Sincerest form of flattery?

So maybe the kiddies think this parody account is cute, but it clearly violates Twitter rules.  And yes Twitter is still a tiny bit like the Wild, Wild West -- but there are rules governing "parody accounts," just as there are laws against identity theft.

Even worse, they broke the #1 rule of parody accounts:  Their tweets aren't all that  funny. (Well, except for the one about HS Principal Mark Jackson).

Now this is a (funny) parody account:

Car vs Pedestrian Accident Town Center

 Scene is well lit but wet

Amherst and State Police are still on scene in the heart of downtown Amherst investigating a car vs pedestrian accident that sent two victims to area hospitals the more serious to Bay State Critical Care unit in Springfield and the other minor injury, said to be a female child, taken to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton for an arm injury.

The accident occurred around 6:45 PM in between Brueggers Bagels and Ren's Mobile on North Pleasant Street, just past the intersection with Kellogg Avenue.  There is no crosswalk where the car stopped.

 

Mass State PD accident reconstruction team on scene

Progress Indeed

Heroin:  No way to make progress

One of those funny "Oops" moments in this morning's (Springfield) The Republican newspaper:  placing a photo of heroin with "Obamacare" stamped on each package seized the other day by State Police a tad too close to lead story about President Obama giving a year end review of his job performance.

Of course some conservatives think the President must have been under the influence of something to have come up with such a rosy outlook.

And Another One Gone

Portabella Fine Foods

At least they ceased operation via their own choosing (owners are retiring), unlike a lot of small businesses who shuttered their doors this past year in Amherst, and the rest of the nation.

And Another One Gone

 

197 Amity Street

Although it took over 200 years for this (now not so merry) Maple to grow thick and sturdy, it only took a day to make it go away.  

 200+ rings

But a part of the tree will live on as one of the workers cut a slab out of the base to use as a front door at his old house. 

 

A door in the making

Nuts Ban In Amherst Schools

Hi Larry:

I received your request for a copy of the report from the Wellness Committee about the consumption of nuts on school property.  With regard to the wellness subcommittee’s recommendation, I thought it might be helpful to outline the process I followed and the information I considered in establishing the allergy aware guidelines.   As per Policy ADF: Wellness, a subcommittee of the Wellness Committee was tasked with studying life-threatening allergies in the schools. The outcome of their work was the Life Threatening Allergy Guidelines document which was submitted to Dr. Brady and me for review. We fully reviewed this document, as well as the DESE guidelines, both of which note that surfaces need to be washed with appropriate cleaning materials before and after each meal period and that students must wash their hands with soap and water before and after eating. Recent CDE guidelines also support these measures.  These steps are to ensure that we minimize cross-contamination of tables, desks and other surfaces. 

Our schools have close to 100 students with peanut/tree nut allergies who, like all students, must be provided with the safest possible learning environment. The districts had already taken steps to that end, including eliminating peanuts and tree nuts from our food service program three years ago, and asking students not to eat on the buses two years ago. These steps were far from perfect, however.   We heard from a few families that they would not comply with student specific/class specific requests to avoid peanut/tree nut products unless it was a standard held for all students and faculty.  Also, Dr. Brady and I had significant concerns about the schools’ ability to implement the recommended safety guidelines with fidelity since we cannot ensure that all students are complying with hand washing, and we cannot ensure that all surfaces are cleaned properly since students eat in multiple locations, including snacks in their classrooms.  After much deliberation, my decision was to take what I believe to be the logical next step and ask all families and staff to refrain from bringing peanut and tree nut products into our schools. To support this, paragraph four on page one, which includes “allergy aware” language, was added to the Life Threatening Allergy Guidelines.  Even though we now exclude peanuts and tree nut products in our schools, we will continue to follow appropriate guidelines as well and to stress the continued education of students and staff regarding allergies.

The final document is attached.

