Mighty Oak Survives (For Now)

 Oak Tree lined Kellogg Avenue

After an a hour of discussion and a unanimous "advisory" vote (1 abstention) of the Amherst Public Shade Tree Committee to deny the Unitarian Universalist Society Church petition to remove the 36" wide majestic pin oak on Kellogg Avenue, Tree Warden Alan Snow agreed the healthy towering tree should not come down.  Yet.

 

All American Tree Warden Alan Snow

In a compromise hatched at the meeting the church has agreed to undertake extra construction techniques -- that Snow estimates costs only around $2,000 -- to protect the roots of the tree that are on church property.

Over 40 citizens show up for the Public Hearing, the most ever according to Tree Warden Snow

The cost to the Church in the form of a "fine" by the Tree Warden for removing a healthy tree (had he given them permission) in the town way is $3,200 in replacement costs, so in the long run this could prove to be a more cost effective solution.

Plus, avoiding that other considerable cost in bad press should the tree suddenly become firewood.

Church Attorney Alan Seewald played the "liability" threat card, but in a nice way

One speaker for the Church did acknowledge Public Relations nosedived leading up to this meeting.

Although the $100,000 the Church is requesting from Amherst Town Meeting next month in grant funding to rehab a Tiffany stained glass window never came up, it's safe to assume it was on people's minds.

 Carol Cave, President Church Board of Trustees, addressses the Tree Warden

Spending a few thousand dollars now in a "good faith" effort to save the tree, will most certainly buy them votes on the floor of Amherst Town Meeting.

Bomb Scare Hadley

UMPD blocks off Westgate Center Road 2:00 PM today

So I guess we should prepare ourselves for a lot of these "suspicious package" incidents.

 

Hadley PD and FD stage

Ladder Truck arrives

 

Evacuated employees wait in Staples parking lot

Ch 3 on scene, Ch 22 en route

I Hear The Trolley A Comin'

Trolley being worked on at Muddy Brook Farm

The new trolleys -- well new to Amherst anyway -- have arrived and according to our weekly Business Improvement District email update they "are working on the logistics of their operation now, and you'll start seeing them sometime in the next month or two."  Just in time for the summer lull.

Amherst originally had a trolley founded in 1890 by the Amherst Board of Trade (a forerunner of today's BID) that connected Amherst to Holyoke, Northampton and Sunderland, but with the rise of the automobile went bankrupt in 1932.

The trains have whistled their way through Amherst since the 1850s.

DUI Dishonor Roll

 Average drunk driver has driven drunk 80 times before 1st arrest

Last week all of my "winners" were UMass students; this week only two-thirds, so I guess that's progress.


Both AFD and APD were kept busy all weekend dealing with the by product of alcohol abuse ... The system, however, held.

Easthampton FD at Mullins Center Saturday (Westfield was en route to CDH)

 In addition to having six ambulances staffed -- the highest number in history -- AFD convinced the Mullins Center to bring in two additional ambulances (from Westfield and Easthampton) to help cover concerts on Saturday and Sunday.

AFD at Amherst College loading ETOH female student 1:31 AM Sunday

 Even though there were only four ETOH (alcohol OD) transports during the Sunday "spring concert" another 18 patients were treated at the scene.  And at the Euphoria concert on Saturday another ten were treated without transport.

And for every ambulance in town we had at least one police patrol car on the road as well.

Early Friday morning (12:22 AM) Amherst Police stopped Edward Fermosa for a simple traffic violation -- right turn on red -- leading to the up close and personal contact that brings on a Field Sobriety Test, which he flunked.

He was then arrested, hands cuffed behind his back and gently escorted to 111 Main Street for booking.

Early Saturday morning (1:07 AM) Amherst Police arrested William Zimmerman for DUI and Driving to Endanger

And only about an hour later (2:17 AM) Amherst Police arrested Timothy Moliterno for DUI and Driving to Endanger.

Bigger Is Better

UPDATE:  What a cowardly, cowardly act of terrorism unleashed on our country once again.  Thoughts and prayers to all those impacted.  And may the Perp who did it burn in Hell.

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ORIGINAL POST (pre bombing)

The town has broken out the really b-i-g flag that flies on special days the 29 commemorative flags are allowed to fly in the downtown.  Those of us here in Massachusetts (or any long distance runner) needs no reminder about the importance of today.

As military battles go Lexington and Concord was hardly a crippling blow to the enemy, but it set in motion an unstoppable force:  the power of freedom.

Patriotic Weekend

 UMPD Deathstar, errr, Incident Command Center deployed

So once again beefed up Amherst and UMass police patrols seemed to keep the peace in our little college town over the long weekend, although officials also put into play the "Walk This Way" campaign late Saturday night into early Sunday morning to keep roving bands of college aged youths from disturbing neighborhoods immediately adjacent to southern UMass.

 She told me to ...

A sagacious neighbor on Fearing Street, however, reports about 1,700 passers by that night, a little higher foot traffic than usual. 

Stephanie O'Keeffe, Chair Amherst Select Board turned traffic cop

Unfortunately another large roving band of youth 300 strong, walking from deep North Amherst back to campus Saturday night, trashed signs along the eastern side of Sunderland Road.  

 

Cowls Building Supply sign down and out

  ProSensing sign down but not out

Town Sign near Watroba's

Amherst police broke up a number of party houses but no major incidents requiring outside reinforcements.  

 

APD shut down a party house at 327 Lincoln Avenue without incident

 

Residents at 78 Northampton Road got off with a warning

2 young ladies arrested at 117 Northampton Road 1:15 AM

A Tree Grows in South Amherst

 Viridian Energy also helped organize the tree planting

Yesterday the Amherst Public Shade Tree Committee, Tree Warden Alan Snow and friends and family of Michael Cann gathered to plant a maple tree in his honor at Groff Park not far from his long time home on Mill Lane.

We are losing an entire generation of solid citizens like Mr. Cann, so adequately dubbed "The Greatest Generation".  In a transient town like Amherst all the more irreplaceable.

After 20 years in Amherst Town Meeting -- nowhere near Michael Cann's 37 year tenure -- very few people attracted my undivided attention when they rose to speak.

Stephen Puffer, Homer Cowles, Howard Ziff and Michael Cann were all on my shortlist.  And now they're all gone.  His strong spirit survived the rise of Hitler in his native land.  He became an American, and then volunteered to fight the monstrous evil that nearly conquered the world.

And Mr Cann never forgot, that freedom is not to be taken for granted.

I will think of him -- and all the good he represents -- whenever we visit Groff Park and look upon his living monument.

As should we all. 

Alan Snow hugs root ball