Zoning Ping Pong

Strong House (left) Jones Library (center)

Proposed property sale (red box)

Last week Jones Library Director Sharon Sharry and Selectman Jim Wald went before the Planning Board just to give them a heads up about a rezoning of the Strong House History Museum from  (R-G) Residential to (B-G) Business.

 Jim Wald and Sharon Sharry appear before Amherst Planning Board last week

This would allow the less than affluent History Museum to sell side and back property to the Jones Library for their expansion/renovation.  Without the zoning change they could not sell any of their property because it would leave their facility "non conforming" according to residential zoning code.

On Monday night the Select Board briefly discussed the issue and heard that a "covenant" could become part of the article to ensure the property does not someday sell to another entity and become some other commercial enterprise.

Connie Kruger was concerned that would simply "muddy the water" and she pointed out the real problem is some people do not want the Jones Library to expand.  And a zoning article does require a challenging two-thirds vote of Town Meeting to pass.

 Jones Library is an economic engine for the downtown

A Jones Library representative is now scheduled to appear at the April 4 Select Board meeting to request the zoning issue be placed on the warrant.  The Select Board is signing the warrant that night but there's still time to add this article with a simple majority vote.

Since Town Meeting does not start until May 2 that allows enough time for the Planning Board to call a state mandated public hearing on the matter and issue their recommendation/report.

Then all it has to do is survive that zoning gauntlet know as Town Meeting.

DUI Dishonor Roll

Rocky Hill Road, Hadley 8:50 PM Sunday (Hadley PD Facebook)

Yes everybody deserves a second chance -- especially when it comes to substance abuse.

 Jocelyn Brick, 27, stands before Judge Thomas Estes in Eastern Hampshire District Court

But the sympathy quota goes down dramatically after that second screw up -- especially when it happens at a normal family hour when plenty of innocent drivers are on the road.

 Click to enlarge/read (note Portable Breath Test almost twice legal limit)

Fortunately it will be a l-o-n-g time before Ms. Brick gets behind the wheel of a car again as the automatic license suspension for refusing the Breath Test on a second offense DUI arrest is three years.

She was released on her personal recognizance and returns to District Court April 24 with her private (no doubt expensive) attorney.

Let The Battle Begin!

All three Charter Ballot Questions have passed over the past 20 years

Like worms after a spring rain, lawn signs will be springing up all over town this week.  A few for the only contested townwide position -- School Committee -- but mostly for the most hotly contested issue of the year:  ditching our current old fashioned amateur form of government.

Well, electing a 9-member Charter Commission to discuss it anyway and return to the voters with whatever proposal they create.

 Anyone but Vince

 What are they afraid of?

Expensive Puzzle Pieces

Over half DPW equipment is routinely stored outdoors

DPW Chief Guilford Mooring and Weston & Sampson consultants present to Amherst Select Board

The Amherst Select Board was given an informational heads up presentation last night concerning the new DPW facility, which clocks in at 8.5 acres but combines many functions now spread out all over town and with a somewhat startling sticker price of $37 million, but that will go down somewhat after one site is chosen.

   Amherst DPW Equipment List

Current DPW building has no fire suppression sprinkler system

 Giant Arbor Vitaes would be removed for new for Fire Station entrance

Currently the plan is for the new $65+ million Wildwood Mega School to allow Fort River to be abandoned so it can become the new DPW.  The beloved old current DPW "Barn" would be demolished (after a Historical Commission demo delay hearing of course) for a new South Fire Station.

 AFD Central Station is too old and cramped for a modern day Fire Department

And the old downtown Central Station could be used for either the Jones Library expansion or sold to a private developer to become a taxpaying mixed use signature building in the heart of our commercial district.

Fort River Elementary School:  Colorful new location for DPW?

Status Quo Farmers Market

Spring Street lot (bottom left) Boltwood Avenue Grace Church (right)

While farmers are not exactly in the same league with biblical money changers, Grace Church still had "major concerns" with a new proposal to close down Boltwood Avenue in front of the Church for vendors citing summer/fall as a busy time for them with weddings and funerals, while noting they hosted the packed ceremony for beloved Town Manager John Musante last fall.