Best,
Maria

>>> Larry Kelley <amherstac@aol.com> 12/19/2013 4:57 PM >>>

Maria,
So the Wellness Committee or sub-committee never recommended "ban nuts on school property during school hours", correct?
Larry



Sent: Thu, Dec 19, 2013 5:16 pm
Subject: Re: Public Records Request

Hi Larry,

That is correct- the subcommittee created the guidelines and I determined that we could not fully implement those with fidelity. Given that reality,  I was not comfortable with the risk for our students and took the additional steps of "banning" tree nuts and peanuts.

Maria 

>>> Larry Kelley <amherstac@aol.com> 12/19/2013 5:20 PM >>>
Hey Maria,

So are you now comfortable with the word "ban"?  Or is it still just a strong suggestion?

Larry

 

Sent: Fri, Dec 20, 2013 9:26 am

Subject: Re: Public Records Request

Hello Larry,

 

I've always been OK with acknowledging this as "you can't bring in tree nuts/peanuts." I want to be careful when using a term "ban" because I want to walk the line between sending a strong message that you can't bring this into our schools, and the reality that people with life threatening allergies must continue to be vigilent. I don't want to send the message that we can ever guarantee safety. In addition, we don't want to give the message that a student will be in "trouble" if they forget and bring in a peanut butter sandwich. For most people, the word ban is equated with a disciplinary response.

 

The term allergy aware is used to communicate the message that these guidelines are in place to help students avoid allergic reactions.  The guidelines include a number of other practices that are also part of the "allergy aware" school description. The goal is that combining these steps, including having no nut or nut products in the schools,will provide the safest environment for our students. 

 

Thanks for giving me the chance to clarify.

Maria

   ARPS Wellness Comm on Nuts

Free Speech Is A 2 Way Street

I had never heard of -- let alone watched -- Duck Dynasty, until yesterday.  Now I've certainly heard of it.  But no, I'm not about to start watching.  Or start a subscription to GQ Magazine.

Since the punishment for voicing an opinion offensive to some is termination from a reality TV show that seems to have a h-u-g-e following, cries of censorship and infringement of the First Amendment are being bandied about.

Since the agency invoking the punishment (A&E Network) is not the government, the First Amendment simply does not apply.  But certainly free speech -- as in the freedom to speak your mind -- is being infringed upon, because Phil Robinson is being punished for exactly that: speaking his mind.

While I strongly disagree with his opinions about gays, I will defend to the death his right to be wrong.

Although I did agree with his follow up comment:  "However, I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me.  We are all created by the Almighty and like Him I love all of humanity.  We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other."

If a large number of people are offended by his "speech" and can no longer stand the sight of him, then ratings will crash like a duck shot out of the sky.  Then A & E can cancel the show for lousy ratings.

Five years ago a prominent member of the Amherst Select Board wanted to have me arrested for mentioning (with a photo no less) in my usual forthright manner her clear violation of the residency requirement for the highest elected position in town government.

Interestingly enough she was also the one who told then Town Manager Barry Del Castilho NOT to issue a parade permit for the July 4th Parade because the private parade committee had rules forbidding political statements of any kind.

Now that was a clear violation of the First Amendment, upheld by a 9-0 Supreme Court decision.

As my friends at the ACLU would say, the way to deal with bad speech is with more good speech, not censorship.

Twitter gets all fired up

"Many fans asked for my thoughts on the "Duck Dynasty" controversy. They pressed and pressed, but I refused to quack. But I can't duck this issue forever. I don't really care feather someone on a reality show said something about gays that didn't fit the bill. He's entitled to his opinion, even if it's for the birds. But the network also is worried about flocking with its base, so if it feels it should drake him over the coals for making his fowl comments, so be it. So that's migrate opinion."
--George Takei

Rental Permit Bylaw Upheld

Attorney General approves a bevy of Amherst Town Meeting bylaws

The road to the most important legislation passed by Town Meeting in over a generations has been rocky to say the least.  The Rental Registration Bylaw was bitterly opposed leading up to Town Meeting last Spring where it passed by a surprisingly w-i-d-e margin.

According to the state's Top Cop, "We acknowledge the letters and emails sent to us opposing the amendments adopted under Article 29 (Rental Registration Permit).  Interestingly the Attorney General's office goes on to say, "While we cannot conclude that any of these arguments furnish a basis for disapproval of the by-law, these letters and materials have aided our review."

