A Clean Dozen

 Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek tries to pitch Town Meeting the property deal

Amherst Town Meeting raced through articles tonight like a turtle on crack, completing 12 of 20 articles on the November Special Town Meeting warrant.

The only issue that generated controversy was Article 11, an Open Space $151,000 purchase of about 20 acres of undeveloped property in East Amherst for conservation purposes, normally a sacred cow in the town of Amherst.

The article was supported unanimously by the Select Board and Finance Committee, but after a 45 minute discussion failed rather miserably (90 No, to 72 Yes) considering it needed a two thirds majority to pass.

Town officials pushed the idea of a "community farm" pointing out how the All Things Local Cooperative Market movement was interested in using the property as a incubator for fledgling farmers.

Ironically the most devastating presentation against the proposal came from Sarah E. O'Brien Swartz the newest member of the Finance Committee, who was appointed to replace the current owner of the 20 acre property, Bob Saul, who suddenly resigned from the Finance Committee.

He had purchased the land, currently assessed at only $8,500, five years ago for $157,000.

Ms Swartz, who co-owns Swartz Family Farm in North Amherst, pointed out that farming is "hard". Her explanation of the rigors of full time farming as compared to recreational "community gardens" reminded me of someone who trained for an ascent of Mt Washington by cycling the perfectly flat bike path three or four times a week. (He didn't make it.)

Opponents questioned the high price for land that probably would never be developed anyway, and at most would only support one house.

Since $41,785 of the total amount was coming from "Community Preservation Funds", which can also be spent for "affordable housing," speakers pointed out the money would be better spent on possibly purchasing Echo Village Apartments or Rolling Green Apartments in order to preserve those affordable units.

Town Meeting had no problem supporting Article 10, spending $180,000 in tax money (contingent on a matching state grant of $180,000) for 12 acres of property around the Atkins Reservoir.

That property was more easily developable and is currently owned by the largest private landowner in the state, W.D. Cowls, Inc.

Tellers prepare for a recorded Tally Vote on Article 11

Hot Time For AFD

 5 ambulances at Cooley Dickinson Hospital Halloween night/morning, all for ETOH

 These (now) public documents speak for themselves (scroll down to UMass).  Volumes.

AFD Nov 1st weekend.pdf by larry_kelley_1

Halloween was pretty scary:

   AFD Halloween:  Scary!

Yes, it's getting worse:

Graph by Tom Valle, Firefighters Local 1764

Sweet Spot

 

Sweet kids promoting a sweet cause

Downtown Amherst transformed into a sugarholics paradise on Saturday afternoon with 20 businesses participating in the first annual "Amherst Mega Dessert Crawl".  The event was a town/gown affair jointly sponsored by Phi Sigma Pi, a co-ed national honor fraternity,  and the Amherst Business Improvement District.

 Bertucci's reported an overwhelming response.  Perfect location across from start at Kendrick Park

Over three hundred participants paid the bargain price of $20 for 20 coupons to exchange for a tasty treat.  The event attracted a bevy of UMass students -- some with their parents in tow -- local families and bargain conscious foodies. 

All proceeds benefit Reader To Reader program, a nonprofit agency that brings a magical gift to the underprivileged world wide:  books. 

 

David Mazor: Founding Executive Director of Reader to Reader and BID  Board of Directors member

Frisky Friday

 

AFD and APD respond to report of car vs pedestrian town center 1:10 AM

Unfortunately rowdy behavior in the jurisdictional area of the Amherst Police Department ratcheted up a notch or two last night -- at least compared to Wednesday, where the rowdy "celebration" after the Red Sox win was limited to the UMass campus, and a surprisingly quiet Halloween on a drizzly Thursday.

Most of the huge crowds undulating around town last night were dressed in costumes, however. 

Amherst police had a powerful presence fielding at least seven vehicles including the Personal Transport Vehicle (not to be confused with Paddy Wagon) and UMass cruisers were also highly visible in areas immediately adjacent to the UMass campus

Like last night Amherst Fire Department was pushed almost to the breaking point having once again the need to call Northampton FD for assistance.  Naturally that NFD ambulance was in response to an intoxicated male. 

Around midnight police swooped in to break up loud parties at 240 Northampton Road (Rt 9) and 165 College Street, making over a half dozen arrests.  While on site officers took note of a lack of working smoke detectors at the Northampton Road address which resulted in an attempted inspection visit by AFD Chief Tim Nelson.

 

The Personal Transport Vehicle loading up at 165 College Street around midnight

The remaining inhabitants (who had not been arrested) refused to allow the Chief to enter the premises. 

Other byproducts of alcohol abuse also were overly evident as well:  fighting, injuries via falls, and -- most disturbing -- a young woman assaulted on Sunset Court, dead in the center of all the youthful revelry.

 Sunset Court, immediately adjacent to Umass

 At 1:10 AM a coordinated swift response from both police and fire converged on the intersection of Kellogg Avenue and North Pleasant Street for the report of a car vs pedestrian collision.   Turns out the pedestrian, a youth dressed as a cowboy, jumped on the car.

