Glad they are not Union 666

Methinks SEIU888 is sending the town of Amherst a message. Probably has something to do with the Town Manager recently being awarded a 9.8% raise, or the million dollar surplus the town has averaged over the past five fiscal years. Or maybe the Devil made them do it.

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SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION

SEIU/888: 8 Hours of work, 8 Hours of Sleep, 8 Hours of Recreation promoting healthy, balanced, hard working union members.

Resolved on September 29, 2011 by the Town of Amherst Employees chapter of SEIU 888:

We will donate to the Amherst Survival Center (at Thanksgiving): $888.00

We will donate to the Senior Center Thanksgiving Dinner: $88.80

We will donate to the Amherst overnight shelter (Craig’s Door): $88.80

In these tough economic times, even though we have been offered a Zero percent COLA, we feel we need to extend a helping hand to our neighbors and colleagues. These funds were rebated back to the chapter five years ago.

Death Row Pardon!

Black Walnuts near Hampshire College main entrance

So it's hard to believe after all the trees the state has whacked for the Atkins Corner Project that these four beauties, otherwise known as black walnuts, were about to be sacrificed as well: "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot," or in this case a multi-use path more commonly referred to as a "bike path."

Yikes! The Amherst Shade Tree Committee would have impaled some town and state officials with the splintered remains.

But just in the nick of time Hampshire College rode their white horse to the rescue by granting the town a permanent easement on their property for a reconfiguration of the multi-use path, thus saving the four black walnuts. Three cheers for Hampshire College.

Now if we could just get them to contribute towards police and fire protection from the town, I would send my daughters there someday. (Well, maybe not.)

DPW Chief Guilford Mooring avoids the hot seat (for now)

Million Dollar Decision

ALPHA CHI OMEGA

Is a fraternity the same as a sorority? If you ask neighbors I'm sure the response would be a resounding "NO". So is allowing one but not the other tantamount to being Un-American--as in violating the equal protection clause contained in the 14th Amendment? We will soon find out.

On August 26 Amherst building inspector Peter Fein issued a "cease and desist order" to the owners of 38 Nutting Avenue, a privately owned UMass sorority (Alpha Chi Omega) since 1964 now wanting to go the all-male route by leasing out the premises to a fraternity (Pi Kappa Phi).

Apparently sororities, like newspapers and telephone booths, are an endangered species.

The building--with an approved occupancy for 60 people--is currently assessed at $1 million, generating $17,000 annually to the town in property taxes and according to the seller generates $179,000 gross annual rental income. If the Zoning Board of Appeals should uphold the building inspector's order and the structure becomes vacant or it should revert to a family dwelling, the assessed value will drop dramatically.

In fact the assessed value already dropped $55,300 from the previous year.

Since the Sorority is located in the same neighborhood as Frat Row--five notorious party houses now demolished--safe bet neighbors will show up to the October 13 Zoning Board public hearing to argue in favor of the town's interpretation of the zoning to prevent the all male transformation.

Stay tuned.

Frat House 374 North Pleasant St, Sunday morning

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ZBA October 13, 6:30 PM - 10:00 PM @ Town Room, Town Hall

Alpha Chi Omega – Appeal of the Building Inspector’s Cease and Desist order, regarding the use of the premises as a fraternity house, under Section 10.1 of the Zoning Bylaw, at 38 Nutting Avenue (Map 11A, Parcel 87, R-G Zoning District). ZBA FY2012-00006 – Winnifred Manning – To install a five foot fence within the required front yard setbacks, under Section 6.29 of the Zoning Bylaw, at 61 Fearing Street (Map 11C, Parcel 99, R-G Zoning District).

Sales listing for 38 Nutting Avenue, Amherst

Property card for 38 Nutting Avenue, Amherst

Living Within Our Means

Stephanie O'Keeffe ctr rt, David Ziomek acting Town Manager ctr left

Last night the Amherst Select Board--at member Alisa Brewer's urging--telegraphed a "No Override" budget for FY12, unless an emergency comes up between now and the drop-dead January 16, 2012 deadline for the Town Manager to present his budget.

