Only in The Republic of Amherst

Monday, November 11, 2013

Schools & Fires

Hampshire College and Hadley business block fires occurred Sunday 10/27

As a favor to a friend I recently covered the cute charity promotion "Amherst Mega Dessert Crawl." Weekends are fairly slow, as I usually see about a 33% drop in readership, so I don't mind doing what newspapers refer to as "puff pieces".

But then something kind of interesting happened. My concerned-school-parents clientele hijacked the comments section, although the first comment did at least acknowledge what the post was originally about.

By the time the dust settled a week later the article had generated 65 comments. Not exactly a new record (235) but still w-a-y over average (11). And triple the normal readership.

One Comment mentioned the recent Regional School Committee Meeting where Chair Kip Fonsh bullied other members for not being mindless cheerleaders for the Amherst Regional Public Schools, branding it cannibalism.

Alerted by that Anon, I grabbed the snippet off the Amherst Media website and posted a brief two paragraph story with the video. Once again comments are through the roof (82) and number of visitors triple to quadruple a normal mid-week post.

Which just goes to illustrate pent up frustration with our public schools -- especially relating to open transparent communication with parents who are, after all, customers. And Amherst is in the top 10% statewide for average per child education cost.

The last weekend in October three stories all came together in a perfect storm to rocket readership by 500%:

Hampshire College cancelling an Afro funk band for Halloween because they were "too white" first cracked open the floodgates; the fire a little later at Hampshire College Greenwich Dorm cranked them open even wider; and then only hours later the ravenous fire in Hadley destroyed the dam entirely.

Hadley, when The Beast came calling

But major structure fires, fortunately, are far and few between. Unlike the omnipresent --not to be confused with omnipotent -- Amherst Regional Public Schools.

ARPS Middle School: No algebra for you!

Amherst Honors The Deserving

Amherst American Legion Post 148 and Amherst VFW Post 754 Color Guard

In one of the best turnouts in many years over 50 people braved the brisk weather to assemble in town center this morning on the 11th month of the 11th day at the 11th hour to honor and remember those who put their lives on the line defending our cherished freedoms.

Crowd included town officials, aging veterans and families

Veterans Agent Steven Connor said it best, almost as an aside: "If you see a veteran today, thank them for the their service." Or on any day.

Veterans Agent Steven Connor right, Town Manager John Musante left (cute kid background)

Ageless WW2 veteran Arthur Quinton recites "In Flanders Fields" (from memory)

Main town flag was at half staff, then raised briskly back to the top of the pole

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Can You Hear Us Now?

Atkins Farm Country Market deep South Amherst

Since the founding of our country the "right to petition our government" under the vital protection of the First Amendment has been a cornerstone of American freedoms.

The infamous -- some would say sacrilegious -- cancellation of West Side Story at Amherst Regional High School in 1999 started out with a petition circulated by an attractive 17-year-old that garnered 158 signatures in one day.

Of course a year earlier that same High School had 300 kids sign a petition to Superintendent Gus Sayer demanding reinstatement of off campus privileges so kids could smoke (presumably cigarettes).

The ancient tried and true petition approach has, unlike newspapers, transitioned brilliantly into the digital age. MoveOn.org, a somewhat (sarcasm) left leaning organization sponsored by gazillionair George Soros, has made it as easy as eating apple to pie to start an online petition.

And you can tell it attracts a broad spectrum of petitioners -- not just uber liberals -- because currently Cinda Jones, a somewhat Conservative, has one gaining steam.

Her (naturally) business oriented petition seeks to entice Atkins Country Market in South Amherst to open a satellite operation on the other side of town. More specifically, in her about-to-be-built Trolly Barn, a mixed use 12,000 square foot commercial/residential building.

Not one to take chances, the petition originally had a goal of 50 signatures which was attained within hours of going live, then reset to 100; and after that goal was quickly reached, reset again to 200. And probably will be reset once more to 500 when that milestone is reached.

Interestingly North Amherst neighbors staunchly opposed to Ms. Jones other endeavor -- selling land for 175 units of student housing known as The Retreat -- have signed the petition. So it must be a good idea.

At the very least each petition signatory should get a coupon for a free cider donut. Or, perhaps, a used "Stop The Retreat" lawn sign.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

The Business of Education

Yes, Amherst existed before UMass (and Amherst College). Town center circa 1839

With Umass Amherst almost ten times larger than our other two colleges combined, perhaps the Amherst of today is better described as a "University town" . But it wasn't always so.

The founding in town center of the Amherst Academy (1814), which soon became one of the top private schools in the state, set in motion a paradigm shift. Because soon thereafter, as an educational outgrowth, Amherst College was founded on top of a hill (1821) at the southern end of town center.

Johnson Chapel, Amherst College built 1837

This shifted the balance of social/economic power away from the East Village, which had the initial advantage of water power via the Fort River, to what is now the heart of downtown Amherst.

And whenever a strong magnet arises for people of all persuasions -- in this case education -- the shopkeepers are close behind.

