$2 Million Here & $2 Million There

Strong House Amherst History Museum located next door to Jones Library

The Amherst Community Preservation Act Committee held their required public hearing last night to seek input on 15 proposals totaling $2.1 million, with the available pot of funds being "only" $1.8 million.

The overall nest egg is generated by a 3% surcharge on properties, although residential homeowners are exempt from the first $100,000 of their valuation.

 CPA Committee Chair Mary Streeter (center)

Chair Mary Streeter called the meeting to order a few minutes late and explained to the sizable crowd they would go down the list of all the projects and accept comments or questions first, then the Committee would talk among themselves and possible vote on some of the projects.

The only two projects to generate public (supportive) discussion were the First Congregational Church request for $357,647 to install a fire suppression system and the recreation request of $600,000 for a spray park and other improvements at Groff Park in South Amherst.

 Good crowd on a potentially snowy night

Although most of the speakers voicing support were pretty much connected to the projects.

After 45 minutes all 15 projects were done as many did not generate any comments at all and the Committee then took up their discussion of the projects.  The first problem to deal with was some of the historical preservation requests were questionable as to being eligible for CPA spending.

The request from the Strong House/Amherst History Museum for $18,000 to pay for legal counsel to break  the will of the Emerson family (who donated the Strong House to the Amherst Historical Society) so they can sell property to the Jones Library was ruled illegal by the town attorney.

There were also questions/concerns about the legality of $10,000 in "due diligence" money for the Amherst Historical Commission as they seem to be treated differently than the Conservation Commission where due diligence money is routinely funded by CPA.

And a $5,000 request for a headstone to mark the grave of a black soldier who served in the Civil War was also found somewhat questionable, although if the CPA ruled it was a "rehabilitation of West Cemetery" it would pass muster.  Chair Mary Streeter seemed uncomfortable making that declaration.

A $10,000 historical preservation request to photo archive Amherst College owned Little Red Schoolhouse slated for demolition this spring was withdrawn by zealot Carol Gray.

In the end the Committee voted support for the non controversial projects -- previous debt that must be paid, and $3,500 annual dues to the coalition of CPA committees, and will take up discussion and votes at their next meeting March 7.

Town Meeting has the final say on all CPA spending, but they usually act as a rubber stamp for Committee recommendations.

 Little Red Schoolhouse will be demolished in May to make room for Amherst College $200 million science center

DUI Dishonor Roll

Amherst was fortunate again last weekend as APD only took one alleged impaired driver off the road. Since no female officers were on duty Amherst College PD sent one of theirs to assist with booking.

 Erica Wheeler-Perkins, age 52, arraigned before Judge Murphy

I overheard the shift supervisor alerting everyone as Ms. wheeler-Perkins, "was more than a handful" during the initial stop.

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In Eastern Hampshire District Court she was released on her own recognizance and will return for pre-trial with her own attorney on March 21.

Never Ever Punch A Cop

Cullen Driscoll, age 18, stands before Judge Murphy

So this mistake -- sucker punching a female officer in the face -- will cost Mr. Driscoll dearly.

Obviously UMass will bounce him for at least a year, and they don't give refunds for payments already made to cover this semester. 

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All because he can't figure out how to drink responsibly -- a trait he probably shares with all too many freshmen, away from home for the very first time. 

In Eastern Hampshire District Court on Monday Driscoll was assigned a public defender at a cost of $300 and his case was continued until March 29.

Party House of the Weekend

104 Belchertown Road

In Eastern Hampshire District Court yesterday all five bad boys took the standard deal:  Pay one of the $300 tickets (each) and stay out of trouble for the rest of the semester 




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Drug Deal Gone Bad

William McKeown arraigned before Judge Murphy in Eastern Hampshire District Court

I just wish everybody showed this much interest when somebody is shot dead in Holyoke or Springfield, which happens all too often.  Turns out the handgun McKeown used was really a BB pistol but the charges still remain the same since even a BB gun is considered a "dangerous weapon."

   UMass Gun Incident by Larry Kelley

Hearing attracted local TV news and print reporters

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Bomb Threat

APD on scene Amherst Regional High School 1:45 PM

 

Blarney Blowout Warm Up?

Townhouse Apartments, North Amherst 3:45 PM Saturday

Yes of course everyone both young and old should be able to enjoy a warm Saturday afternoon especially considering the Arctic like conditions we endured the previous weekend.  And nothing goes better with a warm day than a cold beer, or two.

