I'm a working on...

 Poor Farm Swamp

I was happy to see a railroad worker doing basic maintenance on the tracks running over Station Road recently, the location of two derailments last summer.  Looks like the crew also did some tree work a little further up the tracks as well.

Calm after the storm

 Theta Chi Frat, 496 North Pleasant, UMass, Amherst

Even though this past weekend actually included St. Patrick's Day, Amherst was a far calmer, nicer place to be.  Amherst police issued only one $300 Noise Bylaw ticket and four warnings as opposed to last weekend's 14 Noise Bylaw tickets, 12 Noise warnings, 7 Nuisance House violations, and 12 open container infraction arrests--the majority meted out on Saturday during the "Blarney Blowout".


And Amherst Fire Department did not have to transport a single ETOH (passed out drunk) patient as opposed to 14 last weekend.

Why the night and day difference?  Spring Break, of course. The students have migrated elsewhere for a week.  And just to show it is a very tiny minority of party types who give all students a bad name, the only ticket handed out this weekend was to a serial offender,Sergey Vuytik. 

Even Pike fraternity has behaved these past two weeks after APD issued them two "nuisance house" tickets for boorish behavior, but another on campus frat--Theta Chi--made the police report for a "panicky college age female who overdosed on shrooms and doesn't feel good now."

Still, this week promises to be a throwback to the quaint, quiet Amherst of old.  Enjoy it while you can.

Party Apartment of the Weekend

 Cathedral Apartments: brick building center

You would think somebody with a unique name like Sergey Vuytik would be a tad more careful about getting arrested--especially for a second time for the same obnoxious offense.  And let's not even talk about the Bad Boy being old enough to know better at age twenty seven.

According to police logs Mr Vuytik was arrested for "a blaring stereo" at 3:45 AM early Sunday morning in his apartment complex which is located almost in the center of Amherst.  Apparently Sergey moved from his former nuisance house at 83 Morgan Circle, much to the delight I'm sure of his former neighbors.

Arrested for Noise:
Sergey Vuytik, 51 Jacqueline Rd  Apt #12, Waltham, MA, age 27

Éirinn go Brách

 
Tom Kelley:  Faithful "domestic" to Miss Emily, and her lead pallbearer

Growing up on Crow Hill in Amherst in a single parent Irish Catholic household a couple generations ago, St Patrick's Day was more than a spring milestone--and much more than simply a day to wear green, or an excuse to consume beer for breakfast.

It was the only time I ever remember my mother hosting a formal party for friends, family and neighbors, and one of the few times the Kelley household looked more than presentable for an entire day and night. 

My mother always accented the positive traits of being Irish:  loyalty, gifted storytelling, determination, hard working, although stubborn was a trait that could go either way.  One of my favorite sayings I heard often enough was "get their Irish up," meaning to anger.

So I've always tried to use St Patrick's Day positively.  In 1991, over a ten consecutive year date with Mt Washington for the grueling bike race in late August, St Patty's Day commenced the first formal day of road training.  Over the following five months, and thousands of miles logged, I could count on one hand the days missed being in the saddle.

Five years ago today (2007) I started this blog to reestablish my voice.  I had lost a bet with an online Anon commenter on Masslive Amherst Forums (2004) about whether Amherst Regional High School, after the monumental national pounding they were taking for scheduling a performance of "The Vagina Monologues," would actually happen (it did).

I also resigned my monthly column after 14 years with the Amherst Bulletin because Editor in Chief Jim Foudy censored me from writing a follow up column (the first had sparked an international debate) on that same shameful incident.

Since founding, I have shed light on the truth--especially in places where powerful forces wished it stay hidden, given voice to the voiceless--when they spoke the truth, broken countless stories, and led the charge on a dozen important crusades.

A 19th century journalist using 21st century technology.

You may have noticed the sudden appearance of advertising last week.  Although my traffic reached a point of commercial viability years ago, I held off selling ads because I did not want to deal with the natural conflict of interest that oftentimes hamstrings newspapers--especially now with print ads down dramatically. 

Do you hold back investigating/reporting a story because it shines negative light on one of your few remaining advertisers? 

