Free speech for all--even wackos

The Supreme Court, not surprisingly, ruled 8-1 in favor of the Westboro Baptist Church to spread vile, hateful, exceedingly painful messages by capitalizing on the tragic deaths of our military personnel, using solemn funerals to promote their obnoxious agenda in the same way perverts post disgusting graffiti on public bathroom stalls.

But the true measure of a great country is not by speech we cheerfully allow, it is by that infinitesimally tiny minority--where we need to hold our nose and then later take a shower for having heard or seen it.

ARA hires ACP for Gateway Corridor visioning

The Amherst Redevelopment Authority, lead agency in the ambitious Gateway reconstruction project connecting downtown Amherst to UMass, unanimously (5-0) choose ACP associates to lead the charge and orchestrate the "public visioning process"--a massive outreach to everyone concerned about the future of Amherst and our flagship institution of higher education.

ACP has extensive experience with the unique process of acquiring and curating public input to bring about consensus, especially difficult in Amherst ("where only the H is silent"); they have also successfully consulted on the arduous multi-year process for adoption of a new Amherst "Master Plan," the first major planning revision in 40 years.

They emphasized to the ARA how a major project like Gateway needs to be visionary, grounded in reality, supported by the community and--perhaps most important--implementable.

Select Board Supports Gateway

Last night the venerable Amherst Select Board unanimously passed (with one abstention) an advisory resolution supporting the "public process" about to commence with the Gateway Corridor Project, a unique coalition of three significant public entities: UMass, the town and the Amherst Redevelopment Authority.

(Aaron Hayden abstained on the supportive vote as he is also a member of the ARA.)

While this may appear at first glance a common sense, non-controversial edict, the subtle purpose was to offset a petition delivered to the Select Board last December decrying the broad nature of the public input process and demanding a series of public meetings focusing on the misperception that Gateway is simply a means to "adding a substantial number of undergraduates to old Frat Row."

The ARA meets this evening to choose a consultant (estimated cost $30,000 in state money) to lead the "visioning process" over the next four months. Let the wider public input begin.

Party house of the weekend: Girls gone wild

19 Farview Way

After Amherst Police broke up a large party at 902 East Pleasant Street by clearing the house of loud partygoers and issuing one $300 ticket about twenty of the revelers decided to pile into 2 or 3 taxi cabs and descend on another party house, this one a at 19 Farview Way, where a neighbor had already lodged a noise complaint.

At this point the neighbor plaintively reports: "The music is getting so loud that two of her children got out of their beds and crawled into hers." Police issued $300 ticket's to all five young ladies ($1,500 total) who rent the "single-family" abode.

APD quintet honored

Left to right: Officers Corsetti, Gutierrez, Soverino, (Detective) Lopez and Officer Guiles

I hate the Umass basketball radio commercials that seem to flood our local airwaves, but it was nice of the Athletic Department to honor five Amherst police officers for their military service to our country (some of it still ongoing) during a recent half time show.

And I guess it does tie in to the military style theme they use in those ubiquitous radio advertising spots.

Diminishing downtown

After five years tucked away behind the second ugliest bank building in Amherst (both owned by Bank of America), 'Essentials' has succumbed due to a confluence of factors: the economic downturn, competition from high volume large scale retailers, and the ever present exponentially expanding competition from countless culprits harnessing the power of the Internet.

Interestingly, owner Sydne Didier issued a heartfelt SOS via the venerable Daily Hampshire Gazette with a guest column published on the last day of 2010 where she admitted that she simply could not compete--at least when it comes to price.

And while she did not request donations as a life preserver, Ms. Didier did eloquently point out that concerned citizen (and citizens should be concerned when a town's economic engine starts to sputter) held the key to 'Essentials' survival, and a legion of other struggling Mom-and-Pops: shop locally.

In her own words

Having their cake and eating it too

Dennis Swinford, center back row (blue shirt) His headache has only just begun

Springfield Republican reports

No wonder Umass PR folks stayed out of the Lincoln Avenue blockade fiasco.

Obviously they knew what a major inconvenience it would be for their employees (and to some extent, students) and probably received an earfull, or inbox full, of comments 18 months ago when the town first attempted the closure; however they probably figured it would look hypocritical to oppose the idea when they knew the concept of closing off North Pleasant street was soon coming up...again.

Lousy timing Mr. Swinford.

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