UMass: A Cable Scofflaw?

UMass is a city unto itself, but they still reside in Amherst

The Cable Advisory Committee voted unanimously on Monday to request Interim Town Manager Dave Ziomek issue UMass a public documents request to ascertain details of a cable contract with Charter Communications that could violate federal law because the Amherst Select Board, who has authority in these matters, never issued them a cable franchise.

   Request Cable Audit of Umass

The CAC is currently working diligently on the renewal of the current ten-year cable contract with Comcast which does require Select Board approval.  Currently Amherst has over 7,000 subscribers who contribute about $6 million total per year to Comcast.

As part of their franchise fee Comcast gives up 5% of their annual cable revenues to Amherst Media, around $300,000, as well as a once every ten year capital sum for new equipment, which amounted to $450,000 in the last contract. 

 Comcast quarterly income report

Since these contract matters are FCC related that kind of makes the Select Board agents of a federal authority. Thus the usual excuse UMass uses for ignoring town ordinances and/or bylaws may not hold up, since a federal entity trumps a state one.

UMass recently told the town to go fly a kite (or drone) regarding the 6% local hotel/motel tax applying to the Campus Center Hotel.

Currently they are holding $200,000 in escrow attempting to strong arm the town into signing a multi-year "Strategic Partnership" for Payment In Lieu Of Taxes to help fund all the services provided to on-campus students by Amherst Fire Department. 

Unintended Consequences

Three years ago: what was once unimaginable, is no longer so

At their 12/10 meeting last week the Amherst Board Of Health spent 45 minutes (out of a one hour scheduled agenda ) tip toeing through a mine field ... while blindfolded.

They were trying to decide if gun violence falls within their perview as a public health issue.  Like, say, tobacco.  Although unlike tobacco, guns can be used safely.  It's the 30,000+ annual deaths (mostly suicides) where guns were used not so safely, that concerns them.

And of course if you're a rational human being you cannot help but be affected by the tiny minority of major tragic events that seem to crop up more and more often these days.

Although it appears using those high profile incidents to promote gun control legislation has backfired, as any talk of added controls only stimulates gun sales in a country where guns now outnumber citizens.

The BOH decided to invite APD Chief Scott Livingstone to appear before them at an upcoming meeting to discuss guns, which are not a big problem in little Amherst. 

Other members will reach out to national organizations working to reduce gun violence in the land of the free and home of the brave.

During the initial discussion, Board Of Health members seemed unclear if they had any jurisdiction or role in dealing with gun violence.  But one outspoken member responded, "If not us, then who?"

Protecting History

The Evergreens on a bright October day

The Evergreens, immediate neighbor and family member of the Emily Dickinson Homestead Museum, will become a lot safer if the Community Preservation Act Committee recommends the $200,000 request for a new high pressure water mist fire suppression system. 

The actual cost of the system is over $400,000 but museum officials have a donor who will match the CPA grant should it be approved by Town Meeting in the spring. 

Both the Dickinson Homestead and the Evergreens are owned by Amherst College, the largest property owner in town.  The Dickinson houses attract thousands of visitors to our little college town from all over the world. 

Splash Park For Groff Park

Groff Park on a drizzly day

The town has submitted a $600,000 request of the Community Preservation Act Committee for a major overhaul of Groff Park that will include the town's first splash park, a new additional pavilion, and badly needed new ADA compliant playground equipment set on a safer surface.

The overall cost is projected to be $1.2 million so the town will also be submitting a PARC grant (Parkland Acquisitions & Renovations for Communities) in July, 2016 to help cover the other half of the costs.

But if the state grant is not approved, like our last one for the historic North Town Common renovations, the amount requested from CPA will still be enough for the splash park since the 60+ year old wading pool is ABD (All But Dead).

If the CPA Committee recommends the funding it will still require Town Meeting approval this spring.  The design work is being done by Berkshire Design Group who also recently designed the $240,000 ADA compliant make over of a preK playground at Crocker Farm School.

Now if we could just do something regarding the sorry state of War Memorial Playground ...

Wading pool was demolished last year at War Memorial Playground

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.