Jones Library Expansion Hurdles

Strong House to rear and west of Jones Library

It's been a bad week for the Amherst Historical Society, owner of the Strong House Museum adjacent to the Jones Library, and by extension a not so great week for the Library.

On Monday in a marathon 3.5 hour meeting the Community Preservation Act Committee failed to fund an $18,000 request from the Historical Society to fund needed legal work to "clear the deed" of the Strong House which came to them donated -- but with a do not disturb provision.

Without being able to legally break the will they would not be able to sell property at the rear and east of the Strong House for the Jones Library expansion.

Additionally,  at tonight's Trustees Meeting they learned from Jones Library Director Sharon Sharry the selling of the land would make the Strong House "non conforming" in the current R-G (residential) zoning.

Thus the Historical Society will now be requesting a zoning change at a Special Town Meeting to occur in the middle of the regular Spring Town Meeting to change the zoning to B-G (business).

This of course requires a two-thirds vote.

 Former long time Gazette/Bulletin house & gardens columnist Cheryl Wilson reads statement of concern about gardens

To make matters worse the first 25 minutes of the meeting was taken up by concerned members of the Amherst Garden Club and other patrons over the fate of the Kinsey Garden and the Strong House 18th Century Garden, which seem to sit in the way of the proposed expansion.

 Jones Library Trustees (President, Austin Sarat on right)

The Trustees did vote unanimously to allow Chair Austin Sarat to issue a statement of support for a zoning change after the Historical Society meets on Tuesday and issues their zoning change request to the Amherst Planning Board.

   Jones Library MOU with History Museum

Furthermore the Trustees also unanimously supported a Memorandum Of Understanding with the Historical Society concerning the possible purchase of the property.

 Strong House front yard all the way to Amity Street not part of the sale

Updating Amherst History

The older section of historic West Cemetery

Despite mild concerns from the town attorney the Community Preservation Act Committee voted unanimously (with one abstention) to recommend to Town Meeting the $5,000 historical preservation request for a new headstone to mark the burial area in West Cemetery of Christopher Thompson, who served in the all black 5th cavalry with his son Charles during the Civil War.

Records indicate Christopher is buried in sacred West Cemetery, but since there's no headstone it's hard to know the exact whereabouts of his final resting place.

Retired Amherst College professor Bob Romer, who spearheaded the request, assumes he is located in or near the Thompson family plot so that's where the new granite headstone will go -- near his son Charles.

Interestingly about 20 black Amherst residents fought for the North during the great conflict with the Thompson family accounting for 25% of that (Christopher, his three brothers and son Charles.)

To appease the town attorney the CPAC found the expenditure helps to "rehabilitate" the cemetery and makes it "functional for its intended use."

Cable Contract In The Mail (Almost)

Five member Cable Advisory Committee (new members on right)

The Cable Advisory Committee met yesterday following up on an energetic meeting the previous day with their attorney Peter Epstein to put final touches on the Comcast cable franchise renewal contract, a once-every-ten-year event.

Chair Dee Shabazz opened the meeting by thanking the entire committee for their hard work over the past year.

Interim Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner got involved from the very beginning of his temporary tenure and already appointed two new members to the committee, Al Sax and Sharon Vardatira, bringing the CAC to full strength.

The draft proposal will go out by March 15, maybe even as early as tomorrow.  The CAC will be drafting a letter to the Select Board bringing them up to date with the process.

Currently the contract is worth just over $6 million annually to Comcast with 5% of that coming to the town and passed through to Amherst Media for annual operation expenses.

The major sticking point will be the one time $2.2 million capital improvement requests, much of it for Amherst Media.

Comcast will have 30 days to respond to the proposal and then the hard-ball negotiations really begin.  CAC advisor Epstein suggested they appoint a smaller "negotiating team" to go head-to-head with Comcast who is expected to send two employees to the sessions.

But the all-volunteer Committee may attend those sessions at full strength to offset the advantage Comcast has of using employees who do nothing but beat up, err, negotiate with cities and towns nationwide.

Blarney Hangover

UMass Southwest area (often a hot spot for AFD ETOH runs)

Another sign that this year's Blarney Blowout was super successful from the town and University perspective is the relatively low number of AFD emergency medical ETOH (overly intoxicated) runs.

Although it would be nice if UMass could routinely get it under the 50% threshold for total EMS calls.

And even nicer if Hampshire College started teaching their students not to smoke indoors.

   AFD Blarney Blowout Runs

Fire & Brimstone

First Congregational Church bottom, The Evergreens and Dickinson Homestead on left center & top

 

After originally approving $150,000 of the $200,000 Emily Dickinson Museum request for a fire suppression system at The Evergreens early in the meeting, a few hours later the Community Preservation Act Committee circled back to the request and added another $40,000 bringing it within 5% of the initial request.

CPAC member Jim Brissette had originally spoken against the request a few meetings back, worrying every historically significant building in town would be requesting fire suppression systems.  But he said the testimony he heard convinced him the Museam is a special -- almost unique -- case and worthy of the added protection despite the cost.

Chair Mary Streeter was not as convinced saying Amherst College should be able to come up with the extra $50,000 that the committee originally cut.  But supporters pointed out the College was matching the CPA request dollar for dollar, so that $50,000 cut was really a $100,000 cut.

The Committee was not as generous with the First Congregational Church, whittling their $357,647 request down to $200,000.  Vice Chair Paris Boyce voted against any money saying since the Church was doing a million in renovations, mainly an elevator, so they simply picked an item, fire suppression, that fell within the guidelines of the CPA.

The $390,000 approved for both historic structures still needs Town Meeting approval but that is all but guaranteed.

At the begining of the meeting the CPAC also approved recommending Town Meeting allow the $190,148 approved last year for rehabilitation of the North Common in front of Town Hall be used for that purpose. 

The original approval was contingent on a $400,000 PARC grant, but the state denied that request for the second time.  Thus town officals will return to the CPAC in a couple years for additional funding.

North Common is the centerpiece of downtown

Water Water Everywhere

The South Amherst beavers are nothing if not industrious

The Conservation Commission will hear two requests this evening, one from the DPW to breach a beaver dam to increase water flow on Plum Brook, and another from the Conservation Department to replace an  outflow structure at Markert's Pond with the goal -- according to Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek -- "to restore the pond to historic levels" i.e. larger.

 

Markert's Pond South Amherst 

Broken outflow structure allows too much water to escape

South Amherst Spray Park

Ancient wading pool will become a new spray park

The Groff Park $1 million renovation project -- including the first spray park in town, an additional handicapped accessible pavilion and new playground equipment -- is half way home after last night's Community Preservation Act Committee voted to recommend to Town Meeting the $550,000 in funding after they whittled it down a bit from $600,000.

 New playground equipment will be part of phase 2

CPAC Member Jim Brissette gave an impassioned defense of the proposal pointing out how it was really a Social Justice issue.  The town does more than any other surrounding town to encourage and attract low income housing but doesn't do nearly as much for the children who inevitably result from that type of housing.

For many residents of the apartment complexes along East Hadley Road, Groff Park is one of their very few -- possibly only -- options to cool off in the summer.

 Assistant Town Mgr Dave Ziomek presenting to CPAC.  Chair Mary Streeter (left)

Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek said that amount ($550K) would guarantee construction/renovation of the new spray park to replace the 60 year old wading pool, improved handicapped accessible walkways and a new roof on the old pavilion.

Roof probably should have been replaced a long time ago

 Old but still functional equipment near river will remain

The town will apply for a PARC grant to try to secure the second half of the financing although the CPA vote for the $550,000 was not contingent on grant approval.

So either way, BIG improvements coming to our little park.