Amherst Office Park's new 30,000 square foot mixed-use building, an exciting new addition to the South Amherst Village Center will open November 1st, joining Kendrick Place and Presidential Apartments as providers of additional, badly needed housing in town.
In this case 17 total units -- the vast majority of them one-bedroom (15) and the remaining two, two-bedroom. The residential portion of the building occupies the upper two floors and are now fully rented, while the ground floor commercial space is 75% leased.
Balconies offer scenic views to the east and west
Mixed-use buildings like this are a blessing to nearby local small businesses by providing a bevy of potential customers, all within walking distance.
The 2nd and final joint public meeting of the Amherst Select Board and Cable Advisory Committee to hear costumers concerns with Comcast service over the past ten years this morning was pretty much a rerun of the Ascertainment Hearing last week: Amherst Media is amazing, but Comcast kind of stinks.
Jones Library Director Sharon Sharry: Would like to see all three libraries wired for broadcast
This time 19 people (vs a dozen last week) came to the microphone to present testimony, and not a one had anything good to say about Comcast.
Peggy Roberts, Town Meeting Coordinating Committee Chair: "Amherst Media needs equipment replacement and extra staff support."
Amherst Cable Advisory member Demetria Shabazz led off the assault by pointing out Comcast is an $8 Billion company and rather than tie revenues only to the 7,000 cable TV customers it should include ALL profits including Internet and telephone.
Currently Comcast pays the town (who turns it over to Amherst Media) a little over $300,000 which represents 5% of the $6.5 million in revenues generated by 7,000 cable TV subscribers, but nothing from Internet or digital phone services.
Matthew Duranti, filmmaker: "Amherst Media helped me get my voice out there as a young film producer"
Most of the speakers pointed out Amherst Media is critical to our democracy because of the governmental meetings they cover (Select Board, Town Meeting, Finance Committee, etc), but they are currently stuck using outdated copper wire analog technology.
Chris Riddle, member of the Town Meeting Coordinating Committee, said the lighting in the middle School auditorium is old analog theater lighting that leaves a lot to be desired for Town Meeting members trying to watch presentations and for the signal beamed to viewers at home. He suggested Comcast upgrade the facility with new LED lighting and a digital sound system.
Louie Greenbaum: "Town Meeting sound system at Middle School is a terrible, terrible system unworthy of Amherst"
Ten years ago at the start of the contract Comcast contributed a one-time "technology upgrade" grant of $450,000. This time around, with the chorus of requests for fiber optic upgrade to the entire Amherst Media system, it sounds like the request will be a l-o-t higher.
Jim Lescault, Amherst Media Executive Director: Last year we provided 504 hours of original content over our three channels
At least one woman advocated for a switch in providers saying, "If I went to a doctor and they didn't have the equipment to make me better, why would I go back"?
But not a lot of other companies are going to wish to come to Amherst when they will have to wire the entire town to set up a new cable system.
So Comcast it is. Only questions are will their customer service improve, and how much more money will they be willing to invest in Amherst Media?
The Amherst Conservation Commission gave "emergency certification" for a Gull Pond beaver breach last week to keep the pond from overflowing its boundaries.
According to Town Manager (& Conservation Director) Dave Ziomek:
"My wetlands administrator worked closely with conservation and DPW staff to breach the dam. Late summer rains raised concerns about the road and water backup into basements etc. We’ve done this many times in my tenure with the Town to prevent impacts to residents, roads and property. All part of living with beavers. In these cases we seek what is called an emergency certification to breach a dam to lower water levels temporarily. Rain this week will bring level back up I’m sure."
A "beaver deceiver" will be reinstalled to protect the drainage pipe
Considering the monsoons that are now upon us, that's a pretty safe bet.
Gates Larson, age 52, arraigned before Judge John Payne
Only one APD arrest for impaired driving over the weekend but it was of a kind that illustrates the danger drunk drivers pose not only to the general public but also to police officers who job it is to be out and about during those prime drunk driving hours.
UMass police, who also serve and protect property located in the little college town of Amherst, also had one arrest:
Keyarra Wood, age 22, arraigned before Judge John Payne
And Hadley, close enough to catch our overflow, had one as well. All three defendants had their cases continued until next month and were released on their own recognizance. Although Ms. Ritchie-Dunham turned over her license to an Assistant District Attorney before leaving Court.
