Sign Of The Times

The colorful  First Congregational Church new sign is now in full bloom on their front lawn that rolls gently down to Main Street. 

The Church first attempted to erect the sign back in the spring of 2012, but then the town gently reminded them they needed approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals (in spite of the Dover Amendment which gives a church or college carte blanche) and then, ironically enough, the new Dickinson Local Historic District Commission.

The Church had initially opposed formation of the DLHDC, which was approved by a two-thirds vote of Amherst Town Meeting May 21, 2012.

April, 2012

Frosty Morning

"There's a certain slant of light, Winter Afternoon" 

Now you know why Miss Emily had an "aversion" to winter.

DUI DIshonor Roll

Over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for DUI in 2010

The last two (alleged) drunk drivers of 2013, Jocelyn N Gozdowski age 22 and Gergory T Fitzpatrick, age 37, are fairly typical as DUI arrests go, but surprising not-so-typical since they close out the calender year bringing the total number of arrests to 127, down from 148 in 2012, or a drop of 15%. 

Could be the word has gotten out and people think twice about drunk driving through Amherst; or overworked APD didn't have the people power to target drunk drivers.   So maybe we just got lucky, unlike Daniel Haley. 

For instance our "typical" DUI, Mr. Fitzpatrick, was bagged Saturday night just after the sold out Mullins Center UMass basketball game ended.  He was pulled over on Triangle/Kellogg Streets only a mile or so from the facility.  How many drivers were on Amherst roads at that moment? 

How many innocent citizens going about their daily business without a care in the world?  Until suddenly you see those headlights bearing down, head on ...

Racism vs Censorship

Jones Library on a snowy day

The Jones Library is now in that unenviable position of dealing with a handful of parents concerned about reading material available in the Children's Room.  The formal name of the room kind of gives you an idea of the room's demographic. 

The problem is an ancient comics series "Tintin" that has some, err, dated ideas about race relations which could pollute the minds of young children.  Their solution, fortunately, is not outright censorship, aka the 1999 'West Side Story' "racism" debacle at Amherst Regional High School.

They simply want the book series moved to the Young Adult section.

Although that would probably be like moving 'Cat In The Hat' from the Children's Section to Young Adult where the clientele would be a tad too mature to wish to read it.

Dr Seuss war effort

Of course the argument could be made that Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, penned some let us say less than flattering portrayals of Emperor Hirohito and should also be moved.  That too was a "different time," and that particular cartoon appeared in print less than three months after the Japanese perpetrated their infamous Ninja raid on Pearl Harbor.

This morning Jones Library Trustees took up discussion of the potentially volatile issue after the Library Director Sharon Sharry refused to take the parents suggestion.  The Trustees took the safe way out by not taking a formal position because no one made a motion one way or the other.

But the board did send three suggestions to the Library Director:   Let patrons know the Jones Library does not vet material for content (even children's books); perhaps move the items within the Children's Room to a less visible location; and work with the concerned parents to come up with an educational program on racism in children's books.

Or, individual parents could just prevent their kids from picking up the 'Tintin' series.

 Martin Luther King, Jr.

Daily Kos agrees

American Library Association:  Bill of Rights for Minors

Snoooooow Day(s)

Of course the fake Superintendent Twitter account was first with the news.  Sort of.

Paper, Plastic, Polystyrene

 

Paper cup left (but plastic lid), Styrofoam cup right

Call out the SWAT team, the Dunkin' Donuts on University Drive is still serving their hot coffee (and presumably tea and hot chocolate, oh my!) in Styrofoam containers in defiance of the Amherst ban which went into effect at midnight.  

Well, maybe defiance is a tad strong.  Since Amherst is one of only four communities in Massachusetts with such a ban, maybe the big multinational corporation was simply never aware -- although they are home based in Massachusetts.  

With the college aged youth demographic (59%) so prevalent in our little college town we are probably a highly profitable market segment.

And yes, since the Board of Health can only fine them $100 - $250 day, that would probably only require a half-hour's worth of sales to cover. 

Political Battle of the Year 2013

Nothing in Amherst brings out the wrath of NIMBYs quite like a proposed housing development -- especially when the prospective clients are, gasp, students.  Even though two recent housing studies overwhelmingly concluded Amherst needs more housing -- especially student housing.

The Retreat, a resort like enclave of stand alone cottages clustered in the woodlands of North Amherst targeting a UMass student clientele, was announced in late February.   The reaction was instant and overwhelming.

As in negative.

By the time of the first informational public hearing at the Jones Library in April a coalition of concerned citizens, "Save Historic Cushman," formed and their ubiquitous calling card, red & white 'Stop The Retreat' lawn signs, had already been planted.


Neighbors of proposed development already seeing red April 16, "informational" meeting Jones Library

The first major political confrontation would be at the annual spring Town Meeting where warrant articles only require ten signatures to get on the official warrant.

Article #43 called for the town to "Purchase a Conservation Restriction" on 154 acres of woodland for $1.2 million in northeast Amherst that is already under a purchase-and-sale agreement for $6.5 million.  Once again to stop a large development of badly needed housing.

At the June 3rd session of Town Meeting the esteemed body not only failed to muster a two-thirds vote to take the 154 acre parcel by eminent domain, but they terminated (with extreme prejudice) the naive heavy-handed proposal by supporting my "move to dismiss" the article by a 98-90 vote.



Plan B then became convincing the Select Board to invoke the "Right of first refusal," since the forested property had been in a state conservation program for many years.  Of course that "right" would be a tad expensive as the private deal between Landmark Properties and W.D. Cowls, Inc amounted to $6.5 million dollars.

Neither the Planning Board or Conservation Commission could be convinced to recommend to the Select Board the expensive purchase. Although the July 29 Select Board public meeting was packed with angry neighbors, the Select Board wisely choose not to play that expensive card.

Once again the "Save Historic Cushman" crowd was resoundingly told "No" by town government.

At the beginning of this month (December 2) the Select Board once again held a public hearing to decide whether they should make a recommendation to the Planning Board, who now holds the fate of the project in their hands.

Once again the usual suspects showed up in force voicing the usual concerns.  The Select Board decided to send Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe to the December 4th packed-beyond-building-code-limits Planning Board meeting to remind the board just how important this issue is and that they need to get it right.






Since Planning Board members are old enough (well most of them anyway) to remember the classic Frankenstein scene of angry villagers armed with pitchforks marching towards the castle under the bright glow of crackling torches, perhaps no such reminder was necessary.

Landmark Properties presented their "preliminary" cluster development design to which the Planning Board issued a set of recommended alterations.   Landmark will come back in this New Year with a "Definitive Plan" incorporating those tweaks.

The battle continues ...