Story Of The Year

The fog will lift for sure next year

I'm a little ahead of my bricks and mortar media friends with that traditional year end list culminating with the top story of the year.  In fact I'm w-a-y ahead since this is my prediction for the biggest story of 2016.

Amherst has not seen a Charter change battle in over ten years, and this upcoming one is shaping up to be even more epic since this time around it stands a better chance of passing.  And the previous one narrowly came up short out of 4,814 votes cast losing by only 14  -- less than 1%.

Amherst For All members gather at Kendrick Park Saturday for final push

In fact the monumental effort to collect a whopping 3,215 signatures has only been aided by the (over) reaction of Town Meeting cheerleaders thus far:

The threat to challenge "every signature" certified by the Town Clerk for instance underscores their unAmerican desperate way of trying to prevent voters from having a say over the way they are governed.

Or the video upload to YouTube suggesting "conflict of interest" with Amherst For All Steering Committee members, while failing to acknowledge Town Meeting members are exempt from state conflict of interest law (unlike a Mayor or Council).

Talk about throwing stones while living in a Tiffany stained glass teepee.

Amherst For All is more than just a name; it represents something hardpressed taxpayers have not seen in too long a time:  hope.

Learning From History

Simeon Strong House built 1744

Strong House (hidden by tree) adjacent to Jones Library on right

Amherst Historical Society outgoing President Jim Wald updated the membership at their annual meeting this afternoon about two exciting projects now underway, including a possible physical joining with the adjacent Jones Library and a high tech archaeological study of the Museum grounds.

The Strong House is one of the oldest properties in Amherst set well back from Amity Street, so the front and side yards are pretty much undisturbed from the way they were over 270 years ago.

Jim Wald on final day as Amherst Historical Society President (replaced by Georgia Barnhill)

Last month UMass Archaeological Services used ground penetrating radar to map the entire grounds looking for signs of buried treasure.  Not so much coins and jewelry but anything that was man made, possible discarded, and now remains hidden below the surface.

Old outhouses are considered the mother lode because household trash was often deposited along with biodegradable wastes.

Ground Penetrating Radar overlay on drone photo

The $20,000 study, paid for with Community Preservation Act historical preservation funds, also included drone shots of the property overlayed with the ground penetrating radar results, as well as infra red photos from above.

Infra red drone shot

Study results should be available before spring.

The Strong House now houses over 7,000 individual artifacts dating back to the founding of Amherst, but the overcrowded facility lacks climate control.

Museum officials have been pursuing an alliance with the Jones Library, especially now since the Library is in the process of expanding with the state covering half the cost.

The Strong House was donated to the Amherst Historical Society with the condition it remain in its original state as a Museum, and should that covenant be broken ownership would revert to the Massachusetts Historical Commission (who does not like to own buildings).

Museum officials have placed a $42,000 proposal before the Community Preservation Act Committee for funding to work out the legal problems associated with a possible merger with the Jones Library, or simply expanding the building.

In addition the money will also pay for repairs to the exterior of the building and a dendrochronology study of the wood to determine more exact dating of various parts of the building.

SantaCon Cancelled

To no great surprise, SantaCon Amherst is not going to happen.

Almost certainly due to the Select Board threat last Monday to hold (both) idiot downtown bar businesses responsible should anything go wrong.

And with 200 college aged youth, on the last day of classes, all dressed up as Santa's, crawling downtown bars, what could possibly go wrong?

UPDATE:  Saturday morning 7:00 AM

And nothing did go wrong.  Overall a rather uneventful overnight.  Well, except:

AFD responding to Townhouse Apartments, North #Amherst for a " trash fire in the quad."

— Larry Kelley (@amherstac) December 12, 2015

Who knew Rudolph was a smoker?

Tonight APD and ACPD will be on alert for Crossett Christmas, where UMass kids usually arrive in swarms to take over Amherst College.

UPDATE:  Sunday morning 7: 00 AM

Although there were a bevy of AFD transports for alcohol OD Amherst College PD and extra private security forces managed to keep the chaos under control this year.  And since Amherst College is tearing down the social dorm this spring, the last Crossett Christmas goes out with a whimper.

