No Spring Break For AFD

Only call last weekend to higher education institutes was for gas leak at Valentine Hall

Yes with Spring Break sending the vast majority of college aged youth off to warmer climate zones the number of runs for Amherst Fire Department to our institutes of higher education fell to almost zero.

AFD Spring Break Runs

But, as is usually the case, one of the other five towns they serve stepped up to fill the gap. In this case Hadley, where emergency calls were over four times what they were last week (note two of them for "overdose").

A Heavenly Sign

March 29 election this year is on same date as 11 years ago

I was rummaging around my basement over the weekend looking through boxes in storage untouched  for many years when I stumbled across one containing remnants of the past two Charter campaigns.

While there were two votes on the Mayor/Council/Manager form of government, the first losing by an agonizing 14 votes and the second two years later by 252, only one Charter Commission was ever formed as the 2nd vote was simply a do over

For the first go round the state required 15% of the registered voters to sign a petition calling for a Charter Commission which at the time came to 2,600 signatures, but to revote the exact same Charter a second time required 10%.

Either way pretty much all the signatures were collected single-handed by the most determined man in the history of Amherst, Stan Durnakowski.

Stan went on to be elected as one of the nine Charter Commission members and worked hard to convince fellow Commissioners we needed a strong Mayor & City Council, pretty much mirroring our good neighbor to the west, Northampton.

That concept lost by a 5-4 vote and the Commission endorsed a weak Mayor, Council and Town Manager.  At the time Barry Del Castilho was a popular Town Manager and the Commission probably thought it best to keep him around.

 Time for a change!  More so than just daylight savings

But this coming March 29 is a blank slate.  Voters get to approve the formation of a Charter Commission with nine new members who never served before.

Voting yes on Question One is only half the battle.  Choose your 9 Commissioners wisely:

Stan will be watching!

No Balcony For You!

Orchard Hill balconies are now off limits

Because they could be misused by misguided college aged youth, UMass has decided to seal off access to 43 (of 44) balconies in the Orchard Hill residential complex.

Quoted in the Massachusetts Daily (except Friday) Collegian, PR spinmeister Ed Blaguszewski confirms the Nanny move was related to the recent tragic deaths of two students from falls, even though one of those occurred in New York City.

"Given  the significant public attention and media coverage that followed, Enku Gelaye  and the student affairs staff became concerned about vulnerable students who might be affected."

So if the darn media did not put a spotlight on those tragic events and whip up public concern, UMass would have not have thought about locking the balconies?

Kind of like nothing was done about the Blarney Blowout until the national media covered the chaos unleashed in 2014, even though it was steadily escalating in 2012 and 2013.

Maybe UMass should also ban cars on campus as they cause far more damage than the stationary balconies that have been there forever without much of a body count to their credit.

Sunday Construction Update

Hampshire College 17,500 sq ft R.W. Kern Center, a "living building"

8,500 sq ft Hitchcock Center, a drone's throw from R.W. Kern Center, also a "living building"

Amherst College Greenway Dorms

Olympia Place: non tradition luxury dorms near UMass on the tax rolls

UMass Integrated Design Building

UMass Physical Sciences building just getting started

And I would be remiss if I did not mention all these nifty new buildings will be protected by overworked understaffed Amherst Fire Department.

Signs Of Spring & Coming Development

Electric Company will use Kendrick Park as a staging area

The DPW was out at Kendrick Park this week trimming trees to make way for the heavy equipment Eversource will be using to underground all the unsightly power lines and cables in the north end of downtown.

Amherst received a $1.5 million Mass Works grant for the project and Governor Patrick even came calling to deliver the good news in person.

 North end of downtown will benefit by burying utility lines

Of course conspiracy theorists will say it was all an inside job to assist Archipelago Investments with improving the street appeal of their new five-story mixed-use building with expensive apartments making up the lion's share of the facility.

A few years ago the town was twice turned down for a $4 million Mass Works grant to rehabilitate Pine Street in North Amherst.

Town Meeting had voted down a pro-development Form Based Zoning article leading the state to believe we did not deserve a significant infusion of money to assist with collateral development issues, i.e. infrastructure improvements.

