Party House (s) of the Weekend

49 Fearing Street, Amherst (owned by Frank and Sue Hugus)

Nothing as outrageous as urination from a second story window or assaulting a police cruiser seeking release of four wild woman friends taken into custody, just the standard loud noise and underage drinking. Loud enough to disturb neighbors who call the Amherst Police Department to seek relief. And relief they get.

According to APD narrative: 12:38 AM (early Sunday morning):

"Large group of people on front porch, front lawn and in roadway in front of munter 49. Upon attemtping to locate a resident, doors were slammed and locked, residents refused to speak with officers. Officers located and identified three residents who were placed under arrest for the noise."
Nicholas Petrisis, 28 Upper Palmer Rd, Monson, MA, age 21
Garrett Jones, 22 Eagleville Rd, Orange, MA, age 21
David Decoteau, 22 Candice Circle, Springfield, MA, age 21

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675 Main Street, Amherst

Since 675 Main Street is a repeat offender all five residents were given both "noise" and "nuisance house" violations, or $600 each offender for a total of $3,000 to that one household.

Tyler Hunt, 4 Rainbow Circle, Bourne, MA, age 19
Joseph Johnson, 8 Sabbatt Rd, Bourne, MA age 20
Mark Ventresco, 10 Maple Ave, Sharon, MA, age 19
Mitchell Ganz, 8 Terrence Dr, Manalapan, NJ, age 19
Joseph Fanella, 215 Pebble Beach Ct, Holmdel, NJ, age 20

Property owner card for 675 Main Street, Amherst

Meanwhile, for anyone wondering why the Amherst flags are at half staff today:

Governor Patrick has ordered the American and Commonwealth Flags lowered to half-staff on October 17, 2011 from sunrise to sunset in honor of Specialist Steven E. Gutowski of Plymouth, Massachusetts Staff who died in Afghanistan on September 28, 2011

He was 24.

When Ideologies Clash

Amherst Town Common 12:30 PM

South Pleasant Street/Town Center 1:30 PM

Opposing chants of "USA! USA!" vs. "We are the 99%!" echoed across Amherst town common this afternoon, briefly interrupted by the loud thud of a driver--distracted by attempting to photograph the confrontation--rear ending another car.

Note to Jeep driver: No photos while driving

Occupy Amherst staked out the green on the south common directly in front of the Lord Jeff Inn around noon as around 50-60 people turned out to show solidarity with the original occupiers of Wall Street--a peoples movement that has now become a cultural phenomena.



The Tea Party (Western Mass 9/12 Project), about half the size of Occupy Amherst, claimed asphalt about 50 yards to the west more directly in town center--although a couple dozen yards south of the regular anti-war Sunday afternoon peace activists who have called the corner of South Pleasant and Main Street home for forty years now.

Amherst Town Center Main/S Pleasant 12:10 PM

And if that were not enough activism for one sunny Sunday afternoon in downtown Amherst, a few independent contractors--one bordering on anti-Semitic--also came to question the official common sense conclusion of the 9/11 Commission.

A women in the "Occupy" camp asked him to move away--far away from them

All in all, a glorious day for Democracy in the People's Republic of Amherst.

AFD Doubleheader

Yesterday it was the Amherst Fire Department Open House in town center at central station, and this morning a just as well received Pancake Breakfast at the North Station, with all of the money raised going to help finance the SAFE Program, an education alliance between the schools and fire departments teaching children safety protocols that could someday safe their life or that of loved ones.

My daughter Kira is excited about the graduation ceremony on Tuesday night.

Who can resist pancakes on a sparkling fall Sunday?

A view from above

The Amherst Fire Department took a break from their busy schedule to show their bosses--Amherst citizens--the important work they do. Although when the tone alarm went off, a few would disappear in one of the ambulances.

The Open House was well attended as the town was bustling today, and no one had more fun than the kids--although Smokey Bear was missed.

Town Hall

Boltwood Place

Firefighter Ryan Willey, 110 feet away

Zoo Mass deja vu (all over again)

Not that I wish to give this boy-from-the-hood wanna be free publicity or anything but...Yikes! Gotta love the reactions via posted comments. Maybe he can run this along with 121 Meadow Street video as a double feature.

Figures he lives at 33 Phillips street.

Battle of the sexes, continued...