But the problem lies in moderation, both in crowd size and number of beers.

The quad at Townhouse Apartments in North Amherst can  hold 1,0000 revelers.  On Saturday it never approached half that and Amherst police never received a complaint about the noise or activities of the crowd, so all ended well.

But all it takes is for one participant to throw a snowball which is answered by an empty beer can and some idiot throws a full can or bottle of beer.  Then it starts rained dangerous projectiles. Or someone in the middle of the crowd passes out from too much alcohol and AFD needs to get to them fast.

In 2013 AFD  needed to get to an overly intoxicated young woman in the center of the quad. The surly crowd responded by lobbing bottles, cans and chunks of ice.  APD made six arrests.  Of course the following year the weather was also nice and all Hell broke lose.  Police made 58 arrests.

Last year thanks to stern messaging from UMass, an expensive concert at the Mullins Center, and the presence of 225 police officers townwide, the Blarney Blowout was a non event.

So I expect this coming March 5th weekend to be the same.

But on any given weekend between now and graduation, when the weather is right, things can go south with the speed of a flying beer can.

By Any Other Name ...

Amherst College:  Named after the town, not the General

Amherst College history professor Kevin Sweeney gave a one hour presentation -- "Smallpox, Natives, and Jeffery Amherst" --  to a packed crowd at the Jones Library on Saturday afternoon to shed light on the history of small pox, which he concluded "seems to attract dubious stories".

So did General Amherst start on purpose a pandemic with a couple of infected blankets that spread small pox like wildfire among the Native American population?

 Professor Kevin Sweeney at the Jones Library

Standing room only crowd in the Goodwin Room

Well, no.

According to Professor Sweeney small pox had been ravaging the native North American population for a hundred years before Lord Jeffery Amherst was even commissioned.

The commander of Fort Pitt, Henry Bouquet, had first suggested to Amherst that he be allowed to use small pox as a weapon.  In a letter dated July 16, 1763 -- but only as a post script -- Amherst approves the concept.

William Trent, a local militia commander inside Fort Pitt, wrote in his journal on June 24, 1763 "we gave them two Blankets and an Handkerchief out of the Small Pox Hospital. I hope it will have the desired effect." 

Thus the deed was done three weeks before General Amherst gave his permission.

Trent's journal also mentions the return of the two recipients of the infected garments, Turtle's Heart and Mamaltee, a month later and both of them were in good health.  Small pox has an incubation period of two weeks.

Two settlers who had been captured by the warring tribes but managed to escape reported the small pox outbreak was devastating the Shawnee and Delaware in the spring of 1763, well before General Amherst and Colonel Bouquet had their small pox discussion by snail mail.  

Thus if Lord Jeffery Amherst were ever brought before a Nuremberg type trial for war crimes, aka biological warfare, he would most likely be declared innocent. 

Although that still probably would not make him worthy of being an "unofficial mascot" for the Amherst College sports teams. 
 

Lord Jeffery Inn:  Soon to be renamed (but not the College)

Downtown Development Do Over?

Archipelago paid $4.6 million for the Carriage Shops

One of the downsides of taking too long to break ground on your controversial construction project is the rules could change, kind of like moving the goal line during the Superbowl half time show.

Take One East Pleasant Street for instance.  The "mixed use" five story 84-unit project was expected to mimic the success of nearby Kendrick Place:  Mostly high-end apartments with a ground floor dedicated to commercial and space for bicycles and zip cars.

Kendrick Place dominates/anchors the north end of downtown

But Town Meeting this spring will be discussing two zoning articles that could retroactively impact One East Pleasant:  A Planning Board article describing more precisely what constitutes a "mixed use" building i.e. possibly requiring more square footage be dedicated to commercial.

And Vince O'Connor's citizens petition aimed directly at developers Dave Williams and Kyle Wilson requiring mixed use buildings be subject to the town's "Inclusionary Zoning Bylaw" requiring 10% of the units be "affordable."

The Planning Board will hold public hearings on both warrant articles early next month but both of those hearings have to be advertised in a local newspaper two weeks in advance.  On that day of publication the zoning would apply to One East Pleasant if later passed by Town Meeting in May, unless the developers receive a building permit.

Simply starting demolition of the former Carriage Shops is not enough.