One section of the bylaw states a registration form should be submitted to the "appropriate Town office."  Which in this case is the Principal Code Official (Rob Morra, Building Commissioner).  The AG has suggested the town clarify that section of the bylaw to identify the Principal Code official as the rental czar who issues permits, and can issue exemptions.

Apparently landlords had problems with the section of the bylaw that requires tenants to be made aware of the provisions of the new Rental Bylaw and inspection system, and that a copy of the lease be provided to the town.   The charge was that this is a violation of the "prohibition against regulation of a private civil relationship,"  which was used to strike down "rent control."

The AG found that section permissible because it is specifically limited. The boiler plate language in the bylaw clearly states: "Subject to and as limited by the Constitution of the Commonwealth."  So if a landlord finds something in the permit bylaw requirements that violates the state Constitution, then they can safely ignore it.

The new bylaw also requires the Select Board to appoint a Rental Appeals Board, to act as ombudsmen to help resolve issues amicably.  

Is the $100 permit fee a tax and therefor illegal because a municipality "has no independent power of taxation"?  The Attorney General thinks not. "Fees are collected not to raise revenues but to compensate the governmental entity providing the services for its expenses."

And in this case the Building Department has to hire a new full-time building inspector and administrative assistant to help oversee the program.  Amherst has identified 1,570 rental properties with a total of 5,265 individual rental units. That's a lot of oversight!

As of yesterday the Building Commissioner has received 160 applications (85% of them filed via the Internet) and issued permits for 56.  Or just a tiny bit over 10% of the rental properties in town. 

The law takes effect January 1st.

Town may want to think about stepping up PR outreach effort

Select Board Contest Gets Interesting

Town Clerk's Tally Sheet 

So now we have four Amherst citizens who have "taken out papers" for Amherst Select Board, which has two seats (out of five) up for grabs at the March 25 annual election, as both incumbents decided to retire.

Because two seats are open voters get to vote twice -- but, obviously, not for one candidate.  So it's not a Chicago Boss Hog kind of thing; just a normal, legal Amherst way of dealing with multi-player positions like Select Board, where all five combined equal a Mayor.  Sort of.

The two latest entries are Helen Berg and Yeshaq Warren.  Ms Berg filed a warrant article for Amherst Town Meeting last spring to fund extra PVTA bus runs to the Survival Center on Sunderland Road, which was defeated.  Other than that, no extensive public service experience in town. 

Yeshaq Warren took out papers five years ago for Select Board but never handed them in because as he commented on my post at the time:  "I was just incarcerated so I could not turn them in."  Um, yeah, now there's a Hell of an excuse.

And only two years ago APD arrested Yeshaq Warren for "assaulting a pregnant woman."  So maybe he figures Amherst Select Board members, in addition to their whopping $300 annual pay, also get a "Get Out Of Jail Free" card. 

Candidates have until February 4th to return their papers with the signatures of 50 registered voters. 

Not My Job

UMPD

Back when I was working for United Parcel Service under the auspices of the Teamsters Union, where our hourly pay for unskilled labor was almost four times minimum wage (with full benefits), the non-Teamsters UPS foreman who were company men always said "please" and "thank you" when giving orders to us pack mules.  

Strangely enough, as simple a curtesy as it was, it actually helped to sooth the usual labor/management friction. Although when real issues arose, the fallout could be downright dangerous.

   UMPD APD Joint Patrols

So I can see both sides of this grievance:  UMass police officers don't like being "inversed" to do work that is not spelled out in their contract, while their bosses want to ensure positive relations with the town of Amherst.

Meanwhile the hotspot areas saturated with students living off campus, don't get the full attention they deserve.  And it's the neighborhoods that will suffer.

So can we "please" figure this out before UMass comes back in session?

"Thank you!"

DUI Dishonor Roll

About one-third of all drivers arrested or convicted of drunk driving are repeat offenders

Amherst Police arrested three drivers last week for Driving Under the Influence, or about the average number. And none of them were Umass students. But all of them are old enough to know better.

