The Week Ahead

Joint Capital Planning Committee:  reports to Town Manager

Time was, not so long ago, a news junkie in Amherst looked forward to the Monday night Select Board meeting because that was the hotbed of potentially entertaining news worthy issues--usually of the embarrassing kind.

But with the, umm, retirement--or I should say relocation--of Anne Awad and the orchestrated coup d'état that ousted Gerry Weiss as Chair, driving him into retirement as well, Select Board meetings  have become a coldbed of boring routine.  Evidenced by a lack of competition for open seats in the annual town election these past few years.

Thus Joint Capital Planning Committee promises to be the most interesting meeting this week (Thursday 9:00 AM) as they will, finally, vote on $4 million worth of capital requests from all town departments including the schools, a vote that will whittling the bottom line down to only $3 million.  And a JCPC thumbs up practically guarantees a rubber stamp by Amherst Town Meeting.

Will the Jones Library get 16 new wireless digital surveillance cameras? (probably)  Will Information Technology Department get it's fancy $32,000 Ford hybrid Escape? (probably not) Will Town Hall get an $85,000 generator? (damn well better).  Will Carol Gray get twitchy again about any cuts to the Jones Library requests? (safe bet).

On Friday The Jones Library Trustees will discuss a report from the Personnel Planning Policy subcommittee regarding the six-month evaluation of library director Sharon Sharry.  Ms. Sharry took over the Good Ship Jones after Carol Gray attempted a mutiny/takeover of the micromanaging kind, driving out Director Bonnie Isman after 30 years of admirable service.

Jones Library Trustees Chris Hoffman, Carol Gray

Interestingly Ms. Gray is on the the current evaluation subcommittee, but from all the reports I'm getting, Sharry is doing an admirable job thusfar and, thankfully, no controversy like the previous kind is expected when the evaluation goes public on Friday.

Also, on the optimistic immediate horizon for the Jones Library is the election April 3rd, where Ms. Gray is expected to lose her Trustee seat, like her inquisition compatriot Pat Holland already did last year (for the same good reason).

Although, she will not have to turn in her library card.

Old Pols Never Fade Away

 Jim & George McGovern

Even nearing age 90, George McGovern still knows how to work a crowd--probably a tad easier when the throng is obviously enthralled, as were about 100 fans who packed the Amherst Bookstore late this afternoon to give an icon of the democratic party a rousing reception.

Accompanied by former aid and current Congressman Jim McGovern, who told the local crowd he hopes to represent them in Congress, the former U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate gave a homespun extemporaneous speech--more like a fireside chat--extolling the subject of the book he lived, "What It Means To Be A Democrat."

Even conservatives could appreciate his bedrock background:  A B-25 pilot who survived 35 missions over Germany and then, like 8 million other WW2 veterans, took advantage of the GI Bill to get a PhD in history. Higher education was a good investment by the federal government McGovern pointed out, as the feds received back $2 for every one invested:  better education led to higher paying jobs, thus greater taxes generated.

Knowing perhaps that he was in the belly of the anti-war beast he said firmly, "I make no apologies for fighting in that war.  It was a war that had to be fought."  But then stated, almost as an aside, "Although I can't say I have supported any since."

Washington, DC is not the embodiment of evil as portrayed by Republicans he said to loud applause.  Retelling a  story about a verbal joust with William F. Buckley, he closed with the humorous punchline that a conservative like Buckley could never carry the state of Massachusetts.  And since that was the only state George McGovern carried in 1972, a fitting finale. 

And proof once again, the dream shall never die.

And put up a parking lot

With the closing of Mark's Meadow Elementary School two years ago, Crocker Farm picked up 80 new students and a few more teachers, so now, apparently, it's time to expand the parking lot at a cost of $25,000...although I'm not sure why it needs to expand by 20-25 vehicles.

The current plan is to expand the lower parking lot on the north side of the main access road above and below the current parking oasis for 11 cars.  Yes, it would look as though the two maple trees (planted during the 2002 renovation) will become kindling, but Ron Bohonowicz, Director of Facilities, said they may come up with a design to "incorporate them."

After all the trees lost in the unprecedented October 29 snowstorm--a few of them at Crocker Farm--it seems sinful to now whack a couple more, especially on a nice summer day.

Sparks fly over "safety"

Sandy Pooler makes a firm point to Library Trustee Carol Gray.  Comptroller Sonia Aldrich stuck in the middle

Carol Gray pulled out the classic Smothers Brothers "Mom always liked you best!" routine at an animated Joint Capital Planning Committee meeting this morning, complaining that "other departments" were given their top two or three requested items, but the Jones Library just had "six out of seven eliminated."

Finance Director Sandy Pooler had indeed decided not to recommend any of their big ticket funding requests:  $150,000 for fire safety upgrades, because AFD Chief Tim Nelson believes it can wait a year or more (especially since you can hit the Jones Library with a rock from AFD Central Station),  $125,000 for generators to turn the Jones or North Amherst library into an electricity oasis should the power ever go out again, and $30,000 for security cameras (down from the original $60,000 request).

The 16 security cameras are strongly requested because of previous incidents of (homeless) individuals "exposing themselves" and other purported general safety concerns of rank and file staff.  Although original presentation materials from last month included the statement "It has been recommended by both Amherst Police and Trustees that a security system, including cameras be purchased and installed," the Amherst Police Department was never officially asked, nor did they give such an endorsement.

The JCPC only makes recommendations to Amherst Town Meeting, but such items are all but guaranteed approval; items not recommended are guaranteed to be a Sisyphean task to now revive.

As sports fans are fond of saying:  "Wait until next year."

Amherst Schools Shake Up

 
UPDATE:  Thursday morning.  School Superintendent Maria Geryk confirmed this story and said an official statement would be forthcoming "soon", perhaps by close of business Friday.

 Maria Geryk Superintendent, Rick Hood Regional School Chair BCG meeting today

Beth Graham, Director of Curriculum and Instruction and member of the $85K club along with 20 other ARPS administrators, is no longer employed in the Amherst School system.

Ms Graham only started working for the Amherst schools on July 1, 2010 and was hired away from Pioneer Valley Performing Arts School, a competitor that has siphoned more students from Amherst than any other Charter school in the region.

Assistant principal Susan Kennedy Marx sent a memo today to parents saying she had been told by  Superintendent Maria Geryk that she would now be serving in central office and is no longer assistant principal at Fort River. 

Amherst has one of the highest average administrator costs in the region at $697 per student vs. state average of $446, so perhaps Superintendent Geryk plans to leave one of these vacated position open.

The Amherst Schools have been in disarray of late:  Fort River Principal Ray Sharick resigned suddenly last year, Regional Middle School Principal Michael Hayes announced a few weeks ago that he was taking a one year leave of absence to spend more time with his children, and Amherst Regional High School Athletic Director Karen Keough-Huff resigned her $86,237 job four months ago for "personal reasons."

Ms Graham was supposed to tweak the math program. 2011 MCAS scores, however, were disappointing

A More Pleasant Wait

PVTA workers install a new bus stop on the corner of West Street and Mill Lane (the last widely used unpaved road in Amherst)

I'm a working on...

 Poor Farm Swamp

I was happy to see a railroad worker doing basic maintenance on the tracks running over Station Road recently, the location of two derailments last summer.  Looks like the crew also did some tree work a little further up the tracks as well.