 Amherst Carriage Inn:  state of the art hotel/motel (for the 1960s)

The ambitious project was approved by the Planning Board in December, 2014 but a lawsuit brought by a disgruntled competitor delayed things until mid-August when Judge Richard Carey punted it out of his courtroom .

The Special Permit was then  granted on August 14 and had another 30 days before legally taking effect.

 Firm agreement to repaint history mural also needs to be in place befor a Building Permit issued

According to Building Commissioner Rob Morra the developers then have six months to (significantly) act on that Special Permit, meaning a drop-dead deadline of March 14.  And there are still details to work out over asbestos removal and the repainting of the history mural.

Development in Amherst is never, never, never easy.  And if some Town Meeting members had their way it would never, never, never happen. 

   One East Pleasant, Amherst by Larry Kelley

Medicinal Pot vs Student Housing

55 University Drive bottom left, proposed housing across the street

Red lines indicated 300' reach

The Select Board may want to think about the "letter of support or non opposition" for a medical marijuana facility proposed at 55 University Drive since it could kill a proposed 32 unit apartment development directly across the street.

According to the recent Amherst zoning bylaw governing medical marijuana facilities there has to be a 300 foot buffer zone from apartments (unless they are located in a mixed use building).

The Planning Board is sponsoring a warrant article for spring Town Meeting to change the zoning on the 5.79 acre property directly across the street from 55 University Drive from Office Park to Business Limited, which would allow for the construction of badly needed student housing.

Building Commissioner Rob Morra confirmed, "As written the bylaw does not consider one use existing before the other."  In other words first come first serve.   And if you are a pot facility first, that means no housing will be developed within 300' feet of your front door.

The 300' buffer extends far enough into the open field across the street (which is already development challenged by wetlands) to make the proposed project unfeasible.

Thus a potential $7 or $8 million development, that would pay the town $150,000 annually in property taxes, is killed by a much smaller medical marijuana facility that will pay less than $20,000 annually.

So Amherst Select Board, what's more important?   Helping to ease the significant stress on our housing market -- while generating substantial tax revenues -- or providing a medicinal herb?

 Because of stringent bylaw exclusions University Drive is about the only place in town for a medical marijuana facility

Jumping The Gun?

Not until he hand in the proper paperwork

For the second time this week our local hometown newspaper has a front page above-the-fold story on something someone might do:  bring an article to Town Meeting.

And since it only requires 10 signatures to get ANYTHING on the warrant, not a very high bar to hurdle.  So yes, if someone tells you they are going to place an article on the spring warrant it's pretty easy to believe.

(At least the fall Town Meeting requires 100 signatures to grace the warrant.)

But what if they get hit by a PVTA bus or errant drone while they are out performing the arduous task of collecting those ten signatures?

Citizens have until February 29 to get the petition articles to Town Hall with the required signatures of registered voters.  So far seven individuals have taken out the proper paperwork from the Town Clerk, so it's a safe bet we will be getting a few returned with do-gooder intentions.

But I'm not going to speculate.  Especially on my front page.

DUI Dishonor Roll

Cars don't kill people, drunk drivers do

Let's hope this weekend continues to be a light one for drunk drivers.  Last weekend neither Amherst or UMass police had a single arrest.  Nearby Hadley, however, had one:

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 Almost 2.5 times the legal limit

 In Eastern Hampshire District Court on Tuesday Daniel Tower, age 32, took a standard first offense Chapter 24D disposition

 Cost of a standard 24D disposition

Let There Be (lots of) Light

The solar array will take up about 8 acres of the 20 acre site

West Bay Road & Eric Carle Museum will be screened by dogwoods that can grow up to 12'

The Amherst Planning Board voted unanimously last night (6-0 with 3 absent) to approve a Site Plan Review for Hampshire College to construct a 2.55 megawatt solar array in a former 20 acre farm field off West Bay Road near Atkins Market, Eric Carle Museum and Applewood Retirement Community.

Since the Building Commissioner had ruled this energy operation was an accessory use to an education institute, the Dover Amendment would trump local rejection of the project.

But the Planning Board seemed impressed enough with the presentation so they probably would have endorsed it heartily anyway.

Nearby Orchard Valley resident John Boothroyd spoke loudly against the project questioning if solar really was carbon neutral and lamenting the loss of farmland and trees.  He also worried about glare endangering drivers along West Bay Road.