   Kendrick Place was bitterly opposed by usual NIMBY/BANANA contingent

So in a sense Kendrick Place probably did lead to the acquisition of the grant.  Not to mention One East Pleasant now preparing for construction at the former Carriage Shops just down the road.

 Roundabout proposed for Triangle/East Pleasant intersection

On Monday night the Select Board will approve a roundabout design for Triangle/East Pleasant Streets in the shadow of Kendrick Place, and a gateway to our #1 employer, UMass.

 Hope will move to a safer pasture across the street

Realignment Park (bottom center/left)

The Select Board, as "keepers of the public way" will also approve the relocation of Hope the Cow from in front of the slated-for-destruction Carriage Shops to Realignment Park across the street.

Hold on to your hard hats, good things are happening.  Finally!

South Amherst Preservation

63 acre Hoerle Farm will acquire Agricultural Preservation Restriction

I can probably count on one hand -- after sticking it in a snowblower-- how many times Amherst Town Meeting has turned down an open space farmland preservation article, so it's a safe bet the 63 acre Hoerle Farm article already approved by the Community Preservation Act Committee will easily pass.

The land is currently in an agricultural protection program that generates almost no taxes so it's not like the revenue to the the town will decrease any.  Moving up to the APR program only protects it all the more from being sold off for development.

And the state is paying 90% of the cost.

Of course one of the BIG problems in Amherst is the skewed tax base where half of all property in town is owned by tax exempts -- Amherst College, UMass and Hampshire College being the top three -- and the town's Conservation program coming in at #4.

About the only thing that trumps (if I dare use that word) open space preservation is historical preservation.

Five years ago, in order to save the privately owned Kimball House, the town paid the state $286,000 (with CPA money naturally) and swapped another larger parcel of land to get property out of the APR program so the property behind the Kimball House could be developed.

 Kimball House, North East Street

Although in that case the owner built the most expensive house in Amherst, so all in all a net property tax gain.

Either way, it was all done with CPA money -- the manna that falls from the heavens -- so nobody cares.

Jones Library Expansion Hurdles

Strong House to rear and west of Jones Library

It's been a bad week for the Amherst Historical Society, owner of the Strong House Museum adjacent to the Jones Library, and by extension a not so great week for the Library.

On Monday in a marathon 3.5 hour meeting the Community Preservation Act Committee failed to fund an $18,000 request from the Historical Society to fund needed legal work to "clear the deed" of the Strong House which came to them donated -- but with a do not disturb provision.

Without being able to legally break the will they would not be able to sell property at the rear and east of the Strong House for the Jones Library expansion.

Additionally,  at tonight's Trustees Meeting they learned from Jones Library Director Sharon Sharry the selling of the land would make the Strong House "non conforming" in the current R-G (residential) zoning.

Thus the Historical Society will now be requesting a zoning change at a Special Town Meeting to occur in the middle of the regular Spring Town Meeting to change the zoning to B-G (business).

This of course requires a two-thirds vote.

 Former long time Gazette/Bulletin house & gardens columnist Cheryl Wilson reads statement of concern about gardens

To make matters worse the first 25 minutes of the meeting was taken up by concerned members of the Amherst Garden Club and other patrons over the fate of the Kinsey Garden and the Strong House 18th Century Garden, which seem to sit in the way of the proposed expansion.

 Jones Library Trustees (President, Austin Sarat on right)

The Trustees did vote unanimously to allow Chair Austin Sarat to issue a statement of support for a zoning change after the Historical Society meets on Tuesday and issues their zoning change request to the Amherst Planning Board.

   Jones Library MOU with History Museum

Furthermore the Trustees also unanimously supported a Memorandum Of Understanding with the Historical Society concerning the possible purchase of the property.

 Strong House front yard all the way to Amity Street not part of the sale

Updating Amherst History

The older section of historic West Cemetery

Despite mild concerns from the town attorney the Community Preservation Act Committee voted unanimously (with one abstention) to recommend to Town Meeting the $5,000 historical preservation request for a new headstone to mark the burial area in West Cemetery of Christopher Thompson, who served in the all black 5th cavalry with his son Charles during the Civil War.

