of Comcast ten year contract

Even though the Comcast ten year cable license -- worth $6.3 million last year -- does not expire until October, 2016 the Cable Advisory Committee started off this morning's meeting somewhat in panic mode.

Co-Chair Kris Pacunas is worried a deadline or two in the complicated process could have been missed which would give Comcast added bargaining strength whenever they do finally sit down at the negotiation table.

At their initial mid-June meeting, their 1st since 2006, Peter Epstein, their $200/hour legal counsel, did say he wished to send Comcast an "initial contract offer" by November 1st.  And as of this morning the Committee was miles away from having that contract prepared.

In fact their attorney has not even yet provided them with a contract template that contains all the boiler plate language that is standard with any cable contract.  And the all important timeline is now out of date.

Attorney Epstein at 9/24 Ascertainment Hearing (and Comcast stenographer)

The Committee will be sending attorney Epstein a memo outlining their complaints about his performance to date and they will also be contacting the Select Board, who has final authority to sign the lucrative contract, as well.

He did attend one of the two required "Ascertainment Hearings" co-sponsored by the Cable Advisory Committee and Select Board but does not keep in close touch with the committee.

Mr. Epstein came highly recommended by Amherst Media who benefits by the 5% cut of Comcast revenues ($317,000 last year).   That 5% amount is written in stone, and these days may not even be a slam dunk.

The main bargaining issue seems to be the one-time capital upgrade to equipment that comes once every ten years.

In the last 2006 contract that amounted to $450,000, and this time around Amherst Media is looking for many times over that for the ability to broadcast their 3 channels in high definition.

Left to rt: Adrienne Terrizzi, Kris Pacunas (Co-Chair), Joan Golowich, Demetria Shabazz (Co-Chair)

In addition, one Cable Advisory member of the five has showed up to only one meeting so far,  and now that the heavy lifting has started Co-Chair Pakunas said he would contact him to find out if he will stay on the committee or not.

Next meeting the agenda calls for the Committee to have from attorney Epstein a new timeline with specific dates, a one page "summary of community needs" which includes the 5% cut of cable revenues, amount of one time capital needs money, maintain local customer service office, etc.

The Committee will also discuss having the Select Board file a complaint with Comcast over breach of the 2006 license which required all town buildings to be hard wired for live broadcast capability.

Over the years parts have been cannibalized from other locations like Jones Library, DPW, Police Station or High School in order to prioritize Town Hall and the Middle School (where Town Meeting takes place).

So not only do a majority of town buildings no longer have the ability to live broadcast, but even the two major buildings (Town Hall and the Middle School) where all the important meetings occur, the outdated equipment teeters on the brink of ruin.

Next meeting is scheduled for Monday November 30th.  But before the Committee adjourned Co-Chair Pakunas told fellow members, "I feel better now."

One Is The Loneliest Number

Chancellor Subbaswamy is proud of being #1 (out of 1858)

It will be interesting to see if Chancellor Subbaswamy gets to keep his top dog #1 UMass license plate, which actually does look lovely on his Lexus.

The Globe says: only 1554 UMass license plates sold. I say: only 1,500 more to Go @AlumniUMass Go UMass! http://t.co/ACIg5CueEy

— Kumble R. Subbaswamy (@KSubbaswamy) May 25, 2015

Chancellor was unconcerned with Boston Globe May 24 story on slow sales 

Although I would have liked it a tad better if designers had made room for "Amherst" somewhere on the plate.

The UMass license plate program, making UMass the first university in the state to have one, has been fraught with problems since first being seriously discussed over ten years ago.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles will not even fire up the presses until 1,500 have been preordered and even then an additional 1,500 need to be sold by the end of the second year bringing the total on the road to a minimum of 3,000.

That two year anniversary just passed in October and the current number of plates on the road is only 1,858.  Not even close to the 3,000 required.

The Alumni Association had to put up a $100,000 performance bond to guarantee 3,000 plates would be sold so now the state can keep all or part of that.

