Good Fence = Good Neighbors

45 Phillips Street now fenced in

So I could not help but notice a spiffy new fence enclosing the postage stamp front yard at 45 Phillips Street, one of the more decadent houses on a street that wears decadence like a charm, and a regular stopping place for Amherst Police Department.

 

45 Phillips Street 3/29/13 (note cars on front "lawn" )

I asked Building Commissioner Rob Morra under Public Documents Law for the letter/threat he sent to owner Stephan Gharabegian that resulted in a pang of remorse for bad housekeeping, but was told the exchange took place over the phone.

"I made a call to Mr.Gharabegian a couple weeks ago to explain that improvements were necessary to address the parking issues at 45 Phillips Street.  The following Monday this fence along with a couple of plantings were installed.  At this point, I am satisfied with his response and will monitor the property to determine if the improvements are effective."

The good news represented by this new fence is that if the most notorious landlord in Amherst can respond to a little official coaxing there's solid hope for the new Residential Rental Property Bylaw that will pass Town Meeting next month.

After all, the vast majority of landlords in Amherst are conscientious law abiding citizens who care about the quality of life in our little college town. 

We hope.

Circle The Wagons

Neighbors of proposed development already seeing red

Landmark Properties received an all too typical "welcome to Amherst" last night at their informational meeting in the Jones Library to discuss with neighbors their proposed Amherst Retreat Student Housing Project, a 170 unit development off Henry Street currently owned by W.D. Cowls, Inc, the largest private landowner in the state.

One of the neighbors who received an invite to the informational session forwarded a rallying dispatch to organized opposition -- including many in surrounding towns -- erroneously stating the developers "had a terrible reputation in terms of follow through and upkeep."

Of course the other facts this spinmeister got wrong was the assertion that the "salamander crossing will be destroyed" and that "This development is only step one of a long range plan by Cinda >Jones (i.e. Cowls and DH Jones combined) for more development on Cowls property."

Wrong. Cinda Jones is not connected to the real estate agency owned by children of D. H. Jones.

But not letting the facts get in the way of a good narrative is certainly an effective way to mobilize the troops. Over 50 protesters were waiting in front of the Jones Library a few minutes before the meeting start time.

But not everyone who showed up was a disciple of the Church of Obstruction, and some helpful discussion did take place.  Landmark has addressed a major concern by adapting their original plan to reroute traffic from the narrow streets in the heart of Cushman by locating the main entry to the development on Market Hill Road by the town's Water Treatment Plant (A).

 The salamanders will still be able to cross the road

Landmark does not require an exceedingly hard to attain two-thirds vote of Town Meeting for a zoning change in order to do this project.  So it IS going to happen.  This informational session demonstrates Landmark's commitment to being a good neighbor.

Too bad neighbors did not reciprocate.

Cinda Jones speaks

No Words

 

Amherst Town Center

UMass 

Amherst College

Big Y

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.