Sunny Sunday Over A College Town

UMass Design Building looking west

Since the largest landowners in Amherst are our tax exempt educational institutes with Amherst College #1, UMass #2 and Hampshire College #3,  it's no big surprise that most of the current construction projects are taking place there.

 Amherst College Greenway Dorms

Amherst College new Science Center

But all these new buildings will be protected by Amherst Fire Department, and they have been at the understaffed breaking point for far too many years now.

Crotty Hall from North Plasant Street

 Crotty Hall from the side

UMass Physical Sciences Building

Hitchcock Center new living building on Hampshire College campus

However there is some (housing development) taking place that will go on the tax rolls:

 Olympia Place five story luxurious dorms built by private developer

Unlike Townehouse Apartments, courtyards are tiny

Not going to fit 1,000 plus in there

Townehouse Apartments  west quad April 24th

 

Hawthorne Farm  affordable duplex

Show Me The Money!

Only the Select Board can place an Override on the ballot

Amherst Select Board  June 20th

The Amherst Select Board heard a presentation/update from school officials concerning the proposed $65+ million Mega School on Monday night but had very little to say about it.

Interestingly in the packet of material presented to them a timeline which appeared to be chronological showed the Override question being put to the people before Town Meeting.

 Click to enlarge/read

Naturally I asked about that and Chair Alisa Brewer was a tad vague saying since it was "To Be Determined" those two items were not necessarily in chronological order like those ten items preceding them.

Although she not overly convincing.

The way it has worked in the past Town Meeting by a two-thirds vote approves an Override and then it goes to the people, where about half the time they have failed.  Only once (March 30, 2004) has an Override -- for the schools naturally -- been presented to the voters prior to Town Meeting approval.

 Annual Town Report 2005

While that one was successful a higher amount put on the same ballot (called a "pyramid override") failed.

Only once has the Select Board agreed to place an Override on the ballot after Town Meeting failed to muster a two-thirds vote of support.  And that new elementary school Override failed badly.  

The advantage of going to "the people" first is the Override question only requires a simple majority vote.  With that in hand it should be easy to convince Town Meeting to then support it by the two-thirds needed.

Especially now with Town Meeting possibly being legislated out of existence by a Charter Commission report that could (and hopefully will) come back with a Mayor/Council form of government.

And Town Meeting would probably have a hard time convincing voters they best represent them if they should not uphold an Override vote of "the people."

Especially since that Override will be on the November 8th Presidentail ballot which will see a 75% to 80% turnout in Amherst compared to the 10-15% pathetic turnout we usually get for a municipal election in the Spring.

But if Town Meeting does turn down the Override when they meet in mid-Novermber even if voters approved it by majority vote on November 8th, school supporters would then have 5 business days to collect the signitures of 5% of the registered voters to "referendum" the action of Town Meeting.

Which may not be all that easy since the active voters will be at an all time high (last Presidential election the Town Clerk reports 7,000 new voters signed up prior to the election).

Even then that ballot question would require a two-thirds vote of the people to overturn Town Meeting.  Additionally it requires a minimum turnout of 18% of the voters, something that rarely happens with a local election.

As my Chinese friends would say, "May you live in interesting times."

I'm Somebody Now!

The only things I love more than blogging (Jada)

(Kira)

Well how about that! The Valley Advocate declared me one of the "100 things" they love about the Valley.

Silly me, I always make fun of Internet listicals -- but this one strikes me as pretty darn lovable.

Although I'm pretty sure if, say, the Massachusetts Daily Collegian came up with a list of 100 things their readers hate about the Valley, I would be pretty high on the list.

The BIG advantage I have over traditional bricks-and-mortar media outlets is I know my hometown better than anyone.

And I still have a competitive karate spirit for getting the story, giving voice to the voiceless or speaking truth to power.  Especially when it's a combination of all three.

But mainly I have an Irish sense of humor -- even when the jokes on me. 

Crocker Construction

Crocker Farm access road yesterday (playground top left)

Work has begun on expanding the parking lot at Crocker Farm Elementary School to add 30-35 new spaces, and a couple of maple trees paid the ultimate price.

