Observations From Afar

 Osaka Japan

As an apartment complex back home was being ravaged by an inferno,  I was happily touring a fire department sub station in Tokyo, Japan. 

Tokyo FD. Mini ladder truck 

Not that I'm superstitious -- even though 25 years ago my Amherst apartment burned down on a Friday the 13th -- but my intuition radar probably should have been buzzing after checking in to our plush hotel room a couple hours earlier:  Room 911.

Even with the restart of UMass and our other institutes of higher education, considering Monday was a holiday, I figured it would be a slow news week in Amherst.  Guess I was wrong.

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Once you have experienced a major structure fire up close and personal -- smelled and tasted the acrid stench, listened as the crackling grows deafeningly loud while your field of vision narrows to nothing because of thick black smoke -- not much else in life scares you.

So you simply hope to never meet again. Ever.

The beast paid a call on Rolling Green Apartments early Monday morning.  As with all encounters, it was both uninvited and unexpected. 

 Rolling Green fire. Photo courtesy of Steven O'Toole

And a young man who was majoring in hospitality and tourism management at UMass will never get to put those service skills to use.  Ever.

The investigation will be as thorough as the fire was destructive, maybe more so.  I will be surprised if it turns out the cause can be traced to irresponsible management, as the complex is owned by one of those big corporations with too much to lose.

With Section 8 housing, HUD loans, a large insurance carrier and all the other private sector bureaucracy involved,  safe to say Rolling Green Apartments have been inspected more times than the Town could possibly afford to if rental registration bylaw passes town meeting this spring.

The problem in Amherst with substandard, dangerous rental housing comes not from large professionally managed complexes like Rolling Green, Puffton Village, Mill Valley Estates, or any of the other three complexes on East Hadley Road.  It's largely the lone houses transformed into (illegal) rooming houses that are accidents waiting to happen.

Except of course for Gilreath Manor,  the 14 unit complex out on Hobart Lane,  a sort of white crow that disproves the theory all multi-unit complexes are well run.  A very good reason why all responsible landlords in town should cheer public officials' new found ambition to actually enforce safety and zoning ordinances that have been too long ignored. 

With the same basic design as the Rolling Green complex (with an attic unprotected by fireproof flooring) but made far more dangerous with faulty fire detection and too many students packed into each unit, the Gilreath Manor fire could have been far more murderous had the blaze broken out in the early morning hours rather than high noon.

Town Manager Musante's proposed 2014 budget fortunately includes funding for a "full time fire prevention inspector position;"  but, unfortunately,  no added positions for front line responders like those brave men and women who descended on a killer conflagration early Monday morning.

The Town Manager also touts the weekend "joint patrols" between UMPD and APD which is of course a good thing.  But AFD can't very well partner with UMFD as UMass does not have a fire department.

As I've mentioned before, UMass needs to hire an off campus RA to deal with nuisance party houses before they require APD response, and they should pick up the tab for an additional two AFD first responder positions.

The beast will come calling again.  Because fire is never completely eradicated.  Ever.


Fire victim relief efforts for Rolling Green

Relief efforts for Peshkov family

Celebrate & Mourn

 Odd juxtaposition: Commemorative flag, Christmas decoration, main flag at half staff

No, the seldom seen 20 some-odd commemorative American flags are not up in town center to commemorative Martin Luther King Day.  They are flying to herald Inauguration Day.

On the night of September 10, 2001 -- The Eve of Destruction -- the Amherst Select Board voted 4-1 to allow 29 commemorative flags to fly on six "holidays" and once every four years for Inauguration Day (and yes, amazingly, they even flew for President Bush's two terms).

9/11 has become a seventh infrequent occasion for the commemorative flags to fly, only once every five years.  As some of you may remember, this past 9/11 the town received international notoriety for not flying the flags to remember the most historic day of our lifetime.

The main flag is currently at half-staff to mourn the passing of Pfc. Antonio Syrakos of Lynn, who died January 10, 2013 in an off base accident near Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Governor Patrick routinely lowers the flag for any state resident in the military who dies, be it in combat on foreign soil, or an accident back here in America.

Another even more sobering statistic of the casualties caused by war:  This past year Army suicides outpaced military combat casualties in Afghanistan.

Sport & Fair Play Takes A Huge Hit

Amherst Regional High School sports teams nicknamed "Hurricanes"

UPDATE 3:30 PM  Amherst Schools fire assistant coach Eric Wheeler, who "suggested" the hit

With all the endless talk about bullying in our schools and adults in charge stepping up to take responsibility to do the right thing, especially in Amherst, Ground Zero for all things touchy-feely, you would think Monday night's high school basketball incident would be about as likely as a UFO landing in town center.

According to published reports, ARHS player Tyrell Jackson purposely crashed into South Hadley coach Jeff Guiel. Twice! Even worse, Jackson claims he was ordered by assistant coach Eric Wheeler to perform the mugging, and soon thereafter was put in the game by head coach Jim Matuszko.

Sure it's fairly common practice in team sports to have one or two players who act as "enforcers". They are not known for their advanced skills at the game but more for their brawn. And their job is usually to protect the gifted star who may be targeted by their goon counterpart on the opposing team.

But this incident goes laps beyond that shady practice, and borders on criminal assault. Let's not forget that a District Attorney broke new legal ground charging South Hadley High School students for their repugnant actions that lead to the death of Phoebe Prince.

Or Penn State harboring a pedophile to protect the image of their sacred football program. Or Lance Armstrong, hero to so very many, repeatedly lying about using performance enhancing drugs.

Athletes are supposed to be role models, as are their coaches! This shameful incident brings into disrepute the players and staff, the sport of basketball, Amherst Regional High School, and our entire town.