Dispatch relayed a call for help around 1:15 AM from a male Reporting Party saying he's "bleeding from every orifice" after an altercation with another young man near Rao's Coffee.  The first officer on the scene confirmed a head gash from a punch but added dryly, "most of his orifices are just fine."

 

AFD loading up an intoxicated student at the Visitors Center, Mass Ave

 A few minutes later AFD responded to Townhouse Apartments on Meadow Street in North Amherst for a "bulimic intoxicated college aged woman who was vomiting."  When the ambulance arrived they called back to dispatch for police backup because there were so many people milling about. 

And to top of the evening/early morning (1:57 AM) an intoxicated college age female in a 4th floor bathroom of Pierpont Dorm, throwing up; and a brief fist fight on North Pleasant Street near Butterfield Terrace that attracted a swarm of police cars.

Halloween Histrionics

Cooley Dickinson Hospital 1:15 AM. All five ambulances (2 from Hamp)  for Amherst patients

The scourge of rowdy student behavior seems to be turning inwardly as once again the medical side of pubic safety response bore the brunt of collage aged youth acting to excess.  In this case, drinking.

Although busy, mostly with crowd control on streets near UMass, Amherst Police Department only made three arrests last night, all for "minors in possession of alcohol."

Amherst Fire Department, on the other hand, was once again OVERWHELMED with ETOH (passed out drunk) young "adults".  In fact during those awful Bewitching Hours (midnight to 2:00 AM) all five Amherst ambulances were tied up (mostly with drunks) and Northampton had to provide two ambulances via mutual aid -- both of them for drunk college aged youth.

Last night into early this morning a total of ten college aged youth required transport for being dangerously intoxicated -- nine of them from UMass and one from Amherst College.

 AFD fire engines had to be pressed into medical service, this one at UMass for ETOH male

The excuse of course will be a tired one:   Amherst is a "college town" and all of this is simply a time honored "Rite of Passage."  Especially during a pagan ritual like Halloween.

But you don't check manners at the door like an oversized backpack.  Your right to be an uncivilized heathen slob ends when that bad behavior endangers innocent members of the general public, which includes families and senior citizens.

And yes, MY two children.

 

Ambulance again required at 45 Phillips Street for female who fell down stairs

The Mass Daily Collegian reports

UMass Riot Aftermath

Umass Southwest concourse just after midnight

UPDATE 9:30 PM

So not only did we garner the awful headline in Boston Magazine highlighting our town having more arrests than Boston, now UMass has been awarded the #1 ranking by Barstool Sports, the King of Juvenile, for 2013 "World Series College Riots". 

#####

In Eastern Hampshire District Court this morning 15 UMass students had "not guilty" pleas entered in their behalf by Judge John M. Payne Jr. who asked each individual perp if they planned to hire an attorney.

Most did not know, saying they would have to "ask their parents."  The Judge then strongly hinted they should consult an attorney before they come back to court later in January (and I don't think it's because the Judge is concerned about the defense attorney business).

Yes, once again a tiny minority of of troublemakers brings disrepute on the vast majority of hard working, law abiding students you wouldn't mind having your own kids befriend.  Hard to believe little old Amherst had more arrests than in Boston. 

AFD extinguished a dumpster fire at Hobart Lane 12:30 AM

Charged by UMPD with "Failure to Disperse",  "Rioting" with a mixture of "Resisting Arrest", 'Disorderly Conduct " or Assault & Battery on an officer" thrown it:

Zachary Orcott, Molly Fitzgerald, John Milligan, Patrick Rogers, Miranda Murphy, Carolyn Malone, Travis Connolly, Nicholas Barry, Lawrence Green, Alexander Booth, Casey Adams, Michael Bertrand, Evan Jacob, Jonathan Ennis, and Justin Markuson.

Nice doggy!

Note full containers of water being hurled about

UMass Riot MVPs

 The mounted patrol led the charge

So once again a throng of Umass students got a tad out of control, refused to comply with orders to disperse and were then convinced to go back to their dorms by a combined assault of horses, dogs, a sound truck issuing high pitched alien like noise and a small army of police -- some looking  like Darth Vader in their riot gear.

 

UMPD firing pellets into the crowd (burning sugar)

But it was the horses that commanded the undivided attention of the crowd, as they hurriedly went into retreat mode.

UMass police made at least ten arrests and there were no injuries.  AFD was called by the father of a student saying she was asthmatic and having problem breathing because of the chemicals shot into the crowd by police pellet guns.

 Back up army of police followed the horses chasing the crowd north to Massachusetts Avenue

Turns out UMPD only used burning sugar and the kids thought it was tear gas, thereby bringing about almost the same result.

 State PD and UMass EMS EMTs

UMass had provided a large screen TV, food, bouncy houses, and a multi-station barbecue set up in Southwest to try to give the students something to do, but by the time the game ended the crowd had grown into the thousands.

 Haze over playing field opposite Southwest from barbecues 

Then some nitwits decided to climb the trees in the center of the courtyard, and then full bottles of water started flying in the cops direction.

Sound truck emitted high pitch annoying sound

That's when police moved in to end the celebration almost at the stroke of midnight.