Speed Jump

Country Road, take me home ... 

One of my sagacious readers who drives daily through North Amherst (not to be confused with the Historic Village of Cushman) wonders why the speed limit sign I photographed last month laying on its side in front of Watroba's, a victim of vandalism, has now been replaced with a new one at a much higher speed limit?



Turns out the DPW is now trying to replace signs with what the venerable Amherst Select Board actually approved, and way back when -- for this particular road -- it was 45 MPH.  But at some point that one was replaced, and the only one available at the time was a 30 MPH, so they went with it. 

The Select Board never actually voted 30 MPH thus the new one is now back to what apparently it always should have been,  45 MPH. Although the nearest sign facing the other direction is still 30 MPH.

Neighbors, however, who walk that stretch of road like the idea of 30 MPH a lot better than 45 MPH.  Or as Simon and Garfunkel once observed, "Slow down, you move to fast ..."

Party House of the Weekend

 

10 Tyler Place, Amherst

This past weekend, the last until September with our little college town filled by more than a majority of college aged youth, was relatively less rowdy than usual:  No arrests made for noise or nuisance activity, although seven locations drew $300 noise violation tickets, a few motor vehicles accidents on graduation day, a couple DUIs and two bold Breaking & Entering incidents less than 24 hours and three miles apart. (Not counting another in nearby Hadley.)

 Even though no arrests were made, 10 Tyler Place, managed by Eagle Crest Property Management naturally, is the hands down Party House winner.

Police were called near midnight Saturday for noise and found a live band as the source.  (The house had  one previous noise warning on April 28th.)

 After issuing a verbal warning they were called back less than a half hour later and issued five $300 "noise" tickets, presumably one to each tenant. 

Yes, five is one too many for Amherst's unrelated housemates bylaw.  

In addition to this bounty of ticket revenues, Amherst will also be receiving fine money from 42 Harris Street, 71 Eames Ave, 694 Main Street, 328 Linclon Avenue, Townhouse #72, and 407 North Pleasant Street.

Ten Years Later

MSP leads the "Convoy" 

With Massachusetts State Police leading the way, the small town veterans "Welcome Back Convoy" roared through Amherst town center Saturday morning on their way to the Cummington Fair Grounds.

 AFD Engine 1 greets "Veterans Welcome Home Convoy"

Even though town center was bustling at the time, I did not see a single person holding an American flag or "Thank You" sign to acknowledge their service. And I'm not sure why.

 

10 minutes later convoy hits Hadley town center

Ten years ago when I organized a "Support The Troops" rally in town center, soon after the 2nd War In Iraq started, I feared a scant turnout.  This is after all Amherst, where only the h is silent and anti-war sentiment is voiced loudly and often.  But that day I could not have been more wrong. 

So why such a different result yesterday, especially since we went on to depose a monster and "win" the war?  Are Iraq and Afghanistan  going to become the "Korea" or "Viet Nam" of American conflicts, where the resulting efforts were for too long a time period considered futile ... best not brought up in polite conversation?

I hope not ...

#####

Shortly after the convoy came through, eight college aged youth made a grand entrance near the busy downtown Farmers Market carrying a large construction pipe on their shoulders with "Thank You TD Bank" emblazoned on both sides.

I just thought they were an athletic team publicly thanking TD Bank for sponsorship until a half hour later I heard Dispatch mention to patrol cars in the field to check out a small group of "protesters" hassling TD Bank customers about "oil."

So the kids may want to work on their presentation next time. 

Or they could change ad copy to "Thank You Veterans" for protecting our most solemn right as an American:  The First Amendment.  Oorah!

Paying A Fair Share

 AFD arrives Hampshire College Admissions for false alarm today 2:25 PM

Not to pick on Hampshire College or anything, but they are the #3 landowner in town and they do charge students who attend top dollar, but they contribute nothing to the town for Amherst Fire Department protection.  Which they call on quite frequently.

UMass pays $325,000 annually (too little by the way) while Amherst College pays $90,000 for this vital public service.  And as I said (many times), Hampshire College pays zero.

Sorry, but that is unacceptable.  If they simple paid what Amherst College does for about the same usage we could afford to hire an additional two desperately needed full-time professional fire fighters. And we would all be better for it.

Or they could always donate a tiny slice of their large land holdings in South Amherst for our new, equally badly needed, South Fire Station.

