A Historic Decision

Tonight Town Meeting will decided the fate of the most historic neighborhood in Amherst, choosing to preserve forever the look and feel of the sacred Dickinson Homestead and immediate surrounding area, or allowing the creative whims of any owner who buys a piece of our collective core.

Henry Hills House built 1863

Leonard Hills House, built 1864 

Two ultra prime building lots on Main Street below Henry Hills House

The Hills Houses built by father and son, designed by architect William Fenno Pratt

First Congregational Church (center)  opposes historic district restrictions

Tacky signs like this (on left) would be regulated by Historic District rules--but they probably are now anyway

Railroad Street Station, built 1853

The Evergreens, home to Austin Dickinson, built 1856

All's Quiet...

Downtown Amherst at peace

For the first time in my short memory covering this beat, Amherst Police made no arrests over the weekend: nothing for noise, open container, unlicensed kegs, nuisance house, underage drinking, and--most thankfully---no drunk drivers.

And it's not like the town had reverted back to prehistoric agrarian times before the founding of UMass/Amherst, as the traveling fair was in town center and Amherst and Hampshire Colleges both had graduation ceremonies.

Amherst Fire Department runs to our institutes of higher education--usually major customers--were sparse.  But calls to the town and surrounding towns were about average, meaning busy.

Another Summer Sign

Azalea bushes, Snell Street

A BID for Success

Alex Krogh-Grabbe, Executive Direct Amherst BID 

The recently formed Amherst Business Improvement District now has an Executive Director, and he's a townie.

Alex Krogh-Grabbe, age 26, son of Nick Grabbe and Betsy Krogh, will assume full-time duties starting June 1st in an office located on the second floor above AJ Hastings. Krogh-Grabbe just acquired a Masters Degree in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University where his final thesis compared Amherst's partnership with UMass on the ill fated Gateway Corridor Project to the more successful business collaboration of Storrs, Connecticut with UConn.

Although he has never run a small business, Alex points to his local upbringing and graduate training as his "most relevant experiences." But he does have promotional experience organizing contra dances. Krogh-Grabbe will answer to the BID Executive Committee, who have a wealth of business experience:Barry Roberts President, Jerry Jolly VP, Sharon Povenilli Treasurer and Tony Maroulis, Clerk

UMass and Amherst College are both involved with the Amherst BID and each institution has a member on the Board of Directors, but they are not financial contributors like the downtown businesses, which through a property tax surcharge collected by the town will contribute around $260,000 annually.

The Big 3--UMass, Amherst College, and Town Manager Musante--will sign a "Memorandum Of Understanding" with the BID outlining expected services, such as providing interns or helping with marketing.

The decimation of downtown businesses by malls--with plenty of free parking, common pooling of money for promotions/advertising and a diverse mix of offerings--stimulated the creation of BIDs.  Northampton created theirs in 2009.

But Amherst is nothing if not a tough sell.  Half the property in town is owned by tax exempt institutions.  Of the half that are on the tax rolls, 90% are residential and only 10% commercial business.  And any time a pro business zoning change comes before town meeting it fails to muster the required two-thirds vote.

So Alex Krogh-Grabbe will have an uphill battle for the duration of his service.  A digital whiz kid with almost 1500 Facebook friends and over 100 Twitter followers, Krogh-Grabbe plans to overhaul the current BID website, as for many interested parties it will be the first thing they see.

And a truism of business is, "You only get on chance to make a good first impression."

Fireground: Hampshire Mall Hadley

 Hadley FD Ladder Truck at Cafe Square entrance

Smoke in the food court reported by Hampshire Mall security around 9:30 PM emanating from Fuji Chen Chinese restaurant. Hadley Police and mall security have evacuated the mall. Fire crews up on the roof. Ladder truck deployed at main entrance.

(11:05 PM)  Found the source: a burned out coil in the restaurant air conditioning unit.

Boltwood Place: View From Above

St Brigid's Church, UMass Library looking northwest from Boltwood Place

Boltwood Place tweeted yesterday that the elevator was fully operational, so I couldn't resist hitching a ride to the top floor and then climbing a very secure, ladder-like metal stairway up onto the roof for a breathtaking view on this most gorgeous day of the year.  Amherst could not have looked better.

First Congregational Church, center, Amherst Police Department on right, southeast view

The all-steel frame building is mummified in insulation and heavily soundproofed, so late night downtown noise, or the fire station emergency sirens will not be a problem. The five story, mixed use building, expected to have full occupancy by September, will be LEED certified.

Amherst Fire Department on right, looking west

All 12 apartments have lots of glass for viewing pleasure. Exterior will be finished in red cedar




 

Boltwood Place sits on 3,500 square foot footprint, but upper floors are almost 4,000 square feet

Looking southwest Amherst town center

Like a brewery, Boltwood Place owners are proud enough of their intricate mechanicals to put them on ground floor display. Gas heated water boilers are 96% efficient.  650 square feet of commercial space also located on ground floor along  with main entryway and storage area.

A Fitting Tribute

 A cutting edge building

Since he was unique, I find it fitting that the George N Parks Minuteman Marching Band Building at UMass is the first of its kind on the Amherst campus to acquire LEED gold certification.  Perhaps if George had paced himself a little more over the years, conserving psychic energy, he would still be with us today.

 George N Parks leads his beloved band on the site of his new building

But he always put everything he had into each and every performance, leading the Power and Class and Class of New England...until there was nothing left to give.

Shine on George N Parks