Classik By Any Other Name

Road races (and walks) to benefit social service agencies have sprung up like luscious lawns in a warm moist spring.  Mainly because it's a perfect win-win situation:  the participants get fresh air & exercise, camaraderie, plus the positive feeling that comes with supporting a great cause.

Perhaps the granddaddy (or grandmommy) of all events happens this Sunday: The Rafters 2015 College Town Classik Road Race to benefit The Jimmy Fund and Amherst Police Relief Fund.

Now in its 22nd year.  And the weather is going to be hospitable. 

Register now and save $5 (enough to buy a beer at Rafters after the race).

Educational Merger?

 

Amherst Regional High School

Starting with the school year September, 2018 if all goes according to plan, 7th and 8th graders will be home based in the Amherst Regional High School building while high school seniors will be taking college courses via dual enrollment in the (former) Middle School building located well within walking distance next door.

Kathy Mazur (left) addresses Regional School Committee

Last night an animated Director of Human Resources Kathy Mazur updated the 9 member Regional School Committee about the ambitious plan.  Both buildings are owned by the Region and are bound by the Regional Agreement signed by all four towns:  Amherst, Pelham, Leverett, and Shutesbury.

And according to their attorney Giny Tate, there's nothing in the Regional Agreement that precludes such a reorganization.

Amherst Regional Middle School

The plan involves a major collaboration with  Greenfield Community College, who will use the former Middle School building as a satellite facility in exchange for below market rate rent and offering Amherst Regional School students reduced rate college courses.

And the main niche they would fill is in vocational training.  In the upcoming fiscal year (FY16) the Region will lose 55 students to out of district vocational schools (mainly Smith Vocational in Northampton) at a cost to the Region of $18,000 per student or a total cost of $990,000. 

The High School was renovated/expanded in 1996 when enrollments were at a high water mark so the building is capable of handling 1,725 students.  Current enrollment in both Middle and High School is 1472 and five years from now is projected to be only 1,372. 

In the Fall (2015) Amherst Regional Public Schools will host an "Educational Summit" (facilitated by state Representative Ellen Story) to discuss strategies for dealing with education in 21st century with of course particular emphasis on this collaboration.

   ARPS Merger Memo

DUI Dishonor Roll

Amherst Police took three impaired drivers off the road over the weekend: Richard Sherwood (his 3rd offense), William Sevene, age 49, and Sky Walters age 20.  Three sounds like a lot but only because there have not been all that many over the past few weekends.

 Sky Walters arraigned from lock up

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Now that the students are gone APD will have more time on weekends to keep an eye out, so we may see this higher average hold up for the summer.

In Eastern Hampshire District Court on Monday Sky Walters was assigned a public defender for which he will pay $150 and his case was continued until June 22.  Mr. Sevene will also return for a pre-trial hearing next month.

Inclusionary Zoning Strikes Out ... Again

Amherst Planning Board last night (like lambs to slaughter)

Last year at the very last minute the Planning Board pulled back their Inclusionary Zoning overhaul that would require across the board 10%  affordable units in any new housing project of 10 units or more.

They were reacting to concerns from the business community who complained it would make things especially arduous in the downtown or Village Centers where development costs are higher.

One good result was the town came up with Article 21, tax incentives to help alleviate the pain for developers who otherwise can't make the affordable unit requirement work.

Last night Town Meeting, considering it required a two-thirds vote, overwhelmingly rejected the Planning Board's two-years-in-the-making Inclusionary Zoning Article 22 by a 100 No to 88 Yes vote after 1.5 hours of sometimes snippy discussion.

Critics said it was unnecessary simply because the Planning Board was not correctly interpreting the current Inclusionary Zoning bylaw which trips the 10% affordable unit requirement whenever a Special Permit is required.

The Kendrick Place development (36 units) required two concessions -- an extra 10 feet of height and extra lot coverage -- but they were not considered major enough to trip the existing bylaw.

And of course this same scenario played out just up the road with the same developer's  One East Pleasant Street (80 units).

 Using future home of One East Pleasant as leasing office for Kendrick Place

As a result certain BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) types now consider the Planning Board to be made up of Robber Baron, pro-development hacks.

