Ladder 1 and Engine 2 with aerials extended about 75 feet up
About the only thing I'm going to miss with Central Station when the town FINALLY gets around to building a new fire station in South Amherst is the great access the general public has to the department in their heart of the downtown location.
Like today's successful annual Open House, which always coincides with "Fire Prevention Week." And that's just one of the great things about our local department: They would much rather not have your business when it comes to fire.
And a little training can go a long way should the unimaginable ever happen in your home, office or school. AFD also gets out of their office and takes fire safety training to our schools with the highly successful SAFE (Student Awareness of Fire Education program).
Demonstrating extraction techniques
Of course the other huge problem the town needs to address is the inadequate staffing levels that all too often requires mutual aid supplementation from a surrounding department and frequent requests for off duty firefighters to report in for "station coverage."
Smokey Bear and Jada
Or, maybe we could just draft Smokey Bear.
Click to enlarge photo
Why we need an adequate full-time profession FD. Those who fail to learn from history ...
Attorney Tom Reidy and Cliff Laraway appear before ZBA last night, Chair Mark Parent (ctr)
Sometimes the difference between life and death is measured in mere seconds -- especially when dealing with The Beast otherwise known as fire.
A cluttered escape route, narrow stairway, or -- God forbid -- a door locked from the outside that doesn't allow opening from within, could quickly spell death of a most unimaginable kind.
Would you trust your life to this fire escape?
At last night's Special Permit hearing for 382 North Pleasant Street, which most people probably think of as a fraternity (which apparently it still is), Zoning Board of Appeals Chair Mark Parent clearly stated, "My concern is about safety, that's what is driving this. Some kids do crazy stuff and we need to protect them from themselves."
A September 29 Site Visit turned up "living rooms" with doors on them, and at least ten rooms with external locks on them (which as a joke someone could lock the person in), as well as a bevy of extra mattresses in storage.
Mr. Parent told the petitioner and his attorney, "It is very clear to me this site is occupied by at least 10 people consistently. No question it's more than the 8 allowed. We need to come up with conditions that rectify that."
The town of Amherst has a zoning bylaw that restricts occupancy to no more than four unrelated housemates per one family unit.
Owner Cliff Laraway is requesting a Special Permit to allow the
structure to be a two family, non owner occupied structure (for up to 8
unrelated tenants). But the layout of the former fraternity, with so
many rooms, makes it hard to enforce only eight of them be bedrooms.
Building Commissioner Rob Morra stated, "There have to be significant structural changes, like taking out a wall vs simply removing a door".
The Amherst Fire Department, having done car counts over the month of September, considers it a "rooming house" with 10 or more tenants, thus requiring an expensive ($39,000) sprinkler system.
Click to enlarge/read
The Special Permit hearing was continued to November 5th so the ZBA could request an AFD representative attend.
The petitioner was sternly instructed to come back with floor plans that show eight and only eight bedrooms as well as physical changes in place to keep the other numerous available rooms from conveniently be used as additional bedrooms.
Building Commissioner Rob Morra did not waste any time taking enforcement steps to ensure the current population of the building goes down to only eight:
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)
