Town Meeting: War & Peace?

257th Annual Town Meeting 2015:  30 articles (8 of them citizens petitions), 8 sessions

With 44 articles scheduled as of last night, get ready for a l-o-n-g -- possibly record breaking -- Annual Town Meeting, which starts May 2nd.

Click to enlarge/read

Maybe not #1 for number of articles over the last 10 years, as that distinction goes to 2008 with 47 articles.  And not even #2 since 2013 had 45.  But a solid, above average,  #3.

Over the past ten years the average number of articles on the warrant comes to 37, with the average number of sessions required to deal with that clocking in at 9 sessions.

In other words nine full nights for 150 or so Town Meeting members who bother to show up and a dozen or more town employees who pretty much have to show up.

But the BIG difference is in 2008 only five of the 47 articles were "citizens petitions" and in 2013 eight of the 45 articles fit that category.

This upcoming Town Meeting will have, ugh, a very unlucky 13.

 General Petition = "Citizens Petition"

And the problem with citizens petitions is they are usually put on the warrant (with only 10 signatures required) by do-gooders who wish to pontificate for as l-o-n-g as possible in front of the microphone.

God help us.

Library Expansion Preliminary Cost

Jones Library 48,000 square feet about half of it original and historic

The Jones Library Design Subcommittee heard a presentation this morning from their architects Finegold Alexander about the preliminary -- and everybody was careful to accent "preliminary" -- plans for the expansion/renovation of the current 48,000 square foot facility that dominates the western part of downtown.

Jones Library Design Subcommittee (10 people were in the audience concerned about gardens in back where expansion will go)

The "dream vision" would have been 110,000 square feet (more than doubling in size) and cost $53.8 million, the cheapest alternative of renovation only for existing facility came to $20 million, and the "sweet spot" in between -- and highly favored design concept -- of a 65,000 square foot building came to $31.9 million.

 Wider purple to rear indicates expansion footprint if Strong House property involved

That concept (Option 2) does require the purchase of property from the Strong House History Museum next door, and that price does not reflect whatever that cost will be if Town Meeting approves a needed zoning change to allow the land deal.

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, who suggested a 75,000 square foot target, will cover 41% of the eligible costs which the architects  calculated at $12 million, thus the town share comes to $19.7 million.

Earlier this week in a presentation to the Select Board, a new DPW facility concept  was unveiled at a "preliminary" cost of $37 million. 

And a couple months ago the Wildwood School Building Committee chose a "preliminary" design for a new elementary school that combines two schools in one for a total cost of $65 million, with town share coming to $30 million or so.

Nothing concrete concerning the new South Fire Station however, although it gets lots of lip service.

AFD Central Station, built 1929, is embarrassingly cramped

Up In Smoke

Last February

About a year after the Amherst Board of Health increased the legal age to purchase tobacco products in town from 18 up to 21, the Wild Side Smoke shop in town center is no more.   Becoming just another empty downtown storefront.

 This morning

At least this one we can't blame on the stellar UMass food service program, which seems to keep students on campus and away from our downtown restaurants.  

 Branch on College Street is still open

Zoning Ping Pong

Strong House (left) Jones Library (center)

Proposed property sale (red box)

Last week Jones Library Director Sharon Sharry and Selectman Jim Wald went before the Planning Board just to give them a heads up about a rezoning of the Strong House History Museum from  (R-G) Residential to (B-G) Business.

 Jim Wald and Sharon Sharry appear before Amherst Planning Board last week

This would allow the less than affluent History Museum to sell side and back property to the Jones Library for their expansion/renovation.  Without the zoning change they could not sell any of their property because it would leave their facility "non conforming" according to residential zoning code.

On Monday night the Select Board briefly discussed the issue and heard that a "covenant" could become part of the article to ensure the property does not someday sell to another entity and become some other commercial enterprise.

Connie Kruger was concerned that would simply "muddy the water" and she pointed out the real problem is some people do not want the Jones Library to expand.  And a zoning article does require a challenging two-thirds vote of Town Meeting to pass.

 Jones Library is an economic engine for the downtown

A Jones Library representative is now scheduled to appear at the April 4 Select Board meeting to request the zoning issue be placed on the warrant.  The Select Board is signing the warrant that night but there's still time to add this article with a simple majority vote.

Since Town Meeting does not start until May 2 that allows enough time for the Planning Board to call a state mandated public hearing on the matter and issue their recommendation/report.

Then all it has to do is survive that zoning gauntlet know as Town Meeting.

DUI Dishonor Roll

Rocky Hill Road, Hadley 8:50 PM Sunday (Hadley PD Facebook)

Yes everybody deserves a second chance -- especially when it comes to substance abuse.

 Jocelyn Brick, 27, stands before Judge Thomas Estes in Eastern Hampshire District Court

But the sympathy quota goes down dramatically after that second screw up -- especially when it happens at a normal family hour when plenty of innocent drivers are on the road.

 Click to enlarge/read (note Portable Breath Test almost twice legal limit)

Fortunately it will be a l-o-n-g time before Ms. Brick gets behind the wheel of a car again as the automatic license suspension for refusing the Breath Test on a second offense DUI arrest is three years.

She was released on her personal recognizance and returns to District Court April 24 with her private (no doubt expensive) attorney.

Let The Battle Begin!

All three Charter Ballot Questions have passed over the past 20 years

Like worms after a spring rain, lawn signs will be springing up all over town this week.  A few for the only contested townwide position -- School Committee -- but mostly for the most hotly contested issue of the year:  ditching our current old fashioned amateur form of government.

Well, electing a 9-member Charter Commission to discuss it anyway and return to the voters with whatever proposal they create.

 Anyone but Vince

 What are they afraid of?

Expensive Puzzle Pieces

Over half DPW equipment is routinely stored outdoors

DPW Chief Guilford Mooring and Weston & Sampson consultants present to Amherst Select Board

The Amherst Select Board was given an informational heads up presentation last night concerning the new DPW facility, which clocks in at 8.5 acres but combines many functions now spread out all over town and with a somewhat startling sticker price of $37 million, but that will go down somewhat after one site is chosen.

   Amherst DPW Equipment List

Current DPW building has no fire suppression sprinkler system

 Giant Arbor Vitaes would be removed for new for Fire Station entrance

Currently the plan is for the new $65+ million Wildwood Mega School to allow Fort River to be abandoned so it can become the new DPW.  The beloved old current DPW "Barn" would be demolished (after a Historical Commission demo delay hearing of course) for a new South Fire Station.

 AFD Central Station is too old and cramped for a modern day Fire Department

And the old downtown Central Station could be used for either the Jones Library expansion or sold to a private developer to become a taxpaying mixed use signature building in the heart of our commercial district.

Fort River Elementary School:  Colorful new location for DPW?