Truck scalping bridge strikes again!

South East Street bike path overpass

No, not the Snell Street bridge that is being replaced next year at a $1 million cost while only growing a few inches taller, no wider and closing a busy road for many months; the other bike path overpass a mile-and-a-half or so to the south east on/over, naturally, South East Street.

That one too has a low clearance, but at 10 feet still matches what the Snell Street Bridge will rise to after the state spends $1 million.

On Sunday around dusk, a new-to-the-area driver piloting a Ryder rental truck was jolted by the sudden piercing screech of metal scraping metal. A confrontation the bridge, even as old as it is, always seems to win.

Party House (s) of the Weekend

24 North East Street, Amherst

UPDATE Tuesday morning: See Anon Comment (from the entire student population of UMass) 12:26 AM. Honestly, I can't make this up.

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Okay, today we have a tie. Naturally I can't resist the somewhat rare "girls gone wild" scenarios, so the apartment at 24 North East Street (a normally quiet neighborhood) earns the dubious award--especially since it's also hard to resist stupid drunk boys trying to act chivalrous in front of the girls, and getting arrested as a result. The old if-you-can't-free-them-join-them routine

According to Amherst Police Department logs:

1:19 AM (early this Monday morning). Cleared: 1:49 AM

Upon arrival to listed location officers observed excessive music and voices coming from apartment #9. Approximately 20+ guests at location. All four listed residents were uncooperative even after being advised of the TBL (town bylaw) for noise. All four placed under arrest for TBL violation. As officers were departing male party began pounding on hood of cruiser demanding the release of the four females who were arrested. Male party placed under arrest.

Rachel Dickey, 40 Packet Landing, Pembroke, MA, age 20
Kellie Lynn Mirtle, 5350 Granby Dr, Yorba Linda, CA, age 20
Caitlin Shore, 73 Cooley Ave, East Longmeadow, MA, age 21
Chelsea Goldrick, 36 Ridge Road, Hampden, MA, age 20
Philip Caraciolo, 14 Radburn, Hauppauge, NY, age 23

Ownership Card for #9 condo

Meanwhile in an another part of town, we have the more typical party boys acting like animal house frat boys:

286 Belchertown Road, Amherst; valuation $486,800

12:23 AM (early Saturday), cleared 12:48 AM

Loud party observed upon arrival. While attempting to clear the residence of its 300+ guests, a male party later identified as a resident, opened a second story window and began to urinate onto the roof. Alexander Banzy's genitals were in full view of approximatley 100 guests now outside in the driveway.

Benzy and a second resident were placed under arrest for TBL noise violation. Benzy additionally charged with indecent exposure.

Patrick Martin Comerford, 118 Grove St, N Attleborough, MA, age 21 Open Container violation
Reagan Eckler, 70 Newton St, Southborough, MA, age 19, Noise violation
Alexander Banzy, 45 Sylvanus Wood Ln, Woburn, MA, age 21, Unlawful Noise, Indecent Exposure
Nicholas Repko, 185 Highland Ave, Ludlow, MA, age 20, Under 21 possession liquor

Property Ownership card for 286 Belchertown Rd (note prominent UMass connection)

Recovery

I drove through picturesque Wilmington, Vermont only a day before the normally tame Deerfield river rose up in rage and unleashed damages of biblical proportion. I remember regretting not having my camera, as the town was bustling with tourists drawn to its charm that carefree summer afternoon.

This afternoon I retraced my return to Amherst from Arlington, Vermont through Wilmington on a bright beautiful afternoon much like the one six weeks ago, and the town seemed as vibrant now as it did then.

Vermonters are survivors.

Never too much

29 Commemorative Flags now adorn downtown Amherst

Usually, Amherst forgets a sanctioned occasion or two for unfurling the 29 commemorative flags to observe the "official" holidays our--at the time overly PC--Select Board approved on the night of September 10, 2001, an ever-so-routine meeting in the People's Republic.

But this weekend we have the opposite case, where they put them up for an occasion not on the list: Columbus Day. Not that I'm complaining. Anything we can do to adorn the downtown is fine by me--and nothing is dressier than the American flag basked in brilliant sunlight.