Will the Planning Board take another shot at appeasing the unappeasable next year?  Who could blame them if they do not.

Sure Article 21, the property tax breaks package, did pass because the unholy alliance of the BANANA/NIMBY crowd faltered.  But will that alone make a difference?  Probably not. 

Perhaps the best idea last night came from black sheep Town Meeting member Kevin Collins, who floated the sometimes-you-have-to-destroy-the-Village-in-order-to-save-it concept by suggesting we allow the town to fall below the 10% Subsidized Housing Index.

 Click to enlarge/read

That way any developer can come in and build pretty much whatever they want as long as it is 25% affordable.

Maybe now that town/gown relations seem to be at a high water mark, it's time to revive the Gateway Project. 

Gateway Area with former Frat Row (on right) shovel ready for a signature project

3rd Strike Drunk Driving

Richard Sherwood, age 30, stands before Judge Laurie MacLeod

click to enlarge read

Mr Sherwood is hiring his attorney and will return to Eastern Hampshire District Court next month. He paid $5,000 cash bail (mainly because it was his 3rd DUI offense) over the weekend to be released and that will remain in effect. He will also undergo random alcohol screens and must check in with a probation officer twice per week.

And, obviously, no driving.

Last Man Standing ... Falls

Captain Video, North Amherst.  Last of a kind

Sad:

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(Just Another) Manic Monday

AFD Engine 2 blocking entry to Cottage Street

Now that higher education, our #1 industry, is on hiatus it's tempting to assume Amherst can roll up the streets, businesses downtown can put up "gone fishing" signs on their front door and AFD can while away the hours washing their big bright trucks.

Well, no.

This morning for instance two calls unrelated to college aged youth occurred almost simultaneously on opposite ends of town:  a dumpster fire at the Pomeroy Lane Co-operative Housing complex and a gas leak on Cottage Street caused by a backhoe hitting an underground line.

AFD Engine 1 on scene Pomeroy Lane, South Amherst

Neither incident turned out to be a step above routine but still the on-duty crews were stretched enough so that two off duty firefighters had to be called in for "station coverage." 

Last year AFD handled 5,914 calls or an average of 493 per month.  Thus far this year (as of May 1st) AFD is running at a record breaking 2,200 calls, or 550 calls per month.

Overpowering Symbol

Kendrick Place: 5 story, mixed use (mostly residential) building opening by September

If the pro-development warrant articles #21 & #22 fail and the anti-development articles #24 & #25 acquire a majority vote (shy of the two-thirds required for passage) on the floor of Amherst Town Meeting Monday night, the shadow cast by Kendrick Place will have loomed large in that nightmarish outcome.

At the moment the building, unfortunately, is still ensconced in its protective exterior winter coat -- so it indeed looks a lot less inviting than it will two or three months from now.  Critics will argue it's downright ugly.

Those same critics point to perceived insider concessions bequeathed to the local developers, Archipelago Investments.  The Planning Board granted Special Permits that allowed an extra 10 feet in height and lot coverage pretty much out to the public street.

Since Kendrick Place is located in the Municipal Parking District no off street parking is required for the 36 units which will house 104 tenants. Such a building outside the MPD would require 2 parking spaces per unit. 

And since it is a "mixed use" building (some commercial on the 1st floor) the town's Inclusionary Zoning bylaw, mandating 10% of the units being "affordable," doesn't apply.

Throw in the recent $1.5 million state grant the town acquired for burying ugly above ground utility wires in and around Kendrick Place and you have a full blown conspiracy theory worthy of a Hollywood movie.  

Of course the other way to view Kendrick Place -- which will be a lot easier to do a few months from now -- is it represents the derring-do of the private sector, who were willing to risk the expensive development costs and work with local boards and committees to bring a desperately needed project to fruition.

While the beleaguered downtown businesses, who could use the walk-in traffic from those 104 tenants, will see Kendrick Place epitomizing the most powerful symbol of all:  hope.

A Long Range Plan

Jones Library, downtown anchor and the town's "Living room"

Thursday's meeting of the Jones Library Board of Trustees became a bit more spirited during the "Long Range Plan Approval" item on the agenda, which was scheduled for 20 minutes.