For instance, I'm tempted now to make a snide remark about Gazette reporter Scott Merzbach grilling Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tony Maroulis to elicit negative feedback about McMurphy's and Stacker's embarrassing "Blarney Blowout" bar promotion last Saturday.  But, Tony's an advertiser (who, hopefully, has a sense of humor).

Last year, this special holiday marked my most important milestone of all:  giving up alcohol.

The painfully slow demise of my health fitness business combined with painful arthritic degeneration of my joints combined to overwhelm my fine tuned sense of control.

I thought I could not live without my business or being able to kick people in the head on an almost daily basis.  Soon enough, I thought I could not live without consuming 10 beers a day.  Now I live without both.

Because I came to realize the ultimate truth:  I can't live without my family.

May those who love us love us. And those that don't love us, May God turn their hearts. And if He doesn't turn their hearts, May he turn their ankles, So we'll know them by their limping.

Fore!

Free ad on the town website

Let the record show that our money pit municipal golf course opened for business yesterday, so naturally today it rained.  This pre St Patrick's Day opening is the earliest in a decade but that will not stop town officials from using the weather excuse this coming July at fiscal year finish when the course ends up in the (cherry) red once again.

Hickory Ridge, a 18 hole public/private course in South Amherst sold at auction yesterday to Appliedgolf, a major player who owns 13 other courses.  Cherry Hill would have benefited somewhat by Hickory Ridge staying closed but now it may be quite the opposite as the new owners may invest more money into renovations, making it an even better course.

On average Cherry Hill only covers about 70% of its total overhead with the other 30% covered by taxpayers--the vast majority of whom do not play golf.  Hickory Ridge needs to cover all its costs (including property taxes to the town) via membership fees, or the auctioneers gavel will fall again.

Careful What You Wish For

 28 Shays Street, Amherst

It will be interesting to see how neighbors here in South Amherst react to the request coming before the Zoning Board of Appeals to expand a house the former owner referred to as a "shack" from one family (four occupants max) all the way to three family (dozen occupants).

Dave Keenan purchased the humble abode at 28 Shays Street in 1994 for $2,500 but with back taxes owed($8,000)  to the town and DEP ordered clean up (backed by $30,000 in fines) required because of a leaky oil storage tank.  Dave never did add much in the way of window dressing, so neighbors were constantly complaining to the town about the general ramshackle appearance.

Finally with back taxes and legal fees owed topping $60,000 the town tried to foreclose and have building inspectors check out whether the house was even habitable.  Mr Keenan telegraphed that he would not allow entry without a fight and a Ruby Ridge was narrowly avoided.

Keenan came up with the money owed to the town via a friend, Eric Burt, who must have been savvy enough to have the house held as collateral.  Keenan never paid him back, and as a result lost the house.  Last September Mr. Burt sold it for $159,800 to Michael Ben-Chaim, who now wishes to triple the occupancy.

Do good things come in threes?  Perhaps...certainly for the new owner.

A stitch in time...

 APD in riot gear. Townhouse Apartments 3/10/12 

Even the Amherst Bulletin is aroused!

While the $10,000 state grant to the Amherst Police Department for party control, compared to their $4 million annual operation cost may not sound like much, it comes at a critical time for our beleagured officers of the law:  Spring.


Although, considering the level of drinking and debauchery on display this past weekend for the "Blarney Blowout," they could have put it to good use a little sooner.
McMurphy's, Stacker's Saturday 3/10/12 10:45AM  Tommy Devine vid

But with that other day of debauchery--the Hobart Hoedown--looming on the near horizon, APD could use all the extra help they can muster.  Too bad the  Amherst Fire Department, equally overburdened by party revelry, could not benefit by a temporary grant (or permanent increase in staffing).

AFD & APD respond to ETOH (passed out) student 3/10/12 4:00 PM

Let the grading begin

 Moving "new dirt" at ye old landfill

The Amherst Department of Public Works commenced work on regrading the old landfill off Belchertown Road, a project required by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection as part of capping closure agreement signed in the late 1980s.

A landfill typically settles after organic material decomposes causing the clay cap to sag and allowing rainwater to collect in stagnant pools.  This phase of the regrading should only take a week and the 52 acre tract will start looking as level as a Cape Cod beach.

Of course a level playing field is also conducive to the installation of solar panels, a controversial project strongly opposed by neighbors in the adjacent Amherst Woods housing development who filed suit against the town last year using NIMBY lawyer Michael Pill.