All Things Digital

Jones Library:  Amherst's living room

The Jones Library is submitting a $35,000 request to Joint Capital Planning Committee, the guardians and first hurdle for FY17 equipment requests, for a new computer server and consulting help to expand the capabilities of Digital Amherst, which is currently at capacity.

This will allow Special Collections to continue adding material for convenient online availability, especially Audio Video materials that are a bit of a data hog.

One such item is the recorded voice of poet Robert Frost speaking at the Jones when a room in his honor was first dedicated.

 The new server is estimated to last at least five years before hitting capacity. Most of the JCPC request ($22,000 of the total) is for one time start up consulting costs but the ongoing annual maintenance duties will be handled in-house by the town Information Technology Department.

Jones Library Board of Trustees meeting this morning

The Jones Library Board of Trustees voted unanimously to support the $35,000 request which is separate from the $2,468,186 overall FY17 budget, a 2.34% increase over last year.

This falls within Finance Committee guidelines of no more than a 2.5% increase from last year.

In addition Library Director Sharon Sharry told the Trustees she is setting up a Go Fund Me internet donation campaign with a target goal of $40,000, which represents the amount lost from the operation budget when the draw from the endowment was reduced to 4% from the previous 4.5% mark.

The Jones Library Endowment now stands at $7.25 million.

The Board of Trustees also voted unanimously to support placing the $2.46 million FY17 budget before Town Meeting. Library Director Sharon Sharry said of the annual budget, "We're in a fine place this year."

  Jones Library FY17 Budget

When a "D" Is A Good Thing

North Amherst center today shows recent improvements via paving and new striping 

Click photos to enlarge

Concept D

So after two open public forums and many individual board and committee meetings it looks like Concept D is going to be the choice for significant renovations to North Amherst Village Center.

At Tuesday's second forum sponsored by the Select Board, Planning Board and Public Works Committee, attended by perhaps 45 citizens, Concept D was once again was the clear favorite of the four presented.

Good crowd at Bangs Center for the 2nd public forum on Tuesday night

Now the significant problem is going to be how to fund it?

I'm told just the basic construction aspect is at least $1 million and the combined value of the two properties that would need to be purchased are another $1 million.  So a million here and a million there, pretty soon you're talking real money.

Reverting Sunderland Road back to greenspace ties in Library to School and playing field

The town was shot down for a MassWorks grant recently for this North Amherst intersection, and a couple years ago was also turned down for a $4 million grant to redo Pine Street, which the town just now completed on its own dime (or I should say local taxpayers dimes).

Maybe if we showed a little more support at the ballot box for a Republican Governor, those grants would start rolling in.

Keep Them Doggies Movin'

Hope

Why did the bovine cross the road?  To avoid a major demolition.

Hope the cow will move from her current location at 233 North Pleasant Street, the former Carriage Shops, to Realignment Park directly across the street at 236 North Pleasant Street, in front of a building owned by Barry Roberts.

The cow was fabricated as a combination public art project piggy bank with all the proceeds going to Craig's Doors homeless shelter.

The Design Review Board voted unanimously last night to approve the relocation although point person Jerry Gates said he would come back for approval of any smaller signs placed on Hope (like "Ride at your own risk").

The board also suggested she continue to face west after relocation so folks approaching her from Kendrick Park or town center will have a more inviting view of her sides rather than rear end.

Click to enlarge/read

The Business Improvement District also submitted a letter of support pointing out they have cleaned up the public art space around "Relocation Park" and wish to see the popular cow stay in town center.

The relocation will need the approval of the Public Arts Commission and it is on their 12/17 agenda.  Chair Rene Theberge was also in attendance last night and seemed supportive.

The Amherst Select Board as "keepers of the public way" have final authority over the move and with this being an election year they are probably not going to want to mess with a popular downtown icon -- especially one named "Hope".

Hope (visible top center) would be located a few feet north of this art installation

He's Baaaaack

Mr. Frost has been reinstalled

The DPW used longer bolts to attach Mr. Frost to his solid seat

The silhouette of Robert Frost -- making up half the public art installation known as a "A Poetic Dialogue" -- returned to his perch recently curtesy of the DPW.

Now his dialog with Miss Emily, the Belle of Amherst, can continue.

Meanwhile the First Congregational Church directly across the street replaced their stolen rainbow flag, only this time decided to place it in a spot making it much harder to grab and go.