Pool Pain

War Memorial Pool Wednesday morning 11:00 AM

For the second time now I'm predicting (based on "no comment" comments from town officials, and a little construction knowledge) Amherst will postpone the long awaited opening of the centrally located War Memorial Pool, yet again.

Obviously town officials don't live by the private sector credo, "underpromise and overdeliver." Last Spring LSSE announced the pool would open on June 23rd, in time for summer swim lessons and advertised that overly ambitious date in their quarterly brochure mailed to most of Amherst.

The Town Manager announced last week the opening would be delayed, however, until June 30, using the "weather-related" excuse fine tuned over twenty five years of seasonal losses at the municipal golf course.

Recently it did rain...less than an inch. And it was pretty hot for two or three days. Which, all in all, sounds a lot like typical  New England summer weather to me.

I'm told we will have official comment "soon."

Gray area is felt underlay, blue area new liner over it

Going to the Dogs

Petco

The Happy Valley pet care market is about to heat up with Petco opening at the Stop and Shop stripmall on the Hadley/Amherst line in the former location of the extinct Blockbuster.  The animal supply retailer has over 1,000 locations nationwide and a strong web presence with over one million "likes" on Facebook.

While good news for folks with pets, not so good news for Dave's Soda and Pet City less than a mile down the road and only a half dozen total locations in the Valley. Of course with pets, price is not the only consideration--customer service also plays a b-i-g role.

And Dave Ratner runs a mission oriented business deeply involved with the community (people and pets), so they should be able to handle the competition.

A LOT Off The Top

Western Mass Electric Company is engaged in "very aggressive tree trimming" near their power lines according to Amherst Shade Tree Committee Chair Hope Crolius, a continuing reverberation of the freak October 30 snowstorm that knocked out power all over New England.

 Look out below!  (At least they left two trees standing)

Like UMass or New England Central Railroad, WMECO is exempt from local oversight by any town body, so about all our shade tree committee can do is hope for the best...and hug a lot of trees goodbye.

The High Cost of Storage

28 Shays Street, Amherst

Amherst police had to be called (twice) to 28 Shays Street to attempt to settle a dispute over a stored 1980 Volkswagon Rabbit. Of course if new owner Michael Ben-Chaim gets approval on Thursday night from the Zoning Board of Appeals to double occupancy from a one family to a two family operation (allowing 8 unrelated housemates) the parking lot will be hosting a lot more cars.

 According to APD logs: Assist Citizen

Michael Ben-Chaim is now demanding payment for what was supposed to be a favor in return.  I explained this was a civil situation and it does not look favorable on Mr. Ben-Chaim as he was not allowing car to be returned.  Talked to the Reporting Party and explained to him how to proceed with the civil process.  Ben-Chaim also let it be known he was upset the neighborhood was seeking a stop order against him for building and RP confirmed Ben-Chaim was most likely looking to get money to fight the proceedings.

More Than Quiet Weekend

 334 Lincoln Avenue

The first weekend of summer for APD was fairly routine, but never quiet.

Friday 8:49 PM Noise Complaint 334 Lincoln Avenue

RP reporting loud music
Spoke with listed resident who just moved in this week.  Approximately five people inside who state they will keep it down.

Friday 9:48 PM Noise Complaint 334 Lincoln Avenue

RP reporting loud voices
Loud voices upon arrival.  Gathering of approximately 20 people.  Party cleared out, advised of Town Bylaw and verbal warning issued.  Resident advised next time he will come with us.

Saturday early morning 12:27 AM Noise Complaint 58 Tracy Circle

2 RPs reporting loud party

Approximately 75-100 people in residence.  No responsible resident could be found upon our arrival however party was later located hiding in a basement closet.  Warning issued.  Responsible party indicated she will advise her parents of this event upon their return home. 

Amherst Police also issued noise warnings to a half dozen other locations around town:  30 North East Street, 39 Hallock Street, 65 McClellan Street, 81 Summer Street, 31 Shumway Street, and 71 S. Prospect Street.

MIA

Bare flagpole Sunday morning

So it's not often the town center flag makes the weekend police logs, but some of you may have noticed the big new pride and joy of Francis Scott Key went missing early Saturday evening.  No, it was not Pat Church; just an equipment malfunction.  The original fasteners from the smaller flag couldn't handle the extra force created by such a big beautiful flag flapping in the wind.

 Big new US flag, small POW/MIA flag underneath

Old Glory was taken down and I'm told required three officers to properly fold, and went back up this morning.  Meanwhile the larger POW/MIA flag that flies underneath the American flag is still MIA.  Until found, or a new one ordered, the smaller one that accompanied the previous, modest sized US flag will fly, looking more like a postage stamp compared to the big one above it.

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our nation and the continuing 150th anniversary of the Civil War, where President Lincoln championed a "new birth of freedom", perhaps the town should take up a collection to buy a b-i-g-g-e-r POW/MIA flag to remember the 1,664 Americans listed as "missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam war."

Young As You Feel

 Marge Crossman Amherst High School Class of 1937

Yesterday Marge Crossman, a lifelong Amherst resident with a life longer than most, celebrated the 75th anniversary of graduating Amherst High School back when it was a stand alone schoolhouse only for Amherst residents rather than the Regional operation it is today.

Back in the early 1990s Marge founded the Amherst Citizens for Responsible Government a, gasp, conservative coalition of taxpayers concerned about wasteful government spending driving up property taxes and forcing long time residents to sell their homes.

The group would meet at the VFW on Main Street and numbered in the hundreds, mostly senior citizens (Marge was in her early 70s when she founded it) but a gaggle of younger upstart activists as well.  The Amherst Bulletin once asked Town Manager Barry Del Castilho what his major concern was for the upcoming year and he replied, "Dealing with the ACRG."

Current residents will be surprised to learn the Amherst Regional High School $22 million renovation Override actually failed at the ballot box on the first attempt (1994), due to the efforts of the ACRG, who thought it was too big and of course too expensive.  A few months later the town came back a second time and it passed, but a message had been sent.

I asked Marge yesterday what was most memorable historic event of her lifetime?  "The bombing of Pearl Harbor," she replied--but then quickly added, "I had two brothers in the service at the time."

For us baby boomers who never lived through the horror of World War 2,  the resounding answer would be 9/11.  Let's hope when we hit "almost 93" that no other event will have surpassed it.


Izzy Lyman reports