Parking Ticket Slump

Only the top left gray screen is illuminated at night

Even worse than the beleaguered Cherry Hill Golf Course, Amherst parking ticket spoils are down a dramatic 25% half-way through the fiscal year, currently totaling $111,824 vs. last year at this time, $148,527.

The new parking system needs some getting used to, so enforcement officers have been spending more time showing folks how to use the parking machines and less time writing out tickets. The new machines can be a tad confusing because after you pay for time it does not confirm the payment and tell you to "have a nice day."

The machines are also hard to read in low light conditions, although they do take credit cards and payments can be made via a smartphone. Unfortunately those transactions have a slight catch: "Each mPARK transaction is subject to a minimum $1.00 purchase, made in $1.00 increments, plus a nominal service fee." So if you wish to run into a store for coffee and a paper you may want to park at the remaining traditional parking meters that take good old American change.

The Spring Street Parking lot in town center was also under construction for almost six months, which could account for substantial lost ticket revenues.

Noise and Pot

Frat Row neighbor, 374 N Pleasant St, Pi Kappa Alpha. Managed by Kendrick Properties

Over the weekend Amherst police and fire personnel paid professional visits to this frathouse strategically located on the Gateway to UMass. No, that's not unusual.

According to APD logs: 2:27 AM (early Saturday morning)

Narrative: Loud Party

Music could be heard upon arrival.

Earlier that evening Amherst Fire Department responded to a smoke alarm alert due to "pot smoke near detector."

Interestingly the Amherst Zoning Board of Appeals denied the conversion of a nearby (138 Nutting Avenue) sorority to a fraternity precisely because of incidents like this. In that case, the new owners have now filed suit against the town and ZBA.

On Wednesday night the Planning Board will take up a similar issue and discuss making recommendations to the Zoning Board of Appeals, who has ultimate jurisdiction:

Eagle Crest Property - 156 Sunset Avenue - to convert a dimensionally non-conforming single-family dwelling to a two-family dwelling.

And of course "two-family" does not mean a pair of 'Leave It To Beaver' households with a stay at Mom, working Dad, and two precocious kids. It means (at least) eight UMass students.

Ownership card for 374 North Pleasant Street

Busy weekend for Amherst Fire Department

Amherst Fire Department ambulance

Apparently in a "college town," unseasonably mild weather and copious quantities of alcohol go together like pizza and, ummm, beer.

In addition to numerous noise complaints all over town fielded by Amherst Police Department, their brother-and-sister First Responders were kept on the go all weekend long as well, dealing with the other byproduct of too much alcohol--a legal product, when consumed without restraint could cause death.

AFD summary of runs 1/27/12 through 1/30/12
Note cluster of ETOH (alcohol poisoning) calls at UMass late Friday early Saturday morning. And yes, that did tie up all four on duty ambulances, so that the only thing left protecting the entire town of Amherst (for fire or medical) was the Student Force--God love them.

Oh the irony: Irresponsible actions of students required the more upstanding responsible students (Student Force) to come to the aid of the town.

Party Apartment of the Weekend

Puffton Village Apartments #323-#334

When you share walls with a bevy of other apartments, a little consideration would go a long way--especially after midnight. And it would save on those $300 noise tickets.

According to APD logs:

12:30 AM (early Sunday morning): RP complaining of loud music, drums and a barking dog.

Narrative: Extremely loud music and voices heard upon arrival. Such noise did disturb the reasonable quiet of Amherst residents. All residents were extremely uncooperative throughout our interaction. Approximately 15-20 guests cleared from residence.

Arrested For Noise TBL violation (and transported to APD headquarters):
Dennis Lynch, Puffton Village #330, Amherst, MA, age 21
Eric Russo, Puffton Village #330, Amherst, MA, age 21
Zachary Munsell, Puffton Village #330, Amherst, MA, age 21

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow...

At least they used red ink for Fy14's $135,654

Amherst Finance Director Sandy Pooler exhibited the same curious protect-at-all-costs-the-expensive-game-of-golf attitude oozed by his predecessors John Musante (now Town Manager) and Nancy Maglione, relying on the tried and true bad weather cliche for yet another abysmal performance at the Cherry Hill Golf Course budget half-way mark.

Curiously he declared revenues only "slightly down". Hmm...17% is "slightly down"!? Are these not the same town officials who screech louder than an Irish banshee if state aid to the town is reduced by 1 or 2%?

And Mr. Pooler fails to mention the $226,308 in capital improvements slated over the next five years for the ailing enterprise. But since expensive capital items (as with insurance and employee benefits) come out of a budget separate from golf course operations, town officials hope nobody will notice.

Makes you wonder what else they're hiding.

Garage Band Shuffle

370 Pelham Road, Amherst

Unseasonable warm weather last night was unfriendly to Amherst's overburdened first responders--and I fear tonight may even be worse.

According to APD logs (12:47 AM this morning):

Excessive noise from a live band and approximately 60 guests. Noise citation issued.

Steven Placzek, 370 Pelham Rd., Amherst, age 21

Busted before he hurt someone

South Pleasant Street 8:15 PM (in front of my house)

Cuffed and heading towards a cruiser

After receiving a tip about an erratic auto heading north via a driver using a cell phone, the responding officer only needed to follow the car in question for a few seconds and pulled him over for driving on the wrong side of the road--a busy travel road less than a mile from Amherst town center.

Two other cruisers quickly arrived as back up. A senior officer administered a field sobriety test. The Perp failed. Now he's going to jail!

#####

According to APD logs:

RP reports white Pontiac all over the road and almost struck several other vehicles. Granby police also advised APD of this vehicle as they took a report of erratic operation as well.

MV stop for marked lanes. Observed operator (Gallagher) to have slow motor skills and pin dot pupils. Gallagher admitted to nodding off as he was on several prescriptions to wean him off heroin. Gallagher given Field Sobriety Test and several indicators of impairment were present. Gallagher was placed under arrest for OUI drugs.

Arrest: Joseph Gallagher, 120 Mill Street, Wilkes Barre, PA, age 26