Everybody Into The Pool

Workers finish up drainage system around War Memorial Pool metal bed

Last night during his "Town Managers Report" to the Amherst Select Board John Musante hedged his bet concerning the already announced June 23 Grand Reopening of the War Memorial Pool, saying he would make the "Go, No Go" decision on Monday, June 18.

The project was made possible by a Town Meeting vote demanding the centrally located recreation center be reopened after sitting idle for the past four years.  The town recieved a $208, 320 state grant towards the $239,000 cost of having Aquatic Renovation Systems Inc do the renovation.

Workers today were busy installing/finishing the drainage system and a new liner is awaiting installation over the metal bed; and then the entire area around the pool--an area as big as the pool itself--needs to be set in concrete. 

But once renovations are complete the pool will require dramatically less annual maintance as the new liner does not require a labor intensive paint job every year with expensive special paint.

Only question now is, will the pool be open on the 23rd?  (Probably not.)

Weekend Weirdness

 

BOA Amherst center. Bad place to pass out drunk behind the wheel

Although the party hardy college students (that tiny fraction who give all students a bad name) are away for the next few months creating mayhem in their own hometowns, alcohol related problems are still keeping our first responders busy and putting public safety at risk.

2:29 AM early Sunday morning, Bank of America, heart of the downtown

Walk in report to APD of male passed out in vehicle in middle of roadway.

Operator observed slumped over in the drivers seat with the engine running.  I applied the emergency brake and had to shut the engine off as the operator was attempting to drive away even though there was a cruiser directly in front of him.


Operator was asked to step out of the vehicle however he continued to sit in the vehicle and attempted to drive off.  Operator was removed from the vehicle and placed under arrest for OUI.

Brandon K Wawrzonek, 26 Crestview Dr, S Deerfield, MA, age 23, OUI liquor 2nd offense

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Puffer's Pond Porta-potty. Also a bad place to pass out 

Remember how hot it was yesterday afternoon? Yikes!

Puffer's Pond Sunday afternoon 4:00 PM

RP reporting a b/m 16-18 years old ETOH (drunk) on beach staring at people.  Described as wearing no shirt and blue sweat pants with sand all over them.  

Listed party unconscious in porta-potty.  AFD summoned and party was woken up by officers.  Party was highly ETOH and may have been on narcotics.  Party is requesting to go to hospital for evaluation.  He stated he was supposed to go to the hospital today to get checked into detox program but skipped appointment and got drunk.  AFD on scene and transporting to Cooley Dickinson Hospital.  

Hot Time on Ye Ol' Landfill

Now discredited concerns over red staining around the old landfill

On what would have been a great day to generate electricity via a solar farm, Amherst's Sustainability Coordinator Stephanie Ciccarello braved the hot weather, mosquitoes, and ticks to provide an educational hike across the wide open, unshaded old landfill for a presentation to nearly 40 residents on the proposed solar energy farm.  NIMBYs proved to be the bigger nuisance, however.

 Old Landfill provides wide open flat terrain (and a nice view)

In spite of repeated assertions that she did not want "to get into a political debate," nearby neighbors came to the event loaded for bear. Constant sniping about fencing,lighting, noise, and weight on the landfill cap gave way to a full on assault as one gentleman, his voice rising, branded the proceeding "propaganda" and then invoked his Viet Nam service to remind the crowd of the memorable line, "Sometimes you have to destroy the village in order to save it."

He then stormed off with a few angry folks following close behind, reminiscent of the very first public hearing the town promoted just over a year ago. The remaining crowd gave Ms. Ciccarello polite applause.

Stephanie Ciccarello (center with back to camera, white hat) answers question for Dick Stein retired UMass professor

Town Manager John Musante won by an overwhelming Town Meeting vote the right to negotiate a 30 year deal with Blue Wave Capital for a solar array potentially generating $1 million annually to the town while significantly reducing our carbon footprint. Blue Wave has also agreed that 25% of the workforce related to the construction of the site will be from Amherst.

Musante recently stated the lucrative deal was "inches from the goal line".

NIMBYs of course specialize in goal line defense.

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Meanwhile on Sunday, not far from this heated public gathering, the South Amherst Congregational Church voted unanimously to install solar panels on their roof "in order to send a statement that we are stewards of the land ..."

South Amherst Congregational Church

Pancakes and Memories

 A long line awaiting pancakes at Mill River Recreation Area

Cloudy threatening skies did not dissuade an army of hungry (off duty) town officials, local business owners, developers, North Amherst neighbors and recreation lovers from across the Happy Valley to turn out in droves for the Puffer's Pond Pancake Breakfast fundraiser.  In fact hundreds more than expected were in attendance, said to be the biggest turnout in the 20+ year history of the event.

