Nuclear Option Avoided (Maybe)

Regional 7-12 Public schools include Amherst, Leverett, Pelham and Shutesbury

A dozen and a half community leaders from the four town Region met this Friday evening for an hour and half trying to come to a compromise they all could sell to their respective town meetings concerning the $19,539,329 chunk of the school budget paid for using the rolling five year average per student cost Regional Assessment method.

 Select Board, Finance & School Committee member (shy of a quorum of course) Administrators from all 4 towns

Shutesbury came to the meeting still wanting to partially switch back to the state statutory method for 25% of the that assessment, while Amherst, Leverett and Pelham thought they were being more than fair by supporting a 10% switch that would benefit only Shutesbury.

Since the per student cost method currently used is an alternative method it requires unanimous support of all four towns to pass, and has been used since 2008.  And the compromise of using "ability to pay" statutory method for 10% of the budget (or Shutesbury's requested 25%) would still require unanimous approval of all four towns.

A single no vote to the assessment method reverts the budget back to the state statutory method and would guarantee more cuts to a budget already cut to the bone.

Outgoing Amherst Finance Director Sandy Pooler told the group in a few days this would not be his problem so he can speak freely, which he did (supporting the 10% solution) while looking over at the Shutesbury representatives:

"Insisting we get to that ultimate goal (25%) is fraught with danger.  We need it so nobody is hurt in the short run and then to keep grappling with the problem.  A solution where nobody gets hurt is worth a lot.  The value of goodwill is enormously important.  We simply can’t have people leaving the room thinking they’ve been hurt."  

Four Shutesbury reps left the room to caucus among themselves after it became clear the other three towns would not budge from the 10% offer.  They returned ten minutes later with a counter compromise of 15%.

That did not go over well.  At all.

Because at that amount of a shift both Leverett and Pelham said they would have to cut their elementary budget to come up with the extra money for the Region.

Shutesbury reps were adamant that 15% was their  "bottom, bottom, bottom line," and now they would have to go back to their full Select Board and Finance Committee to report the impasse and seek advise.

The Regional School Committee passes a budget and the assessment method with a simple majority vote of the nine members, but Town Meeting is the final authority for both the assessement method (unanimous vote of all four) and then the budget itself (three out of four required to pass). 

Maria Geryk concluded the meeting saying she would recommend to the Regional School Committee the 10% hybrid alternative method three of the four towns supported and simply hope that Shutesbury voters will support it at their Town Meeting.

10% of a loaf is better than chaos.

Good story that captures some of the angst of small town budget issue https://t.co/9hzpmSjmv9

— JayLeonard (@JayLeonard) January 9, 2016

What's Next, Drones?

Early adopters of hoverboard technology take note

UMass Amherst, that bastion of higher education, has banned the use of hoverboards on campus effective today -- thus proving the nanny state is alive and well.

When I Tweeted about a box alarm AFD responded to this morning at the Integrated Science Center for a "smoking refrigerator" one of my twitter followers reminded me UMass is a "smoke free campus."

Fair enough.  But smoking kills over 400,000 Americans per year and to date I'm guessing hoverboards have killed one or two less than shark attacks.

But hey, you can never be too safe.  Anything that can knock out Mike Tyson ...

"In A Comfortable Spot"

Amherst FY17 budget will be "status quo"

Peter Hechenbleikner attended the first meeting of the Budget Coordinating Group on Thurdsday morning even though he technically doesn't start his $75/hour Temporary Town Manager position until February 1st.

 Temporary Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner pondering BCG info

A good thing of course, since this snapshot budget update will set the tone for the next four months leading up to, ugh, Town Meeting.

Budget Coordinating Group is made up of Town/Schools/Library heavy hitters

After the Schools, Town and Library chiefs' gave a brief update of where they are with their budgets, BCG newly reelectd co- Chair Andy Steinberg summed up the situation by telling the group they were "in a comfortable spot."

Outgoing Finance Director Sandy Pooler gave a macro-view of the state budget and how it impacts Amherst, as well as an update of the town side of the overall budget.

Pointing out that this upcoming year is a "bargaining year for all municipal employee contracts, that doesn't leave a lot of room to add anything new".  The proposed budget (coming out January 27) will not add a single employee and in fact will be a net reduction of .5 Full Time Equivalents.