Jacqueline Richie-Dunham, age 20, stands before the Judge
Shane Walsh, Evan Stack, Ben Gallacher off to Clerk's office to pay $300 town bylaw noise fine (each)
For only the second weekend of the semester we have a party house winner where APD intervention of the arresting kind was required. Although this one is of the more typical variety: all college aged men. UMass students to be precise. All hockey players no less.
Henry Dill (left) also arrested next door to 419 Old Farm Road at same time for assaulting a police cruiser
A few years ago at this time of the season APD was making arrests at numerous party houses. I asked APD Chief Scott Livingstone if things were, as I suspected, getting better:
I would agree, that thus far, the communication and interactions, cooperation, with officers and young adults has greatly improved.
Although still very early, I know that both Officer Laramee, Eric Beal and all of the other sector officers having been doing a lot of outreach, whether it be door to door meetings, Fraternity and Sorority meetings and others.
I have been contacted by coaches of many of the sports teams, and we are in the process of scheduling meetings with them as well.
A very good sign!
The usual Saturday day drink parties at Townhouse Apartments in North Amherst also seem to end a little better than they did a few years ago.
These past two weekends have also seen large gatherings at the western quad where police managed to herd the kids off the green (more like brown at the moment) without incident.
Townhouse Apartments 9/19/15 5:00 PM
Townhouse Apartments 9/26/15 6:00 PM (Click photo to enlarge)
134 Montague Road, North Amherst aka The Mill District
Over the course of its 100+ year history almost everything made of wood -- which is to say the entire post & beam barn -- has been repaired and/or replaced on the big structure that's impossible to miss in North Amherst.
So is it still an original historic structure worth spending many times over new construction costs to preserve, protect and maintain the iconic view it provides to travelers passing by?
Over a year ago the Amherst Historical Commission thought so and ordered a one-year demolition delay, which expired back in mid-July.
But that is the extent of their power to preserve the barn at other people's expense -- in this case -- W.D. Cowls, Inc, the largest private landowner in the state.
Interestingly at the Historical Commission meeting last week discussing the last remaining carriage house contributing to the South Amherst Common Historic District, much was made out of the fact that over the years most if not all of the original structure had been replaced piecemeal.
The Commission decided not to even bother holding a Demolition Delay Hearing, thus the structure can be vaporized at any moment.
As could the historic old red barn at 134 Montague Road. But that's not going to happen. At least not before trying to come up with an economic reuse that justifies the high cost of maintaining the iconic image that so dominates the landscape.
Click photo to enlarge
Barn (right) is close but not attached to new Atkins North (note roof damage)
According to Cowls Vice President for Real Estate and Community Development Mollye Wolahan:
The demo delay has been over since mid July. We have no plans to remove the barn at this point.
On the day of expiration we removed a dangerous window and a couple pieces of siding that we were prohibited from removing during the year-long demo delay.
Barn is still being used as a commercial structure as it is warehousing company equipment and materials (though not on the leaky south third so much as before) as it has for many decades now.
The barn is leaking profusely on the south third and an interior beam has fallen, a couple others are about to. The south third is structurally shakey.
With the opening of Atkins, we have put a fence around the perimeter of the barn to keep the public at a safe distance from the structure.
Ms. Wolahan concludes optimistically: "My hope is to start the public process this month — sharing information
with the neighbors and starting the zoning process that can allow the
barn to be reconstructed, retaining the same iconic image that is there
today with an exciting new use to further support our neighborhood and
the Mill District."
PVCIC recently completed $10.6 expansion project behind original building
Not only does the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School have nicer digs than Amherst Regional Public Schools -- courtesy of a $10.6 million building project just completed -- but their student 10th grade academic performance is also superior (if you have faith in MCAS results that is).
Boston Globe 9/24/15
In the current school year PVCIC has approximately 83 Amherst Regional students (up from 68 two years before) who have jumped ship, costing the Amherst Regional Public School District around $1.5 million in state money.
And based on these test results, next year could be even worse.
Click to enlarge/read
Amherst Regional Middle School. Officials are considering abandoning building as student classrooms and moving grades 7 & 8 into the High School