Lee Comstock, age 27, was pulled over in the heart of downtown Amherst by a Umass officer, so let's hope when he goes to trial the Judge doesn't simply throw it out because it was an officer outside his normal jurisdiction.

Just this past Friday an Amherst police officer was almost hit by an erratic driver on RT9 Hadley, so he pulled her over, but then waited for Hadley PD to arrive to make the arrest.

Another 27-year-old male, Mathew Haramut, was also pulled over very close to Amherst town center and arrested for DUI.  Notice it was his second offense, so you can probably guess why he was "unlicensed".  

And Meghan Keane, age 42, was arrested late Sunday night for driving under the influence with an an open container of said influencer in the vehicle.  She also drew attention to herself by crashing the vehicle.

A Really BIG Deal

 Town Manager to Select Board:  "Very, very close" (to a deal)

The five year "Strategic Agreement" with our #1 client for pubic services -- UMass/Amherst -- expired June 30, 2012.   But the contract was extended for one year after former Town Manager Larry Shaffer (and his secretary) suddenly left town just when the agreement was expiring.

Town Manager John Musante told the Select Board last night that a new "partnership" was "very, very close" to being a done deal.

The previous agreement paid the town $350,000 for ambulance protection but was supplemented recently by an additional $80,000 to cover extra AFD weekend staffing to keep up with a spike in demand, all too much of it alcohol related. 

But, the previous agreement also clearly stated:  "If in the future the town vacates Mark's Meadow, UMass may reimburse the town for a portion of the net cost of educating students living in university tax-exempt housing."

The town did indeed (amazingly) close down Mark's Meadow in 2009 -- saving $800,000 in town tax monies the first year.  But nobody ever bothered to reopen the "strategic agreement" to seek reimbursement for the most expensive municipal product Amherst produces:  education.

In 2009 ARPS reported 55 students enrolled from UMass tax exempt housing, and most recently (back in March, when the Town Manager requested the current figures) the number stood at 57.

At the current cost to Amherst taxpayers ($18,388 per pupil) for our elementary schools, that alone comes to $1 million.

 Current Emergency Response Statistics.  Graph courtesy Tom Valle Secretary Local 1764

UMass also absorbs about one-quarter of Amherst Fire Department services (Umass has a police department but not a fire department) and AFD's annual budget is $4.13 million, so that's another $900,000 in UMass costs borne by Amherst taxpayers. 

In 2010 the University of Vermont (10,459 undergrads, 1,540 grad students) paid Burlington (population 42,282 with one-third of all property tax exempt) $1,100,000 or THREE times what the University of Massachusetts (21,373 undergrads, 6,196 grad students) paid Amherst (population 34,874, with one-half of all property tax exempt).

And UVM has their own ambulance service!

Therefore, no matter what the spinmeisters at UMass News and Media Relations say, anything less than $1 million per year for our "partnership" over the next five years is a bad deal.    

Figures Don't Lie

RKG VP Kyle Talente appears before Planning Board Housing & Shelter Committees

As has become the routine with any public meeting remotely concerning housing, the joint meeting of the Planning Board and Housing & Sheltering Committee last week to hear yet another housing study report became an opportunity for citizens to poke and prod in general and -- in particular -- air complaints about the town's biggest bogeyman, student housing.

Originally the $30,000 study, an outgrowth of the now dead Gateway Project (killed by the very same NIMBYs) , was to ascertain the market for non student housing. But as President Kennedy once observed, "A rising tide lifts all boats."  And in Amherst, the student housing market is a tsunami.

The usual suspects

According to the consultant, "There's a mismatch between supply and demand.  Students price out folks.  Until that need is met it will continue to happen."  Because student rentals in converted single family homes are oftentimes marketed by the bedroom the combined "buying power" of a typical student household matches that of a family with a household income of $100,000.

Houses coming on the market at a price point of $250,000 are prime meat for ravenous investors who can outbid middle class families.  When those houses are all gobbled up and the demand still exists the next price point will be $275,000, then $300,000 and so on. 

Between 2000 and 2010 only about 325 new units were added to the housing stock, or about 35 units per year.  In that same time frame average rents have risen a whopping 57% -- or twice the rate of inflation. Amherst's official population grew from 34,874 to 37,819 during that time frame.