Amherst was one of about 20 communities who took state money for capping with the provision the closed landfill never be used for anything except passive recreation.  A recent bill in the state legislature would nix that condition by making solar farms an acceptable--if not encouraged--use.

Last year Amherst Town Meeting voted overwhelmingly to allow Town Manager John Musante to negotiate a long term agreement with BlueWave Capital, a company founded by John DeVillars, former Secretary of Environmental Affairs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Today would have been a good day to generate electricity.

 Twins: mountain of dirt in shadow of Holyoke Range

Here's mud in your eye

UPDATE Jan 30, 2013:

According to Ms. Brooks, she was found guilty of a first offense DUI on September 7, 2012. All  
other charges were dropped.

####

One of the more jarring incidents over the  "Blarney Blowout" weekend occurred early Monday morning (1:30 AM) when a 21-year-old drunk UMass student became embroiled in a "road rage" incident in town center which led to a high speed chase down Amity Street, some of it on the wrong side of the road, a wide turn on University Drive where police pulled over and arrested both drivers before they killed one another, or an innocent bystander.

The road rage continued however as the young lady did not take too kindly to the interdiction by an Amherst Police officer.  She spit on him.  Yes, spit.

Courtney M Brooks, 85 Eastern Ave, Rochester, NH, age 21 was arrested for Operating Under the Influence, speeding, marked lanes violation, marijuana possession, possession of pepper spray without a proper license AND assault on an officer.

Christopher Alviani, 169 Rocky Hill Road, Hadley, MA, age 24 was arrested for Operating Under the Influence, speeding, following too closely.

Springfield Republican catches up with this story

Blarney Blowout Weekend

McMurphy's downtown Amherst.  Party Central

Spring break beating out St Patrick's Day by 24 hours provides a "Luck of the Irish" respite for the town. Thus this past weekend became the last one for Amherst area college students to use the patron saint of Ireland as an excuse to drink early and drink often.  Throw in mild spring like weather and you have perfect ingredients for a pernicious drain on public safety.

Long lines of college students noisily waiting to get into McMurphy's and Stacker's Saturday morning for the "Blarney Blowout" was a perfect barometer indicating a powerful storm was starting to swirl.  In fact, over the course of the morning/afternoon three individuals were cited ($300 each) for "open container" violations as they were drinking beer while waiting in line to drink more beer.

Interestingly, the McMurphy's event used to be called "Kegs & Eggs" but apparently in response to a public chastising by Amherst Select Board Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe last year because of the embarrassing aftereffects, this year they simply changed the name (and did not go before the Select Board requesting an early morning opening time).  Same embarrassing aftereffects, however.

One of the first noise warnings was issued at 9:30 AM to an apartment on Hallock Street almost in town center.  The reporting party stated there was extremely loud music coming from location and when asked to turn down the music the perps responded it was "Blarney Blowout today so every house would be like this."

The festivities would indeed peak very late Saturday night into Sunday morning, swamping AFD with ETOH (alcohol poisoning) calls.  Mutual aid ambulances were then required from Belchertown and two from Northampton Fire Department.

So yes with APD also swamped, issuing 14 Noise Bylaw tickets, 12 Noise warnings, 7 Nuisance House violations, and 12 open container infractions it's too hard to pick the one single Party House as overall winner, so I thought I would put up a rogues gallery:

176 Triangle Street

Four women cited each for noise and nuisance house for a party of 200+ just after midnight Friday.

The house is owned by Railroad Street Partners, aka James Cherewatti, aka Eagle Crest Management.  Not surprisingly that corporate entity also owns McMurphy's, Stacker's and the "opening soon" (for over a year now) Olde Town Tavern--all in town center.

Although 176 Triangle Street is slightly unusual for an Eagle Crest properties in that it is only a "one family"  with a maximum capacity of  four tenants.  Usual modus operandi is to convert a one family into two family in order to maximize profits by doubling legal occupancy to eight, with little increased cost of operations (assessor does not double the valuation of the building).

Take 156 Sunset Avenue for instance.  The Zoning Board of Appeals will continue to deliberate next month on providing just such a golden ticket to Mr. Cherewatti, over neighbors objections of course. 

747 Main Street, Amherst

Large Loud Party with taxi's dropping off more and more...

