War on Rowdyism: The Tide Is Turning

 Graph courtesy of APD

With overall citations up 30% over last year it may seem counter intuitive to declare the problem of rampaging college aged youth is getting better ... but it is.

Note, for instance,  the decrease in arrests for "noise" vs citations issued this year vs last.  But an increase in "nuisance" tickets, a slighter higher level of response/sanction to a party.

A cop in the field has a fair amount of latitude in deciding to arrest (cuff hands behind back, throw -- err, gently place -- in the back of a cruiser and bring to the station for booking) or simply issue a $300 ticket.

If the perps are cooperative they only get a warning, or civil infraction ticket; if not they get arrested.

Word has gotten out about noise/nuisance bylaw enforcement, and the kids are starting to get the message.

According to UMPD Chief John Horvath:

"UMPD dedicated more officers to supporting APD with off campus issues in spring 2013.  The two departments have worked together for a long time and there are good relationships built, while new ones are forming.  It is my intention to continue to work with APD, Chief Livingstone and the Amherst & Hadley communities to support them when needed, while respecting the jurisdictional boundaries that are established."

UMPD Mounted Patrol stationed on Phillips Street April 5th 

I also asked APD Chief Scott Livingstone if this past spring seemed better controled than last spring because of a united crackdown:  

" We know that the weekends have been quieter than past years, because of enforcement, assistance from UMPD and MSP, and the cooler weather…I also think the continued messaging from Enku Gelaye's office helped as well." 

This spring UMass officials issued stern messages to students and their parents warning about the consequences of bad behavior.  They also instituted "Walk This Way", where a legion of volunteers set up at high traffic areas during the late night to redirect revelers away from residential neighborhoods. 


 
Amherst Select Board Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe in the dead of night mid-April

Chief Livingstone agrees enforcement is working, but it also comes at a high cost: 

"We can put an end to much of the bad behavior with enforcement, but not all the bad behavior. Problem is, it cost a lot of money in overtime  cost, and my cops get tired and burned out, and that worries me…Tired cops and stressful situations are a bad combination…" 

According to a prominent longtime local landlord (whose property once made my "Party House of the Weekend") this past spring was "as under control as any I can recall."

Yes, of course the "Blarney Blowout" stands as a notable exception.  But perhaps -- coming in the early spring -- it acted as a wake up call, setting off a "we're-not-going-to-take-this-anymore" response.

A kind of high water mark for rowdy behavior that, like Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg, represents a dramatic example of a turning point ... the beginning of the end.

DUI Dishonor Roll

Sobering statistic:  36%  of all traffic deaths in Massachusetts are DUI-related

Since Omar Cruz, age 21, was taken off the road early Saturday at 3:29 AM -- a time when most of us are safely sleeping in bed -- and he was the only drunk driver bagged by APD this past weekend, I suppose we locals should feel somewhat relieved. 

Although I much prefer the July 4th weekend -- number one nationwide for DUI arrests -- where not a single tipsy perp was to be had within the confines of Amherst.

May be quite a while before we see a repeat of that good thing. 

Tasty Expansion

 Mission Cantina, 485 West Street, Amherst.  (Outside looks the same)

For a much needed break from reporting business obituaries in our little college town, I submit for your culinary perusal the following good news note:  Mission Cantina -- the blockbuster restaurant in South Amherst Village Center has doubled in size -- with the long awaited addition/renovation now complete.

 Doorway to new room

And the expansion seems not to have hurt the cozy atmosphere any.  Based on the overcrowded parking lot I witnessed this past weekend, there's still a wait for a table during prime time, but certainly nowhere near what it was a month or so ago.
  

 

New room

According to manager Sammy Kochan:

"With the expansion finally complete , the wait times have dropped significantly throughout the week. With the addition of reservations for parties of 6 or more , and tables that actually accommodate groups up to 16 , the overall flow and customer experience has greatly improved. As for the weekends, wait times , they fluctuate from 10 minutes to 45 during peak business hours,"

The Mexican restaurant opened in the summer of 2011 after Andiamo's went belly up, and has been wildly successful since day one.  So much so, Mission Cantina recently opened a second location in Brookline.