In a recent Amherst Bulletin column UMass Chancellor Subbaswamy confirms UMass has added 1,000 undergrads since 2009 and will add another 2,000 before the end of the decade.

Umass houses 60% of their total students on campus and plans to maintain that ratio in the future;  so that means 400 of the most recently added 1,000 students found housing off campus, and over the rest of the decade 800 more will be looking for shelter. 

The mistake in the draft report pounced on by John Fox in particular concerns the impact of the spiffy new Commonwealth College facility at UMass, which has about 3,000 students.  But the report seems to treat those students as new additional students increasing the overall population of UMass, when in fact they are already here and have already been counted.

In September the 1,500 bed dorms for Commonwealth College students came online.  Some in the audience insist that was enough to satisfy student housing demands, even though it shelters only 50% of the targeted clientele. 

The snippet of the report that seems to have drawn the most fire

Obviously Umass is using the Commonwealth Honors College as a marketing tool to ensure those 2,000 EXTRA students come before the end of the decade, and that they are high achievers unlikely to participate in rowdy weekend parties. 

Neighbors also pointed out the report does not discuss current student oriented projects under way:  Olympia Place (236 beds) and Kendrick Place (102 beds) have both been approved by the Planning Board, but neither has broken ground. 

Interestingly they didn't throw in The Retreat which is projected to provide 641 student beds because they probably do not wish to jinx their concerted effort to kill that project.

RKG Associates provided all sorts of remedies we can take or leave to stimulate housing production.  But to deny that Amherst even has a housing problem is like denying men have walked on the moon. 

The first step is to admit there's a problem.  "Houston we've had a problem." 

And that problem is us.

Amherst will become a Jekyll and Hyde:  Student slums and high end "upper crust" neighborhoods

Vince O'Connor: Keep politics out of this report (Amherst needs affordable housing NOT student housing)

AFD & Town Reach Agreement (Tentatively)

 

AFD @ Orchard Valley fire last month

Town Manger John Musante told the Amherst Select Board he has come to terms with the Amherst Fire Department on a new three year contract.   The good news for all concerned is that for the first time in over 20 years, minimum staffing level would move up a notch ... to eight on duty.

But only when our three institutes of higher education are in session. Still, an improvement.

In  the early 1970s the department had a minimum staffing level of seven.  In 1976 it dropped to six and would not return to seven until 1992, where it has remained ever since.  Last year the department handled 5,490 emergency calls.

Musante was short on details since nothing has been signed, but he did indicate the union would be receiving a raise (probably 2%) and that a town approved drug and alcohol policy would be enforced.  Local 1764 will vote on the contract sometime before the New Year. 

A Little Guidance

 Alisa Brewer (right) gives SB update report on Regional School District Planning Board

It's not often you see one bureaucracy asking another much bigger bureaucracy in writing to provide mid-course feedback about whether they are on the correct heading.  Almost a private sector kind of thing, to avoid wasting everyones' valuable time.

But it does kind of indicate how this proposed "hybrid" school region is a last minute development.  The main difference in creating a new region (the old idea) vs simply modifying the current regional agreement (the new idea) is that Amherst -- 88% of the region -- will vote on this at an annual Town Meeting rather than a direct ballot vote of the people.

Leverett, Pelham and Shutesbury -- since they do not have a representative Town Meeting -- would vote either concept via their open Town Meetings. 

But in Amherst it makes a BIG difference.  Which is all fine, if you trust Amherst Town Meeting. 

How The Grinch Stole A Christmas Tree

 Amherst Boy Scouts Kendrick Park Christmas Tree oasis

Another less heartwarming Amherst tradition coinciding with the Boy Scout Christmas Tree Sale in Kendrick Park -- also dating back 50 years -- is the tradition of nitwit college aged youth trying to steal one of their Christmas trees.  And getting caught.

The Judge usually fines them $100 each with the fine money going to the Boy Scouts; so in this case, $400 for the attempted theft of one $40/tree.