(1:00 AM Saturday) Loud voices from inside both floors of residence.  Approximately 50 guests were cleared with the cooperation of residents.  Residents were cooperative, however one TBL citation was issued to a tenant for the noise violations as we have multiple responses to this address for similar events.

The house is owned by Chad O'Rourke, AKA Pipeline Properties.  He owns or managers a total of 54 properties around town almost all of them rented to students.   Last September at a ZBA hearing for his newest acquisition at 314 Lincoln Avenue where the special permit allowing it to continue to be "two family" (thus 8 legal tenants) required reapproval upon sale of the structure, Hilda Greenbaum (ZBA member, also a large property owner in town) specifically questioned him regarding 747 Main Street pointing out the exterior is "poorly maintained."

28 Carriage Lane, Amherst (residential neighborhood)

1:00AM early Saturday morning (in another part of town)

Loud and unreasonable voices, music, and drumming could be heard coming from the house.  Uncooperative guests that numbered approximately 100.  Residents taken into custody.

Arrested for Noise Bylaw Violations:
Benjamin Monat, 21 Jefferson Ave, Sharon, MA, age 21
Kaivan Charmchi, 8 Bayberry Lane, Millbury, MA, age 21
David Fine, 81 Brackett Rd, Newton, MA, age 22

And yes, I've saved the worst for last or as Steve Jobs used to say "Just one more thing":

RP called to report that at 4:00 PM today (Saturday) a intoxicated college aged male grabbed her 11 year old daughter.

RP advises her 11 year old daughter was walking near Amity and Lincoln when a drunk college age male grabbed her daughter on the arm (no injury).  RP says her daughter and friend ran to friend's house.  RP doesn't want an officer to speak to her daughter.  RP was asked what she thinks the motive was.  She states party was going on and perp appeared drunk.  She says perp was trying to get her daughter to come and party.

RP also voiced displeasure with bars opening up so early today.

As should we all.

Free Tibet, 9/11 & Kamikazes

Twenty two coffins on Amherst Town Common

Twenty two small coffins comprised one of the more graphic props utilized yesterday for the march from Amherst to Northampton commemorating the start (1959) of the Tibetan struggle for independence from China.  They graphically represent the number of individuals who have committed ritual suicide--many in the past year--by one of the more dramatic means of death:  self immolation.

And just so you could not miss the connection, some of the coffins carried a placard with 22 thumbnail photos of the victims, reminiscent of the first mug shot/bulletin issued by our federal government showing the 19 hijackers who plowed commercial jets into the Twin Towers, Pentagon and a field in Shankesville, Pennsylvania.

All depends on your perspective I guess, or "whose ox is being gored:"  The US military considered Divine Wind kamikaze pilots "fanatics," while Japanese comrades considered them heroes.  The 9/11 hijackers thought they were doing divine service to Allah, while we consider them ruthless killers, dupes of puppet master Osama Bin Laden.

 Free Tibet demonstration  3/10/12 near the spot where Greg Levey immolated himself in 1991

Suicide is self-imposed death, and self-imposed death is suicide.  What's the difference between setting yourself aflame for a political objective or strapping a bomb to your torso and detonating it in a public place for a political objective?  (Well, besides taking out innocent bystanders.)

A flag is a far more benign but still powerful symbol for reaching directly into the hearts of onlookers, and the more rational sides of their mind.  Our Select Board, in addition to issuing a proclamation supporting the Free Tibet struggle, allowed their flag to fly in front of Town Hall and going forward will do so annually on this anniversary.

 Flag of Tibet flies under the UN flag at Amherst Town Hall

Yes, this is the same Select Board that voted to allow 29 commemorative American flags to fly in Amherst downtown to remember the anniversary of 9/11 only once every fifth year. 

Maybe this September when I go before the Select Board to request the flags fly on 9/11 I will call it the "Free the Flags" movement.

Good, Bad & Ugly

BAD: Stacker's Downtown Amherst 3/10/12 10:45 AM

As Select Board Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe addressed a crowd of nearly 100 Free Tibet supporters (the good) crowds of college aged students twice that large gathered in line about 100 yards away waiting for Stackers and McMurphy's, two of Amherst's downtown less classy watering holes, to begin serving alcohol (the bad) at the "13th Annual Blarney Blowout."

