Fire in the Hole

Another dumpster fire at Hobart Lane late last night, an almost weekly event over this past year.  And it happened right around the same time AFD was responding to an attempted suicide in another part of town.  Just one of the many reasons dumpster fires are not taken lightly by authorities, as they tie up valuable resources with more important things to do.

Last January police arrested a Umass student for the idiotic activity, but the fires persist.

Shutesbury Shenanigans

 Shutesbury Town Hall

The reverberations over the contentious Shutesbury Library override issue, recently settled by Superior Court Judge Mary-Lou Rup who upheld the defeat, continued to be felt today...like a seismic aftershock.

Amazingly--with the ink barely dry on a Superior Court decision--the rights of long time residents Richard and Joan Paczkowski were again challenged by disgruntled library supporters Michael DeChiara and Joanne Sunshower.

Library proponents filed suit to have Richard and Joan Paczkowski's "no" votes thrown out.   Judge Rup not only sustained those two votes but she went even further by throwing out two "yes" votes from the grown children of local attorney Michael Pill--making the final vote 522-520.

In her decision Judge Rup wrote: "Like many retired persons, the Paczkowskis maintain two residences and divide their time between the two locations. While they may have focused their lives in Florida for over 20 years, it is reasonable to accept that they have now decided to re-focus their lives on the community where Richard was raised and they began their married life."

DeChiara and Sunshower should be reprimanded for "contempt of court" over their heavy handed tactics to bully and intimidate voters with whom they disagree.

Election Results

Shutesbury Town Meeting Warrant (all articles passed)

Rescue the Rescuers

 Cooley Dickinson Hospital ER

Overwhelming police presence and a rare temporary increase in staffing at AFD managed to keep a lid on the routine end-of-semester party itch combined with sunny spring weather, and a dance concert at the Mullins Center Saturday night of the same genre that the week before produced 24 calls for help with 14 of those requiring ambulance runs to the Cooley Dickinson Hospital for drug or alcohol overdose.

This time the concert produced "only" 14 calls for help with four requiring emergency transport by AFD and one additional alcohol overdose handled by privately contracted Westfield Fire Department ambulance. A good thing since the ER at Cooley Dickinson was busy enough as it was and ten more OD cases could have overwhelmed the system.

Interestingly, with as many as 17 firefighter/EMT professionals on duty Saturday (more than twice the usual), the emergency traffic was such that all the extra help was kept busy. Perhaps why Northampton, our sister city to the west, has roughly that number of firefighter/EMTs assigned all of the time.

Northampton maintains a ration of 2.1 firefighters per 1,000 population vs. Amherst with only 1.1 firefighters per thousand.

On Wednesday night Town Manager John Musante seemed to indicate to Amherst Town Meeting that (after almost ten years) Amherst may increase the current dangerously low minimum AFD staffing level of seven.  About time.

And reducing time--getting to the patient, then getting them to the hospital--is what it's all about .

Guess who's coming to Amherst?

Donna Kelley, Ted Koppel and lots of newspapers

So my wife had the good fortune of sharing an airplane from Washington, DC to Bradley Airport this evening with none other than the iconic dean of mainstream journalism, Ted Koppel.

Mr. Koppel is keynote speaker at UMass Undergraduate Commencement ceremonies on May 11, but he and his wife are vacationing in our neck of the woods for the next week.

My friends at the Springfield Republican snag an exclusive interview

Judge agrees: No it is!

M.N. Spear Library, Shutesbury

After hearing two hours of testimony on Monday, April 23 from both sides of the contentious Shutesbury Library Override debate , Judge Mary-Lou Rup decided in favor of the two challenged no votes but threw out two yes votes thus changing the original January 10 tie vote to 522-520, meaning the $3.5 million renovation Override failure is upheld.

"Friends of the Library" filed suit to have two "No" votes voided, those of Richard and Joan Paczkowski, who winter in Florida but spend nine months annually in Shutesbury in a home they have owned there for thirty five years.

Attorney Alan Seewald represented the NO side, and he argued that if the Paczkowski's votes are ruled out then the judge should also throw out Jessica Buck (wife of Chris Buck, who already had his vote ruled out by the Board of Registrars on January 25 because he signed a legal document in Kentucky a month before the Shutesbury vote giving up his right to vote anywhere else) and attorney Michael Pill's grown children Shoshana Holzberg-Pill  and Jacob Holzberg-Pill who live and reside in New York and California respectively.

The Judge's decision to uphold Richard and Joan Paczkowski's right to vote in their hometown combined with agreeing with Attorney Seewald's argument for nixing the yes votes of Shoshana Holzberg-Pill  and Jacob Holzberg-Pill brings the final vote tally to 522-520.

Judge Rup's Decision

Town Meeting "Shame"

 

Cherry Hill Golf Course:  Whistling in the rain

Last night after more than an hour of discussion Amherst Town Meeting turned down an amendment to add $67,000 to the "Human Services Budget" for non profit agencies performing vital safety net functions for those most in need.  As the 111-67 tally vote was announced, a disgruntled supporter said--loud enough for the Moderator to hear--"Shame!"

Within minutes Town Meeting voted overwhelmingly to approve the municipal Cherry Hill Golf Course budget with almost no discussion.  Last year Cherry Hill lost $40,000 and this year (which ends June 30) revenues thus far are down 17% so safe bet they will lose at least that much once again.

And in 2014 they have $135,000 in equipment replacement scheduled, meaning they go back to the good ol' days of annual six-digit losses.  Meanwhile the hungry in Amherst, stay hungry.  "Shame" indeed.

#####

Posted to the privately owned Town Meeting Listserve:

I feel I have to write this to my fellow Town Meeting Members. I was ashamed by
the way some of my fellow members acted the other night upon the defeat of
adding $66,000 to the budget. The boos and yells of shame is not why I joined
Town Meeting. I believe we need to respect one another opinions and respect
each others as adults. I felt those people yelling what they did was immature
and child-like because they did not get their way. (that is my interpretation) .
Respecting others views is what a democracy is about, by doing what you did is a
way of intimidation. I hope this does not ever happen again.
Thank you for reading and I hope respecting what I wrote
Barry Federman
Precinct 5

House Poet

The Dickinson Homestead's green grounds have transitioned from a Civil War encampment site to a  giant monopoly board with "little white houses" springing up everywhere, bringing three dimensional aliveness to the words of Amherst's most famous resident, The Belle of Amherst, our own beloved reclusive genius, Miss Emily Dickinson.

"Little White Houses" meets "A Poetic Dialogue" in Sweetser Park

The topographical art project--40 little houses with Miss Emily's evocative words stenciled all around--encompasses the entire  museum grounds as well as Sweetser Park, joining a previous art installation, silhouettes of Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost. 

Also included in the sprawling display are a trio of historic neighbors:  The Evergreens, Woman's Club and Hills House, all of which occupy the proposed Local Historic District, a controversial zoning article Amherst Town Meeting will discuss and vote later this month.


The Little White House Project opens Thursday, May 10 and runs through Saturday, June 30. Opening Reception May 12 at the Emily Dickinson Museum. Admission is free.