All photos taken before business opened for the day

Parking lot 6:00 PM (after opening at 4:00 PM)

Repaving Paradise

Marsh House lawn 81 Lessey Street. 

Amherst College, the town's largest property owner and #1 taxpayer, is on a building boom, with current projects underway in the downtown -- the  Fiber Art Building rehab -- and the massive overhaul at Pratt Field.

 Fiber Arts Building heart of downtown

After the $19 million setback with the Science Center it must be nice to have a construction project go quickly and easily.

Like this sidewalk renovation that bisects a lush green lawn that flows down a steep hill, practically all the way to  Sweetser Park.

According to Facilities Director Jim Brassord:  "The sidewalk was in serious disrepair so we are replacing it.  In doing so, we'll make it a bit wider, perhaps a foot, to ensure that it is consistent with the width of our standard sized sidewalk plow."

 

Marsh House built 1835

The Marsh House at the top of the hill is plenty historic in its own right.  Built in 1835 for Luke Sweetser (of Sweetser Park fame) the house acted as a fraternity for Amherst College students.  Its most famous pledge was none other than Calvin Coolidge, who graduated cum laude before going on to become our 30th President.

The property is bounded to the south by the Dickinson Homestead and The Evergreens, built for Austin Dickinson, Miss Emily's brother.  Both also owned by Amherst College; and all of these properties are pretty much located dead center in the new Dickinson Local Historic District.

Since driveways, terraces and sidewalks are excluded as long as "any such structure is substantially at grade level," Amherst College did not have to seek a "Certificate of Appropriateness" from the DLHD committee.

The entire project was completed within a week, despite the tropical temperatures.  Ah, if only all of them went so well.  Now that would be historic!

Gluttonou$ Game of Golf

 

Despite a bold, suck up assurance to the Select Board from Town Manager John Musante -- "The golf course will cover its operating and employee benefits costs entirely from user fees" -- the White Elephant continues to lumber along in the red as Cherry Hill Golf Course closed the fiscal year requiring $47,141 in tax support, a little more than it did the previous year.

Now $47,000 may not sound like much, but it seems to be the best case scenario with the ailing recreation business.  And worse case scenario is a repeat of the seven straight years (2001-2007) the course required $100,000 in annual tax support.

The course always comes close to covering "operation costs" but those costs do not include employee benefits, capital items (heavy equipment), and insurance.  Cherry Hill never covers those. 

So the year that just started July 1st (FY14) the course has an extra $12,000 in capital over and above the year just completed.  Thus they will easily lose $60,000.  Still, not such a big deal.  However the following year (FY15) they have $97,500 in capital improvements on tap, so that year they will lose between $130,000 and $140,000.

Having such a large piece of property tied up in the golf business rather than, say, student housing, a solar farm, or private landfill -- all of which would pay significant annual property taxes -- underscores the hidden value of opportunity costs. In this case, opportunity lost.

Even Amherst Golf Course, owned by tax-exempt Amherst College, pays over $7,000 per year in property taxes to the town yet still  manages to make money for the College.  Maybe we should let them run Cherry Hill?

Oh yes, that's right, the town already turned down a private management company that offered to pay $30,000 guaranteed annually to run Cherry Hill. 

Cherry Hill, at $2.2 million dollars ($4.4 million in today's dollars), was the most expensive land taking in town history.   All to satisfy North Amherst  NIMBYs, who railroaded Town Meeting into the nefarious use of eminent domain to stop a 134-unit housing development.

Today we have some of those same NIMBYs (Vince O'Connor for one)  trying to fast track the town into taking 154 acres of property in northeast Amherst to stop a desperately needed 170 unit student housing development.  For an astounding $6.5 million dollars, a new record.