GOOD: Select Board Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe addresses Free Tibet crowd 10:45 AM

Considering the lines peaked around 10:45 AM, things are going to get ugly before this weekend is done.

BAD: McMurphy's downtown Amherst 3/10/12 10:45 AM

BAD: Meanwhile, across the street...

UPDATE 4:00 PM  ETOH (passed out drunk) male transported by AFD to Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

41 Sunset Avenue 4:00 PM

UPDATE 5:15 PM Dressed in riot gear and toting pellet guns that fire pepper balls a half dozen officers broke up a large party of around 200 in the quad area of Townhouse Apartments on Meadow Street, near the location of the September 9 Meadow Street Riot.

 

APD made short work of dispersing the crowd, and these two did not seem to mind

Another cry of wolf

 Ye old landfill (capped and lined)

Last year as part of their PR campaign to dump Amherst Town Meeting article #24, which would allow the town manger free rein to negotiate a deal with BlueWave Capital for electricity generated by the proposed joint public/private solar farm, NIMBYs brought up the issue of an environmental catastrophe from run off oozing from ye old landfill.

Town officials used multiple credible sources to counter their alarmist allegations and Town Meeting went on to overwhelmingly approve article #24.  Not long after, those same NIMBYs filed a lawsuit against the town using everyone's favorite "just-say-no" attorney (unless it's for a library in his hometown of Shutesbury) Michael Pill.

The state legislature, however, will soon enact a bill to make his expensive lawsuit moot by releasing any municipality who accepted Department of Environmental Protection money for capping a landfill from the provision stating it could only then be used for passive recreation. 

Late this afternoon the town manager--via our official town website--issued a "Statement REGARDING SAFETY OF AMHERST'S MUNICIPAL DRINKING WATER" in response to "photographs of a wetland in the vicinity of Hop Brook circulated via email."

The 13 photos were anonymously uploaded by someone using the handle "ForcleanAmherst" on a free photo sharing website they only joined on Feburary 20.  The post is far from popular as most of the pictures have around 50 views.  Although those numbers are sure to go up after the town manager fired off his "newsflash" to all Amherst subscribers.

The nonexistent wolf has been slayed, again.

Red stuff explained

Could be worse

Former Mark's Meadow Elementary School.  Returned to UMass

With the elementary schools once again facing a budget deficit of just over $200,000 and the white elephant modular classrooms at the former Mark's Meadow Elementary School safely refinanced and swept back under the rug, I thought it perhaps timely to look back on the most contentious issue of the past decade:  Closing Mark's Meadow Elementary School.

Three years ago, then interim Superintendent Maria Geryk told the School Committee:  "At this moment in time, given the information we have, given the time-frame we have, I would not personally go down that road."

According to the  3/4/09 Gazette (one of the last articles penned by Mary Carey.  Emphasis added):

Some of 60 or more parents who attended the meeting clapped after hearing that view, and some School Committee members agreed the district should beware of doing anything so decisive prematurely. "I'm delighted we're being so cautious and careful," School Committee member Elaine Brighty said.

Recently, in response to my public info request, Kathy Mazur, ARPS Director of Human Resources, wrote:

"Regarding the closure of MM, we had initial, conservative estimates of about 500K to close the school.  At the time, I was closely involved with the planning, and I was confident the amount would be higher than the 500K.  When we actually closed in preparation for the 10-11 year, the amount of realized savings was a bit over 800K.  However, that year we had just 63 classrooms in the 3 remaining schools.  This year, we have 69 classrooms."

She continues:

"It is difficult now, to make a solid determination of what is being annually saved.  Since we have more classrooms now than we did that first year, you might conclude that those additional 6 classrooms cannot be counted toward annual closure savings.  If you agree with this, then you would have to subtract about 360K from the original savings just for the classrooms.  With the additional classrooms also comes additional support (FTE) in the areas of aesthetics, SE, etc.  What we can state for sure is that we annually save the cost of a building principal, 2 secretaries, a librarian, a nurse, a guidance counselor, custodial staff, and probably some paras.  Roughly, the real $ savings at this point is under $300K."

