Rainy Days & Mondays

I'll be the roundabout (test pilot)

Bad enough when one driver gets confused and tries to use a roundabout still under construction, even worse when the car behind him follows along for the ride.

According to Amherst Police (around 1:00 PM Saturday): "Two vehicles got onto the rotary that is under construction--most likely westbound off Bay Road--and as they exited they nearly caused an accident with the reporting party. One elderly gentleman in a Cadillac. No description of second vehicle."

Let's hope upon completion (sometime next year) the state installs a plethora of signage to mitigate confusion.

Call in the Cavalry

Alan Cote, Supervisor of Records
Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth
McCormack Building, Room 1719
One Ashburton Place
Boston, MA 02108
8/15/2011

Dear Mr. Cote,

I am requesting further assistance from the Public Records Division concerning my previous public documents request of the Amherst Schools for employee settlement agreements over the past five years with a value greater than $5,000.

In a 7/20/2011 letter to the Amherst schools your office, responding to my 4/7/11 appeal request, found in my favor saying, "The school has failed to show that the responsive separation agreements include personal information sufficient enough to withhold the agreements in their entirety under Exemption (C)."

On 8/2/2011 I met with Amherst School Superintendent Maria Geryk and Human Resources Director Kathy Mazur to pick up the documents. The Amherst officials, however, refused to provide any of the 13 settlement agreements, offering instead a "summary" with no names, job titles, dates or any other information besides the total amount of each individual settlement (document attached).

Could your office please issue another administrative order clarifying for the schools how to properly comply with your original order to provide the settlement agreements in question? As always, thank you for working to maintain transparency within our government.

Larry Kelley
596 South Pleasant St.
Amherst, Ma 01002

Settlement Agreement Summary

Gateway is Gone

The Gateway Corridor Project, born September 1, 2010, died Wednesday August 4, just shy of age one, after contracting an all too typical case of NIMBYism.

The ambitious Gateway was conceived out of an optimistic, rare partnership between Amherst and UMass, as an urban renewal project with a mixed-used commercial development of high end student housing, commercial retail, and office space, a signature building or two plus significant green space, to revitalize the corridor connecting downtown Amherst with our flagship University.

The Amherst Redevelopment Authority adopted the infant and acted as nursemaid.

But the generational pessimism ingrained in the nearby neighborhood by seasonal waves of rowdy students, combined with overly inclusive public officials who allowed self interested "stakeholders" to hijack the public process, inflicted a heavy toll.

Gateway supporters were so concerned about negotiating the Town Meeting gauntlet--where a two thirds vote is required for zoning changes--that they watered down the project immensely, thus alienating a major player.

On August 4th UMass rescinded the offer to transfer ownership of Frat Row, the Gateway's crown jewel, a two-acre swath of open land dubbed a critical "catalyst" by ARA consultant Gianni Longo. The prime piece of property that ignited the very idea of a "Gateway."

With its heart and soul gutted the grand idea is gone. Now, Gateway belongs to the ages.



9/1/10

Todd Diacon, UMass deputy chancellor (center). During the intensive design charrette he was seated at the only table of ten that came up with a "minimalist" plan for Frat Row: keeping it wide open and green. They called it, "King Philip Street Park."

They got their wish, for now

The Springfield Sunday Republican reports

A Special Run

From law enforcement rookies to top brass, and a few civilians

Lt. Robert O'Connor, Chief Scott Livingstone

While the distance from the Amherst Police Station to the finish line at the UMass Southwest towers quadrangle may have been only three miles, the resounding good cheer generated could have echoed from sea to shining sea.


About 30 runners participated in the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics this evening sponsored by the Amherst Police Department. The workout culminated with a rousing reception at the finish line by the athletes who benefit from the money raised (suggested donation per runner was $15) as they let out a resounding cheer when the entourage--all wearing distinctive black t shirts--arrived and the Flame of Hope met the cauldron, sending up a whoosh of orange flames.

Let the games begin!

Amherst's Twin Towers

Boltwood Place, downtown Amherst

Although Boltwood Place will be a single five-story building on completion, this morning it resembled an iconic place, now but a memory.

And the sign says

Groff Park Pavilion

Coincidentally enough the Leisure Services and Supplemental Education Commission (folks outside the People's Republic would call it "Recreation Department") last night discussed 24 new "No Smoking" signs for the playing fields and playgrounds around town, 12 going up this year and 12 the next.

But you have to wonder if those signs will be any more effective than this "No alcoholic beverages allowed sign" at Groff Park pavilion?

The Amherst Board of Health had considered a total smoking ban on all town owned land--including the Town Common--but pressure from local business owners and the Chamber of Commerce, college students (mostly UMass), and perhaps ardent libertarians caused them to back down to just banning the foul habit around playing fields and playgrounds.

In 1999 the Amherst Board of Health spearheaded a smoking ban in the workplace that included bars. The volatile episode became known as "The Smoking Ban in Bars War." The Board of Health won as the bars rendered an unconditional surrender; today smoke free environments are as routine as cell phone reception.

And now that environment extends to the outdoors, mostly.