About 100 friends, family, business consultants, employees and patients came together to celebrate the long in coming groundbreaking for the Atkinson Family Practice new medical facility on Research Drive in East Amherst. The project--like all construction proposals in town--was vociferously opposed by neighbors for the usual reasons of traffic and noise.
Or maybe just because it represents progress.
Amherst Select Board member (and a patient) Diana Stein on left. Dr. Kate: "This is one of the happiest days of my life."
Froyo World, a self serve yogurt bar, will open soon in the downtown location formerly occupied by "That's a Wrap" and before that "Ben and Jerry's". Sounds a lot healthier to me--and if we have to have another "bar" in the downtown, I can't think of anything better for them to be serving.
Mullins Center: A giant drain on Amherst public safety
Last Thursday night for a three hour period all five Amherst ambulances were stuck in a continuous loop between the UMass Mullins Center, a state owned entertainment venue, and the Cooley Dickinson Hospital, transporting 14 drug or alcohol overdose "victims," leaving AFD helpless to protect the town against medical emergencies requiring an ambulance.
Two months ago when the Mullins Center hosted a Rusko concert the results were almost as bad, with 8 patient transports in a very short period tying up all five ambulances.
This Saturday Amherst, UMass and State Police are on high alert for end of semester party hijinks. Extravaganja, extolling the virtues of marijuana, is expected to attract 5,000 pot patrons to the town common. Ominously, the Mullins Center is once again promoting a "performance"--Fantazia-- that appears to be tailor made to produce drug and alcohol overdoses.
A "360 degree dance experience" means folks will be engaged in physical exertion, combined with a tad too much alcohol or drugs in a warm venue under pulsating lights can quickly lead to medical problems.
AFD will have 9 professional firefighters on during the day (normal staffing is 7) increased to 11 as darkness descends (three of them stationed at the Mullins Center) with an additional medic riding along with APD. Chief Nelson and Assistant Chief's Stromgren and McKay will also be hovering.
Still, the centre may not hold.
Terrifying enough we routinely play Russian roulette with a single round in the chamber, on Saturday night there may be as many as three. Click, click...
In addition to the federally funded "Cops in Shops" program that places undercover police officers in local package stores to nab underage youth with fake IDs, perhaps APD should initiate a bartender program in the downtown to catch over consumption of alcohol and even more important, provide therapy.
3:06 AM, early Sunday morning (in the pouring rain):
Two females were observed under the overhang of Moti. Both were crying and visually upset. I stopped to inquire if any issues existed? One of the two females was scheduled to be married soon and tonight was her bachelorette party. The wedding, however, was called off tonight by the groom. They were very upset. A curtsey transportation was provided.
Unlike last weekend, when Amherst Police handed out seventeen $300 noise tickets, this past weekend was, according to detective Dave Foster, "remarkably quiet," with only six noise warnings and three $300 nuisance house tickets issued to one location at 16 North Hadley Road...although the same three individuals were also arrested for underage possession of liquor.
Perhaps it was a recovery pause after the blow out Patriots Day long weekend that included two drunk driving arrests, the death of a 24 year old motorcyclist from a wrong way driver, and a massive party at Puffers Pond that left the recreation area looking like a garbage truck exploded.
Police were of course pro active, with every available officer on duty. They also arrested almost as many college aged youths as last week for underage drinking/open container violations, 24 this weekend ($7,200 worth of fines) vs 25 last week. And unfortunately, like last week, two drunk drivers.
On Saturday early afternoon police called a landlord to inform him a party was brewing at one of his rentals. According to police logs they then: "Returned to speak with residence and advised them that our response there was imminent and that if called we would be taking enforcement action. After being advised of options, parties decided to have an alcohol free picnic with 500 pounds of steak and lobster to eat."
Later around midnight College Street residents called APD to help assist with removal of "unwanted guests." And police were only too happy to assist, removing "Approximately 80-100 from house and yard. No problems, cleared with full cooperation of residents."
The weather was not a factor in the more civilized behavior, as the rain held off until almost midnight Saturday. And the DPW did not spike the water supply with tranquilizers. Maybe--just maybe--the civility sermon is getting through. Maybe.
Although not nearly as well attended as the annual Extravaganja (coming up next week) the Amherst Sustainability Festival attracted a diverse--albeit--small, hardy crowd to the Town Common. As did the coinciding seasonal debut of the Amherst Farmers Market, now returned to the original Spring Street Parking lot, their home for the past 39 years.
DPW completed Spring Street reconstruction just in the nick of time
W.D. Cowls distributed tree seedlings
Cinda (Jones) the Friendly Bear (Jada, not so sure)
And of course no Amherst Town Common event is without politics
Town Manager John Musante just tweeted (yes, he's on Twitter) about his "ride along" with APD last night. Now we have to get him, like his predecessor Larry Shaffer, to start blogging--or at the very least get on Facebook--to give us the "who, what, when, where, why and how."
He picked a good night, as it sounded from scanner traffic like an all too typical frisky Friday. State police also set up a DUI roadblock in Hadley and bagged five potential killers on the road (out of 500 cars checked, or 1%). And the Daily Hampshire Gazette issued a rather stern editorial today about the slobfest at Puffers Pond on Patriots Day.
The tide is turning...
#####
A few hours after I posted this a "newbie" posted the following over on UMasshoops, a fanboy listserve that is having a lively discussion (for a change) on the whole UMass party hardy culture in view of the recent Puffers Pond incident. This is priceless:
Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 3:46 pm Post subject:
"As a student who attends this
fine university, I can safely say that there is just about nowhere any
students can go to have a good time and drink. Even the bars as I have
read in this thread are kept at half capacity by the fire dept.
It's honestly getting pretty ridiculous how often cops are around. I
have seen two cops on horses just sitting around on campus walking home
from class on a Monday afternoon. For what? Its becoming a zero
tolerance police state around here and honestly it sucks. I understand
they are trying to change the image of the school but at what cost?
Students are becoming increasingly annoyed with this university in more
ways than one but I'll stick to this topic.
I am sure most posters on this board are UMass alums and I am also sure
many of your fondest memories of UMass were partying on the weekends. I
know that is the case for my father. He doesn't tell me stories about
sitting in class and he turned out just fine. Why try to end the one of
the best things this school has going for it?
The reason situations like Puffers Pond happen is because once we get a
little freedom a chance to let loose we do it or else we miss our
chance. This weekend they literally shut down streets and there was a
cop just hanging out at the back of Puffers Pond. Where does this all
end"