Records indicate Christopher is buried in sacred West Cemetery, but since there's no headstone it's hard to know the exact whereabouts of his final resting place.

Retired Amherst College professor Bob Romer, who spearheaded the request, assumes he is located in or near the Thompson family plot so that's where the new granite headstone will go -- near his son Charles.

Interestingly about 20 black Amherst residents fought for the North during the great conflict with the Thompson family accounting for 25% of that (Christopher, his three brothers and son Charles.)

To appease the town attorney the CPAC found the expenditure helps to "rehabilitate" the cemetery and makes it "functional for its intended use."

Cable Contract In The Mail (Almost)

Five member Cable Advisory Committee (new members on right)

The Cable Advisory Committee met yesterday following up on an energetic meeting the previous day with their attorney Peter Epstein to put final touches on the Comcast cable franchise renewal contract, a once-every-ten-year event.

Chair Dee Shabazz opened the meeting by thanking the entire committee for their hard work over the past year.

Interim Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner got involved from the very beginning of his temporary tenure and already appointed two new members to the committee, Al Sax and Sharon Vardatira, bringing the CAC to full strength.

The draft proposal will go out by March 15, maybe even as early as tomorrow.  The CAC will be drafting a letter to the Select Board bringing them up to date with the process.

Currently the contract is worth just over $6 million annually to Comcast with 5% of that coming to the town and passed through to Amherst Media for annual operation expenses.

The major sticking point will be the one time $2.2 million capital improvement requests, much of it for Amherst Media.

Comcast will have 30 days to respond to the proposal and then the hard-ball negotiations really begin.  CAC advisor Epstein suggested they appoint a smaller "negotiating team" to go head-to-head with Comcast who is expected to send two employees to the sessions.

But the all-volunteer Committee may attend those sessions at full strength to offset the advantage Comcast has of using employees who do nothing but beat up, err, negotiate with cities and towns nationwide.

Blarney Hangover

UMass Southwest area (often a hot spot for AFD ETOH runs)

Another sign that this year's Blarney Blowout was super successful from the town and University perspective is the relatively low number of AFD emergency medical ETOH (overly intoxicated) runs.

Although it would be nice if UMass could routinely get it under the 50% threshold for total EMS calls.

And even nicer if Hampshire College started teaching their students not to smoke indoors.

   AFD Blarney Blowout Runs

Fire & Brimstone

First Congregational Church bottom, The Evergreens and Dickinson Homestead on left center & top

 

After originally approving $150,000 of the $200,000 Emily Dickinson Museum request for a fire suppression system at The Evergreens early in the meeting, a few hours later the Community Preservation Act Committee circled back to the request and added another $40,000 bringing it within 5% of the initial request.

CPAC member Jim Brissette had originally spoken against the request a few meetings back, worrying every historically significant building in town would be requesting fire suppression systems.  But he said the testimony he heard convinced him the Museam is a special -- almost unique -- case and worthy of the added protection despite the cost.

Chair Mary Streeter was not as convinced saying Amherst College should be able to come up with the extra $50,000 that the committee originally cut.  But supporters pointed out the College was matching the CPA request dollar for dollar, so that $50,000 cut was really a $100,000 cut.

The Committee was not as generous with the First Congregational Church, whittling their $357,647 request down to $200,000.  Vice Chair Paris Boyce voted against any money saying since the Church was doing a million in renovations, mainly an elevator, so they simply picked an item, fire suppression, that fell within the guidelines of the CPA.

The $390,000 approved for both historic structures still needs Town Meeting approval but that is all but guaranteed.

At the begining of the meeting the CPAC also approved recommending Town Meeting allow the $190,148 approved last year for rehabilitation of the North Common in front of Town Hall be used for that purpose. 

The original approval was contingent on a $400,000 PARC grant, but the state denied that request for the second time.  Thus town officals will return to the CPAC in a couple years for additional funding.