But here are the figures the administration presented to the School Committee three years ago:

Reduction in district classrooms from 67 (FY10) to 64 (FY11) $162,000
Reduction of principal and 2 secretaries $170,000
2.5 custodians $55,000
1.0 ELL teacher $54,000
1.0 Special Education teacher $54,000
1.0 Intervention teacher $54,000
1.13 paraprofessionals $15,000
1.0 LPN $35,000
1.0 librarian $54,000
1.0 IA paraprofessional $20,000
 

Total Reductions $673,000

Hmm...Just the reduction of the principal, 2 secretaries and 2.5 custodians ($225,000)--when you add in employee benefits--would easily hit $300,000. 

But even if the lower figure is accurate, the huge $200,000 hole the schools are currently in would be a $500,000 canyon.  And that's exactly where we would now find ourselves if not for former School Committee member Catherine Sanderson becoming a Joan of Arc to lead the charge in a unpopular crusade. 

Of course, like her patron saint, Ms Sanderson was roasted at the stake.

Women Rule (Especially in Hamp)

The nifty main street bicycle overpass, immediately adjacent to the truck eating bridge, in Northampton center provides the perfect high ground for protesters to garner maximum attention.  And today around 4:30 PM, a handful of women came to demonstrate on International Women's Day calling for peace and the decommissioning of Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power plant. 

They brought the banners to easily attache to protective fencing and a portable public address system to taut their temporary occupation.

On the way back to Amherst we spotted another handful of women protesters on the busy Calvin Coolidge Bridge packing in their banners.  The brief dual bridge protest was done. 

The war in Afghanistan, however, continues.

Long Distance Learning

 From Shanghai, China to Amherst, MA, USA

This morning my daughter Kira beamed into her 4th grade class at Crocker Farm Elementary School via FaceTime, from her Mom's iPhone to my iPad2.  Her dozen classmates seemed enthralled, perhaps because they have not seen her in three weeks,  although not stunned and amazed by the Star Trek technology that made it all possible.

No surprise I guess, since these kids have known nothing but digital their entire lives.  

Kira has been keeping up with her homework, taking private tutoring lessons four hours daily (half Chinese and half math), keeping a blog (yes, she's a better writer than Dad) and touring businesses with her entrepreneurship professor Mom.

All in all, a great educational experience.

Neighborhood Shake Up?

So it will be interesting to see (and hear) how the immediate neighbors living near our economic Leviathan react to the news that Lincoln Apartments, which for over fifty years housed families, graduate students, UMass staff, and visiting faculty will now be accepting the dreaded "undergrads."


Well, maybe.  


According to a polite memo to the neighborhood from Lisa Queenin, Director of Community and Regional Legislative Relations: "With the housing pressures on campus and our desire to maximize all available housing options for both undergraduate and graduate students, we may open Lincoln Apartments as a housing option to senior undergraduates who choose to live in this quiet community"

Lincoln Apartments is contiguous with Fearing Street, which is located in the heart of the Gateway corridor leading to UMass from Amherst town center.  Frathouse Pi Kappa Alpha, the scene of violent fights this past weekend (earning them two $300 "Nuisance House" tickets from APD) is located on the corner of Fearing Street and North Pleasant Street and the worst party street in town, Phillips Street, is one street over.

 Lincoln Apartments top left, Pi Kappa Alpha middle right

Rowdy student party houses poisoning the neighborhood was reason #1 the Gateway Corridor Project-- a joint commercial/residential  mixed-use development between the town and UMass-- was derailed.

The two acre parcel of property (formerly "Frat Row") that was to be the crown jewel of the town/gown joint development is now also a potential site for additional housing, assuming the Gateway project does not arise from the dead.

The gift that keeps on costing

 Trailer for sale or rent...

So last night at our illustrious Select Board meeting, during a routine discussion of repackaging outstanding loans into one cheaper bond issue--refinanced with a low 2.16% interest rate--Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe asked Finance Director Sandy Pooler about the current status of the (not so) portable modular classrooms at the former Mark's Meadow Elementary School, a building owned by UMass.

"Stationary," he responded laconically.

Had Mr. Pooler been around five years ago when the classrooms were first purchased for $205,000 he probably would not now be so flippant.

Perhaps no single incident best captures the hubris of the pre-Catherine Sanderson Amherst School Committee, where the rubber stamp was routinely pressed into action, better than the portable classrooms fiasco.  Although warned on the floor of Town Meeting about declining enrollments at Mark's Meadow by longtime town meeting contrarian Nancy Gordon, the portable classrooms unanimously endorsed by the School Committee passed overwhelmingly.