I think they are starting to get it. An Override should always be a last resort for those times when an unforeseen emergency arises. Besides, with an average $1 million surplus over the past five fiscal years, they would have had a hard time selling one to the voters (even with Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe's PR skills).

Benefits of Bad Weather

Who would curse Indian Summer gracing us on weekends over the rest of the month? Public safety professionals for one. (And perhaps grumpy Internet trolls who live in their parents basement and never go outside anyway.) At this morning's police briefing Detective Dave Foster attributed the somewhat quiet--as in less riotous--weekend a result of the wet weather, dubbing it a "friend."

Amherst Fire Department Chief Tim Nelson concurred saying this past weekend's, 9/30, lower number of ambulance (35) firetruck runs (13) compared to last weekend's, 9/23, ambulance (67) firetruck runs (12) was "directly attributed to weather."

Last year when Amherst Police Department Captain Jennifer Gundersen visited a journalism class at UMass she said,“Weather dictates the activity. In the spring we hope for rain every weekend. We also hope for the Red Sox to lose. Just one weekend can drain our budget as overtime has to be paid for some officers.”

Perhaps the town should think about adding a new position to the budget: rain dancer.

Party House of the Weekend

694 Main Street, Amherst

There was a time in Amherst history when I could walk from the house I grew up at on High Street down Main street all the way to the Pelham line and never once pass a house only occupied by students. Now I would be hard pressed to find any of the former.

Take this house for instance at 694 Main Street. Cut to the police report:

12:14 AM (early Saturday morning)

RP (reporting party) Reports loud noise coming from listed location

Upon arrival, approximately 30-40 people on front porch talking loudly and consuming alcohol. When advised of the noise complaint, one party indicated that his neighbors needed to learn that this is a college town.

Citation issued to that party.

Party cleared out. All residents were advised of consequences if APD need respond this evening

Summons issued:
Elan Katz, 9 Ridgewood Drive, Wantagh, NY age 21
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Yes folks it gets better. Honestly, I can't make this up:

2:36 AM

RP reports loud voices at listed location

Loud music upon arrival. Listed parties taken into custody.

Refer to Arrest:

Elan Katz, 9 Ridgewood Drive, Wantagh, NY age 21
Daniel Schiatta, 32 Eastern Drive, Kendall Park, NJ, age 21
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So I guess the moral of this story is, if you are being a Nitwit don't defend your uncivil behavior, and after the cops give you a ticket for being a Nitwit--don't go continuing the activity into the very early hours of the morning.

Property ownership card for 694 Main Street, Amherst

A dying wish granted

Hwei-Ling Greeney, Reikka Simula Gooden: Committee on Homelessness

So in spite of the Amherst Select Board terminating with extreme prejudice the Committee on Homelessness, their influence advocating for the downtrodden living lives of voiceless desperation on the streets of Amherst continues to reverberate, like one of those more subtle east coast earthquakes.

The committee had recommended to town officials the shelter needs to open by November 1st, so a Request For Quotes needs to be issued by September 1st, and the town needs to chose a provider by October 1. All to better meet the needs of the homeless.

Those deadlines have all been met with Friday's announcement that Craig's Doors was awarded the $101,000 contract to run the Homeless Shelter, located in the basement of the First Baptist Church at the gateway to UMass.

That too was a recommendation of the Committee on Homelessness to the Select Board; their dying wish so to speak. At their final meeting (September 8) before SB termination (September 12) the committee voted unanimously to recommend Craig's Doors, the only entity who responded to the RFQ, with two members--Laura Quinn and Kevin Noonan--former members of the now defunct Amherst Committee on Homelessness.

Indeed a case where the good they did was not interred with their bones.

First Baptist Church