North Common is the centerpiece of downtown

Water Water Everywhere

The South Amherst beavers are nothing if not industrious

The Conservation Commission will hear two requests this evening, one from the DPW to breach a beaver dam to increase water flow on Plum Brook, and another from the Conservation Department to replace an  outflow structure at Markert's Pond with the goal -- according to Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek -- "to restore the pond to historic levels" i.e. larger.

 

Markert's Pond South Amherst 

Broken outflow structure allows too much water to escape

South Amherst Spray Park

Ancient wading pool will become a new spray park

The Groff Park $1 million renovation project -- including the first spray park in town, an additional handicapped accessible pavilion and new playground equipment -- is half way home after last night's Community Preservation Act Committee voted to recommend to Town Meeting the $550,000 in funding after they whittled it down a bit from $600,000.

 New playground equipment will be part of phase 2

CPAC Member Jim Brissette gave an impassioned defense of the proposal pointing out how it was really a Social Justice issue.  The town does more than any other surrounding town to encourage and attract low income housing but doesn't do nearly as much for the children who inevitably result from that type of housing.

For many residents of the apartment complexes along East Hadley Road, Groff Park is one of their very few -- possibly only -- options to cool off in the summer.

 Assistant Town Mgr Dave Ziomek presenting to CPAC.  Chair Mary Streeter (left)

Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek said that amount ($550K) would guarantee construction/renovation of the new spray park to replace the 60 year old wading pool, improved handicapped accessible walkways and a new roof on the old pavilion.

Roof probably should have been replaced a long time ago

 Old but still functional equipment near river will remain

The town will apply for a PARC grant to try to secure the second half of the financing although the CPA vote for the $550,000 was not contingent on grant approval.

So either way, BIG improvements coming to our little park.  

Deleterious Downtown Delay

Cowles Lane down to areas west of Kendrick Park

Looks like the Planning Board will backtrack on the zoning article tweak designed to increase the density of our downtown with potential customers for our starving small businesses.

 South Prospect Street behind Amherst Cinema building

The main sponsor/architect -- Business Improvement District -- has requested the zoning article be withdrawn for the upcoming Town Meeting, although they were quick to add "We would like an assurance from the Zoning Subcommittee they will continue to work on this important article and keep it a priority for Fall Town Meeting."

Click to enlarge/read

Simply put the article would have allowed in the B-L District (limited business) mixed use buildings on less than 20,000 square feet of property to have residential units, thus increasing potential customers in the heart of the downtown.

 Area north of Triangle Street

Currently three B-L districts all over the downtown would be impacted as well as Amherst College owned property on Dickinson Street and additional property along University Drive.

   Amherst Zoning Change Memo

B-L districts circled in red

Blue Lives Matter

I'm sure it's not unheard of for a roofer, electrician or logger to die their first day on the job.  But that is what is called an accident. 

What happened to Ashley Guindon on her first day as a police officer is called murder.

And it has been been happening all too often of late.

 RIP officer Guindon, your brothers and sisters have it covered from here

Blarney Blowover Epilogue

UMass Amherst:  A city unto itself (inside our little town)

Yes for the second consecutive year the combined efforts of town and UMass officials won the day, squashing any large scale uncivil gatherings of college aged groups clad in green before they could spin out of control.

Much in the same way they retired the Hobart Hoedown.

Mainly due to increased police presence directly at the flash point sites.  Since Hobart only involved one street and Blarney encompassed almost a dozen, APD called in their brother and sister officers from all over the area.

The thin blue line was as wide as it will ever get in our little college town.

Of course the problem is you can't rely on that sort of backup every weekend between now and graduation.  And as the weather warms, all it takes is one really nice Saturday combined with last second promotion on social media and a new -- yet to be named -- storm is unleashed.

 Or maybe the Saturday morning  peace marchers brought us good luck

Town & UMass declare victory

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Editor's note: While I'm honored to have Turtle Boy Sports trumpet to his purported massive readership that I single-handedly killed the Blarney Blowout, it does at least underscore the value of an unwavering light being shined on a particular pernicious problem.  

I can only hope that beacon outlasts the rowdy behavior it focuses on. 

Turtle Boy's previous attempt to "bury me."  (Notice he used the same photos borrowed from local media)