School Consolidation? Park it

Kathy Mazur tells RSC it's back to the drawing board on school consolidation

The Amherst Regional School Committee heard a defeatist update from HR Director Kathy Mazur, who was charged with scoping out the merging of Middle School students into the High School building, which represented a complete turn around from her optimistic presentation back in late January projecting annual cost savings of $800,000.

The High School was expanded/renovated 20 years ago and has a current capacity of 1,700 while the projected population of both High School and Middle School grades 7-12 this coming September is only 1,340.

But Ms. Mazur said after viewing comments from over 960 individuals she has changed her mind:

"There are very few grades 7-12 schools in Mass with over 1,000 kids.   It's a LOT of students.  Our cafeteria is challenged now."

Mazur said there was "great interest" from a variety of groups in reusing the building, but the Region cannot make a profit by renting out space.

The Middle School is currently used by Greenfield Community College after regular school hours and the town's Leisure Services and Supplemental Education recently moved into an unused portion of the building.

And The Beat Goes On

West entrance Whitmore Admin building around 6:30 PM

UMPD did not waste any time today in day three of the UMass sit in at Whitmore Administration building to protest their fossil fuel investment portfolio.

Just after 6:00 PM, official closing time for the building, they gave the dispersal order which about 150 took to heart and marched out of the building.  But 19 did not, and were summarily arrested.

 Students line up along main ramp around 5:30 PM to support protesters inside

They will all be arraigned tomorrow in Eastern Hampshire District Court probably before Judge Estes, who was in a good mood this morning, joking about his Prius and whether the defendants took a bus or bicycle to get to his courtroom.

Tomorrow, with another 19 crowding the courtroom, he may not be as jovial.

Student Activism Revival

UMass Whitmore Administration Building 9:30 PM

Amherst Town Hall 8:15 PM

Yesterday was a high water mark for student involvement in public affairs the likes of which I have not seen in many years.

Amherst Regional Middles school students brought their sink Columbus in favor of Indigenous Peoples' Day to both the Regional School Committee meeting and the Town Meeting Warrant Review in Town Hall.

 Amherst Regional School Committee meeting 6:30 Public Comment period

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And of course the UMass Whitmore  protest -- a good old fashioned sit in take over of a public building -- escalated to the point of physical arrest for 15 students who wish to force their University to divest from fossil fuel investments.

 After arraignment students waited in hallway to talk to Assistant DA

In Eastern Hampshire District Court this morning all 15 decided to represent themselves and negotiate directly with Assistant District Attorney Bob Opsitnick.

 15 student protesters were arraigned before Judge Estes three at a time

At conclusion of building sweep protesters chanted "We will be back"

As part of a plea deal all 15 of them were offered and they accepted the following:

Pre-Trial Probation for 4 Months, $50.00 Monthly Probation Fee. They all have the option to do Community Service in lieu of cash.

Conditions of Probation are: Stay away from Whitmore Hall AFTER 6:00 pm and perform 20 hours of Community Service.  Part of those 20 hours will be to participate in Look Park cleanup on Earth Day.

 UMPD Statement of Facts

Wasting Sunshine

Ye old, old landfill off Old Farm Road

Any Yankee farmer will tell you to make hay while the sun shines, and these days that sunshine also contributes to the energy grid.  Although the gold rush to solar arrays stalled once the incentive net metering cap was reached.

Newer old landfill Belchertown Road (just across the street)

Yesterday, however, Governor Baker signed a bill lifting the net metering caps but reducing the compensation rate by 40% for larger commercial arrays.  

So I was a little worried about our two proposed large commercial projects out on the old landfill and the old, old landfill across the street.

And quite frankly, I still am.

 

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Business Leader Wanted

Amherst downtown is small but feisty

Amherst Chamber Want Ad

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Select Board: Just Say No

Jones Library right, Strong House history museum left Kinsey Garden circled in red

Not surprisingly the Amherst Select Board, our current executive branch of government, voted unanimously to recommend dismissal of Town Meeting warrant article #41 that would prevent the Jones Library from touching a single plant in the Kinsey Memorial Garden located immediately behind the Library and prime turf for a potential $30+ million expansion/renovation.

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The "citizens petition" article, unanimously opposed by the Jones Board of Trustees, is only advisory so even if Town Meeting approves it by majority vote there's no legal requirement for the Library to follow the advice.

 Kinsey Memorial Garden

By far the more important land use decision for the Library would already have been made prior to Article #41.

Land immediately adjacent to the Kinsey Memorial Garden, also green space currently occupied by the Strong House History Museum 18th Century Garden, is required for the Jones Library to do the preferred expansion design.

Article #31, which requires a two-thirds vote, would change the zoning on that property to General Business from the current General Residential.   That would allow the cash strapped Amherst Historical Society to sell the property to the Jones Library for their expansion/renovation. 

Charter Commission: Show Us The Money!

Charter Question passed with a 60% majority 2,039 to 1,340

The Amherst Charter Commission overcame ideological differences and voted unanimously in favor of a $30,000 request to Town Meeting for overhead costs over the next year or so, mainly in the form of a professional consultant or two.

Motion states "for engaging consulting services"

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The Commission spent an hour discussing the pros and cons but very early in the process they all agreed by consensus that a consultant or two would definitely be required.

 Amherst Charter Commission (meeting in the Bangs Community Center)

The three skeptical members -- Meg Gage, Gerry Weiss and Diana Stein -- were concerned the Commission was asking for too much too early in the process.

But they were convinced by the other six who favored the $30,000 from the start, but said it would most likely be necessary to go to the Fall Town Meeting to ask that some of that money be reallocated to other Charter related expenses unrelated to consulting.

Andy Churchill, now Commission Chair, had written and submitted the Town Meeting article early in the process in order to make the deadline for this upcoming session, and now it's too late to change the wording to broaden it beyond use of "consultants".

They all agreed to divvy up a list of towns in the state who are engaged in or recently finished the Charter process to ascertain what they spent and for what services.

Article 35 will probably not come up until late May, so they have time do research and come up with data to support their request.

The Charter Commission also voted to set their first state mandated Public Forum for Thursday, May 12th in the Amherst Regional Middle School auditorium from 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM.

Annual Town Meeting starts May 2nd with a 45 article warrant, 13 of them "citizens petitions," which are often time consuming.

Meanwhile, meeting at the same time over in Town Hall the Select Board announced the three finalists for permanent Town Manager:

#amherstma Finalists for town manager are Paul Bokelman of Somerville, Maria Capriola of Willimantic, CT & William Fraser of Montpelier, VT

— scott merzbach (@scottmerzbach) April 11, 2016