Click to enlarge

Amherst Firefighters local 1764

Leaning Tower of UMass

Tillson Farm steam plant from eastern parking lot

Although the ghostly smoke stack that never actually operated is invisible from the main road cutting  through the heart of UMass/Amherst, North Pleasant Street,  it is clearly visible from scenic North East Street, standing out as a singular symbol of waste and corruption.

Although I've heard it referred to as the "Paradis Power Plant," nobody seems to remember why.  Mostly it's called the "Tillson Farm Steam Plant" or "The one that never worked."

 

The ghost tower as seen from North East Street

Although the building is not supposed to be used, the parking lot always seems busy

The smoke stack I'm told needs to come down soon, before it falls down on its own.  Note lean is towards building.

Reddit to the rescue (notice they censor some of my comments)

Fore!

 Cherry Hill Golf Course behind the curtain

With no discussion except my own and not a single "no" vote other than mine, a noticeably smaller (from Monday nights grand start) Amherst Town Meeting approved the Cherry Hill Golf Course operation budget for its 27th year of municipal operation as a "business."

 

And I even wore a new shirt

The 66 acre 9 hole golf course was taken by eminent domain under an "emergency measure" making the drastic action referendum proof in the spring of 1987, with an original cost of $1.6 million.

159 North Amherst NIMBYs signed a petition to get it on the Town Meeting warrant to stop a 134 unit Planned Unit Residential Development proposed by Cambridge architect Robert Kreger. 

But then after an appraisal became public, Town Meeting had to reconvene and add another $600,000 to the original appropriation bringing the total cost of acquisition to $2.2 million ($4.4 million in today's dollars), to date the most costly land purchase in town history.

Not to mention the $1 million the golf course lost in operations as an Enterprise Fund, which are supposed to be self supporting like a private sector business.  Town Meeting gave up on that idea and dissolved the enterprise fund status in November of 2006, rolling the course back into the General Fund where it's far easier to hide overhead costs like employee benefits, insurance, capital heavy equipment purchases.
 
And golf is a heavy equipment Godzilla.  Next year for instance they will request $97,500 in capital, none of which will be considered part of their "operation budget".

But year after year Town Meeting bestows their undying support using taxpayer money.  Even Sensible Center types sometimes wonder ...

#####

Winston Churchill once famously said, "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." In Amherst it could become, "When Town Meeting does not learn from history, taxpayers are doomed to regret it."

Article #43 calls for the town to "Purchase a Conservation Restriction" on 154 acres of woodland for $1.2 million in northeast Amherst that is already under a purchase-and-sale agreement for $6.5 million.  Once again to stop a large development of badly needed housing.

Stop The Retreat sign (cheaper by the dozen)

But the courts have long ago ruled that a municipality using the Godlike power of eminent domain must pay "highest and best use" price for the property.  Or in this case, $6.5 million!!!

More than the town has in combined total reserves between Free Cash ($4,326,501) and Stabilization ($1,821,401).

Since the town has "right of first refusal" on the property, North Amherst NIMBYs should simply put up or shut up:

Raise the $6.5 million required to match Landmark Properties' offer to W.D. Cowls, Inc ... and then, even I will support this Children's Crusade cause.

#####

From their Facebook page

"Must be halted immediately."  Getting a tad aggressive are we not?

A Dangerous View

 

 407 North Pleasant Street, owned by Gamma Inc Alpha Tau 

Early this morning (1:51 AM) a college aged male under the influence of alcohol, otherwise known as ETOH, tumbled off the roof of a house located on a hill at 407 North Pleasant Street.

His injuries, although not life threatening, were serious enough for AFD to transport all the way to Baystate Medical Center Trauma unit in Springfield rather than the Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton.  

If you can believe Reddit

 

Deja vu

A more tragic end 

 

Dueling iPhones:

On May 8, 2013, at 2:45 PM, James Edward Mulcahy <jimemul@earthlink.net> wrote:

Mr. Kelley,
Please send me your phone number.
Thank you, James E. Mulcahy, advisor to Alpha Tau Gamma

Sent from my iPhone

 

From: Larry Kelley
To: James Edward Mulcahy
Sent: Wed, May 8, 2013 3:46 pm
Subject: Re: phone number

If you're going to threaten me I would prefer you do it

in writing.

Sent from my iPhone