   Jones Library: 5 year Long Range Plan

The discussion lasted perhaps twice that long, mainly because Trustee Bob Pam wanted to do a line by line review for possible changes of the document -- both substance and style -- while Tamson Ely and Chair Austin Sarate most definitely did not.

 Jones Library Board of Trustees in the homey Goodwin Room

Pam had sent an email to the group earlier suggesting changes that go somewhat beyond simple editing of typos or style.  And he stated firmly at the meeting that, "It is the long range plan of the Board of Trustees, not the Director."

The Trustees did vote 5-1 (Pam voting No) not to wordsmith the entire document for style or typos but whatever "policy" issues they wish to add or change should be sent to Director Sharon Sharry, and they would then discuss and vote the entire document at their next June 4th meeting. 

The "Long Range Plan" is required for the state grant covering building renovation/expansion project the Jones is now busily moving forward on.

Interestingly the Long Range Plan compiled extensive customer survey results -- 86% of them Amherst residents -- with "lack of adequate parking" being the main complaint (66%) and customer service being the main compliment (63% "extremely helpful.")

  CVS & Town parking lot located close behind Jones Library (bottom front) and could someday be the site of new (real) Parking Garage

Sunny Sayonara

McGuirk Stadium 4:25 PM

Things seemed to be going smoothly at the packed McGuirk Stadium as 5,500 graduates will now bid our town farewell.  Well at least the vast majority of them.

For four years (or more) they called Amherst home, helping to make us the vibrant town that we are.  And come this September that small cycle of life, in our little college town, starts all over again.

Thankfully.

Looks better/fuller viewed here  (Note flag flapping in breeze, but video is steady)

Historic Halt?

Old Chapel, UMass Amherst

A group calling itself UMass Alumni for Campus Preservation is calling for a mid-course correction on the $30 million Old Chapel preservation project, citing specifically the "trendy modernization" usage of glass entry doors.

 click to enlarge/read

Arguably no other structure on the sprawling campus has such a recognizable iconic stature, borne back ceaselessly into the (distant) past. 

Scenery vs Safety

This double pine will come down on Monday

After a thoughtful 45 minute discussion deliberating the fate of ten trees along both sides of Pine Street the Planning Board and Tree Warden came to the unanimous conclusion that 9 of them be removed immediately and more efforts will be forthcoming to save the remaining one.

Unfortunately the twin pine is not the one.

The trees are all in the later stages of their lifespan and most of them show their age.  The discussion among Planning Board members and neighborhood residents who attended the meeting centered on the safety issue.

Pine Street is in dire need of a sidewalk and the trees, unfortunately, are rooted firmly in the way.

The Amherst Shade Tree Committee had voted in March to "save as many of the trees as possible," but in the end only one of the ten earned what may be only a temporary reprieve.

Tree Warden Alan Snow was going to take extra measures to try to save a 30" Silver Maple, but did not seem confident it would last for long after the sidewalk is installed.

 30" Silver Maple not coming down ... yet

The hearing Wednesday evening was required by state law since Pine Street is a "scenic way".  And yes, even with the loss of all these trees will still be considered so.

In 2012 Amherst Town Meeting approved borrowing $612,000 for the purchase of 2,000 trees, an inventory that has not yet been depleted.  So replacements will go back in the ground over the next few months. 

No Move For You!

Simeon Strong House, one of the oldest in Amherst

The Jones Library Board of Trustees heard a report this morning about the conspiracy theory floated on the floor of Amherst Town Meeting last night citing rumors that the Jones was going to absorb the Amherst History Museum Stong House next door and then sell some of the property at market rate to fatten their endowment.

As usual with rumors, partial-truths make them all the more believable.

 Strong House (left) rear of Jones Library (right)

Library Director Sharon Sharry has mentioned in public a number of times now that the Jones is in "discussion" with the Amherst Historical Society about a mutually beneficial collaboration that could include land purchase.

And Select Board member Jim Wald, who is now President of the Amherst Historical Society. first mentioned it back in January at a Community Preservation Act Committee meeting.

The piece of property in question is not the spacious lawn in front of Strong House that stretches out to Amity Street.  It's the plot behind the historic building.