One Tin Soldier Rides Away

Tom Laughlin, aka Billy Jack

Billy Jack arose with feet flying at a time when America needed him most.  We were mired in the Vietnam war -- piped into living rooms nightly around dinner time with unappetizing "body counts," while newspapers were filled with stories of unrest on our college campuses -- then, along came a hero.

A kick ass one at that.

Tom Laughlin was an anti-establishment renegade both on screen and off.  He wrote, directed, produced and starred in Billy Jack, the story of an ex-Green Beret, half-Native American, a Vietnam vet who took on powerful monied interests to protect the innocent.

The film was made in 1969 when the anti-war movement had grown to an overpowering force, only a year after the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King.

Consequently it took another two years before the film made it to theaters as Laughlin won a suit against Warner Bros. who became nervous with its anti-establishment theme and wanted to shelve the movie.   So Laughlin distributed the film himself.  

The movie about a loner doing the right thing ends up being distributed by a loner.

In addition to championing the underdog and demonstrating the true power of resolve, Billy Jack also stimulated an interest in martial arts schools, helping waves of kids increase confidence and discipline in pursuit of those masterful kicks.

The film also set the stage only a few years later for the greatest martial arts movie star of all time to enter the scene, Bruce Lee.

Over the years rumors would be pop up about a new Billy Jack sequel but nothing ever seemed to come of it.   Nor will it, ever.  On December 12, at age 82, Tom Laughlin passed away. 

So stand and raise a right fist, to remember the man who refused to compromise.

Government Shutdown?

Amherst Town Hall inaccessible at the moment

Just after 6:00 PM last night, as our first real winter storm was starting to pick up steam, an emergency call came in reporting a contained "stove fire" at 711 Main Street about a mile downhill from town center.  

The first unit on the scene reported heavy smoke and -- even more alarming -- that the fire was not contained within the stove.  A "box alarm" was struck, automatically toning off duty personnel and call firefighters.

Two engines and an ambulance responded,  and the fire was quickly knocked down without injury.

 711 Main Street.  Large wood structure

 Total time on scene, just over an hour. 

I asked Assistant Chief Stromgren how unusual it is for a stove fire to break out of containment, wondering if the fire literally burns through the metal or does it just become so hot it transfers the heat to adjacent combustible materials?

He replied:

"It is a little unusual but does happen, as in this case.  The fire actually finds its way up and out thru the vent for the oven.  This fire was fueled by plastic Tupperware type products that had been stored in the lower half so it had a lot of fuel and burned hot enough to actually melt the metal vent louvers on the front of the oven."

As usual the incident was handled in a coordinated manner by public servants doing their job while the rest of us sheltered in place.

Dispatchers notify both APD and AFD and whoever is first on scene reports back initial impressions.  

In this case that initial assessment instantly escalated the response via a box alarm.  APD then shuts down Main Street above and below the house so firefighters can run a line to the nearest hydrant.  The chaplain also responds to help comfort the victims.

And the DPW had been out since early afternoon making sure the streets were passable for all us citizens but even more important -- emergency vehicles.

Because fire needs very little time to become a killer beast.

Learning From History

 332 West Street tobacco barn circa 1916 (now under a one year demolition delay)

Amherst recently received  $10,000 in matching funds out of the Survey and Planning Grant Program overseen by the Massachusetts Historical Commission to hire a consultant to map out historic outbuildings (carriage houses, barns, sheds, etc) in the downtown and village centers.

 

35 Triangle Street, Carriage House built for Leonard Hills 

Conversion of single family homes to student rentals could threaten many of these structures sprinkled throughout the town.

According to Community Development Planner Nate Malloy:

"The inventory is not regulatory in nature. If a structure is identified, surveyed, and inventoried, it is not required to be preserved, nor does its presence on the inventory prevent it from being altered or demolished. This is an exercise in documenting what outbuildings are in the community. The intent is to use this inventory to raise awareness of outbuildings and their importance to the cultural heritage and physical character of the community."

 98 Spring Street

The money matches $10,000 Amherst Town Meeting already approved from Community Preservation Act funds, bringing the total budget to $20,000.  Target goal is 100 structures, and Mr. Malloy is confident the consultant will have no trouble finding that many to inventory.

