Sweating The Contract

Amherst Media is main beneficiary of Comcast ten year contract

Even though the Comcast ten year cable license -- worth $6.3 million last year -- does not expire until October, 2016 the Cable Advisory Committee started off this morning's meeting somewhat in panic mode.

Co-Chair Kris Pacunas is worried a deadline or two in the complicated process could have been missed which would give Comcast added bargaining strength whenever they do finally sit down at the negotiation table.

At their initial mid-June meeting, their 1st since 2006, Peter Epstein, their $200/hour legal counsel, did say he wished to send Comcast an "initial contract offer" by November 1st.  And as of this morning the Committee was miles away from having that contract prepared.

In fact their attorney has not even yet provided them with a contract template that contains all the boiler plate language that is standard with any cable contract.  And the all important timeline is now out of date.

Attorney Epstein at 9/24 Ascertainment Hearing (and Comcast stenographer)

The Committee will be sending attorney Epstein a memo outlining their complaints about his performance to date and they will also be contacting the Select Board, who has final authority to sign the lucrative contract, as well.

He did attend one of the two required "Ascertainment Hearings" co-sponsored by the Cable Advisory Committee and Select Board but does not keep in close touch with the committee.

Mr. Epstein came highly recommended by Amherst Media who benefits by the 5% cut of Comcast revenues ($317,000 last year).   That 5% amount is written in stone, and these days may not even be a slam dunk.

The main bargaining issue seems to be the one-time capital upgrade to equipment that comes once every ten years.

In the last 2006 contract that amounted to $450,000, and this time around Amherst Media is looking for many times over that for the ability to broadcast their 3 channels in high definition.

Left to rt: Adrienne Terrizzi, Kris Pacunas (Co-Chair), Joan Golowich, Demetria Shabazz (Co-Chair)

In addition, one Cable Advisory member of the five has showed up to only one meeting so far,  and now that the heavy lifting has started Co-Chair Pakunas said he would contact him to find out if he will stay on the committee or not.

Next meeting the agenda calls for the Committee to have from attorney Epstein a new timeline with specific dates, a one page "summary of community needs" which includes the 5% cut of cable revenues, amount of one time capital needs money, maintain local customer service office, etc.

The Committee will also discuss having the Select Board file a complaint with Comcast over breach of the 2006 license which required all town buildings to be hard wired for live broadcast capability.

Over the years parts have been cannibalized from other locations like Jones Library, DPW, Police Station or High School in order to prioritize Town Hall and the Middle School (where Town Meeting takes place).

So not only do a majority of town buildings no longer have the ability to live broadcast, but even the two major buildings (Town Hall and the Middle School) where all the important meetings occur, the outdated equipment teeters on the brink of ruin.

Next meeting is scheduled for Monday November 30th.  But before the Committee adjourned Co-Chair Pakunas told fellow members, "I feel better now."

One Is The Loneliest Number

Chancellor Subbaswamy is proud of being #1 (out of 1858)

It will be interesting to see if Chancellor Subbaswamy gets to keep his top dog #1 UMass license plate, which actually does look lovely on his Lexus.

The Globe says: only 1554 UMass license plates sold. I say: only 1,500 more to Go @AlumniUMass Go UMass! http://t.co/ACIg5CueEy

— Kumble R. Subbaswamy (@KSubbaswamy) May 25, 2015

Chancellor was unconcerned with Boston Globe May 24 story on slow sales 

Although I would have liked it a tad better if designers had made room for "Amherst" somewhere on the plate.

The UMass license plate program, making UMass the first university in the state to have one, has been fraught with problems since first being seriously discussed over ten years ago.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles will not even fire up the presses until 1,500 have been preordered and even then an additional 1,500 need to be sold by the end of the second year bringing the total on the road to a minimum of 3,000.

That two year anniversary just passed in October and the current number of plates on the road is only 1,858.  Not even close to the 3,000 required.

The Alumni Association had to put up a $100,000 performance bond to guarantee 3,000 plates would be sold so now the state can keep all or part of that.

The University only makes $28 per plate sold and for a while the AA was paying the $40 plate fee and $20 swap fee in order to stimulate sales but even that failed to move numbers in the right direction.

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 6/6/15 minutes of Board of Directors meeting

In June the Alumni Association Board of Directors by unanimous vote allocated $150,000 to "support the license plate business plan" to reach the 3,000 goal by October 1st. 

Coincidentally enough the Boston Globe did a story on 5/25/15 shining a light on lousy sales using the total figure of 1,554.

Thus an entire summer plus September and October -- and a $150K -- only managed to bring the number up to the current 1858

Will be quite a while before this # sees the road, if ever

And with only 1858 plates sold in our state boasting 120,000 (hopefully proud) UMass/Amherst graduates, that makes for a 1.55% market penetration.  I give that an F.