The Select Board quickly voted to allow the same set up as last year:  the Spring Street lot and a small stretch of south section of Boltwood Avenue in front of The Lord Jeff Inn (or whatever its new name will be.)

 Farmers Market manager Tammy Ryan and Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek quickly backed away from street closure request last night

Acting as "keepers of the public way" the Select Board also voted a " No overnight parking" policy for the Spring Street lot so that Amherst police could legally tow vehicles that were there at 6:00 AM when the Market is trying to set up.

The Amherst Farmers Market opens April 23 and runs through Novenber 19 from 8:00 AM until 1:30 PM.

Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter banner went up over South Pleasant Street this morning

Barbara Love, former Amherst School Committee Chair and Professor Emeritus of Social Justice Education at UMass,  told a crowd of 75 gathered in Amherst Town Hall that the Black Lives Matter movement is "Not a statement of value of other lives but simply our effort to make a statement that black lives matter, to contradict historical forces that have placed black lives in jeopardy."

She opened her presentation with "I'm so proud of Amherst, so proud to call it my home."

And closed with a vignette about driving back to Amherst late one night a few weeks ago and upon crossing the town line  "I noticed my shoulders relaxing. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was feeling safe and secure because I was at home. I'm in Amherst."

Turning towards Amherst Police Chief Scott Livingstone she stated emphatically, "Thank you for creating a community where I can feel safe."

 Chief Livingstone and Barbara Love embrace at Town Hall ceremony for Black Lives Matter

The two embraced at the close of her speech as the crowd broke into applause.

 Standing room only crowd attended the event in the Town Room

For his part Chief Livingstone said he was approached at the Martin Luther King Breakfast back in January about the banner ceremony because folks did not want him or his department to feel like it was a statement against them.

 Russ Vernon Jones (standing left), former Fort River School principal, help coordinate event. Representative Ellen Story (standing center) and Dave Ziomek (standing right) also in attendance

He told the crowd that would have never even have occurred to him.  He instantly volunteered to do whatever he could to help make it happen and even wondered why it took so long.

In closing the Chief Livingstone read from the department Mission Statement that was written by his officers over six years ago when he first became Chief:

"We value and are grateful for the diversity of our community and the confidence they have placed in us.  We strive to protect the safety, rights, and property of every person in the town of Amherst.

We are committed to the enforcement of the laws, preservation of order and improving the quality of life for our community.  We do so in partnership with our community, while holding ourselves to the highest professional and ethical standards."

Amen.

First Congregational Church (adjacent to Amherst Police Station)

Unitarian Church town center

Time For Change

March 29:  Most important local election in the past 11 years

'Amherst For All' is coming under criticism for something they never did -- publicly call for Town Meeting termination -- from 'Amherst Town Meeting Works', who publicly whine about maintaining our antiquated form of government by begging a No vote on the March 29 ballot question concerning the formation of a new Charter Commission.

Of course this falls right into the same category of hypocrisy demonstrated by those candidates now running for the Charter Commission who refused to sign the initial petition that brought the question to the March 29 ballot in the first place.

At the very least it shows they do not have much confidence their side will triumph on the all important ballot question.

Even more hilarious is the new video from the undynamic hat duo, Mary Wentworth and Michael Burkhart, with their Pulitzer Prize investigative hatchet piece riddled with errors.



Because W.D. Cowls and Jones Properties donated a measly $200 each to Amherst For All, which was an organization with the stated goal of supporting a ballot question that simply allows voters the right to choose, is hardly a grand conspiracy.

I'm sure both companies gave many times over that this past year to local sports teams and social service agencies.  And Cinda Jones granddaddy also had a daughter, so he did not split his empire between just two sons.

She is also not the "biggest property owner in Western Mass."  Her multi-generational owned company, W.D. Cowls, Inc is.  In fact they are the #1 property owner in the entire state, although the vast majority of the empire consists of undeveloped woodlands.