Those who fail to learn from history ...

Back story in emails

Notice how nervous Cherry Hill makes public officials

 

Amherst Office Park Expansion

 Amherst Office Park, South Amherst

The number one problem in Amherst today, the housing crunch, will get some small measure of relief as the Amherst Planning Board finally approved the Special Permits required for the addition of a new building to the Amherst Office Complex, a mixed use development located in the village center of South Amherst nestled between the Hickory Ridge Golf Course and West Street (Rt 116).

New mixed use building

The new 30,000 square foot building will house offices on the ground floor and 17 apartments (19 bedrooms total) on the second and third floors.  Originally the plan called for 12 apartments with 19 bedrooms total but was modified between hearings.  

Planning Board member Connie Kruger lamented this modification as it does not address the needs of families who may wish to move to Amherst.   But a recent study commissioned by the Amherst Housing and Sheltering Committee would seem to support the move:

While Amherst’s population grew by 13.8% from 1980 to 2010, the numbers of households increased more dramatically, by 21.7% to 9,259 total households. This is correlated to the increasing number of smaller, non-family households 3 , which increased from 3,482 in 1980 to 4,775 by 2010, now comprising the majority of all households in Amherst. This increase in smaller households is reflected in the decreasing average household size, from 2.61 persons in 1980 to 2.44 by 2010. The growing number of smaller, non-family households is also reflective of national trends driven by fewer numbers of children and “traditional” families, increases in “child-free” and “child-delayed” families, and increases in empty nesters and senior and frail populations, particularly those who are living alone. 

The office complex is owned and managed by Ron Laverdiere. The only person from the general public to speak at the Public Hearing was fellow South Amherst developer Rich Slobody, who heartily endorsed the expansion.

Slobody, who owns two adjacent office/retail buildings, pointed out that if the town wishes to make the area a true village center this expansion would help provide a vital component: customers.

The Planning Board voted unanimously to support the Special Permits, with Chair David Webber adding the closing comment, "Great project; and we're excited for the town."

Revenge of the Lorax

Speed limit sign ignored by 80% of drivers

At the "scenic road hearing" last night -- a joint meeting between the Amherst Planning Board and Tree Warden Alan Snow -- the fate of ten trees located near the crest of a hill at 666 South East Street was finally decided.  Sort of.

The Planning Board voted 5-2-2 to allow removal of the trees so the owners can put in a new driveway 60 feet north of the plateau, but they must allow the old driveway to return to its natural state.

In what PB Chair David Webber described as "compelling testimony" Amherst Fire Department Assistant Chief Don McKay confirmed the new driveway location would not impede emergency vehicle access.

The public safety expert disclosed, however, an ambulance or firetruck would still need to stage on South East Street; and where the driveway is currently located sets up a recipe for disaster from cars coming over the hill at an average speed of 40 mph.

He also pointed out after completing the site visit he was nearly clobbered trying to pull out of the current driveway by a car speeding over the hill.

Planning Board member Stephen Schreiber, addressing the "public safety" issue stated:  "I bike by there all the time.  It's not a danger to cyclists or pedestrians; but yes, it is a danger to you or friends and family entering or exiting."  Owner Christopher Benfey responded, "That is a brutal calculation."

The Planning Board also "recommended" to the Tree Warden -- who has the final say -- a 50% reduction in replacement cost fees assessed for taking down healthy trees in the public way.  At $90 per inch, that originally (for ten trees) came to $11,475.

But the Tree Warden, who voted "No" (making the overall vote 5-3-2), pointed out he already compromised by taking three trees out of the equation -- one which he agreed could be taken down the other two should be able to survive.

 

Tree Warden Alan Snow

This morning Mr. Snow confirmed that he has not changed his mind, and the homeowners will be assessed the replacement costs for seven trees, or just over $6,000.

Too bad our mothers were right:  "Money doesn't grow on trees."