Now if I were the critical type I'd point out that the town goes out of its way to commemorate someone accused of starting the genocide and enslavement of Native Americans, but this coming 9/11 will refuse to fly these very same flags to remember 3,000 Americans slaughtered on a stunningly gorgeous Tuesday morning, simply because they were Americans.

And if I were the really critical type, I would now roll my eyes and murmur, "Only in Amherst."

Never give up

The die is cast

SB:Jim Wald, Diana Stein, Alisa Brewer, Aaron Hayden, Stephanie O'Keeffe

The Rubicon has been crossed, the newspaper put to bed, as the Amherst Select Board signed the warrant for the Fall Town Meeting at approximately 12:15 PM on an otherwise bright fall Friday.
Town Meeting commences on November 7, and will not conclude until all 18 articles are acted upon.

For sure article #17, bringing Form Based Zoning to North and South Amherst village centers, will be the most controversial item, resulting in a l-o-n-g debate; as will article #5: $40,000 for a town wide "market study" of the exceedingly tight Amherst housing market, something that will be attacked as a taxpayer subsidy benefiting real estate agents and developers.

Both articles will primarily come under fire for fear they will be instrumental in producing more "student housing," the bogeyman of Amherst. The Gateway Corridor Project, a joint effort between UMass, the town and the Amherst Redevelopment Authority was the most recent project to suffer from this paranoia.

The final article (#18), an advisory to the Select Board to revive the Committee on Homelessness--terminated only last month--could also generate plenty of discussion, but since it is the last article on the warrant, perhaps members will be burned out and less likely to talk until the cows come home.

Fall Amherst Town Meeting Warrant

Raise the bridge

Snell Street Bridge

The Department of Conservation and Recreation will replace the Snell Street Bridge later this fiscal year and while they're at it--even though reusing the current abutments--will raise it by 6" to 8," which should help reduce instances of truck scalping that occurs when 10' moving vans forget to do the math.

The bridge was originally built to serve the Central Mass Railway Company but became part of the Norwottuck Rail Trail in 1993. Amherst College--the largest landowner in town--is donating a temporary easement on their adjacent property to allow a convenient detour while the overpass is closed for construction.

A tale of two detours, or an inconvenient truth: l-o-n-g red line will be the detour for 90% of the project duration, shorter red/blue lines combination (center) is for construction access to project, but occasionally open to weary travelers

So long Steve

No longer smiling at Apple

I remember the first time Steve Jobs made a difference in my life, and strangely enough it had to do with business, something that at the time his products were shrugged off as just "toys"-- mainly because they were so simple to operate.

In the mid-to-late 1990s the Amherst Athletic Club was going full throttle with just over 750 members. The tagline I always used on WRNX and WHMP radio ads for the club was, "Big enough to own the best equipment, but small enough to know your name."

But when you have that many members, it's hard to actually remember everyone's name.

So I decided to institute a membership card system using photos, figuring a Polaroid camera was simple enough to operate with instant results. But the cost of instamatic film came to almost a dollar per photo, so just to enter all the current members would cost $750.

Enter the Apple QuickTake digital camera. I found a used one on that newfangled thing called the Internet for about half the upfront instamatic film cost and from then on all the digital photos were free.

We started out with a Mac Plus computer, moved to an SE-30 then a couple Quadras, and a few Powermacs, always a generation or two behind because of cost--but each machine got progressively better.

Now I use a MacBook Air and it harnesses the power of a desktop, with the ease of intuitive software Apple made famous, all in a package only slightly thinner than Mr. Jobs was on the day he introduced it.

Apple also pioneered Desktop Publishing with the invention of the LaserWriter printer, allowing anyone a voice via pamphlets--the journalistic equivalent of a personal printing press. Now of course we have the Internet with the unlimited power to publish in real time made stunningly simple by the technology Apple introduced or improved upon.

God knows how many barrels of ink will be consumed over the next few days for ubiquitous print media stories deservedly honoring Steve Jobs; ironically enough, President Obama said it best: "And there may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented."

None of which require ink.

Time magazine stops the presses