Crocker Farm four years ago (trees planted in 2002 renovation)

The renovation work is not necessarily linked to the school grade reconfiguration plan that would make Crocker Farm an early childhood education center (preK-1st grade).

The school currently is at capacity and expanded parking was identified (and the money appropriated) back in 2012.

 Crocker Farm School, built 1974 but renovated 2002 to a total of 90,800 square feet

In addition work on the new ($240K) ADA complaint playground has also commenced:

Homeless Shuffle

Town center this morning (submitted photo)

In case you wondered where our homeless population sleeps now that the shelter has closed for the season:  In and around town center, pitching tents in conservation areas and West Cemetery or breaking and entering into someone else's abode.

Stash (sleeping bag, clothes) behind Town Hall

Of course if APD then catches you it's off to the House of Correction in Northampton.  Last week in two seperate incidents police arrested four individuals who list their address as "Streets of Amherst."

Such was the case with Daniel Davenport and Melina Ann Lynch:

Click to enlarge/read

Troy Ward & Angel Rivera were arrested for more traditional B&E

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court handed down a decision today affirming the rights of a homeless individual to use the "necessities defense" for breaking and entering. 

But they drew the line when the weather is fair so Davenport and Lynch would not have had much luck using it.

However, if the Homeless Shelter goes dry next season and starts turning away patrons under the influence of drugs or alcohol on a cold winter night, neighboring residents and downtown businesses may see an increase in unwanted guests.

   Necessity Defense

In Eastern Hampshire District Court on Monday Judge Poehler refused the Commonwealth's request for bail on three of the four but did impose $1,000 bail on Angel Rivera.  Davenport, Lynch and Ward were all released on their personal recognizance and will be back in Court next month.

And, no doubt, now back on the streets of Amherst.

Pretty In White

Jada lined up with Miss Emily's famous white dress

Call me a history geek but I couldn't think of a better way of spending Fathers Day than walking around Amherst town center with my girls, having lunch at the Taste of Amherst, and then hanging out at the Amherst History Museum.

I am always a little amazed to be able to amble up close to the last remaining article of clothing worn by our most famous resident, Emily Dickinson: A simple white dress.

Like Miss Emily must have appeared at first glance all those years ago. Simple on the outside, but pricelessly complicated on the inside.

And I'm even more amazed the Strong House History Museum, one of the oldest wood structures in Amherst, has no sprinkler system in case of a catastrophic fire.

Town Meeting recently approved $390,000 for just such systems at The Evergreens and First Congregational Church which are of course historical treasures.

Amherst College owns both The Evergreens and the Dickinson Homestead and they matched the $190,000 Town Meeting approved for The Evergreens ultra fancy fire suppression system.

The Dickinson Museum has a copy of the white dress on display but the original remains at the nearby Strong House.

The proposed Jones Library expansion renovation will create 1,000 square feet of new climate controlled, sprinklered space for the neighboring Amherst History Museum to use for public display, which I would assume means the priceless white dress.

Hopefully before the unthinkable should happen.

Kira at age 14 is already taller than Miss Emily

An Interesting Question

The one question I would love someone to ask our half-dozen candidates for Ellen Story's 3rd Hampshire District state rep seat is how they plan to vote on the recreational marijuana ballot question this coming November?

3rd Hampshire District candidates debate last night

Interestingly at Monday night's Select Board hearing on the 4th request for a medical marijuana dispensary "Letter of Support", which took FOREVER, Happy Valley freely admitted they would love to pursue that market demographic.

But they were quick to point out their business plan showed they would be quite profitable with just the medical market (estimated at $10 million) as long as the Select Board issued them a Letter of Support like they did the other three.

Having made an effort to cover APD weekend arrests for drunk driving and OUI/drugs I have watched hundreds of arraignments and plea deals.

By far the main weapon used as evidence by the Commonwealth -- which borders on infallible -- to bring perps to a quick settlement (Ch24D deal) is the Breathalyzer Test for blood alcohol levels.

And thus far, there's no simple reliable such equivalent for marijuana.