There's an ill wind blowing, and it's only going to get worse ...

Backstory in emails

The media is the message:

Bloodless Budget

 SB Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe, John Musante, Sandy Pooler, FinCom Chair Andy Steinberg

Unlike the venerable Amherst Schools the Town Manager today presented to the Select Board and Finance Committee a level services budget that stayed within their suggested cap of 3%, so residents will see no deterioration in services and little extra money coming out of their household budget.

Unless of course the Schools request an Override to cover their projected $737,000 deficit at the elementary level.  In last year's budget the schools were given an extra $218,200 from Free Cash cash for instance.

If the Town Manger should find extra money coming into the municipal side of the budget (besides the $6,200,894 held in reserves) he would use $61,000 to fund an additional police officer for a department that is down five sworn officers over the past six years, while UMass has continued to grow over those same years.

$100,000 to add an Economic Development office to help stimulate the business/commercial side of the property tax equation, which is seriously out of balance, with residential property shouldering 90% of the property tax burden.

And the Safe & Healthy Neighborhood initiative would benefit by the addition of a building inspector ($63,608).  Town Meeting will vote this spring on requiring rental registration, and inspections will be a vital component for enforcement.

On an even more optimistic note Town Manager Musante reports: "In FY14 the town hopes to see the installation by a private company of one of the largest solar arrays in Massachusetts at the old landfill on Belchertown Road and to promote other solar development in town."

Either way, the immediate future seems bright.

Bales of hay on the old landfill that will be used this spring for regrading

A Long Shot?

 Mohegan Sun CEO Mitchell Etess

Mohegan Sun CEO Mitchell Etess pitched his $600 million Western Mass casino proposal to a crowd of about 100 business leaders and town officials this afternoon at the Amherst Chamber of Commerce lunch meeting held at the Lord Jeffery Inn.

Touting his four years of work on the project, having opened an office in Palmer in 2009 and pouring $15 million to date into the project, Mr Etess also highlighted his company's recent strategic partnership with Brigade Capital Management, a $12 billion dollar investment fund.

His biggest selling point?  Regional development.  Not just for Palmer, the host community, but places as far away as Amherst, home to our favorite institute of higher education. 

Etess pointed out Umass hosts the well known Isenberg School of Management Hospitality & Tourism Management program.  

Amherst Select Board Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe cited the predominance of students in Amherst and asked if the casino will tempt them to make "bad decisions"?  Etess responded that they are "very careful" about underage drinking and underage gambling. 

And he also pointed out it "it's easier to make a bet today in your college dorm room than it is in a casino."

With three other major players -- Penn National Gaming, MGM and Hard Rock International -- vigorously pursuing a casino licenses for Western Massachusetts, it's a safe bet that Amherst cannot avoid being impacted by "casino mania". 

Only question is, will it be a winner ... or craps?

Wanna Bet

Lord Jeffery Inn, Wednesday morning

So I'm half thinking Amherst Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tony Maroulis ordered up this picturesque weather as a backdrop for today's luncheon presentation at Amherst 's iconic Lord Jeffery Inn for a hot topic more centered on Springfield, but certainly casting ripples that will be felt in our little town:  Casino gambling.

Mohegan Sun CEO Mitchell Etess, representing one of the four major players who ponied up $400,000 to vie for a lone gambling license reserved for Western Mass will be giving the keynote address. 

The public is invited and Mr. Etess is expected to approach the podium around 12:30 PM.

Those Who Fail To Learn ...

Chief Nelson, Chief Livingstone, Nancy Buffone, Jonathan Tucker, Stephanie O'Keeffe

"It's only a matter of time before somebody dies because of things we have let get out of hand," said Phil Jackson, member of the Safe & Healthy Neighborhoods Working Group and a resident of Lincoln Avenue,  a street described as being at the "tipping point" for proud old single family (four unrelated tenants) homes being converted by real estate speculators into two family (eight unrelated tenants) Party Houses.

Phil Jackson (3rd from left) makes a point 

Things have been "out of hand" for a very long time.

Take this entry from the front page of the 11/21/1990 Amherst Bulletin describing Amherst Town Meeting's reaction to the Planning Board asking if they should draft a rental registration bylaw:

 "Town Meeting instead asked the Planning Board to find ways to enforce existing zoning regulations more effectively. The substitute motion was made by Nancy Gordon. Both the Planning Board's approach and Gordon's were intended to cut down the problems of noise, unkempt property and general neighborhood disruption that sometimes occur when a number of students rent an apartment or a house that is too small for them."

Now here we are, twenty two years later, still dealing with noise, nuisance, and all the dangerous byproducts of drunken behavior by too many young adults packed into too small surroundings owned by speculators who simply don't give a damn.

Like the current controversy with gun ownership, it only takes the actions of a microscopically small minority to ruin it for the very large majority of responsible gun owners.  Just as one or two slumlords ruin it for all the legitimate, professional, honest, caring owners who make up the vast majority of rental property providers.

Select Board Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe described Safe & Healthy Neighborhood's charge:  "Trying to establish what all reasonable people would agree is a minimum baseline of safety ... including reasonable parking, compliant with occupancy limit, local property upkeep laws, as well as alcohol and nuisance laws."

And she closes with a key point:  "Inspectors need to be able to access property."

The committee will host an open public forum next week, January 22, in the Town Room, Town Hall (7:00 PM - 9:00 PM) to hear from all concerned stakeholders:  neighbors, property owners, town officials and civilized citizens who care about their town.

Safe bet the rowdy tenants causing the problems (or the slumlords who rent to them) will not show up.

Phil Jackson's Powerpoint slide