 Note who two of the sponsors are (right column)

And if it was not for Barry Roberts buying the old College Drug Store in 1991 after a fire forced any redevelopment to include an elevator, that building would probably still be a downtown eyesore.

As well as the First National Bank building directly across the street that he purchased and renovated twenty years ago.  A building that currently has a prime vacancy after TD Bank moved out, but still costs Barry a bundle in property taxes. 

Eleven years ago Amherst Town Meeting Works raised almost $7,000 to defeat the Mayor/Council/Town Manager government that came out of Stanley Durnakowski's one man crusade to  collect the thousands of signatures required.

 Stan Durnakowski Amherst Bulletin column 2002

And Stanley had a prominent sign that was always by his side:  "Time For Change:  Sign This Petition For A Mayor For Amherst."

You can't get much more clear than that.  Yet 3,000 people still chose to sign his petition.

Yes, Amherst For All was non-committal when it came to clearly saying it was time to terminate Town Meeting, but that's certainly not why 3,500 people still chose to sign their petition.

And now they have formed a second organization, Amherst For Change, that will probably get more forthright with messaging.  At least I hope they do.

 Now you know who NOT to vote for (see 9 above)

Here's who you vote for!

Town Center Refresh

Amity Street parking lot is busiest in town

The heart of downtown will benefit by a comprehensive infrastructure improvement with the repaving of Amity Street, the complete overhaul of the popular town parking lot adjacent to Amherst Cinema and a new raised crosswalk in front of the Jones Library.

The DPW project will be done over the summer when our little college town slows down somewhat so as not to cause too much disruption to local small businesses and the site plan was approved by the Planning Board and Design Review Committee.

 Click to enlarge

 Center walkway will line up with crosswalk to Jones Library

The lot, because of more efficient design, will increase from 33 to 35 spaces with three of them handicapped accessible (up from only two now).

Medical Marijuana Trifecta?

Auction Barn in North Amherst possible home to medical marijuana dispensary

The Select Board on Monday night will be asked yet again for a "letter of support or non opposition" to a medical marijuana dispensary located at 169 Meadow Street in deep North Amherst, almost to the Sunderland line.

Although ever optimistic attorney Tom Reidy succinctly requests a Letter of Support, which the Select Board has opted to do for the previous two petitioners.  

The building is the former home of Kimball's Auction Barn who recently moved to Rt 9 Hadley after the 47 acre property was sold by W.D. Cowls to farmer Joe Czajikowski earlier this month.

Since there is not a state regulation concerning the number of dispensaries in a city or town theoretically all three could get state approval, although highly unlikely.

But who knows, if the ballot question legalizing recreational pot gets approved this coming November, we could probably provide more than enough business for three dispensaries.

DPW: No Place Like New Home

Current DPW cannot shelter much of their fleet

The long awaited new DPW Facility Planning Study will be presented to the Select Board on Monday night.  Main headline of course will be the $37 million price tag. Ouch!

DPW Chief Guilford Mooring points out this is still a preliminary plan with healthy contingencies built in, so prices should drop as the plan gets closer to breaking ground.

 Fort River School is the preferred site for new DPW

The town is currently in the throes of birthing four major costly building projects:  a new $65 million elementary school, a Jones Library expansion/renovation with published reports as high as $40 million, a new forever talked about South Fire Station which certainly will cost more than the $12 millions Joint Capital Planning Committee has used as a placeholder for years, and this DPW refresh at around $37 million.

The state will reimburse half the School and Library construction costs but even then we're looking at $50 million in town funds.  And there's no state reimbursement for DPW, so now we're up to $87 million; and the Fire Station can't be much cheaper than a DPW facility, so new we're well over $100 million.

Or one-tenth of a billion.  Yeah, that's real money.

Drink The Water

DPW is regrading the old landfill to improve drainage

The Water Supply Protection Committee met this morning and unanimously supported a statement/memo to DPW Chief Guilford Mooring declaring Amherst water is safe to drink despite rumblings from neighbors of the old landfill who hired a private environmental firm -- Roux Associates -- to provide ammunition in their war to prevent a municipal solar project.