Merchants Row, 1870. Buildings in foreground were "mixed use" with Fraternities above ground floor

In a standing room only presentation yesterday at the Strong House Museum in town center, local historian Ed Wilfert brought to life the story of "Merchants Row", a block of buildings on the west side of the town common with pretty much the same footprint today as 150 years ago.

Merchants Row today

Anchored on the northern end (corner of South Pleasant and Amity Streets) where the Bank of America is now, the Amherst House was as grand a hotel as you could ask for, and at four stories one of the biggest buildings in Amherst.

And at the southern end, the First Baptist Church (built in 1835).

First Baptist Church recently renovated by Amherst College for office space

The Amherst House

Historic photos from Jones Library collection

The July 4th 1879 conflagration decimated Merchants Row. The ferocity of the fire was such that even brick buildings could not withstand its wrath. The Beast was aided by a lack of proper firefighting tools as town center had no running water, even though a town committee only a few years earlier had strongly supported it.

All that remains after the July 4, 1879 fire

The Amherst Hotel was rebuilt as nice as ever but then in 1926 burned down again, even though by then, with Town Meeting approval, town center had running water piped in from the high ground of neighboring Pelham.

Every time buildings burned in the downtown land underneath was dug out a little deeper before rebuilding, and the soil recycled over on the town common which was originally -- by today's standards -- wetlands.

Ed Wilfert, "perpetual amateur scholar"

While the stately Amherst Hotel is now long gone, Amherst still has a bustling Merchants Row. UMass, to the north, has become a veritable Juggernaut -- the flagship of higher education in the state.

Amherst Town Meeting is still around, and too many years ago a town committee highly recommended the town build a new fire station. Thus far, a recommendation unfulfilled.

Those who fail to learn from history ...

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The Jones Library atrium currently has Ed Wilfert's presentation materials about Merchants Row on display (and you can often spot Ed around the library).

Friday, November 8, 2013

Do Over

Sunderland Road, North Amherst

As any of you North Amherst natives know Sunderland Road was repaved last year using the environmental "green" technique of "Recycled Hot Emulsified Asphalt Treatment," or "ReHeat" for short.

The efficient ReHeat technique chops up old pavement, adds in hot asphalt emulsion additives and puts it back down ... all in one quick pass.

The method even costs a little less than the traditional approach. Except in the case of Sunderland Road, it didn't work. Potholes started appearing even before the first winter was done.

So the DPW is doing it over and Gallagher Asphalt of Thornton, Ill. repaid the town for most of the projected cost. Other problems were discovered not related to their original work, and the repaving job they did on North Pleasant Street and University Drive seem to be fine.

I'm told the road repaving is scheduled for Thursday, barring any snow. Businesses in the North Amherst Village Center will be pleased.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Charge Of The Retreat

Landmark Properties recently filed a "Preliminary Subdivision Plan" for The Retreat (along with a check for $10,000), an upscale student housing development bitterly opposed by many North Amherst "neighbors."

147 acre woodland was sold by W.D. Cowls, Inc to Landmark Properties for $6.5 million

The Amherst Planning Board has 45 days to respond, thus the upscale project will come up for public discussion in December. This is only a preliminary round of hearings where the Planning Board offers advice and guidance, so it's not a drop dead approve/disapprove thing.

Henry Street welcome sign

Sure to be controversial -- or I should say more controversial -- are the two "secondary entrances" on Henry Street and Flat Hills Road. Primary access is on Market Hill Road where a service stub was put in when the Atkins Water Treatment plant was constructed back in 1994 on land sold to the town by W.D. Cowls, Inc.

Market Hill Road access near Atkins Water Treatment Plant

Henry Street is of course the home of Amherst's famous Salamander Tunnels, a save the salamander project that brought Amherst international media attention 25 years ago.

Landmark plans to work closely with the Hitchcock Center for the Environment to ensure the little critters do not become extinct in North Amherst (although they are not endangered anywhere else in the country).

Why did the salamander cross Henry Street?

The proposed "Cluster Subdivision" consists of 123 lots, comprised of 175 total housing units -- 104 duplex, 71 single family -- for a total of 641 beds. By clustering the units in a tighter manner more of the natural environment can be forever preserved.

This plan will, however, require Site Plan Review waivers from the Planning Board over frontage and setbacks. Otherwise, to achieve the same number of units allowed by right, much of the open space would need to be sacrificed.

According to the recent state certified Housing Production Plan: "Housing supply has not kept up with increasing demand, resulting in higher housing prices and residents paying more than they can afford to live in Amherst."

Solutions? The Housing Production Plan continues, "Appropriate housing for students, both on and off campus, in order to reduce the demand on the housing market in Amherst."

Amherst's number one demographic -- because of the University of Massachusetts -- consists of "college students" by a whopping 59.4% of our total population. Landlords cater to this market by buying up older homes in the heart of residential neighborhoods, expanding their capacity and cramming them full of students.

Providing safe, convenient housing for 641 students with on-site management at The Retreat could free up 160 single family houses that could revert back to their original target audience: families.

The housing crisis in Amherst is the single most vexing problem to arise over the past generation.

We must not retreat from simple sound solutions.