UMass HazMat Incident

AFD Engine 2 (the quint) on scene UMass Whitmore Building 9:00 AM

Around 8:40 this morning a leaking UPS battery caused a massive response by AFD, UMPD and Enviromental Health & Safety units to the Whitmore Administration building.  One employee was transported by ambulance to the Cooley Dickinson Hospital after inhaling toxic fumes.

 AFD transported one for non life threatening injuries

Whitmore was evacuated, but only that one building.  AFD removed the 6" x 24" lead acid battery, ventilated the building and turned over command to UMass personnel around 9:30 AM.  The building is expected to reopen for normal business at 10:00 AM

Employees were evacuated to the adjacent parking lot

AFD Chief Nelson (far left) took command at the scene

 UMass Environmental Health & Safety department on scene

Daydrink Believer & A Homecoming Queen

Crowd on the east quad of Townhouse Apartments

Had the weather been ten degrees warmer Saturday afternoon's "daydrink" at Townhouse Apartments could easily have doubled in size, becoming another Blarney Blowout.

In 2012 and 2013 the western most quad became ground zero for rowdy behavior requiring police in riot gear to disperse.  

Temperatures peaked at 53 degrees

 Line up of police patrol cars and detective vehicles around 2:30 PM

 Posted on Fade the day before

The youthful crowd starting forming around noon and Amherst police arrived in force around 2:00 PM.   But their response was relatively low key, mainly handing out summons tickets for alcohol related infractions.

The crowd peaked at about 1,000, or about half the size of the previous riotous Blarney incidents.

 A Fade fan of my live tweeting

In 2013 the catalyst for confrontation occurred when a young women in the middle of the crowd passed out from too much alcohol.  

As AFD was administering aid they were met with bottles, cans and snowballs from an unruly minority in the crowd.  APD with the aid of state and UMass police successfully shut down the event, arresting six. 

Will the crowd get out of control the next time?  That depends.

On the weather.

Party House of the Weekend

20 Allen Street

The first really nice weekend of the year after such a miserable winter is bound to bring out the most hardy of the party boys.  Around midnight Friday one of the usual suspect streets -- Allen Street -- produced a BIG winner.  20 Allen Street to be exact.

Party goers flooded onto Phillips Street after police broke up the party after midnight

After clearing the house of over 200 "guests" APD arrested seven residents for both Noise and Nuisance bylaw violations or other alcohol related charges:  Curtis Anderson (19), Luke Dowley (22), Devon Farrell (20), Nicholas Defusco (21) Gabriel Follettie (21), Timothy Orton (20) and Anthony Spano (19).

 Click to enlarge/read

In addition to five physical arrests APD also issued 3 summons arrests for liquor law violations

All the offenders took the standard "diversion" plea deal offered by the Commonwealth.  Pay one of the $300 tickets plus $100  in Court costs and stay out of trouble for the next four months.

Curtis Anderson

Devon Farrell

Luke Dowley

Nick Fusco

Gabriel Follettie

Timothy Orton

Sad Sunday

APD and AFD on scene assisting victim

The bustle of downtown Amherst on the most beautiful day of the year came to a brief horrific pause a little before 2:00 PM as two pedestrians were injured (one more seriously than the other) by a car in the Main Street Lot that jumped the granite curb and pinned the young women against one of  the recently installed cedar tree boxes.

Offending vehicle was using a handicapped space

Both victims were transported in separate ambulances by Amherst Fire Department and an ambulance from Northampton had to be called to assess the elderly female driver who was shaken up by the incident and transported by police to APD headquarters.

 AFD was overtaxed by the incident.  NFD ambulance arrived via "mutual aid"

The driver signed a "patient refusal" and was not transported by NFD to the hospital.

 APD investigating prior to Mass State Police arrival

Mass State Police accident reconstruction team was on scene for almost two hours and the vehicle was towed from the scene with a police escort a little before 5:00 PM

 State Police accident reconstruction team on scene

Dash & Dine For A Good Cause

And they're off!

One of the nice things about playing host to 30,000 college aged youth is most of them are relatively healthy, so a fitness event that combines a charitable cause with award winning food is bound to be a winner.

The 6th annual UMass Dash & Dine to benefit the Amherst Survival Center is just such an event.

And with the comparatively nice weather this morning the benefit attracted a h-u-g-e throng to the Southwest area starting point.

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Next Up:

Daffodil Fun Run to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters

Business/Government Superstar?

When you're alone & life is making you lonely you can always go ...

With Amherst being blessed by the presence of both a Chamber of Commerce and downtown Business Improvement District, the idea of creating a $70,000 taxpayer funded Director of Economic Development may get bankrupted on the floor of Town Meeting.

Especially since that ancient legislative body has never been known as business friendly.

$70K is a lot of money, but considering what this person is supposed to accomplish over the hurdles they face dealing with NIMBYs, BANANAs, and  government bureaucracy (Oh my!) probably not nearly enough.

After all, English literature professors make far less than Entrepreneurship professors and PR flacks make far more than front-line reporters.

A couple decades ago when then Town Manager Barry Del Castilho commissioned an expensive consultant he publicly admitted it was because, "We don't understand the language of business."

Considering the current pitiful 10% of our tax base that comes from commercial property, town government has still not learned the language.

So maybe an interpreter is in order.  Especially someone who can demonstrate how to walk the walk, after teaching the talk. 

   Amherst Business Czar Want Ad

A New Player In Town

The Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Board of Trustees had their groundbreaking meeting last night, hearing a brief presentation by Rita Farrell of the Massachusetts Housing Partnership on all the possibilities relating to affordable housing that lay ahead for this new entity.

Town Meeting approved the formation of the Housing Trust last year (after rejecting the idea back in 2008) and the Select Board only recently appointed the seven members:  

The first test for the Trust comes next month when Town Meeting votes the Community Preservation Act Committee recommendations of $846,633 in projects which includes $25,000 in "due diligence" money for the Trust. Originally they requested $50,000 but without a committee membership yet in place the CPAC was hesitant to fully fund the request.

There was some discussion last night as to whether the term "due diligence" is broad enough for the committee to invest in a wide variety of start up activities. 

The Trust will be allowed to accept grants, private donations (of money or property) or payments from developers due to Inclusionary Zoning requirements, but the bulk of their funding is expected to be Community Preservation Act funds. 

Since Amherst voters recently approved doubling the surcharge up to the maximum 3% the CPA fund has a significantly expanded bottom line with a projected surplus of $1.3 million after Town Meeting approval of this year's ($846,633) projects.

The fledgling committee hopes the Trust becomes both well-funded and credible to allow for more nimble deal making with affordable housing developers.   Currently the town is just over the 10% threshold  on the state Subsidized Housing Inventory thus insulating us from a Ch40B development.

Although the Trust could themselves take on the roll of developer, but with all the requirements imposed on a public agency (prevailing wage for one) it's highly unlikely.

Because of a strangling of supply over the past generation Amherst has become ever increasingly unaffordable.  And not just to low-income residents, but middle-income families as well.

The two most recent taxpayer funded housing studies clearly indicate that additional housing is desperatily needed across the entire economic spectrum.

My vote for the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust logo

Perhaps by benefit of the halo non-profit entities get to wear the Affordable Housing Trust will have better luck overcoming the stigma attached to anyone who tries to do housing development in this town, where NIMBYs are nothing if not formidable.

Could be worse:  We could be Boston