In fact, at the time, School Committee Chair (and UMass School of Education Assistant Director Center for Education Policy) Andy Churchill stated:   "the School Committee needs to look hard at whether we need to add two or four modular classrooms, understanding that there is a financial component to be considered." So I guess it could have been (twice as) bad.

Just three years later, at Catherine Sanderson's bold urging, Mark's Meadow was closed and the portable classrooms, never actually put to use as classrooms serving students, lay fallow.

Now they are too expensive to move ($50,000 or more) and negotiations with UMass to purchase them seem to be going nowhere.

Yes, Ms. O'Keeffe should have banished Mr. Pooler to the woodshed for his dry sense of humor.  Or better yet, to our abandoned, useless, expensive, modular classrooms.

Can you hear me now?

Wi-Fi emitters dangle from a streetlight in Amherst town center

Information Technology Director Kris Pacunas paid an obligatory visit to the Joint Capital Planning Committee meeting last week to pitch the department's infrastructure needs for the next fiscal year, with his top priority the routine--but expensive--upkeep of all things digital in a $70 million enterprise like Amherst's:  $123,000 for computers, routers, wires, switches, etc, in this, the second year of a six year replacement schedule for a total amount of $615,000.

Another $20,00 is requested for document/records/images scanning to reduce the floorspace dedicated to paper records (which can be forever lost in a fire) and make retrieval so much more efficient.  Money from previous requests recently bore fruit as the town now provides history buffs with on line access to town records dating back to our 1759 founding. Another $100,000 will be requested over the next five years.

The downtown wireless Internet the town provides for free with up to 150 users on at any given time is not maintenance free and now requires $20,000 to replace the twenty outdoor emitters located on streetlights around town center.

The public Wi-Fi system was constructed five years ago in a joint collaboration with two UMass professors working with Department of Defense grant on a reliable system of communication to be used after a natural disaster or unnatural nuclear war.

The system was never "hardened" for such events, however, as the natural disaster that befell the Valley via a October 29 snowstorm took out the power and the wireless went down.  The town manager is requesting $85,000 for a Town Hall generator which will ensure that does not happen again.

Perhaps the only request Mr. Pakunas will have trouble selling is a $32,000 Ford Hybrid Escape SUV.  Even Carol Gray, who pestered Police Chief Scott Livingstone about using hybrids for patrol cars, seemed skeptical, wondering if perhaps the department could "borrow" vehicles from other departments when they are not being used. 

Pakunas responded that it sounds good but is not practical for when his employees need to quickly transport items a short distance.

Now if the I.T. Department could just develop a Star Trek transporter...

Kris Pacunas (far right) Kay Moran Chair (head of the table)

Un-Occupy Amherst

After Bank of America and TD Bank in downtown Amherst were disrupted by a good sized invasionary throng of mostly college aged students back on November 17th, BOA stationed a security guard out front six days a week during bank hours.  He had nothing much to do, and recently the guard stopped guarding.

At high noon today, Occupy Amherst folks--all five of them--returned for an "informational stand-in."   Perhaps now the bored security guard will return.

Lost Weekend

 Amherst Fire Department ambulance, Central Station

So once again this past weekend Amherst Fire Department was kept busy all over town--especially to our institutions of higher education--dealing with the potentially life threatening aftermath of too much alcohol consumption (ETOH).

UMass, Amherst College, Hampshire College and even a recently opened business in downtown Amherst, all required visits from one of our ambulances, meaning one less emergency vehicle available to those regular folks who cannot afford to drink themselves into oblivion.

AFD weekend report

AFD Dispatch 2:27-3:5

Frat-Boy Frolics

374 N Pleasant St,  Pi Kappa Alpha. Managed by Kendrick Properties

Early this morning Amherst Police delivered unto the President, Chris Lehmann, and two Vice Presidents of Pi Kappa Alpha, a frathouse animal house on the gateway to UMass, one $300 ticket each for "Nuisance House" violations after separate incidents over the weekend.

The first occurred Friday afternoon when police cruisers were flagged down in front of the frat to relocate two pesky patrons causing a disturbance.  The frat was hosting a closed event party and apparently the two males were gatecrashers.

