Sophie's Choice

 

Pin Oak marked for death

If nothing changes over the next few weeks Alan Snow -- recently voted "Tree Warden of the year" by the Massachusetts Tree Wardens & Foresters Association -- will sign a death warrant for one of the majestic, towering, healthy pin oak's that has stood guard over Kellogg Avenue for 113 years.

Even when the Shade Tree Committee votes to save the tree, the tree warden can overrule them.  And even if he agrees to their recommendation of mercy, the final authority rests with the Amherst Select Board.

Click to read (and then show up)

Dr. George Stone, Professor of Botany at Massachusetts Agricultural College, Amherst (now know to all as UMass/Amherst) and our town's very first tree warden and founder of the Massachusetts Tree Wardens & Foresters Association planted them with his very own hands, only a few years before he died.

That rumbling sound you will hear next month will be Dr. Stone rolling over in his grave (or his ghost chasing Mr. Snow with a chain saw).

Like most targeted tree strikes the big beautiful oak is in the right place at the wrong time, standing in a spot the Unitarian Universalist Society wishes to occupy with an expansion of their downtown church.

Yes the same church that is requesting $106,250 from Amherst Town Meeting next month in Community Preservation Act Historical Preservations funds to restore their equally beautiful Tiffany stained glass window, "The Angel of the Lilies."

According to their CPA proposal (which the town committee unanimously approved): "An addition on the east side of the meetinghouse and upgrades to the existing structure are to commence in May 2013. Because the Angel of the Lilies must be removed for its own protection during this work, this is an ideal time to undertake the critically needed steps to preserve it for the benefit of future generations."

So in order to preserve one priceless treasure another must be sacrificed? Amherst College recently spent $100,000 moving their stately Camperdown Elm a few yards to protect it from a major renovation of Pratt Field.

As a newly minted member of Amherst Town Meeting (having already served for 20 years) I'm proud to say I have never voted against a historical preservation article, but if the church puts this towering treasure to death I will have trouble voting to support the restoration of their other gem.

Angel of the Lilies 

One of the problems in a college town like Amherst is first generation public officials have no institutional memory. And there's a lot more to understanding the culture of Amherst than simply knowing the h is silent.

Oh what a story this mighty oak could tell after 113 years of life. Someone call the Governor. A stay of execution is in order.

Pin Oak nearest building will soon come down

(Click here) Sign the PETITION! (Click here)

 

View from Rao's

Scarlet Letters

 Town center this morning

So I kind of hope whoever was responsible for these signs leaves them up for a while just as a reminder of how pathetic the turnout was for the People's Republic of Amherst local election yesterday:

6.6% vs 69% last November for the Presidential election.

And yes, no contests for town wide offices but every one of our ten precincts had town meeting seats to fill.  And Amherst is renowned as a champion of Democracy because we still maintain such an antiquated form of government.

Yet when it comes time to elect folks to this bastion of participatory Democracy ...

"Blanks" did very well.  Coming in 3rd for Select Board and 1st for School Committee

-----Original Message-----
From: Larry Kelley
To: amhersttownmeetingsubscribe
Sent: Wed, Apr 10, 2013 2:07 pm
Subject: Town Meeting List serve

Now that I am a duly elected member of Precinct 5 I would like to join this private, quasi-public list serve for Amherst Town Meeting members.


Larry Kelley
Precinct 5

Long May She Wave

American flag, Town flag, UN flag

Yes the town that refuses to fly commemorative American flags in the downtown (well, four out of every five years anyway) to commemorate and remember the slaughter of 9/11 now has a flag of their own, which presumably will fly from the Town Hall turret this coming 9/11. 

Although I'm a tad concerned about security.  

Lightning Rod Wins

 Protesters outside Student Union were mainly an older crowd

Maybe I'm spoiled having come of age in the 1970s when protest was at its peak and a darn site more creative than what I saw this evening: Abby Hoffman bringing the NY Stock Exchange to a halt by unleashing a bag of $1 bills (not all of them genuine) from the gallery.

Or protesters filled with enough resolve to continuing chanting "The whole world is watching," while Chicago cops beat their heads in.

No, what we got this evening was a smattering of clueless cuckoos who couldn't even read their cue card lines correctly, or loudly enough to be heard (Abby Hoffman had his own bull horn).  The first interruption, only minutes into Karl Rove's speech, brought no response from security so I thought it was going to be short night.

 Rove became animated when talking about Iraq (and how the Democrats supported the war)

Chancellor Subbaswamy, looking unhappy, struck a blow for Free Speech

But then after two more interruptions -- perhaps invoking the three strikes and you're out routine -- Chancellor Swamy took to the microphone demanding respect for Free Speech.  And with the next outburst security started escorting the protesters out a lot quicker, which seemed to dim the enthusiasm of the entire protest movement.

