So once again I have set my blogger controls to automatically publish at 2:30 this afternoon another chapter from my recent acquisition of 82 pages of legal documents via Public Documents Law concerning secret settlement agreements with 13 town employees over the past five years.
No, I'm not afraid town officials will have me terminated with extreme prejudice between now and then or anything, it's just that even though I now live a cyber-life I still have ink in my veins. And nothing is more motivating than a drop-dead deadline.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
What's yours is mine
Trampoline half on town property. Note also cleared, mowed area of encroachment 
A couple square yards here and a couple there, pretty soon you're talking football fieldNo wonder the folks cocooned in high-end houses on Tanglewood Drive are so heated about the town finally getting around to turning the expensive old dump into something productive--a lucrative, environmentally friendly solar farm.
Not only do they now enjoy a great view, but some of the folks have enhanced that view by encroaching on town property.
A backyard view
A tree fort and swing way out on the landfill
Cleared manicured area beyond the property lineTuesday, April 12, 2011
Boys will be (little) boys
No, believe it or not, this is not a Saturday Night Live skit########################################
UPDATE: Wednesday 2:30 PM The Facebook group is gone undergound, long live civility. As always, Comments are the best.
#########################################
ORIGINAL POST: Tuesday morning
Strike up the ditty "Fight...for your right, to parrrrrrrrty!" The irate lads who live at 23 Tracy Circle have taken to Facebook to rage against the machine. Nice language boys. Gotta wonder if they have family on Facebook who will get to see their diatribe.
Note from screen shot above (taken yesterday) that they had 170 members, but are now down by four (who probably don't want HR pros to know they were once part of such an immature group when they go job searching.)
The Thin Blue Line
Solar powered Electric Chair?
This detonation of a backpack nuke at last night's Select Board meeting--publicly suggesting Amherst will be an "accomplice in a capital crime"--was obviated a couple hours later, when reading from a prepared statement during his Town Manger's report, John Musante informs the Select Board he's given up on using DEP approved contaminated soil to regrade the old unlined landfill.
Still, you gotta love Mr. Boothroyd's borrowing from Steve Jobs the "one last thing" intro before dropping the bombshell.
End result? The town losses $250,000 in disposal fees paid in work/equipment barter from the major contractor rebuilding Atkins Corner, who will now have to pay cash to another disposal facility at a greater rate per ton for the 6,000 ton load.
And the town will have to rely on street sweepings and catch basin crud to try to make up the difference for the regrading but will probably have to bring in clean fill at additional cost in labor and cash. All in all, a lose-lose scenario.
Twenty years ago Mr. Keenan enhanced his "fiscal conservative" image by volunteering to clean up pigeon poop from the Town Hall attic after Town Manager Barry Del Castilho (worried about the health of his secretary, who later became his wife) was preparing to spend over $100,000 to have a hazardous waste disposal company clean it up.
And a couple weeks ago Mr. Keenan blew the whistle to DEP about 20-30 barrels of potentially hazardous waste (paint from UMass) that was buried somewhere in the landfill over 25 years ago by town DPW workers.
But if everyone is also so concerned about the integrity of the landfill cap, then why try to force the town into cracking it open to dig for those 20 or 30 needles in a haystack?
Still, you gotta love Mr. Boothroyd's borrowing from Steve Jobs the "one last thing" intro before dropping the bombshell.
End result? The town losses $250,000 in disposal fees paid in work/equipment barter from the major contractor rebuilding Atkins Corner, who will now have to pay cash to another disposal facility at a greater rate per ton for the 6,000 ton load.
And the town will have to rely on street sweepings and catch basin crud to try to make up the difference for the regrading but will probably have to bring in clean fill at additional cost in labor and cash. All in all, a lose-lose scenario.
Twenty years ago Mr. Keenan enhanced his "fiscal conservative" image by volunteering to clean up pigeon poop from the Town Hall attic after Town Manager Barry Del Castilho (worried about the health of his secretary, who later became his wife) was preparing to spend over $100,000 to have a hazardous waste disposal company clean it up.
And a couple weeks ago Mr. Keenan blew the whistle to DEP about 20-30 barrels of potentially hazardous waste (paint from UMass) that was buried somewhere in the landfill over 25 years ago by town DPW workers.
But if everyone is also so concerned about the integrity of the landfill cap, then why try to force the town into cracking it open to dig for those 20 or 30 needles in a haystack?
Monday, April 11, 2011
Solar Flare
Atkins construction soilJohn Musante, during his "Town Manager's Report", told the Select Board the contaminated soil controversy had created "a lot of anxiety" and become a "distraction."
The regrading of the landfill will occur regardless of the solar array project and since the use of lead arsenate soil was a relatively minor part of the overall work, he directed DPW chief Guilford Mooring to abandon the idea of using 6,000 tons of tainted soil from the Atkins Corner Road project, although he praised Mr Mooring for "trying to be entrepreneurial".
Musante by no means backed down on the ambitious project to construct a 4.75 megawatt solar farm on the landfill that could provide the town with a million dollars per year in combined electricity savings and property tax revenues.
Mass spending
The Governor just approved a $327 million supplemental budget to get the state through the rest of the year to maintain "critical services, core safety net programs" and provide reimbursement to cities and towns for cleaning up after the worst winter in collective memory.
UPDATE: 7:35 PM
And in local news, the illustrious Select Board just voted unanimously to close off half the downtown Spring Street lot and a few more spaces on Boltwood Avenue to park the three large tour buses that will descend on the town for the newly e-x-p-a-n-d-e-d (to two days) Extravaganja Event, April 16th and 17th.
Last year the Amherst Board of Health considered expanding the smoking ban to include outdoor public areas such as the town common, but the proposal was dropped.
UPDATE: 7:35 PM
And in local news, the illustrious Select Board just voted unanimously to close off half the downtown Spring Street lot and a few more spaces on Boltwood Avenue to park the three large tour buses that will descend on the town for the newly e-x-p-a-n-d-e-d (to two days) Extravaganja Event, April 16th and 17th.
Last year the Amherst Board of Health considered expanding the smoking ban to include outdoor public areas such as the town common, but the proposal was dropped.
Party House(s) of the weekend
64 Pomeroy LaneAccording to Police narrative: "Large party with outdoor fire at 64 Pomeroy Lane. Approximately 100 people cleared out. Three residents put the fire out. They were arrested for town bylaw noise violation and illegal burning. Transported to APD for booking. House was secured before we left."
Meanwhile 10 minutes earlier on the other side of town (in the heart of the Gateway District): "Loud party. Minors identified on the scene in possession of alcohol. Approximately 40 guests cleared from residence. History indicated past responses. Two tenants identified on scene placed under arrest. One individual ID as minor in possession of alcohol placed under arrest."
51 Phillips Street
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
