Slow Climb

 These signs spring up like mushrooms on a moist summer morning

If business takes you further south past Atkins Country Market by way of Route 116, be prepared for a slow bumpy ride up The Notch.

Yes, construction continues in the southernmost part of Amherst where the state has expended $10 million in the past two years installing two roundabouts and now this realignment project.

 

Country Corners Road, Amherst

C & A Construction from Ludlow was the low bidder at $3,128, 938 coming in under the state's "initial construction estimate" of $3, 354, 684.  The project started last fall with the clear cutting of trees and is currently less than 20% completed.   Completion is not expected until the spring of 2014.

 Start of the .6 mile climb

In other words, it's going to be a l-o-n-g hot summer for travelers trying to negotiate that gauntlet.

 

 

New section of road center, old road on left

Near top, new road on right

Editors note:  This photo shoot occurred after 5:00 PM when construction was done for the day 

UPDATE Wednesday afternoon:  Arrived at base of mountain at 1:47 PM and made the summit at 1:58 PM.  Once I started moving, total time for climb was three minutes.

Block Party Sequel

In perhaps his final public appearance as Director of the Amherst Business Improvement District, Alex Krogh-Grabbe this evening gave the Amherst Select Board a heads up on the downtown block party as it enters its sophomore year.

The event happens September 12, almost exactly one year after the first one brought thousands of people to the downtown.  This year the North Pleasant Street road closure will be more constricted on the northern border, but still runs directly through the heart of the downtown. 

With that prime stretch of road closed to cars, town center becomes a safe, friendly party zone.  Music, food, and friends = fun.  And it's all free! 

What more could you ask for? (besides good weather).

Anatomy of a Bust

Returned Search Warrant, 11 Phillips Street, Amherst

So I guess you could argue this well publicized APD operation was a waste of time and resources since no charges were ever brought before the District Attorney concerning the operation of an  illegal cash bar in the basement of 11 Phillips Street.

  

11 Phillips Street, Amherst

Just as you could argue the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong never won an individual battle large enough to have a name during the US intervention in Vietnam.

But in the end what matters is, well, the end.

By most accounts Vietnam cannot be chalked up as a US victory; and I would argue the raid on 11 Phillips Street turned out to be a turning point in the battle against rowdy student party houses.

For  that particular house at least.

   Search Warrant, 11 Phillips St, Amherst

Summer Sunday

War Memorial Pool 3:00 PM

After running into technical difficulties the War Memorial Pool missed the Saturday target date to open, but fortunately -- with the temperature in the 90s -- opened for business this morning.

And by 3:00 PM it was happily keeping a boatload of folks cool.

Meanwhile ...

Kendrick Park: Never too hot to hula hoop

 

Ziomek Field:  Ladies softball left, Men's baseball right

 

Amazing maze:  Amherst/Hadley border

Historic West Cemetery:  A road runs around it

 

South East Street  8:45 PM

That Which Survives

 Camperdown Elm: A priceless $100,000 shade tree

The majestic Amherst College owned  Camperdown Elm seems to have weathered the recent relocation just fine, knock on wood. 

Three months ago a bevy of trained workers gingerly moved the ancient but healthy shade tree a distance of 90 feet to avoid being run over by a running track.

Amherst College officials must be relieved, since the tree is irreplaceable ... and the lifesaving procedure is said to have cost $100,000 or just over $1,100 per foot.

 Pratt Field, Amherst

But then Amherst College is our #1 landowner.  Even though a tax-exempt institution the #2 liberal arts college in America is still the town's #1 taxpayer.   The Pratt Field renovation project was budgeted at $12.5 million, although rumor has it the cost of the project is over by half. 

But, like the Camperdown Elm, Pratt Field will be pretty stunning when completed. 

I wish I was in Dixie

 

Dixieland Band on the grounds of the First Congregational Church

A large somewhat older crowd gathered to enjoy Dixieland Band music, lemonade, and strawberry shortcake under the shade trees on the lush grounds of the First Congregational Church yesterday just across the street from the Dickinson Homestead.

Where's Rockwell when you need him?

Meanwhile, dead in the center of town, a lone guitarist tests the theory of the tree falling in the forest with no one around ...

DUI Dishonor Roll

 

Daniel Dodman's rolling weapon disarmed (note teenagers in close proximity)

Let me count the ways the ways this Bad Boy is an embarrassment to the human species -- that is supposedly differentiated from animals by, umm, sentient intelligence.

And Daniel S. Dodman is 21 -- old enough to die for his country -- so youth is not exactly an excuse.

The telephone pole won

Driving south (away from UMass) on Triangle Street around 6:15 PM Thursday, he sideswipes a WMECO utility pole with two large, potentially explosive transformers on top,  and completely loses control of his heavy duty Volvo.

He then crashes into a line of large landscaping boulders bordering Bertucci's Italian Restaurant, which was relatively busy at the time.

 Dodman ended up with "a piece of the Rock"

Meanwhile almost a dozen teenagers near the busy DB Mart are within 25 yards of the crash scene and provide eye witness testimony to the police.  Dodman abandons his destroyed vehicle, now leaking chemicals, and takes flight heading north.

 Dodman's vehicle hit hard enough for both airbags to deploy

Yes, the auto is registered to a Daniel Nicholas Dodman; and yes, that is the very first thing a police officer does when dealing with any sort of "motor vehicle stop."

Dodman did not get very far from accident scene

APD soon catches up with him on Chestnut Court and attempts to place him under arrest.  He resists.  They arrest him anyway and add "resisting arrest" to the complement of charges headlining with DUI, and leading with "open container of alcohol" in the vehicle.

In order to cut down on drunk drivers,  perhaps the Department of Motor Vehicles should institute an intelligence test for license requirements.