Downtown Dining Options Expand

27 South Pleasant Street

Two new restaurants will grace Amherst center next month, although both of them will do business in a space previously occupied by dining establishments.

Yes Metacomet Cafe, the restaurant with that cool retro sign that went up 1.5 years ago is, finally, going to open in the former home to Chez Albert before they moved to the north end of town.

Brothers Spencer and Trevor Hopton appeared before the Amherst Select Board back in July for a required Common Victualler License, saying they would be open by September.

Better late than never.

28 Amity Street

Almost directly behind the Metacomet Cafe in a spot formerly occupied by Arise Farm to Table Pub and Pizzeria, a new Italian restaurant, Osteria Vespa, will arise from their ashes, having purchased all the surplus restaurant equipment except for the liquor license.

On Monday night the Amherst Select Board unanimously approved a new all alcohol liquor license for the business, located adjacent to the Amherst Cinema.

 Jonathan Welch (left) Tom Schnapp appear before Amherst Select Board

Small business start ups, even in the best of years, fight an uphill battle.  About 1/4 fail in the initial year of opening and by 5th year about half have failed. 

The key of course is having a good product, providing good service, and -- for a business requiring foot traffic -- a good location.  And they don't come any better than downtown Amherst.

Inauguration Present

 DPW Chief Guilford Mooring: rare good news for Public Works Committee last night

Even though he lost Amherst by a landslide to ultimate choke artist Martha Coakley, Charlie Baker gave our town -- and all the others in the Commonwealth -- a nice inauguration gift in his first act as Governor: releasing $100 million of the original $300 million Chapter 90 money for roads and bridges repair.

For our little college town that translates to an extra $400,000 on top of the original $817,000 already received.  And it raises hope the town will get another $1.2 million in Chapter 90 money for the upcoming Fiscal Year.

Even though he inherited a budget gap of $500 million from his Democratic predecessor the new Republican Governor made good on a campaign promise to protect local aid, citing the spin off benefits of job creation and public safety.

Bumper stickers available at Cushman Market

As any North Amherst resident can attest, Pine Street is the BIG project yet to be completed, which still requires a finish coat this coming construction season.  The extra $400,000 will go a long way towards covering that.

Pleased to follow through on our commitment to local infrastructure by releasing $100 million in Ch. 90 funds today: http://t.co/vvze3OLSPO
— Charlie Baker (@MassGovernor) January 8, 2015

Shock Therapy Déjà Vu

Calvin Terrell Amherst Regional Middle School (among angry parents) 10/3/14

Okay parents be sure to bring a box of tissues to the presentation this Sunday when Calvin Terrell sneaks back to Amherst to "recreate" the presentation that traumatized so many of our children back in October.

Although adults are probably a lot less prone to his emotional manipulation.

 click to enlarge/read

Interesting that school officials do not want any children at the presentation this time around.  If parents had gotten an advance peek at his act back in September, the sorry episode could have been avoided.

By firing him.

Regional School Report Ready (Almost)

Regional Agreement Working Group 7:05 PM

After three l-o-n-g years of mostly under-the-radar meetings, the Regional Agreement Working Group voted unanimously last night (11-0 with 1 absent) to support the draft report to the Regional School Committee outlining the purported benefits of e-x-p-a-n-d-i-n-g the current four town Region (grades 7-12) all the way down to Pre-K through 6.

The 12-page sales pitch extols standardization of curriculum, time savings for the Superintendent who will no longer have to deal with three separate budgets & School Committees, and better efficiency in assigning students to schools without regard to town boundaries.

But cost savings is pretty far down on their list of reasons, citing only a 2% overall savings for the Region as a whole (And that is probably based on everything going perfectly, which things never do).

   RAWG Final Report Draft

A few minor tweaks were voted to this draft

The final report will be discussed at the upcoming January 13 Regional School Committee meeting as RAWG member Trevor Baptiste, who is also Chair of the RSC, said he has set aside 30 minutes on the RSC agenda for the presentation.

School Superintendent Maria Geryk handed out a draft "timeline" that shows the Regional School Committee voting on the matter at their March 10th meeting where it will require a two-thirds vote to pass.

Then it will be up to the four member towns -- Amherst, Pelham, Leverett, and Shutesbury -- to pass at their annual spring Town Meetings two questions:  Should the Regional Agreement be amended to allow for this new expanded Regional entity?  And if this new entity is allowed to form do we wish to join?

Interestingly enough, Amherst, who makes up the vast majority of the Region, will only vote the first question because in the body of the amendment it states that the new Region can only be formed if Amherst and one other town decide in favor.

But if even one of the other three towns votes No to the first question the issue is dead, because to amend the current 50+ year old Regional Agreement all four towns have to vote yes.

The only two Amherst residents in attendence last night both spoke about the lack of transparancy and outreach to the citizens of Amherst over the past three years, and another spectator, Dan Hayes from Shutesbury, complained, "I've had no information or input over the years, even though I requested it -- and I'm a school committee member!"

It is odd of course that this process has dragged on for over three years with little to no public relations efforts and yet now they want it voted up-or-down within the next four months.  

Regional Agreement Working Group 9:45 PM

Cowards die 1,000 deaths, Heroes But 1

Stephane Charbonnier:
"I'd rather die standing up than live on my knees."

A Good Day For Amherst

Amherst Town Manager John Musante, Governor Patrick, Stan Rosenberg 10/21/14

Today was a good day for local government: Dave Sullivan took his oath of office as Northwestern District Attorney, our "top cop" so to speak, and Amherst's own Stan Rosenberg ascended to President of the 189th Massachusetts Senate.

The Eastern centric State Legislature will have a hard time ignoring Western Massachusetts over the next few years.

And since Stan is a proud UMass graduate, good news for our flagship of higher education and the town they call home.

Unfortunately Stan's ceremony was marred by the collapse of his long time friend, well known UMass Journalism Professor Ralph Whitehead.

Fortunately staff on hand knew how to use a defibrillator and it sounds like they got him to Mass General Hospital in time.

Journey For Justice

Northwestern District Attorney Dave Sullivan kicks off his 5th year as DA

If Dave Sullivan had not pursued a career in the pubic sector legal system he would have made a formidable journalist.

Echoing the sacred mission of journalism to "give voice to the voiceless," Dave Sullivan noted his office gives voice to children who are victims of sexual abuse, and gives voice to all the other most vulnerable members of our community: elders, disabled, battered women and victims of violent crime.

 APD Chief Scott Livingstone (far left) in attendance

Taking note that the legal system must not just be one of punishment, Sullivan pointed out that we have to effectively deal with the "root cause of crime" -- poverty, racism, substance abuse, mental health issues and "just plain ignorance."

But by far his strongest criticism for crime contributors was directed squarely at drug companies like Perdue Pharmaceuticals (maker of OxyContin) who market pain medication like "M & Ms at the local convenience store."



Dave Sullivan was first elected Northwestern District Attorney four years ago, moving up from his position of Hampshire Register of Probate, where he was credited with increasing the efficiency and transparency of that office.

While he had no experience as a prosecutor his highly respected managerial style is to bring in the best and then let them do their jobs.

 Assistant District Attorneys sworn in

In a 15 minute post swearing in speech this morning at the Franklin County Courthouse in Greenfield Dave Sullivan exuded his passion for justice, crediting and thanking his deceased parents for instilling in him that family value.

And he also publicly thanked his wife, Catherine Hancock, humbly noting,"without that kind of support, you really can't be where you want to be in life."

Not often you get hugged by a Judge in Superior Court (let alone four of them)