The more serious incident occurred early Sunday morning (12:30 AM) when APD responded to a call to quell a fight at yet another party at the 374 North Pleasant Street frat.  One individual, who was jumped by "ten frat brothers" after tumbling down stairs, was repeated kicked in the head while on the ground by a perp wearing construction boots.  AFD transported the victim to Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

According to APD logs:

While clearing out the frat, I located a subject who had been kicked in the right eye two or three times.  AFD was contacted and arrived on the scene and transported to CDH.  Before the victim left the scene he was able to identify the suspect who was then taken into custody.

Arrested:
William Sawyer Chaplin, 120 Ocean Ave, Woodmere, NY, age 19, A&B, disorderly conduct
Nicholas Pepe, 222 High St, Stirling, NJ, age 20, A&B with dangerous weapon
Brian Patrick Lewis, 99 Laurelwood Dr, North Attleboro, MA, age 21, assault with dangerous weapon

Summons issued:
Alexander Labib, 48 Woodland Rd, Roslyn, NY, age 20, A&B

Springfield Republican Reports (Bad boys make the Big Time)

Sunday setting

Sustain this!

Southwest: Another Garden Grows 

Even with hundreds of millions of dollars spent over the past decade sprouting buildings from "new dirt" UMass has found a way--albeit small--to reduce their carbon footprint by locating sustainable  gardens sprinkled throughout the campus.  Currently UMass/Amherst is the only public school of higher education with a Permaculture Garden program.

Now they have received a tip of the golf cap from President Obama as the UMass Amherst Permacuture Initiative was the top vote getter (with 59,857)  in the "Campus Champions of Change Challenge", where the top five ideas win a  trip to the White House.   

Maybe the President will toast them with beer made from locally grown barley and hops.

Frisky Friday

Amherst Police Department 111 Main Street

While maybe not as outrageous as last week--at least as far as actual $300 Noise and Nuisance citations issued--Amherst Police were, nevertheless, kept busy ricocheting all over town to quell loud parties.

In the short span of three hours, between 11:30 PM and 2:45 AM, police visited ten locations to issue warnings for loud noise.  So yes, if APD should visit any of these locations again this evening they will be far less inclined to simply warn the boisterous inhabitants.

Warnings Issued:
473 Pine Street, Colonial Village #160, Puffton Village #221, 71 South Prospect Street 2nd floor, Salem Place Condo #17, 45 Leverett Road, The Boulders #162G, 45 Leverett Road (again), Puffton Village #78 and #83,

That's a (final) wrap

"That's a wrap"at 23 North Pleasant St. in downtown Amherst is no more.  But they still have locations in Pittsfield, Dalton and Williamstown, although kind of far for take out.

The sandwich shop opened just under a year ago.  And since restaurants occupy the top of the list for start up failures, I guess it's not shocking news.  They seem to have followed the business model of Bueno Y Sano by targeting college towns, although that popular burrito establishment is just around the corner, while local culinary icon Antonio's Pizza is only two doors down.

White Hut also recently opened nearby.  Downtown Amherst is like a Mall's food court, with the rents almost as high.  A small business is full time enough when the product you offer is non perishable.  Throw in the fresh ingredient factor and the work is never done.

But more will come.  They always do.

Previous tenant

Figures don't lie, but...

 Click to enlarge (if you can handle the truth)

Well, I knew the Amherst school system was pretty weak with math, but this is ridiculous.

Rather than use the actual dollar amount of $697.73 vs. state average of $445.97 or a difference of $252.76 per student (57% higher!) for presenting administration costs, the Amherst Regional School Committee was shown an overall percentage figure of the Region's total spending instead (4.03%), which averages a whopping $17,144 per student vs. state average of $13,055.

Or if you prefer percentages, a whopping 31% over state average.

When Rick Hood ran his yacht factory, if his labor costs were on average 31% higher than a competitor, it's hardly reassuring that administration costs were--as a percentage of total spending--average, because that means the actual dollar amount spent on administration would still be 31% higher than it should be.

Simply put, the $251.76 extra per child in current administration cost over state average, times 1,545 regional students comes out to an extra annual administration cost of $388,969.20! 

The real reason for such high admin costs

 The Amherst Bulletin "reports"