Ladies read their protest lines

 Even seated protesters holding sings were asked to leave

All in all between presentation and question and answers Karl Rove probably only talked for an hour and a quarter and the interruptions only consumed a few minutes.  The audience numbered about 500 people and the protesters were easily in the minority. 

Maybe there's hope for Free Speech at UMass after all.  Certainly paid off for Karl Rove.

What the Left did to @karlrove at UMass more proof living in #MA means living behind enemy lines:JOIN THE RESISTANCE!michaelgraham.com/the-conspiracy…
— Michael Graham (@IAMMGraham) April 10, 2013

DUI Dishonor Roll

Mass State Police arrested just over 5,000 drunk drivers last year

Just as last month's "Blarney Blowout" acted as a terrible turning point for town and UMass officials who now, finally, seem serious about addressing rowdy off campus student behavior (besides handing out oatmeal cookies) Saturday's shenanigans should also act as a wake up call on drunk driving.

Before someone gets killed.

Again!

At the very least it's time for another State Police "sobriety checkpoint" and this time it should be in the heart of UMass (North Pleasant Street) or Amherst town center.

Amherst police arrested four drunk drivers on Saturday late afternoon into early Sunday morning.  Yes, four.  All of them UMass students.  Most of them at times of the day when working folks and their families are going about their daily routine.

Like the head on, wrong way collision in the busiest intersection in Amherst town center at 4:55 PM on a busy Saturday which resulted in the arrest of Taylor Estupinan, age 22.  How many of you were out and about Saturday around that time, sharing the road with a potential killer?

 Raymond F. Racine

Or how about Raymond F. Racine also age 22, who almost ran over a cop at the Hobart Lane checkpoint?

Joint APD UMPD checkpoint Hobart Lane, hard to miss, but not if you're drunk

Or Matthew Collins, age 20, who committed hit and run on a grove of arborvitaes on Pine Street before dusk on Saturday.   Arrested for DUI and a bevy of other charges related to negligent operation of a deadly weapon.

Or Briana Virginia Roy, age 21, arrested for DUI early Sunday morning after drawing attention to her drunken self by speeding and following a car to closely.  A potentially deadly combination.

Like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, drunk drivers bring on sorrow and misery. These four Perps were lucky to have survived.

And so were we.

Blue, I'm So Blue

Jones Library chimney repairs continued today (courtesy of Community Preservation Act $)

Let The Sunshine In

From: Larry Kelley
To: AG Division of Open Government 

Sent: Mon, Apr 8, 2013 2:22 pm 
Subject: Open Meeting complaint

I was prevented entry to a meeting on April 4 at the UMass Police Station between high ranking school officials, town officials and private landlords to discuss a matter of utmost public concern:  rowdy off campus student behavior by a minority of students who attend the University. 

I was told in an email from a UMass offical that the meeting was closed because it was a "working meeting."  

UMass did issue a press release before the end of the day but, for instance, did not provide the names of the ten landlords who attended the meeting.  A violation of the very first rule in journalism concerning the five W's (WHO, what, when, where and why). 

 Since this issue is an ongoing problem in the town of Amherst and since these meeting will probably happen again, I would like the Attorney General to issue a ruling as to whether they should be open or not.  

Sacrificing transparency for the expediency of public employees is not a healthy trade off. 

Thank you for your attention and time spent upholding the People's right to know. 

Larry Kelley 

#####

To: buffone Cc: jeankim ; jkennedy ; egelaye ; edblag 
Sent: Mon, Apr 8, 2013 7:35 am 
Subject: Public Documents Request 

Could I please get any and all written correspondence -- email, text, snail mail -- between any UMass employee and Amherst town officials (either appointed or elected) between January 1, 2013 up until this morning concerning off-campus student behavior especially but not limited to the recent "Spring Strategy Meeting" held April 4, as well as any correspondence concerning Amherst's Safe & Healthy Neighborhoods upcoming town meeting bylaw. 

Since this request is in the public's interest I would also request a fee waiver.  

Larry Kelley

#####

To: MusanteJ ; selectboard ; ZiomekD  
Sent: Mon, Apr 8, 2013 9:42 am 
Subject: Fwd: Public Documents Request 
Subject: Public Documents Request 

Could I please get any and all written correspondence -- email, text, snail mail -- between Amherst town officials (either appointed or elected) to any UMass employees between January 1, 2013 up until this morning concerning off-campus student behavior especially but not limited to the recent "Spring Strategy Meeting" held April 4, as well as any correspondence concerning Amherst's Safe & Healthy Neighborhoods upcoming town meeting bylaw. 

Since this request is in the public's interest I would also request a fee waiver.  

 Larry Kelley 

 #####

Sent: Mon, Apr 8, 2013 11:19 am 
Subject: Public Documents Request 
Sally Linowsky Campus and Community Coalition 

Could I please get a list of the  ten landlords who attended the April 4 "Spring Strategy Meeting" held at UMPD as well as a list of all the landlords who were invited.  

Thanks, 

Larry Kelley