King of the decadent street

Sunday Morning after a rough Saturday night

Decadence and student party houses go together like pizza and beer. Take Phillips Street for instance (and the Amherst Redevelopment Authority could), scene of a major disturbance last weekend--specifically 33 Phillips Street, where 11 arrests occurred on Saturday night starting as early as 6:46 PM.

The house is owned by STEPHAN GHARABEGIAN under protection of a Limited Liability Partnership KNIGHT PROPERTIES LLC (with his wife, Angela.)

In addition to this party house the pair own three others on Phillips Street (#11, #37, #45) thus making a total of 4 out-of-nine, almost half the housing for a street the ARA consultant deemed "decadent".

Color schematic of the Gateway area showing properties with decadent conditions (Phillips Street, where all but one wins the prize)
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To: Larry Kelley
Sent: Mon, May 2, 2011 8:43 pm
Subject: towns reputation...

Hi Larry,

My teen daughter had a soccer game on Sunday on the UMass campus against a team from Maine. As we waited for a game against a Rhode Island team to end, I heard the out of towners talking. They were going on about how disgusting it was on their way to campus and said they "would NEVER send their kids to school there." They were talking about the party remnants, beer cans, trash, etc. I started to defend our town and explain the Hobart mess and just stopped. It isn't just that weekend, and we all see it. I was actually embarrassed and didn't say another word. Do you think sharing this with someone at UMass or the town manager would make any difference at all?

Mary

Let's hope Mary...let's hope.

Additional housing inspector survives Town Meeting

The $140,789 budget increase in Conservation and Development an 18.9% increase over last year's budget, funding a much needed additional housing code inspector, a part-time planning consultant, plus an additional administrative assistant survived an assault from activist and former Select Board member Hwei-Ling Greeney, who moved to ax the amount from the Town Manager's budget unanimously approved by the Select Board.

The town, UMass (and this blogger) have declared war on rowdy student party houses scattered like weeds among residential neighborhoods. The additional building inspector is a key asset in curbing unsafe, unsanitary, overcrowded conditions that rile long established neighbors and casts a shadow over the town's image and reputation.

Town Meeting overwhelmingly passed the budget on a voice vote.

Another family member gone

Amherst's downtown character changed when family owned mom and pops--the kind that inspired Norman Rockwell--closed or abandoned town center in favor of a high volume commercial areas sited in a sea of concrete.

Louis Foods gambled on a new commercial building on busy University Drive back when The Chequers bar was the toast of the town and soon succumbed to competition from the larger corporate supermarkets.

Amherst Drug Store suffered a major fire and new ADA requirements would have forced the aging owner to include an elevator in the renovations, so it was left vacant and blighted for many years before Barry Roberts purchased it and did what had to be done. Now it's a well maintained, attractive Subway franchise.

But one of my favorite places to hang out as a kid (along with sitting on the stairway reading comics at AJ Hastings) was Aubuchan Hardware across the street from historic Town Hall. In the summer the door was propped wide open and under the awning tools and nick knacks on display to attract the attention of folks causally ambling by--the same folks you would later see on Sunday morning at St Brigid's Church.

But the New England based family owned chain hardware store relocated from main street Amherst into that newfangled thing called a "strip mall" in Hadley with Zayre Department Store as an anchor, back in the late 60s or early 70s.

The growth of UMass created a gold rush for entrepreneurs hoping to cash in on the big city located within a town. Soon the big box corporate chains came a calling, most recently Home Depot and Lowe's.

I'm told by a reliable source, that before Home Depot came to town shareholders were assured that Home Depot's market analysis showed they would close Aubuchon and Rocky's and take 20% of Cowls Building Supply's market share. Of course little did they realize Lowe's was simultaneously making the same assumption.

So the rest, as the say, is inevitable. Turn the page on another sad chapter.

Amherst Town Meeting commences

The only surprise at tonight's Town Meeting kick off was the appearance by irascible Dave Keenan who told the venerable Gazette last week he would resign his seat after being arrested by APD for assault with a dangerous weapon and malicious destruction of property.

Perhaps a stern judge sentenced him to serve out his Town Meeting term, certainly a fate worse than jail (but not as bad as a bullet to the head).

Party House of the weekend

88 Pelham Road

I think if I had been awake last night to catch President Obama's stunning announcement, my house would have qualified as a party house. But the bad boys at 88 Pelham Road have no such good excuse. And this is the second time they have been awarded this dubious distinction.

According to Amherst police narrative:

"Several noise complaints . One resident on scene only. Approximately 150-200 guests with loud music and yelling. When removing guests, located other residents hiding. Arrest six on scene.

Hmm...so much for Amherst's bylaw forbidding more than 4 unrelated individuals occupying the same domicile. But with the amount of rent they pay per person, a great deal for the landlord.

Six arrested five of them for both unlawful noise and possession of a unlicensed keg $300 per offense ($3,000 total) plus one more for just noise ($300)

Town Assessors record showing property ownership

Chinese Charter School Denied Expansion

According to DOE Minutes 2/28/11

Request for Review: Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School

Commissioner Chester said the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School was first chartered in 2007. The commissioner said the school requested a charter amendment to add 120 seats, he denied the request for the reasons presented in the memo, and the school has exercised its right to seek a review of that decision from the Board.

Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School Executive Director Richard Alcorn read a statement and said it was challenging for the school to not be able to look out five years to develop its program. Commissioner Chester said his decision is based on the fact that the school is operating under its first charter and there is not yet sufficient evidence to support the amendment. The commissioner said the school has not yet reached its maximum enrollment and has yet to undergo a comprehensive review. Commissioner Chester said the school has five years to demonstrate its success under its initial charter.

Ms. Chernow asked whether the 6th grade entry was new. Mr. Alcorn said the school is seeking to backfill vacant seats, per the new state law. Associate Commissioner Jeff Wulfson said the school was chartered for K-8 and did not require additional approval for 6th grade entry. He said the school may have made a commitment to the U.S. Department of Education but it was in anticipation of approval that the Board had not yet granted.

Secretary Reville said the state has been supportive of this school and its Chinese immersion program, and the school is not yet bumping up against its maximum enrollment. The secretary asked if there is precedent to grant an expansion amendment to a school in its first 5-year charter. Associate Commissioner Wulfson said he could not recall such a precedent. Commissioner Chester said there is great value to language immersion but it is premature to expand the school’s charter right now.

On a motion duly made and seconded, it was:

VOTED: that the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, in accordance with General Laws chapter 71, section 89, and 603 CMR 1.00, hereby denies, for the reasons presented by the Commissioner, the request by the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School to increase their enrollment from 300 to 420 students.

The vote was 10-0-1. Ms. Kaplan abstained.

Original Memo of denial from Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester

To: PVCIC listserve
Sent: Sun, May 22, 2011 7:04 pm
Subject: PVCI Family Association Discussion with Executive Director Thurs May 26

Meeting with PVCICS Executive Director

Thursday May 26 at 8:30AM, Richard Alcorn will be available to talk with parents regarding recent newspaper articles around the proposed expansion of PVCICS. Richard will discuss ways in which parents can help support the school in its efforts to respond to issues raised in the article. The proposed addition of a high school will affect all PVCICS families- not just current middle-school students. Please attend. (Richard will be available at 5:45PM on the same day for parents who cannot attend the morning meeting)

The morning after

North Pleasant Street (opposite former Frat Row)

Allen Street (Gateway District)

Phillips Street (Gateway District)