Owners are encouraged to provide the Town and consultant with any background information about their property and the structure identified under this program.

Lessey Street carriage house

 

Hawthorne Farm shed

The Horror ... The horror

"Obviously a Major Malfunction"

UMass McGuirk Stadium expansion (20% over original budget estimates, naturally)

The only thing I question in the "Failure To Launch" minority report issued by members of a break away group from the Ad Hoc Committee on FBS Football is the title.

Umass BIG time football indeed launched but, like the 1986 Challenger space shuttle mission, it quickly ran into major difficulties. 

According to the "official" report of the Ad Hoc Committee on FBS Football, the Big Business  of Umass football in FY13 cost $7,639,732 in overhead, took in $1,995,633 in revenues for a loss of $5,644,099 in taxpayer dollars.  Up from FY11 $3,100,000 the (pre-FBS) season two years before. 

And this year (FY14) it will be even worse, with total losses projected at $6,312,074. 

Let's see, with the team's 2-22 record that works out to $6 million per victory.  And yes, UMass football has always been a loser economically, but even if you factor in  FY11 losses (before going FBS) the total increase in subsidy these past two FBS years is $8,606,833 or $4,303,416 per victory.

Reminds me of comedian Tommy Smothers line during the height of the Vietnam war protests when he calculated the average cost per Viet Cong killed thus far in the ill-fated war was just over $600,000. "Heck, we could buy them off for a lot less than that."

So you have to wonder if the intangible benefits of BIG time football -- prestige and ego -- are worth $12 million?  And as an "opportunity cost," weight how many deserving students could be afforded the opportunity for a life altering education via scholarships.

Or even if you simply wish to keep the money within the realm of athletics, you could revive men’s tennis, gymnastics, or women’s volleyball and gymnastics, all cut in 2006 to save money.

Committee chair Nelson Lacey said Failure to Launch & UMass football index which have been distributed here are not from Ad Hoc committee
— Matt Vautour  (@GazetteUMass) December 12, 2013

Boston Globe reports

Bring On The Consultants

Steering Committee co-chairs Nancy Buffone, David Ziomek (left)

The Town Gown Steering Committee had their final meeting of the year Tuesday and passed their collective hands over the final RFP draft for a consultant to help navigate the stormy waters that arise between two large independent entities -- in this case the town and UMass, a flagship University in a state that cherishes education.

As usual there were a couple points of friction:  Actual Amherst demographics are hard to measure precisely: how many year round residents of the town overall and how many off campus students there are nine months of the year.  And what is the exact make up of on-campus students since some of them take online courses  and therefor not physically present.

But the real point of friction came from immediate neighbors in the audience who took offense at the line "Community resistance to new growth has been consistently high." Yes, in a bureaucratic document, God forbid directness.

Jack Hirsch went so far as to say the line was aimed directly at "Save Historic Cushman," a relatively newbie organization in the generations old BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) movement.

John Fox also read a prepared statement decrying a "secret document" that had been commissioned by Town Meeting a few years back as part of the ill-fated Gateway Project.  That traffic study, like this town/gown consultant effort, was a joint effort overseen by UMass procurement department, and seems to have simply been misplaced in the shuffle.

Or as Stephanie O'Keeffe explained,  "There are so ... many ... damn things going on."



In fact the final report still has "draft" stenciled across the front page.  And Mr. Fox never did point to any scandalous factual findings that would give anyone a reason to want it keep secret. 

Committee member Rolf Karlstrom also brought up concerns about the document reflecting all the final tweaks just discussed and urged the committee to hold off voting until a final document could be emailed to the entire committee, since one-third were not in attendance at the start of the meeting.

 Rolf Karlstrom (far right)

And in fact, by the end of the meeting only 12 of the 24 member remained.  Of course if the steering committee were subject to Open Meeting Law the unanimous vote would be invalid since a 50% attendance of a governmental body does not constitute a quorum. 

Make Them Real

Newt Gingrich showing off his iPhone 4

Tonight in the ornate Johnson Chapel located on the equally ornate Amherst College campus in the left leaning town of Amherst, Newt Gingrich entertained a crowd of almost 700, mostly students, but a smattering of older folks as well.