And if the sale should happen it would not involve trying to move the Strong House forward closer to Amity Street, or be a merging of the two entities.

 Jones Library (lower right) Strong House (top left, red roof)

Because the Jones is in the beginning stages of a $10 million renovation/expansion, 50% state funded, buying property behind the Strong House will contribute significant funding to the Amherst Historical Society.

And give the Jones Library desperately needed room to expand.  With half of it state money.

A win-win of historic proportions.

Diffident Defenders of the 1st Amendment

"Fair is foul, and foul is fair"

So today's Gazette banner front page headline only makes me wonder where they were when a true believer Nitwit woman grabbed my iPhone at a highly public presentation in the taxpayer owned Amherst Regional Middle School and Maria Geryk, the town's highest paid employee, backed up her heavy handed actions.

And I would argue that a School Superintendent is more representative of "the government" than an Amherst Town Meeting member, elected with 70 votes, who only has the "power" of office when Town Meeting is in session.

Simply put some Cover-Your-Ass UMass bean counter  (since it was a Sunday morning probably not all that high ranking) fell for a perceived threat that was more bluff than substance, and turned off the WMUA radio transmitter.  And yes, I'm sure all three listeners were very disappointed.

On average I get threatened almost daily to remove names, stories, or on more rare occasions questioned about my reliable anonymous sources (which I NEVER give up).  My standard response comes from my favorite journo professor:  "Fuck 'em!".

Well, maybe I don't actually say that ... but you get my drift. 

Every now and again the First Amendment requires a staunch goal-line defense. "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

If you're not up to the task, then get the Hell out of the way.

You're All Under Arrest

Amherst Town Meeting

Another good reason to replace Town Meeting with a professional more accountable Mayor/Council is that -- like the Mass State Legislature -- Town Meeting members are immune to Open Meeting Law, and to a large extent, Conflict of Interest Law.

The privately owned Amherst Town Meeting listserve has over 200 members (w-a-y more than a quorum) and we can discuss at length among ourselves the business of The People.  And not just over the newfangled Internet.

For instance yesterday late morning, leading members of the BANANA/NIMBY crowd met with Amherst town officials in Town Hall for a private pow wow concerning Inclusionary Zoning Articles 21 & 22.  Which only further strengthens my hunch that both are now destined to fail.   

   Amherst Self Interest

So I somewhat sympathize with exuberant member Kevin Collins, and he certainly does have a point about rookie member Claudia Brown having a h-u-g-e conflict of interest. 

If Town Meeting membership was purged due to NIMBY self interests it would end up being not much larger than a City Council.   Which would of course be a good thing.

#####

Apparently Mr. Collins got their attention:

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List serve owner weighs in (this is getting better by the minute):

It's Only $

Amherst School Committee enduring the gauntlet known as Town Meeting

Considering the venerable Amherst Regional Public School system consumes the lion's share of the town budget, Town Meeting did not spend all that much time in discussion before overwhelmingly passing both the Regional Schools $30,022,840 budget or Elementary School's $21,869,835 budget.

Yeah you would think otherwise, considering $30 million here and $22 million there, pretty soon you're talking real money.

 Vince O'Connor being, well, Vince

Although leave it to Vince O'Connor to unleash the unorthodox by making a "Motion to Refer" the Regional School budget back to the Regional School Committee for further study.

Since the other three towns (Leverett, Pelham and Shutesbury) had already approved the Regional budget it would be a moot point, as per the Regional Agreement any major action does not require unanimous support of all four towns, 3 out of 4 is close enough.

Vince seemed to think Superintendent Maria Geryk, who is appointed rather than elected, has too much power and is not being micromanaged properly by the elected School Committees.

He also expressed concern that the School Committees have not done enough to get payment out of UMass for the 56 students attending ARPS that emanate from UMass tax exempt housing.

His motion failed to get a majority vote by a fair amount.

The real problem with the public schools is two fold:  The exceeding high cost per pupil, averaging about $21,000 per student vs state average of around $15,000.

At $6,000 per student over state average that means the Amherst Public Schools, with 2,638 students, will cost taxpayers in FY16 an "extra" $15,828,000.

Ouch!