Mr. Pooler did say the "add list" for any extra unanticipated revenues would prioritize a police position.  Currently the highly regarded Community Policing Officer is funded by a state grant that could lose funding when it expires at the end of the current fiscal year.

Amherst Fire Department will also get an extra $30,000 for supplies.  The Cooley Dickinson Hospital used to let them restock ambulance supplies from hospital stock but the cost conscious new owners have put a stop to that.

School Superintendent Maria Geryk confirmed her budgets would meet Finance Committee guidelines of no more than a 2.5% increase, although she will have to cut $470,000 from the Elementary School Budget and $300,000 from the Region.

Jones Library Director Sharon Sharry also confirmed the Library budget will be within the 2.5% guidelines even though they have cut back the draw from the $7.25 million endowment to only 4% ($310,000), and make up the difference through fundraising and state aid. 

Rezone This?

The 5.8 acre parcel is sandwiched between two major commercial developments

Fresh off his setback at the Amherst Historical Commission Demo Delay Hearing the night before, local attorney Tom Reidy appeared before the Planning Board Wednesday night to request they sponsor a Town Meeting zoning change article for a 5.8 acres site -- wide open but wet -- on University Drive.

The property is currently zoned Professional Office Park and the new potential owners would like it rezoned to Limited Business which would allow for the construction of an apartment complex, presumably, gasp, student housing.

In 2010 a divided Planning Board (5-3) supported just such a warrant article but it was defeated on the floor of Amherst Town Meeting where any zoning change requires a two-thirds vote of support, a high hurdle to clear.

The nearest business owner to the south adamantly opposed the rezoning due to concerns about storm water runoff.  

The project proposed at the time was for 44 units of subsidized senior housing at the back of the property and a mixed use retail/market rate housing project fronting University Drive. 

According to the assessor the property is still owned by Mohammad Idrees and it's in (farmland) Chapter 61, so assessed at $3,600, thus generating only $76 in taxes this year.

A major housing development would probably be assessed in the $10 million range and pay upwards of $200,000 annually in property taxes.

Haters Still Gonna Hate

Kendrick Place:  new mixed use anchor for the north end of downtown

After being described as "hideous" in public meetings, with charges of "good old boy" favortism on the part of the Planning Board, prognosticated to overwhelm town parking and becoming a despicable den for student parties rivaling Phillips Street, it's nice to see four months into their operations the apocalypse has not been unleashed by Kendrick Place.

And some professionals seem to appreciate the design of the building:

Click to enlarge/read

Jones Library Architects Chosen

Jones Library, Amherst's living room

The Jones Library Board of Trustees voted unanimously this morning to hire Finegold Alexander Architects for the "planning and design phase" of the renovation expansion that could see the town center icon double in size.

 Jones Library Trustees voted unanimously to hire Finegold Alexander Architects

The firm impressed the subcommittee charged with coming up with a recommendation out of the five firms who applied for the job because they have great experience with historical preservation, including the Holyoke Public Library and currently the UMass Old Chapel.

The Boston based firm also has strong local contacts, including as their consultants Amherst architect John Kuhn and landscape architect Peter Wells.

Finegold Alexander are the architects for renovation of UMass iconic Old Chapel

The Jones Library e-x-p-a-n-s-i-o-n, which could cost as high as $40 million, comes at a time when the town is also considering three other major building projects: A new South Fire Station and Department of Public Works building, and a new elementary school.

Only the school and library projects are covered by state grants, roughly half the total costs.

The Jones Library already received a $50,000 grant to cover design/planning from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners and Amherst Town Meeting appropriated $25,000 in matching funds.

The cost of this contract is for up to $50,000.

Thowing In the Towel?

Time is running out for Amherst College owned Little Red Schoolhouse

Carol Gray crashed the Community Preservation Act Committee meeting last night to file a (late) request for $10,000 concerning her ultimate windmill, the Little Red Schoolhouse. 

At least this seems to indicate she has given up on the enormously expensive idea of saving the building.

Only a small percentage of the $10K would go towards photographing for posterity the interior and exterior of the 79-year-old building.  The majority of the funding  would "document the human side" of the preschool business that operated within its tiny walls.

Of course Ms. Gray herself would be an interview subject since she's an overly proud parent of a Little Red Schoolhouse graduate. 

And if Herman Melville was still around, he could interview her for the writing of "Moby Dick Returns."

Carol Gray (2nd from rt) at 11/22/15 meeting trying to get Historical Commission to become Little Red cheerleaders