 Huge crowd in Johnson Chapel, Callista Gingrich front row

He started out by holding up his iPhone 4 calling it, "the most powerful public health device in America today." Furthermore he insisted smart phones should be given to school children everywhere as an access pathway to education.

Like an enthusiastic science professor he went on to extol the virtues of 3D printing and regenerative medicine to revolutionize health care, although he's concerned the FDA slows down innovation and prevents products from making it to the market.

 Plenty of questions

He championed the Google driverless car, pointing out the army is using the technology for supply trucks which reduces the cost in lives should a convoy come under attack.  Although he asserts we lost the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, costing taxpayers trillions of dollars and inflicting thousands of casualties among our troops.

But his views on energy would lead to a brief firefight with two young ladies later in the question period.  Gingrich championed fracking and horizontal drilling as a means of increasing dramatically the production of domestic oil.

In North Dakota oil production increased thirty fold and wages went up 50% as a byproduct of the energy boom, where even McDonald's employees make $15/hour.

Gingrich aimed his most vitriolic criticism squarely at our nation's seat of power:   "Washington has no interest in fixing things"; or "The Senate as an institution has been decaying for 20 years."  He pointed out he was in D.C. a few days ago and there was a dusting of snow which resulted in the Federal Government shutting down sending all their employees home (even though the White House lawn was still green).

"How do you think that makes the taxpayers in Buffalo, New York feel when they trudge to work through a typical snowstorm"?

 Newt leaves the stage

He closed by recapping his faith in new technology and new ways of doing things:  3D printing, driverless cars, online learning.  "The challenge for your generation is to make them real."

Historic Building Sold (Again)

 40 Dickinson Street, Amherst 

Amherst College, the number one landowner in town, just purchased the former Paige's Chevy, aka Classic Chevy, building at 40 Dickinson Street for $474,000.  A tad more than the former owner of Classic Chevy business paid for it back in August ($325,000) but still well below its assessed value of $548,200.

Thus if it goes off the tax rolls, like the vast majority of Amherst College owned property, it will no longer pay the town treasury just over $10,000 in annual property taxes.

The two-story brick building to the rear of the more recent office addition dates back to 1880,  so if Amherst College is going to raze the building to "put up a parking lot" they will need the permission of the Amherst Historical Commission.  Currently the Commission has the power to implement a one year demolition delay to protect historic structures.

The property also touches the overgrown remains of "Kelley Square", another historic, albeit forgotten, piece of history intertwined with the most historic figure in town history.

Or as faithful servant One-Armed Tom used to call her, "Miss Emily."

Retreat: Back to the Drawing Board

 Planning Board responded to preliminary presentation from 12/4/13

About the only surprise in this official Planning Board response to Landmark Properties proposal for the Retreat student enclave in North Amherst is the demand the roads throughout the complex be "public" rather than private. 

Although they seem to waffle a bit with the wordy "It is the Planning Board's preference that .. " intro, so maybe demand is not quite the correct word.

If the roads are private then that lessens the workload of the DPW and Police Department (but certainly not the already understaffed Fire Department).  And with the recent Mutual Aid Agreement Court decision killing joint patrols between APD and UMPD, I can see where having a private security force oversee the facility is a benefit to taxpayers.

Especially since the on-the-tax-rolls development will pay around $400,000 in annual property taxes; so the less services they use up in overhead the larger the net gain to the town treasury.

But much was made at the public hearing about the safety of roads that are not up to "public" standards (Walmart vs Neiman Marcus).  And the clientele using them will be somewhat the novice drivers.

So it looks as though that could be a deal breaker.   Your move Landmark. 

   Retreat PB Response

Another Joins The SB Race

 

Amherst Planning Board 6/5/13 Connie Kruger center 

In case you were wondering who would garner the second vote among first-Selectboard-candidate-out-of-the-gate Andy Steinberg supporters, the answer fell like snow from the heavens this afternoon: Current Planning Board member (and former town employee) Connie Kruger.

 Even better to balance the ticket, since she's a she.

 In her own words ...