Maybe it was the recent North Amherst Village Center rezoning issue that played out so heatedly on the floor of Amherst Town Meeting last month as both proponents and staunch opponents came together although usually at different picnic tables.

Or it could have been the memorial service for Stephen Puffer Jr. which attracted a hundred friends, family and admirers of the town institution who passed away last December, at the grand old age of 97.

Either way, the event brought together a significant cross section of the town's eclectic movers and shakers while raising significant money to help polish a recreational jewel. Not bad for a cloudy Saturday in June.

Photo collage of Stephen Puffer's life intertwined with Amherst history

 
 Symbols of past jobs: construction,bus drive, Amherst Fire Department volunteer

 

Mr Puffer drove an antique truck before it was an antique

Amherst  250th Anniversary Parade Co-Grand Marshalls:Stan Ziomek, Steve Puffer (center), Barry Roberts 9/27/09

In 2008 Mr Puffer was honored on the floor of Amherst Town Meeting for serving on Public Works Committee for 19 years, not to mention 66 years in town meeting

A Day of Mourning

Amherst College Chapel Hill

Thousands of fellow officers--including 15 from Amherst Police Department, UMPD and Amherst College-- descended on Springfield to show solidarity to a fallen brother, creating a solemn sea of blue, spread out under equally blue but fickle skies.

Governor Patrick ordered the American flag to half staff, so hopefully citizens across our commonwealth were reminded--as they went about their business--that officer Kevin Ambrose was simply going about his routine when he gave the last full measure of devotion.

Over thirty six years on the job, officer Ambrose responded to an uncountable number of calls for service.  But all the training and experience built up over that many years was not enough to avoid a split-second moment when bad luck collided with evil intent.

Springfield Police badge in mourning

Even more depressing, this awful occurrence is far from unique.

Springfield Sunday Republican commentary

Amherst Post Office 

Legal Dynasty Reestablished

So apparently Superintendent Maria Geryk changed her mind about using Executive Session for the Amherst Regional School Committee  to coronate, errr, I mean rehire Giny Tate, errr, I mean Murphy, Hesse, Toomey and Lehane as ARPS Special Education Legal Counsel after Fred Dupere suddenly resigned earlier this week (although he is still on the payroll until June 30).

The vote was unanimous except for Amilcar Shabazz who abstained.  Voting in favor:  Katherine Appy, Rick Hood, Lawrence O'Brien, Michael DeChiara, Kip Fonsh, Deb Gould.  Annemarie Foley and Rob Spence were Missing In Action.

Ms Tate is now General Counsel for the School Committees and administration as well as Special Education Counsel, a job she was terminated from by a 5-4 Regional School Committee vote on 9/22/2010.  Her most recent Special Ed case, which concluded in March, cost taxpayers just over $40,000 in legal fees. The Bureau of Special Education Appeals found in favor of the pro se (lawyer less) parent.

Interestingly the case would have cost taxpayers twice that in legal fees if the parent had used a lawyer.  Maybe Shakespeare was right...

D-Day at ARPS

 

This afternoon at 4:30 PM Superintendent Maria Geryk and her inside circle of high level (highly paid) administrators will retire to the superintendent's conference room for an important pow-wow with the Amherst Regional School Committee to secretly discuss in executive session the sudden resignation of Special Education Legal Counsel Fred Dupere and, presumably, decide on a replacement, presumably, Gini Tate.

Since the current 9 member Regional School Committee is now different by two easy going Amherst members, the previous (9/22/2010) 5-4 vote to fire Gini Tate as Special Education Counsel can easily be overturned.  And probably will be.  In spite of her recent failure.

Remember that special education case she was grandfathered on to continue litigating (at $220/hour) because according to Regional School Committee Chair Rick Hood, " Tate had already worked extensively on it during the FY11 school year prior to Dupere being appointed the new SE attorney. Probably this is the case you are referring to. 

Where Murphy Hesse Toomey Lehane (Tate's lawfirm) was already deeply involved in a case it was thought best (and less expensive) to keep MHTL on it."

Hmmm...since issuing that statement Gini Tate ran up over $40,000 in Special Education legal services on the case; and guess what? She lost! If Tate was such a great attorney how is it she gets beat by a pro se parent without a law degree? Goes to show how egregious the case was against the schools--and any good altruistic attorney would have counseled their client to that affect.

It's a simple rule really, one that should especially resonate in Amherst:  War is seldom the right answer.

Special Ed Parent Advisory Council recommendation:  Anybody BUT Gini Tate!