Were toward Eternity –

The original black wrought iron gate has returned 

After an almost two month absence, workers completed installation yesterday of the now completely refurbished 155-year-old wrought iron fence that encloses the burial plot of Emily Dickinson and her family in Amherst's historic West Cemetery.

The $52,300 project, using Community Preservation Act funds set aside for historic preservation, was overwhelmingly approved by Amherst Town Meeting -- like any project relating to Emily Dickinson.

Because my friends, as icons go, the "Belle of Amherst" is priceless.

Don't worry, it's a rubber mallet

 

The final glossy coat has a shine that would wake the dead

Took the "Dickinson kinsfolk" long enough ...

Trinkets adorn the top of Miss Emily's gravestone

 

Flowers and a new fence for Miss Emily (and Lavinia)

$omething To Moo About

The cash cow had its public unveiling yesterday at the Kendrick Park “A Night of Wonder: Carnival and Film Festival” and will soon be berthed in front of the Loose Goose Cafe just across the street.

All donations fed to the cow go toward helping finance "Craig's Doors" homeless shelter, located just on the outskirts of town center. 

Cow creators wisely decided to take up overnight sentry duty last night

The Cow Guard Night 1! pic.twitter.com/aXyxxynxxa
— TheCowIsComing (@TheCowIsComing) September 8, 2013

Mayhem on Meadow Street

 

Small number of police disperse large number of students 2:30 PM Townhouse quad

The crowd started to gather in the quad area of Townhouse Apartments -- scene of the infamous Blarney Blowout last March -- just after high noon and a constant stream of college aged youth carrying boxes of beer quickly brought the mob to full strength of perhaps 1,000.

North Amherst center 2:00 PM heading towards Townhouse Apartments

 

At times Meadow Street was a gridlock of cars and partiers

A small number of Amherst Police first moved in around 2:30 PM and pushed the unruly mob out of the quad area.

Many of the partygoers simply moved across the street to a party house on Meadow Street that had also been going strong since probably well before noon.

 Partiers start streaming from backyard towards Meadow Street.  UMPD officer on left

Crowd is pushed back toward Townhouse Apartments

Around 4:30 PM,  after reinforcements arrived, police again moved in to disperse the large crowd numbering in the hundreds packed into the backyard.

 Party hardy types left a bit of a mess in the backyard

The responsible tenants of 53 Meadow Street were given $300 tickets and at least one young lady was arrested for an alcohol related offense.

 Unhappy tenants holding their $300 tickets

Young lady arrested

And by 5:00 PM it was over.  The night, however, is still young ...

 

Yes, APD may see these two again, before the night is done

Well now... if you didn't know the students were back, you sure did today... esp. in N. Amherst! #zoomass #partyheartytheremarty
— Jorma Kansanen (@JKansanen) September 7, 2013

A 19-year-old UMass student was found dead in their Washington Tower dorm room early Saturday afternoon: http://t.co/mkF0j7zUZx
— Daily Collegian (@CollegianStaff) September 8, 2013

Frisky Friday (In a College Town)

APD makes alcohol related arrest after MV stop corner of Lincoln/Fearing last night 11:05 PM

Once again a major police presence and preemptive police footwork seemed to keep a lid on loud out of control parties last night as Amherst Police started the evening with courtesy calls ("community policing") to  some of the usual suspects on Alan Street, Phillips Street, and Nutting Avenue. 

Comfortable weather brings out the crowds, and it seems freshmen move in herds, but it also allows the APD bike patrol to operate at full efficiency.  They made a good number of "liquor law violation" arrests in and around the immediate neighboring streets to UMass starting at around 10:00 PM.

 APD bike patrol cruising down Fearing Street 11:45 PM

AFD was also kept busy with alcohol related runs.

A fight at the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Fearing Street around 11:00 PM resulted in a head injury for a college aged male.   And almost two hours later AFD responded to the UMass campus for an ETOH male who had fallen and hit his head.  Liquor, naturally, was involved. 

Last weekend the boisterous activity peaked on Sunday night into early Monday morning due to the Labor Day long weekend.  Tonight's weather is going to be a tad warmer than yesterday.

Neighbors are now holding their breath.

A Safer Place To Be

Gilreath Manor, Hobart Lane, Amherst

When the occupancy rate at Gilreath Manor went from zero to 100% last week, for the first time in perhaps a generation, the 14-unit apartment complex was completely up to code.  

Even the owners' expensive attorney admits to the Amherst Board of Health " ... the work was performed in the manner approved by the board and in a professional manner, leaving the units in a safer and better condition than before."

Amen.

Because on September 19th of last year, the main building pictured above could easily have become a death trap.  Too many occupants and not enough smoke detectors is bad enough, but throw in illegal basement bedrooms and a slow burning fuse to a potential powder keg has been ignited.

For a landlord in a college town like Amherst to lie to investigators and try to delay their inspections, and then try to place blame on tenants by pretending they did not know about extra roommates living in illegal basement bedrooms (when in fact they encouraged it) would be considered standard operating procedure for slumlords. 

But when it's a prominent second-generation family business empire and the individual at the helm is also the Amherst Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors President, let's just say the complicated case became a high profile affair.

And the Grandonicos lost.  No more flagrantly violating the (no more than) four unrelated housemates bylaw, having two bedrooms in the basements of Gilreath Manor (one per unit is now legal) or being less than attentive to safety codes with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Thus sending a loud and clear message that the town is truly serious about cracking down on sub par rental housing -- no matter who the owners are.

The outcome of this particular case was a major reason the controversial "Rental Permit Bylaw" passed Town Meeting so overwhelmingly last May.

Although there was a brief dust up in late June when the Board of Health thought the Grandonicos were being disrespectful, which is of course not a good idea when you require an official variance.

But as you can see from the public documents back story, all's well that ends well.

Thirsty Thursday

219 East Pleasant Street

So let's hope this is not a prelude of what's to come for what most of us consider the real weekend because last night APD and AFD were kept busy enough responding to rowdy activity, starting with 219 East Pleasant Street around 10:30 p.m.  for a reported bonfire in the backyard.

About an hour later APD responded to reports of a loud party a few houses down at 227 East Pleasant Street and issued a $300 noise ticket.  Both branches of our first responders also responded to "Club Lit" in town center around midnight after a bouncer "knocked out" a patron.

Back when I was working as a bouncer at "The Pub" we were trained to try to avoid such scenarios as it tends to cut down on repeat business from that particular customer. 

Another Tradition Gone?

Amherst DPW last fall

Like frost on the pumpkins or that eye popping kaleidoscopic color change in our tree canopy, another sure sign of winter's approach is the pile of sand that takes up a parking space at the Amherst DPW every fall and winter.

But like telephone booths, the sight may soon be a thing of the past.

DPW this morning

Yesterday the Water Supply Protection Committee voted to support the elimination of sand from the DPW arsenal used to combat Mother Nature.  Last winter the town used between 4,000 and 5,000 TONS of sand mixed in with between 1,000 and 1,500 tons of salt.

The town will continue to use salt, but will do so mixed in a liquid goo of magnesium chloride which can be applied to the roads even before the first snowflakes fall.  Massachusetts Department Of Transportation switched over to this formula years ago.

As an immediate neighbor to the DPW I'm going to miss all the "sand crabs" -- those cars and trucks that flock to the pile in the hours leading up to a winter storm.