The University only makes $28 per plate sold and for a while the AA was paying the $40 plate fee and $20 swap fee in order to stimulate sales but even that failed to move numbers in the right direction.

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 6/6/15 minutes of Board of Directors meeting

In June the Alumni Association Board of Directors by unanimous vote allocated $150,000 to "support the license plate business plan" to reach the 3,000 goal by October 1st. 

Coincidentally enough the Boston Globe did a story on 5/25/15 shining a light on lousy sales using the total figure of 1,554.

Thus an entire summer plus September and October -- and a $150K -- only managed to bring the number up to the current 1858

Will be quite a while before this # sees the road, if ever

And with only 1858 plates sold in our state boasting 120,000 (hopefully proud) UMass/Amherst graduates, that makes for a 1.55% market penetration.  I give that an F.

New Chief In Town

AFD Chief Tim Nelson (left) Firefighter Stephen Gaughan attending a Select Board meeting 2011

Amherst firefighter/paramedic Stephen Gaughan, who joined AFD in 2005, has been named the new Chief of Hatfield Fire Department where he started his First Responder career as a call firefighter in 1995.

Drunk Is Stupid

Still way too many drunk runs sucking up the valuable time of AFD on weekends.

Seven of the eight UMass ETOH responses required transport to Cooley Dickinson Hospital as did one of the two Amherst College ETOH calls, which ties up an ambulance for least an hour. 

In all 60% of "emergency runs' to UMass and 50% to Amherst College were alcohol related

And when they come in clusters all five Amherst ambulances can end up spoken for (in slurred words), meaning no other town ambulances are then available for a unanticipated emergency like a heart attack, auto crash or major structure fire.

   AFD Nov 1st Wknd runs

More Bad News

Sandy Pooler earned an A for his handling of finances over the past 5 years

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Thank You!

American Legion Post 148 & Amherst VFW Post 754 Color Guard

About 50 people braved the lousy weather to congregate on the historic Amherst North Town Common this morning to honor all the men and women who have served our country over the past 239 years.

Select Board member Andy Steinberg assisted by Chair Alisa Brewer thanks veterans on behalf of the town

And when all is said and done, while the 25 minute ceremony was a nice gesture, all that's really needed is a simple, but heartfelt, "Thank You."

Veterans Day 2013.  Two good men no longer with us:  Arthur Quinton and John Musante

Lonely At The Top?

Town Manager John Musante in happier times (2013)

Interim Town Manager Dave Ziomek (center) October, 2016

Undoubtedly the sudden shocking death of John Musante left a cavernous hole to fill in town government's top position.

And for anyone having known and worked beside him for a good number of years, I can see why they would think twice about it even if it is the 2nd highest paid position in town.

I was a bit taken aback on Monday night when Select Board Chair Alisa Brewer, her voice shaking, announced that Interim Town Manager Dave Ziomek would not be seeking the job permanently so he could return to his Assistant Town Manager/Conservation Director position by January 31, 2016.

Having just sat through a two hour heated discussion over a beer/wine permit for a local convenience store in the north end of downtown I should have been more prepared for that bombshell announcement.

Because there's a distinct connection between the two issues.  The main reason Amherst Center Store was granted a controversial liquor license by a 3-2 vote is that Glenn Hamill is a mom-and-pop small business owner with a solid reputation for hands-on management.

 Glenn Hamill countering NIMBY criticism at Monday night Select Board hearing

When you own a small business there are a thousand details a day to occupy your undivided attention and not enough time during a 24 hour cycle to attend to all of them.  And if you're really lucky, you maybe get Christmas or Thanksgiving off for a very brief reprieve.

 Amherst Center Store, one of three convenience stores owned by Glenn Hamill

Although since Mr. Hamill's  new Amherst convenience store is open 24/7, probably not for him.

Running a $80+ million college town is probably almost as hard, even with the top shelf department heads currently in place.