Jeff Bagg, town planner/liaison. ZBA: Hilda Greenbaum, Barbara Ford, Eric Beal

Last night the Amherst Zoning Board of Appeals heard testimony concerning the appeal of a "cease and desist" order by the Amherst Building inspector for a conversion from Sorority to Fraternity at 38 Nutting Avenue on the outskirts of UMass, close to the notorious former Frat Row.

The board made no decision, continuing the public hearing to November 3, as new materials had arrived just that afternoon from opposing attorneys.

According to town attorney Joel Bard, "If the board were to uphold the Building Inspector's determination that a change from a sorority to a fraternity constitutes a change in use under Section 9.22, the Board would need to identify some non-subjective, quantifiable differences between these two institutions. For example, testimony from police and fire departments, or from other Town official documenting the fact that fraternities are a more consistent drain than sororities on the resources of emergency responders or other officials could be a basis for specific findings that the two are different uses."

Maybe they should use my "Party House of Weekend" series, which clearly shows young men are many times more likely to engage in rowdy behavior. Or just go back five or six years when Frat Row was still active. Of course the Frat on the other end of the street--374 North Pleasant--is still active and shows up periodically in the police logs.

Another B-I-G difference between the two is sororities ban alcohol on the premises, obviously frats do not.

Attorney James Heffernan closed his presentation with a thinly veiled threat, pointing out to the three member board that municipal officers who violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment could be sanctioned on a "civil rights" violation.

Attorney James Heffernan

Attorney Bard counters in writing: "There would be no equal protection violation in upholding the Building Inspector's decision unless the Board based its decision solely on subjective, gender-based impressions or opinions instead of identifying quantifiable differences between the two institution."

The sorority had approximately 40 women living together and the frat currently has 30. While the case is under appeal they can continue to call 38 Nutting Avenue home. Last year the building generated $179,000 in rental income and was assessed by the town at $1,087,400.

If the ZBA does not overturn the Building Inspector's order--and it takes a unanimous vote to overturn--the ongoing rowdy student behavior will have chalked up yet another innocent victim.

About 30 people showed for the Public Hearing. Opponents on left, supporters on right

Gang of 4 hears good news

Amherst confluence of four committees

Finance Director Sandy Pooler crunched the numbers for next year's (FY12) operating budget tonight at a joint meeting of the Finance Committee, School Committee, Select Board, and Library Trustees (affectionately known as "The gang of four"), and--in spite of the sputtering economy--the outlook was rosy as long as the spending increases keep to 2.8%, enough to provide level services.

The town finished the year with a $1.1 million surplus, which reverted to Free Cash. Total reserves (Free Cash and Stabilization) now stand at $5.6 million--not counting the cushion (around $1 million) in the Amherst Regional School's "Excess and Deficiency" savings account.

While the state is usually portrayed as the skunk in the room, an extra supplemental appropriation of $514,000 coming in for FY12 spruced up their bad guy image among town officials. The local option hotel/motel and meals tax tallied a handsome $495,000 in FY11, up $150,000 from the previous year--and with the historic Lord Jeffrey Inn coming back on line soon, that amount should go up even higher in FY12.

The property tax is of course far and away the town's main revenue source, contributing 63%, with state aid a distant second at 20%. And within that property tax, the disparity between commercial and residential continues to be an embarrassment.

In the current fiscal year residential taxpayers contribute 91% of the tax base compared to commercial/industrial at a pathetic 9%. In 2002 it was 89% residential to an anemic 11% commercial/industrial.

Half of Amherst is owned by tax exempt entities: Amherst College and UMass coming in at #1 and #2 respectively, with the town itself #3 (mostly conservation land) and Hampshire College #4. UMass makes annual Payments In Lieu Of Taxes of $325,000 for Fire and Ambulance protection, Hampshire College does not. Amherst College kicks in $100,000 every now and then.

Town Meeting will vote next month on a couple of warrant articles that could help turn around that dismal commercial/residential ratio by stimulating commercial smart growth development. A $40,000 appropriation for a townwide housing marketing study but with particular emphasis on the Gateway Corridor area for a proposed commercial mixed use project, and Form Based Zoning in the North Amherst and Atkins Corner Village Centers.

Of course Town Meeting is also one of the main factors in stonewalling development of any kind as the BANANAs (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) can usually muster the 34% minority vote required to kill a business friendly zoning change.