New Chief In Town

AFD Chief Tim Nelson (left) Firefighter Stephen Gaughan attending a Select Board meeting 2011

Amherst firefighter/paramedic Stephen Gaughan, who joined AFD in 2005, has been named the new Chief of Hatfield Fire Department where he started his First Responder career as a call firefighter in 1995.

Drunk Is Stupid

Still way too many drunk runs sucking up the valuable time of AFD on weekends.

Seven of the eight UMass ETOH responses required transport to Cooley Dickinson Hospital as did one of the two Amherst College ETOH calls, which ties up an ambulance for least an hour. 

In all 60% of "emergency runs' to UMass and 50% to Amherst College were alcohol related

And when they come in clusters all five Amherst ambulances can end up spoken for (in slurred words), meaning no other town ambulances are then available for a unanticipated emergency like a heart attack, auto crash or major structure fire.

   AFD Nov 1st Wknd runs

More Bad News

Sandy Pooler earned an A for his handling of finances over the past 5 years

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Thank You!

American Legion Post 148 & Amherst VFW Post 754 Color Guard

About 50 people braved the lousy weather to congregate on the historic Amherst North Town Common this morning to honor all the men and women who have served our country over the past 239 years.

Select Board member Andy Steinberg assisted by Chair Alisa Brewer thanks veterans on behalf of the town

And when all is said and done, while the 25 minute ceremony was a nice gesture, all that's really needed is a simple, but heartfelt, "Thank You."

Veterans Day 2013.  Two good men no longer with us:  Arthur Quinton and John Musante

Lonely At The Top?

Town Manager John Musante in happier times (2013)

Interim Town Manager Dave Ziomek (center) October, 2016

Undoubtedly the sudden shocking death of John Musante left a cavernous hole to fill in town government's top position.

And for anyone having known and worked beside him for a good number of years, I can see why they would think twice about it even if it is the 2nd highest paid position in town.

I was a bit taken aback on Monday night when Select Board Chair Alisa Brewer, her voice shaking, announced that Interim Town Manager Dave Ziomek would not be seeking the job permanently so he could return to his Assistant Town Manager/Conservation Director position by January 31, 2016.

Having just sat through a two hour heated discussion over a beer/wine permit for a local convenience store in the north end of downtown I should have been more prepared for that bombshell announcement.

Because there's a distinct connection between the two issues.  The main reason Amherst Center Store was granted a controversial liquor license by a 3-2 vote is that Glenn Hamill is a mom-and-pop small business owner with a solid reputation for hands-on management.

 Glenn Hamill countering NIMBY criticism at Monday night Select Board hearing

When you own a small business there are a thousand details a day to occupy your undivided attention and not enough time during a 24 hour cycle to attend to all of them.  And if you're really lucky, you maybe get Christmas or Thanksgiving off for a very brief reprieve.

 Amherst Center Store, one of three convenience stores owned by Glenn Hamill

Although since Mr. Hamill's  new Amherst convenience store is open 24/7, probably not for him.

Running a $80+ million college town is probably almost as hard, even with the top shelf department heads currently in place.

 Assistant Chiefs Don McKay, Lindsay Stromgren (ctr) and Chief Tim Nelson

A few years ago when AFD Chief Keith Hoyle retired number two in command, Assistant Chief Lindsay Stromgren, was a shoe in to replace him.  Except he did not apply.  As with Mr. Ziomek there's personal life beyond the job, and where the buck stops eats into that all the more.

Chief Livingstone at Select Board beer/wine permit hearing Monday night:  "I have zero concerns on this particular license."

When APD Chief Charlie Scherpa retired in 2009 there was an in house competition for his replacement by two very good men, Scott Livingstone and Mike Kent. And when Mr. Kent did not get the nod he soon left the department for the Chief's job in Burlington, Mass.

So in house competition does have its draw backs.

 Ad to appear in tomorrow's Amherst Bulletin

Especially now with the Amherst For All Charter change enthusiasts fast closing in on enough signatures to bring the idea of altering our form of government to the ballot this coming spring.

The big mistake the last Charter Commission made a decade ago was to cater to the popularity of then Town Manager Barry Del Castilho by retaining that position while replacing Select Board/Town Meeting with a (weak)Mayor and Town/City Council.

 Barry Del Castilho attending John Musante's funeral service ceremony in town center

This time around it's unlikely that major mistake will be repeated, so the new Town Manager will be out of a job, or demoted.  Thus it's very likely to impact the search for a new "permanent" Town Manager coming up over the next few months.

After all, who wants to apply to be captain of the good ship Titanic? 

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