Amherst In A Storm

Amherst (Ghost) Town Center 9:00 AM

Wind whipped flag in front of AFD Central Station

DPW clearing crosswalks around noon

Amherst College clearing crosswalks town center

Town Hall steps being made safe

Main Street town center 12:20 PM

How bad is it out?

Town Center 12:15 pm (clock is still broken):  Even the anti-war protesters did not show up today

Sun at high noon

Big Y brought in their majestic flag

5:20 PM

Controlling A Killer

Cigarette smoking kills over 440,000 Americans annually

Amherst will soon join a growing list of Massachusetts municipalities that have raised the legal age for purchasing tobacco products from 18 to 21 and yes, that includes the increasingly popular electronic vapor variety (e-cigarettes).

In addition new Board of Health regulations will ban the sale of "blunts" outright, and place tighter restriction on cigars:  no sales of single cigars, with a minimum price of $5 on any package of 2 or more units.

Back in 1999 Amherst was the first community in the state to ban smoking in the workplace.  Being a college town Amherst has more than its share of (dive) bars, which are of course a "workplace".  Thus exploded the "Smoking Ban in Bars War", which raged for an entire year.

Bar owners are not the most genteel of the small business crowd, so they fought the ban with as much tenacity as the Viet Cong.  But once the Board of Health started fining the bars and the Select Board reluctantly agreed to pull liquor licenses, the battle ended.  

These days people forget it was even an issue.  Considering tobacco products kill five times as many Americans annually as alcohol it's about time the legal age was raised to that same standard.

The Board of Health voted at their Thursday meeting to move forward with the new draft regulations and scheduled a public hearing for April 9.  Let's hope it's far more civil than those of 15 years ago.

Probably not looking forward to new stricter regulations

   Board of Health tobacco Regs Draft

A Symbolic Salute To Black History

Flag to remember & honor black history now flies in front of Amherst Town Hall

About three dozen citizens -- including town officials, members of the Massachusetts 54th black infantry regiment and state representative Ellen Story -- braved the frigid weather to assemble under the vacant flagpole immediately in front of Town Hall for a flag raising to honor Black History month.

These days (and that term spans the past 50 years ) it's common to hear how Amherst would be nothing without the University of Massachusetts, our largest employer.

Crowd sings "Lift Every Voice And Sing"

But in a more historic sense Amherst would be nothing without the contributions of the hard working impoverished class who built this town with their bare hands, fought to preserve the Union, and continue the struggle to make Amherst a better place for all.

 Selectman Jim Wald reads the proclamation

In the past month the Amherst Select Board has issued proclamations to honor both Irish and Black history.

A nice salute indeed.

Is UMass Profiling?

UMass Amherst:  What dangers lurk in that library?

Baby boomers who lived through the frustration and humiliation of the student initiated Iranian Hostage Crisis, which helped bring down President Carter but also brought us Nightline, probably would not feel a whole lot of sympathy over Iranian students being denied access to certain curriculum at our flagship educational institute, UMass/Amherst.

Especially if you fear that particular enlightenment could lead to a mushroom cloud over one of our unsuspecting cities one beautiful Tuesday morning.

But I also wonder if UMass/Amherst is really offering classes in how to build the bomb.  Isn't that why we have the Internet?

The National Iranian American Council issued a press release yesterday decrying the alleged recent regulatory actions of UMass.   I suppose any international student could worry about the slippery slope:

First they came for the Iranian students and I didn't speak out because I was not Iranian; then they came for the Chinese students and I didn't care because I'm not Chinese; and by the time they came for the middle-aged white Republicans ...

DUI Dishonor Roll

On average 2 of 3 people will be involved in a drunk driving accident in their lifetime

In Eastern Hampshire District Court on Wednesday morning Judge Michael Mulcahy entered a plea of "not guilty" for Steven Yarbrow, age 37, and appointed him a public defender at an assessed cost of $150.  His case was continued until next month.

 Steven Yarbro stands before Judge Mulcahy

   Steven Yarbro

Fire Station Follow Through

Chief Nelson and Assistant Chief McKay demo new breathing apparatus

The discussion concerning the new $12 million South Fire Station was easily ten times better than in previous years.  Rather than dismissing it within a minute or two the Joint Capital Planning Committee actually spent a good 15 minutes discussing the l-o-n-g overdue public safety project.

Chief Nelson told the committee that they have come a long way trying to make this new station happen.  The real issue at the moment is land.  Once a site is chosen, then money will need to be appropriated for a design phase ($1 million or more) which will give a clearer picture of what the entire project will cost.

The  $12 million figure has been used as a "placeholder" for a few years now but may not be accurate.  Finance Director Sandy Pooler said it will almost certainly come down to a "Proposition 2.5 debt exclusion" to finance construction.

Pooler went on to say Town Manager Musante "Is committed to moving forward.  We know it's an important project and it's very high on our list of things to get done."

Of course that list could also include other major building projects on the immediate horizon, including the Jones Library expansion, Wildwood Elementary School replacement and a new DPW building.

 Stair chair makes it easier and safer to transport patients down stairs

The good thing about AFD coming to the JCPC with a total request next fiscal year of $12,336,790 is the rest of the other important items on the list -- tallying up to a half-million or so -- is a lot easier to swallow.

During a discussion of the $18,000 for an (Assistant Chief) "staff vehicle" the inevitable question about a hybrid came up.  Chief Nelson pointed out that he and his two Assistant Chiefs are, "Working chiefs, not administrative chiefs.  We are out on the road day and night and respond to scenes with all sorts of equipment."

 Chief Nelson demonstrates "scoop stretcher"

Total requests for everything besides the new Fire Station came to $543,790 with $77,000 of that coming from the Ambulance Fund (which generates between $2 and $2.5 million annually.

   AFD Capital items FY16

Fill 'Er Up

Amherst DPW takes a 35 ton delivery of salt this morning

You can't fight a war without the proper equipment and supplies.  Especially when dealing with Mother Nature,  who is one Hell of an opponent.

Yesterday the DPW took two 35 ton deliveries of salt, one delivery today, and still has another 200 tons to go from a previous order.   And today -- based on current forecasts -- just ordered another 800 tons.  All of it at $78.46 /ton.