And because Amherst has such a high average cost per student when a Charter School attracts them away that is the amount the town is charged for losing a customer.  Sure the state formula is not overly fair, because Choice students are only valued at $5,000.

Thus if an Amherst student attends Hadley's Hopkins Academy we are only assessed $5,000, but if that same student attends the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School a mile away we are charged the full $20,000.

In the FY16 Amherst Public Schools will shoulder the burden for 155 students attending Charter Schools and at the Regional level an additional 55 attending Vocational Schools (at $18,000 each).


School Business Director Sean Mangano told Town Meeting last night that overall cost between Choice, Charter, and Vocational the Amherst Regional Public Schools lose around $2 million. 

Now factor in the 56 students attending Amherst Public Schools who live in UMass tax exempt housing and you have another $1.2 million that is not coming into the system.

 UMass Amherst is the #2 landowner and #1 employer in town

Can you imagine the outcry if there were 56 homes in Amherst each sending a child to the public schools that refused to pay their annual (exceedingly high) property tax bill?

With the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School expanding into a full elementary and secondary High School the costly prospects for losing additional students in the near future is pretty high.

If UMass would kick in their fair share maybe the Amherst Schools could afford programming that would better compete with Charter Schools and keep those valuable students in the ARPS system.

Although, Hopkins Academy -- with an under $12,000 per pupil average cost -- seems to be handling the Charter School exodus quite well.

                            
           

DUI Dishonor Roll

In Eastern Hampshire District Court this morning a dozen individuals arrested in Amherst over the weekend (half of them by Amherst Police and the other half UMPD) were arraigned before Judge Matthew Shea.  Only one of them, Andrew Robichaud, age 24, was for drunk driving.

 Andrew Robichaud had his case continued until June 2

But as any good sniper will confirm, it only takes one.

 Click to enlarge/read

Since District Attorney Dave Sullivan has lifted his temporary moratorium on using breathalzyer results in Court, Robichaud would be wise to accept a standard 24D disposition.

I'll Huff, And I'll Puff

Little Red Schoolhouse facing west (Stone dorm in immediate background)

Two years after a major controversy arose over the eviction of a preschool business that used a (somewhat) historic building on their campus, Amherst College has decided the cute little brick building needs to come down ... along with the four nearby dorms -- Pond, Crossett, Stone, and Coolidge.

The extensive demolitions are the result of the proposed new science center construction project.

Since the building is over 50 years old the Amherst Historical Commission at their May 19th meeting will hold a public hearing on the matter.  At most the Commission can impose a one-year demolition delay.

   Little Red Schoolhouse Demo App

Amherst College is the #1 landowner in town as well as the #1 taxpayer (around $500,000 this year) due to houses owned and rented to college employees; and the Lord Jeffery Inn and Amherst Golf Course which are taxed like any other commercial property in town.

In addition the college donates $90,000 for Payment In Lieu Of Taxes to cover Amherst Fire Department services.

 Little Red Schoolhouse facing east

In other words they are a good customer/partner to the town.

And since the Little Red Schoolhouse is somewhat centrally located on their property and it's looking pretty sad these days, the Historical Commission should let it die a quick noble death.

Notch Command

AFD Rescue 1, Engine 2, two ambulances, APD cruiser, Chief Nelson's vehicle on scene

Amherst Fire Department handled its first fair weather rescue of the year when a mid-20 year old male competitor in the 7 Sisters Trail Race became incapacitated by the warm weather and grueling nature of the terrain up and across Bare Mountain.

In fact rescuers had to carry him back up to the top of the mountain to meet up with a Kubota utility vehicle, so he could be transported on a stretcher down the mountain to waiting units that staged on a side access road in Granby.

 Trail entrance for emergency responders

He was then transported to Cooley Dickinson Hospital. After the first victim was safely transported another competitor also ran into trouble and was assisted by units on the scene, but did not require transport to CDH.

Chief Nelson, who took command at the scene, said he was surprised that it took this long for the first case such as this since the last couple weekends have been warm and inviting for hikes and other outdoor endeavors.

 

A DCR Park Ranger first called in the mishap at 12:45 PM as a hiker, in and out of consciousness,  suffering from heat exhaustion.  The entire rescue took about two hours. 

DCR Park Ranger on scene with ATV