Oh say you can't miss

Amherst Town Center Sunday 12:25 PM

Amherst has broken out the really BIG ceremonial flag purchased last year to accompany the 29 commemorative flags in the downtown on the six holidays they are allowed to fly.  Friday of course the big one went up to honor and remember Memorial Day, so tomorrow it will be at half staff from sunrise until noon.

Today, as they have done for almost 40 years, the anti-war protesters showed up at high noon.  Although not as many as Occupy Amherst turned out yesterday, their longevity underscores a resolve that's hard to beat.

Weird lady shows up sporadically but keeps to herself (much to the relief of organized protesters).

Occupy Amherst Center

Occupy Amherst town center 12:25 PM

A few dozen folks descended on the most visible corner in Amherst town center Saturday morning, the same one "occupied" by anti-war protestors every Sunday for the past 40 years, and they even had a brass band.  By 1:15 PM they were gone.  It was kind of hot and muggy.

According to their press release speakers were going to address:

• Corporate Personhood,
• Student Debt,
• Racism in the Amherst schools,
• Justice for Charles in Springfield,
• SComm and immigrant rights,
• Shutting down the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant and
• foreclosures in Hampshire and Hampden counties. 

Hmm...Okay it's Amherst so I can see the anti Corporate Personhood, and Amherst Town Meeting just overwhelmingly passed an anti SComm advisory article to champion immigrant rights. And we are loaded with students (although not at the moment), so the student debt issue could resonate. Although I wonder if anyone held a bow and arrow to their heads to force them to take on the debt in the first place.

But the one I question is, "Racism in the Amherst schools". Really?

Like loaves & fishes

 249 South Pleasant Street, Amherst

The Planning Board will discuss this cute Amherst College owned house in my neighborhood as AC goes before them on June 6 for the easy to attain site plan review permission to double from a one to a two family dwelling thus allowing, duh, two families--or as is the case with conversions in most other parts of town, eight unrelated housemates (code for "college students").

This makes the third Amherst College owned house (out of 31 formerly "single family") to recently double in ocupancy, although planner Christine Brestrup confirms it will be the last for a while.  Amherst College is also busy building the new $200 million science center, and a bevy of renovation projects including a dormitory, Pratt Field, and the old Fiber Arts building in downtown Amherst.

Fiber Arts Building, downtown Amherst

Ready...Aim...

I think perhaps my daughter Kira will start backing up my Public Documents requests from now on.

Shutesbury Library: Noose Tightens

 And NO, it will be

The desperate motion by attorney Michael Pill and FRIENDS OF THE M.N. SPEAR MEMORIAL PUBLIC LIBRARY, INC. for a review by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court of Judge Rup's recent decision to throw out his grown children's two yes votes in the overly contentious failed Shutesbury Library $1.4 million override vote has been denied.

The case remains in the appeals court but this attempt to leapfrog that judicial arena would have fast tracked the case thus giving it a chance to be heard before the June 30 deadline for the town to accept a $2.1 million state grant towards construction of the $3.5 million library.  Now it as all but assured the June 30 deadline cannot be met.  A very expensive overdue notice for sure.
 
Maybe now would be a good time for, um, compromise?

  Supreme Judicial Court for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

RE:    No. DAR-20760

FRIENDS OF THE M.N. SPEAR MEMORIAL PUBLIC LIBRARY, INC. & others
vs.
BOARD OF REGISTRARS OF VOLTERA OF THE TOWN OF SCHUTESBURY & others

Franklin Superior Court No. FRCV2012-00014
A.C. No. 2012-P-0843

    NOTICE OF DENIAL OF APPLICATION FOR DIRECT APPELLATE REVIEW

Please take note that on May 24, 2012, the above-captioned Application for Direct Appellate Review was denied.

Susan Mellen, Clerk

Dated: May 24, 2012

To:  William A. McDermott, Jr., Esquire
Michael Pill, Esquire
Donna L. Macnicol, Esquire
Alan Seewald, Esquire
Franklin Superior Court Dept.

Wasted Legal Expenses

Amherst Regional High School

One of the main reasons cited by the Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee for hitting the snooze button on deciding later start times for Amherst regional secondary schools was the impact on the already fragile condition of school athletics--underscored by no longer sustainable annual subsidies of $50,000.

Yet this same diffident committee has looked the other way after deciding 18 months ago to fire attorney Giny Tate from "Special Education" matters for the school system. However they allow Tate (or more specifically allow Superintendent Maria Geryk to allow her) to continue litigating an expensive case or two when the other legal provider (Dupere & Dupere) could have handled them for no extra charge.

If Murphy Hesse Toomey & Lehane (Tate's firm) really were all that good, then why does Amherst (according to the state DOE website) spend twice the state average for "legal settlements"?

And this additional superfluous legal expense has already exceeded $42,000 for the first three quarters of the current fiscal year.

Tennis anyone?

FY12 Legal $ Amherst Region

Más Mexicano

 Mission Cantina 485 West Street, South Amherst

Although Form Based Zoning, an attempt to stimulate development and create a village center, did not pass muster at Town Meeting for the Atkins Corner in deep South Amherst, the commercial area about a mile north of there is doing just fine--and this new restaurant in particular is thriving.

Mission Cantina opened last summer nestled in the spot formerly occupied by Andiamo and ever since then the parking lot is routinely full. The Mexican restaurant goes before the zoning board on June 7 to seek permission to expand into the adjacent space formerly occupied by South Amherst Liquor Mart who sold their assets to Cousins Market in the center of town last year.

Currently the restaurant only has four tables so, unless you arrive at 4:00 PM opening, waiting is all but guaranteed.  But the expansion should alleviate that. And a bit of competition perhaps.

Because meanwhile, a sombrero throw away, El Comalito, another Mexican restaurant, prepares to open in the old space formerly occupied by Latinos.  Mission Cantina has already proven that customers will flock to South Amherst like it's the American Southwest, so perhaps another offering will only enhance that atmosphere of a culinary destination place.

El Comalito 460 West Street, South Amherst