   Amherst water is fine

 Water Supply Protection Committee

Concerned neighbors

The town recently signed an agreement with SunEdison for a 2.8 megawatt solar array on that wide open parcel and neighbors fear it will increase the probability of the landfill cap failing and creating an environmental disaster.

Plus it will make it harder for dog walking.

A Reasonable Balance?

Kendrick Place continues to draw fire

Despite the objections from both the Chamber of Commerce and Business Improvement District the Amherst Planning Board voted unanimously 5-0 with two abstentions last night to recommend a zoning article to Town Meeting that would better define what constitutes a "mixed use" building.

 Amherst Planning Board

The more restrictive aspects compared to current bylaw is the residential make up of the building would limit 4 bedroom units to no more than 25% of total units (for fear of student rentals by the bedroom) and the first floor must be 60% commercial vs the current vague rule that seems to allow an ATM or gumball machine to suffice. 

Vince O'Connor spoke in favor of the article, specifically citing Kendrick Place as an example of what should be avoided in the future.  And he lamented the loss of the Carriage Shops, which was entirely small business commercial shops, to be replaced by One East Pleasant, which is mostly residential.

 Vince O'Connor:  "Given the latitude for mixed use buildings there should be a better definition."

Although it remains to be seen if these new regulations if passed by Town Meeting (requires a two thirds vote) would apply to One East Pleasant Street, the companion project -- although much larger -- to Kendrick Place. Developers of those two projects,  Kyle Wilson  and David Williams, were in the audience last night but did not speak. 

Last year Town Meeting voted down a citizens petition article that was far more restrictive in defining what constitutes a mixed use building, so this Planning Board article is considered a good faith compromise. 

Kind of like fighting fire with fire. 

Unfair Profits?

27 Kendrick Place (Not to be confused with apartment building of same name)

A little less than two years ago then Finance Director Sandy Pooler purchased the little house at 27 Kendrick Place for $5,000 over the minimum asking bid of $220,000.

The house was left to the Amherst Housing Authority by former Select Board member and 30+ year  UMass German language professor Eva Schiffer.   And according to her last will and testament the house should be sold to a town employee at 60% of its market value (at the time appraised at $307,000).

When that did not work out the AHA went to probate Judge Linda Fidnick who ruled it was okay to simply sell the house outright as long as the proceeds went towards assisting low-income families. 

After the sudden death of Town Manager John Musante, when the town was still reeling from his loss, Mr. Pooler announced he was leaving for a job in his hometown.  Fair enough.  Who does not like working for their hometown?

But now the property he purchased for the bargain basement price of $225,000 is on the market for $350,000.  Thus even if he put $20,000 into the house over the past two years, a pretty healthy $100,000 profit wouldn't you say?

Ms.  Schiffer would not be pleased.

If And When You Rebuild It

Amherst:  27.7 square miles, 133 miles of roadway

The Select Board, keepers of the public way, received a technical briefing from the Department of Public Works last night and the take away was pretty sobering.  To repair all the roads in town this  year would cost almost $30 million.

But the current plan is to spend only $1.5 million this year and another $2.2 million over the next four years.  Or a total of just under $4 million over five years.  The state will do Belchertown Road (Rt9) to the tune of $1.8 million in 2019.

 Pavement Condition Index (1-100) higher number is better

Thus bringing the total backlog down to "only" $22.5 million or so.  Except of course for the additional repair work that will be generated by normal wear and tear over the next five years.

 Consultant (StreetScan)  used hi tech van with ground penetrating radar, microphones, cameras to scan roads

The Select Board also voted to approve a roundabout for Triangle/East Pleasant Street that will certainly be well over $1 million to construct but DPW Chief Guilford Mooring ducked the question about financing the project.

And it was also pointed out that North Amherst Village Center intersection will simultaneously be fighting for funding as well.


Who would have thought pavement could generate such excitement?

 Did your road make the list?