Developer Mickey Marcus assured the Board solar was more environmentally friendly with carbon savings (estimated at 2,000 tons annually) and that it's a myth solar panels cause glare saying, "They are designed to absorb sunlight."

This Amherst solar project combined with one in Hadley will provide the campus with 100% of its energy needs.  Construction is expected to take 3 to 4 months and will be completed by the fall semester.

And for the first time in its history Hampshire College will pay the town a Payment In Lieu Of Taxes over the solar project ($21,000 plus 2.5% annually for 20 years).  Although the house/barn at 1095 to the east of the project is slated for demolition.

 Farmhouse and barn east of solar project will be demolished soon

Hampshire  College bought the Ives Farm where the solar project will be located including the old farmhouse and barn over 20 years ago with the provision -- called a "life estate" -- Mr. and Mrs. Ives could live their until their deaths.  Both have now passed away.

Last year Hampshire College paid $6,377 in property taxes for the 1095 West Street property, but that  will go down substantially after the demolition (perhaps to zero).

Last year Amherst College paid us $130,000 in PILOT for the vital services of Amherst Fire Department, while UMass paid around $450,000 (for ambulance service).  Hampshire College paid nothing.

 Hadley solar array

Party Apartment of the Weekend

Let's hope these three young men learn to listen to Amherst police the way they probably do their football coach. 

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In Eastern Hampshire District Court yesterday all three took the standard diversion deal offered by the District Attorney's office:  Pay the $300 town noise bylaw fine and stay out of trouble for the rest of the semester.

The 4th individual on the list had charges dropped because his name was not on the lease as a resident of the apartment.

All seven arrests by APD over the long weekend involved alcohol and most of them were UMass students.  UMPD, by contrast, had zero arrests. 

Fire & Ice

AFD on scene 409 Main Street for burst sprinkler pipes

The recent arctic weather brought even more work to an already overburdened Amherst Fire Department with calls for help dealing with burst water pipes numbering around 40-- many of them in large commercial or academic buildings where the sprinkler systems were the culprit.

 AFD on scene UMass Goodell Library for burst sprinkler pipe

Yes, commercial sprinklers are located in the ceilings of buildings and heat does rise.  But a sprinkler system is designed to cover everything so all it takes is one small area where insulation is sub par.

Kind of like a frozen pond that has a tributary stream entering it so the ice is a lot thinner at that one spot and far more dangerous for an unsuspecting skater.

 AFD on scene Applewood Retirement Community for burst sprinkler pipe

Atkins Market, Applewood Retirement Community, UMass Goddell Library, Amherst College Merrill Science Center and a bevy of smaller commercial buildings all suffered the major hassle of freezing water raining down from above.

   AFD Valentine Weekend

In addition AFD had two almost simultaneous box alarms during the lunch hour on Tuesday that tied up the entire on duty shift, one at UMass North Village family housing and a chimney fire in a residence on Flat Hills Road.

 AFD on scene for box alarm UMass North Village Apartments

AFD on scene Flat Hills Road for a chimney fire

An emergency medical call for an elderly woman needing transport to Cooley Dickinson Hospital had to be handled by an ambulance from Northampton Fire Department because the two box alarms tied up all available AFD personnel. 

 Pine tree fell on car South East Street 4:45 PM Tuesday

NFD mutual aid would be required two more times before Tuesday was done.

 Severe 1 car crash into utility pole sent 4 occupants to Baystate Hospital closing Rt 9 overnight. Photo via Hadley PD Facebook

A severe one car crash into an Eversource utility pole on Rt9 in Hadley last night required three AFD ambulances and one from NFD.  All four victims were transported to Baystate in Springfield rather than nearby Cooley Dickinson Hospital because of the severity of their injuries.

So no, it's not just weekend drunk college students that overwhelm the Amherst emergency response system.

 UMass and Amherst College heating plants were working overtime

Simple Questions

9 member Charter Commission could have new town government ready for 2017 vote

As promised Amherst For All has issued a short survey to all 20 Charter Commission candidates who will appear alphabetically on the March 29 local election ballot, thanks to the four month campaign that snagged the 3,215 required signatures.

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If anyone refuses to answer all 5 questions, voters should immediately eliminate them in favor of ones who did take the time to fully respond.

And anyone who refused to sign the petition to get the vote on the ballot in the first place should also be automatically rejected.

As should at least half of any husband and wife combinations.