A Signature Building

 Gordon Hall, 418 North Pleasant Street

Proposed Crotty Hall (from Northwest perspective)

A couple years ago Amherst Redevelopment Authority consultant Giani Longo suggested a mixed-use mega project for the North Pleasant street corridor in and around the old frat row.

And just a tad further south, closer to town center, suggested some sort of "signature building" would be nice, since it's such a well traveled route to our proud flagship of higher education, UMass Amherst.

Big green spot in middle right is former Frat Row

The current owners of Gordon Hall, where the UMass Economics Department holds court, go before the Amherst Planning Board on 12/3 to present plans for a matching beautiful building, Crotty Hall.  Together they will make a splendid statement for folks heading into the central core of UMass.

Signature twins if you will.

Unfortunately neither of them, unlike what the ARA consultant had in mind, will be on the tax rolls.  And since they are a 501 (c) (3) non-profit pursuing educational goals the Planning Board pretty much has to approve the project.

And no, they cannot make a Payment In Lieu Of Taxes a special condition for granting Site Plan Approval.

Because it's located on the road owned by Amherst, the building will be protected by Amherst police and fire personnel.  Since Gordon Hall is assessed at almost $3 million, if it were in private for-profit hands (or just a rich homeowner) it would have generated $60,000 last year in property taxes.

 They do at least pay permit fees to Building Department

When this new building goes on line you can more than double that assessed value to well over $6 million or $120,000 in potential property taxes.  Or enough to hire a few badly needed pubic safety personnel. 

Alas, Crotty Hall will pay nothing.  But it sure will be pretty.

That Damn Gazette!

They also fail to mention photo taken by supporter of the movement

 

'Tis Better To Light A Candle ...

Gotta have cute kids

About 60 people young and old braved the frigid weather to huddle in front of Amherst Regional High School holding candles, many of them wearing duct tape over their mouths to symbolize a supposed gag order from school officials concerning the hot potato case of former teacher Carolyn Gardner.

Organizer Vira Douangmany  lights a candle

Ms. Gardner was not present nor did I spot any members of the Amherst Regional School Committee.  A couple van loads of Hampshire College students added to the ambiance of a good old fashioned street protest.

 Two white vans from Hampshire College brought a bevy of students

Such a large turnout in the freezing cold gives an indication of what the rescheduled Regional School Committee (from tonight) will be dealing with Thursday night, which promises to be a lot hotter than this evening's event.

Group moves from parking lot to front entry of ARHS

DUI Dishonor Roll

 Guadalupe Roblero, 28, stands before Judge Groce with Spanish interpreter

Amherst Police arrested two drivers over the weekend for operating under the influence of alcohol, one of each gender.

In Eastern Hampshire District Court on Monday they both had their cases continued, although it appeared for a brief moment that Guadalupe Roblero was going to take a standard 24D disposition, but changed his mind after chatting with the Assistant District Attorney.

Click to enlarge/read

He was assigned Attorney Alfred Chamberland as a public defender (with a $150 fee).  Mr. Chamberland you may remember recently won a drunk driving case that occurred in Amherst. 

Of course he had the advantage of state law that did not allow the prosecution to mention his client refused the chemical breath test at Amherst police headquarters and that his client also had a previous drunk driving offense.

So it will be interesting to see how he deals with this client who did take the breath test, which is admissible in Court, with a whopping .20% reading -- or 2.5 times over the limit.

Meghan Maclellan, 19, stands before Judge Charles Groce

 

Meghan Gesek

Meghan Gesek also appeared before the Judge on Monday for a "Status Review". She was charged by APD with DUI on June 1 which included destroying a chain link fence and leaving tire tracks on school grounds.

Part of her sentence was to make restitution to the Amherst Schools as well as court costs: $4,788.  Ouch!

Never Mind

So the Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee pulled a Roseanne Roseannadanna on us as the rescheduled meeting (moved from tonight to Thursday night) no longer has an "Executive Session" scheduled.

Hmm ...

UPDATE 3:45 PM 

Okay never mind about RSC not having an Executive Session. Now apparently, according to yet another posting, they are having an Executive Session. Sheesh!  

Odd thing is they both were "received" by the Town Clerk at the same  time.

Regional School Committee Fireworks

RSC meeting 10/14: Rookie Chair Trevor Baptiste (rt) Maria Geryk (left)

UPDATE 3:20 pm

The School Committee meeting was not properly posted in Pelham (one of the four towns making up the Region) so it has to be postponed.  Stay tuned for new date. 

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Looks like tomorrow's Amherst Regional School Committee (with a "police presence") is going to be, um, interesting ...

   Amherst School Committee Friction

Click to enlarge/read

Economic Czar Required?

Amherst property tax base is only 10% commercial, 90% housing

With the recent unanimous endorsement for Amherst to hire an "Economic Development Director" coming out of the year long Town Gown Steering Committee project, combined with the Town Manager's strong endorsement in his Letter of Transmittal to the Select Board for the FY15 budget year (which starts 7/1/15), safe bet the position will make it into the town budget in the next year or two.

Of course with the NIMBYs specifically targeting development, the position will be a hard sell at the annual Town Meeting.

While members do not have line-item veto the usual scheme is to move to reduce the budget by the exact amount of the targeted item and then in your speech say specifically what position it is you want cut if Town Meeting approves the $77,100 reduction in the Operation Budget.

Something like that requires a majority vote to pass, rather than the much higher hurdle of a zoning article, which requires the super-majority of a two-thirds vote.  

After the 11/5 Town Meeting, where more than a majority of members voted for a hastily crafted,  ill conceived zoning article to saddle developers with a deal killer "affordable housing" requirement, I'm not so sure anything associated with "development" can safely pass Town Meeting with a majority vote.

Members are also going to say the position is unnecessary because Amherst already has both a  Chamber of Commerce and a Business Improvement District.

And everyone knows, "Too many cooks spoil the broth."

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How they voted:  

1st Tally Vote was to refer the affordable housing article back to the Planning Board (A polite way of killing it).  That failed 83 "Yes" to 107 "No".   Thus the 2nd vote was an up or down vote on the article as presented.  That failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds vote, BUT did garner a majority vote 110 "Yes" to 79 "No". 

And yes, Town Manager John Musante (unlike previous town managers) did vote.  The right way even.