 Assistant Chiefs Don McKay, Lindsay Stromgren (ctr) and Chief Tim Nelson

A few years ago when AFD Chief Keith Hoyle retired number two in command, Assistant Chief Lindsay Stromgren, was a shoe in to replace him.  Except he did not apply.  As with Mr. Ziomek there's personal life beyond the job, and where the buck stops eats into that all the more.

Chief Livingstone at Select Board beer/wine permit hearing Monday night:  "I have zero concerns on this particular license."

When APD Chief Charlie Scherpa retired in 2009 there was an in house competition for his replacement by two very good men, Scott Livingstone and Mike Kent. And when Mr. Kent did not get the nod he soon left the department for the Chief's job in Burlington, Mass.

So in house competition does have its draw backs.

 Ad to appear in tomorrow's Amherst Bulletin

Especially now with the Amherst For All Charter change enthusiasts fast closing in on enough signatures to bring the idea of altering our form of government to the ballot this coming spring.

The big mistake the last Charter Commission made a decade ago was to cater to the popularity of then Town Manager Barry Del Castilho by retaining that position while replacing Select Board/Town Meeting with a (weak)Mayor and Town/City Council.

 Barry Del Castilho attending John Musante's funeral service ceremony in town center

This time around it's unlikely that major mistake will be repeated, so the new Town Manager will be out of a job, or demoted.  Thus it's very likely to impact the search for a new "permanent" Town Manager coming up over the next few months.

After all, who wants to apply to be captain of the good ship Titanic? 

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Bad Boys On The Bus

PVTA is meant to provide safe transit

For many, many years now APD has assigned the weekend PVTA buses as a patrol beat unto itself.

Last weekend at least two officers rode aboard the buses to keep them from becoming the wild-wild-west, and in so doing made two arrests for stupid, disruptive behavior.  Alcohol related of course.

Not a good idea to call a police officer the N word

Jordan Le Guyader, 20, case continued to next month

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Nicholas Riselli, age 22, case continued till next month

Party House of the Weekend

45 Phillips Street

Once again a weekend that was relatively quiet compared to the bad ol' days of just two or three years past.  Our only Party House, with two arrests for Noise & Nuisance, occurred on Phillips Street the most notorious street in Amherst.

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45 Phillips Street to be exact, owned by the most notorious absentee landlord in Amherst, Stephan Gharabegian, who also owns another three houses on Phillips Street, #37,#33, and #11.

Only one house out of all nine on the street is owner occupied.  And the front bookend on North Pleasant Street is a fraternity.

Phillips Street located adjacent to UMass

In Eastern Hampshire District Court this morning both underage individuals took the standard plea deal offered by the Commonwealth: Pay one of the $300 tickets and stay out of trouble for the next four months.

Adrian Lech, age 20

Jason Rubenstein, age 20

Major Business Sold

Center For Extended Care at Amherst, 150 University Drive

The graying -- or some cynics would say decaying -- of America is a growth industry, as baby boomers head into their twilight years. And it must be pretty good when a business would suddenly be worth 400% over the current building valuation.

The Center For Extended Care at Amherst, a 122 bed sprawling long term care facility on University Drive (opposite CVS) just sold for $13 million. The town had the building valued at $3,192,700 or four times less than the property's recent selling price.

I asked assessor David Burgess if that means the valuation will go up for the new owner, and at $20,000 tax revenue per million in valuation it would add up to a significant sum should he bump the value by a few million.

Since the deal is so recent he has not interviewed the main players, but he said it's quite possible the sale number was a "corporate financing price", which for lack of a better term is phantom money.

Thus the valuation will probably not go up at all.

 The Dakin Estate, now fallen into ruins

Kind of like a dozen years ago when Amherst College purchased the Dakin Estate near their golf course for $4.3 million to prevent Barry Roberts from developing it. The assessed value did not jump at all, and today is still valued at way less than $1 million. 

Either way, it's still good to see major business deals happening in our town.