Recreation Roundup

On right: Stan Ziomek, Alisa Brewer Selectboard liaison to Rec commission

At tonight's Leisure Services and Supplemental Education Commission meeting the board discussed all things recreational as they prepare for the peak summer season. The War Memorial Pool repairs will be voted on this Fall by Town Meeting and the commission passed a motion requesting Town Manager John Musante implement an "early bidding process" so they can be accurate with Town Meeting money requests and then get an immediate start.

Without a fall start on the extensive renovation project there would not be enough time to get it done for reopening in the summer of 2012.

The Middle School Pool reopening to the general public in a joint effort between the town and the Regional Schools may not sound like a lot of hours (Mon-Fri 5-8 PM) but they correspond to the hours Mill River (outdoor) Pool is used for swim lessons and not available for general use. And the weekend hours 1-6 PM Saturday and Sunday are an extensive enough block for a family to make a day of it.

The total cost for the two months (July 1 opening, August 26 closing) is about $20,000 with three quarters of that expended for certified lifeguards and $4,500 payment to the School for electricity and chemicals.

Commission Chair Stan Ziomek questioned LSSE Director Linda Chalfant about whether it was true the night Town Meeting was told War Memorial Pool could not reopen because competent lifeguards could not be easily found (May 9). She responded that it's "never easy" but this tough economy made it easier and the reduced hours at the indoor pool requires less lifeguards.

The Middle School pool is a turn-key operation and requires no time consuming advance maintenance.

Families will be happy to hear the wading pools at Mill River and Groff Park will open 6/25 and the War Memorial Wading Pool will be open but not until July 2 because of a lack of electricity and water due to construction for the "comfort station" (bathroom). Mr Ziomek pointed out that the power line to the scoreboard was accidentally cut and the doner who paid for the scoreboard happened to be attending a game and was not happy about it.

A permanent electrical pole has been delayed because WMECO is busy with tornado related repairs in the region.

The 4th of July fireworks (a few hours after the 4th of July Parade) suffered a setback when a major sponsor pulled out leaving a $5,000 hole to fill. Mr. Ziomek asked if in place of the fireworks could the $10,000 pyrotechnic costs be donated to tornado relief efforts? Ms. Chalfant said vendors have been lined up who rely on crowds coming to see the show and sponsors have donated money for that particular event.

The fireworks will go on.

Oh, say can you see

Amherst unveiled a sparkling new, m-u-c-h larger, American flag measuring 8 ft by 12 ft on the main pole in town center during Flag Day observance--one of the six holidays the 29 commemorative flags can fly. Unfortunately the new flag is also a "ceremonial" one and will only fly on those same 6 holidays: Labor Day, Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Patriots Day and of course the 4th of July.

The other 359 days a year Amherst will display the much smaller 5' by 8' flag. And unlike last 9/11 or the one before that, the 29 commemorative flags and the nifty new larger one will fly this coming 9/11 (and every five years thereafter), the tenth anniversary of the saddest spectacle in most Americans collective memory.

Death, dogs and taxes

In addition to providing 8 call firefighters, an ambulance, and a technical search and rescue team to tornado ravaged Springfield, Amherst also provided some of the "unglamourous" support, as Animal Control officer Carol Hepburn went to Springfield to aid in search and rescue of animals (often the forgotten causalities in a natural disaster); and principal assessor David Burgess will trek to hardest hit Monson to help town officials there reconstitute property tax records.

Pool to open this summer

No, not the War Memorial outdoor pool closed two years ago--but town officials decided to think outside the empty pool box and provide a way for folks to beat the heat this summer. The Middle School indoor Pool will be open for the first time in four years to the general public on a limited basis for open and lap swimming. Some of the $65,000 Town Meeting appropriated last month will go to pay the school department to cover the overhead and the balance put towards repairing the War Memorial Pool for a reopening next year. The town will also apply to the state for grant money to help cover the costs, estimated at $175,000.

And speaking of family values, at the very beginning of the three-hour meeting Alisa Brewer made it a point to actually affirm that the Amherst Select Board is officially marching in the privately run July 4 Parade. The past few years some of the five marched as individuals. Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe, and Ms. Brewer are confirmed, Aaron Hayden probably yes and Diana Stein due to "bad knees" will not march. Jim Wald was absent from the meeting.

When all else fails, lawyer up

Click on Lawsuit for entire document

If a judge can throw out an arrest where perps are busted red handed with guns, drugs and a bootleg cable/Internet connection because the search warrant had the wrong house color or some such nonsense, then I suppose the NIMBY lawsuit filed against the town (and threatened against BlueWave Capital) to prevent a solar farm from sprouting on the old dump by citing a technicality, stands a chance...like snow in the Sahara.

The state is now on a crusade to encourage public/private renewable energy projects, and solar farms on old landfills is a shining example. The disputed deed restriction (or lack thereof) was/is between the town and the Department of Environmental Protection.

According to Boston based attorney John Wadsworth, who specializes in Environmental, Energy and Natural Resources law: "If there is any violation it is a violation of DEP solid waste regulations for not recording the restriction, not something that prevents DEP from revising the restriction for this use."

If DEP had any concerns, then why did they grant the permit last year for the Final Comprehensive Site Assessment?

Since the eight households have a combined assessed value of around $4 million, safe to say they can afford the litigation co-op entry fee (when Mary Streeter tried to rally NIMBYs on Larkspur Drive to legally battle the decision to allow Dr. Kate Atkinson to build a medical office in the Research Park out that way the entry fee would have been $2,000 each).

But the $8,000 to $10,000 cost to squash this nuisance lawsuit will be spread out over 10,000 housing units who will benefit many times over by the $1 million per year net gain in economic benefit to the town. A bright future indeed.

Amherst B&E continues...

In addition to petty theft from intruders gaining access via unlocked doors or windows over the weekend, Left Click Computer, a downtown business, was hit by slightly more professional perps who cut all the outside phone lines and disabled another interior alarm system located in an upper corner closet.

Thieves made off with a couple Macbook computers and a small amount of cash leaving behind a single plastic glove on the ground near the northeast corner of the building where "entry appears to have been gained". O.J. Simpson, currently incarcerated, is not considered a suspect.

Free at last

Station Road May 31

Station Road is finally now open for routine traffic after a train derailment the last day of May. The very next day Amherst was also visited by violent weather that had unleashed a devastating tornado on downtown Springfield.

Obviously the two unusual events are not connected.

Although...this other Amherst "news" website may try to tie them together. Yikes!

Station Road June 12