Brown, Green & Red (Ink That Is)

Town took course by eminent domain in 1987 for $2.2 million  (twice that in today's $)

The municipally owned Cherry Hill Golf Course continues to do what it does best:  squander taxpayer money.  In FY2016, which just ended on June 30, a hefty six digit number or $106,725 to be exact.

FY16 total intake was $210,199.72

Money that could be better spent hiring a few more pubic safety personnel, teachers, DPW workers or simply stashed in a capital savings account for the four major building projects coming up that will cost over $100 million in town money.

Two years ago Town Manager John Musante admitted to the Select Board in a memo,  "This ongoing evaluation will likely include revisiting the cost-benefits of privatizing operations of the Cherry Hill Golf Course."

Unfortunately Mr. Musante died before that could happen and the town's top executive position has been somewhat in flux ever since.

Two years ago (FY14) the beleaguered golf business lost $103,964 and last year (FY15) $86,543.

And based on that catastrophic consistency it was pretty easy for me to predict this year's loss of $100K.

Makes you wonder how closely the ailing operations are scrutinized in advance by the Town Manager, Finance Committee, or clueless Town Meeting.

Secret Sessions Continue

All 12 members appeared for the meeting but 2 of them used "remote participation"

Despite the Open Meeting Law complaint filed against them the night before and over the objection of former Chair Trevor Baptiste the Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee, after 11 minutes of bickering, retreated into execution session for 2.75 hours, calling it a night at 9:00 PM.

This was the third consecutive session (not counting the two that were cancelled at the last minute) the Committee has used the provision of the Open Meeting Law that allows for secret sessions.



Since contract negotiations with Superintendent Maria Geryk -- who still has two years left on her current contract -- was the only issue cited on the agenda the Committee could not discuss her long delayed evaluation, the Open Meeting Law complaint filed against them on Sunday evening or the price of pot in Colorado.

The RSC will meet again on August 9th in open session to, finally, finish up the evaluation of Superintendent Geryk and then retreat back into secret session to discuss the Open Meeting Law complaint.

Yeah, irony.

Take What You Can Get

Cable Advisory Committee (rt), Pete Hechenbleikner (top ctr) Jim Lescault (left ctr)

UPDATE:  Select Board decided to hold off on making any decision about the Comcast renewal until they are at full strength (only 3 of 5 members present this evening).

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In his final day as Temporary Town Manager Pete Hechenbleikner made it perfectly clear to the Cable Advisory Committee and Amherst Media Director Jim Lescault that he was going to recommend the Amherst Select Board accept and sign the ten year cable renewal contract with Comcast.

The CAC met this morning with Hochenbleikner to discuss and vote on a recommendation to the Select Board and after an hour and a half of discussion decided to take no vote but declared a "consensus" that the offer of one time capital payment of $950,000 was too low.

The Committee was concerned about taking a formal vote when two of their most experienced members were absent.

The previous 2006 contract generated only $450,000 for capital and Mr. Hochenbleikner stated this current offer of $950,000 was the highest in the state for municipalities of comparable size (Northampton, for instance, was paid $750,000).

The town will get to continue using the iNet infrastructure at no extra charge for three more years and then can build their own or renegotiate with Comcast for its continued usage.  A new (better) system will cost about $250,000.

Comcast will continue to pay 5% -- the standard amount -- cut of cable TV revenues to the town (about $300,000 annually), which is then turned over to Amherst Media to provide for their programming on three channels, called "PEG Access."

Click to enlarge/read

 To be presented at tonight's Select Board meeting

 

A Tad Too Secretive?

Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee will meet tonight in ARHS Library

Even before the Regional School Committee convenes this evening for the 3rd straight executive session regarding the fate of Superintendent Maria Geryk, a guardian with a grandchild in the public school system has filed an Open Meeting Law complaint over their secretive behavior.

   School Comm OPM Complaint

Clearly there are problems with the annual evaluation of the Superintendent and clearly the Open Meeting Law states, unlike lower echelon employees in the public schools, all deliberations regarding the Superintendent's job performance must take place in public.

Half A Loaf?

Amherst Media also has to find a new building soon

A bit of a firefight is brewing for Monday night's Select Board meeting as Amherst Media Director Jim Lescault is not overly happy with the ten year cable contract license renewal negotiated by our Cable Advisory Committee and Temporary Town Manager Pete Hechenbleikner with mega Death Star corporation Comcast.

Amherst Media is our Public Access provider (with three channels) bringing us town government meetings and the occasional offbeat do it yourself productions.

Ten years ago the contract provided $450,000 in a one time capital equipment funding and this year Amherst Media was looking for $2.2 million.

Amherst Media Board of Directors President Steven Brewer, husband of Select Board Chair Alisa Brewer, is also very unhappy with the proposed contract.

Steven Brewer testifying at 9/25/15 Cable Ascertainment Hearing before Select Board

Comcast is offering $950,000, or less than half the request.  But, as usual, the contract does call for a 5% cut of cable TV revenues (but not telephone or Internet) which come to about $300,000 annually. 

Busy Friday

Northampton Fire Department in South Amherst Friday 8:29 AM

If you or a loved one required an ambulance Friday morning Amherst Fire Department -- your local hometown providers -- would have relied on a neighboring professional EMS department to come to your aid. 

Hence the term "mutual aid".

In fact our friends in Northampton had to respond to a call in South Amherst from a 14-year-old who awakened with severe lower extremity pain. 

APD responded immediately (although they too were stretched at the time) and AFD's fire prevention officer  jumped in his vehicle and sped to the scene to assist until the Northampton ambulance arrived.

Unfortunately it's not all that unusual:  The needs of Amherst residents being met by a neighboring FD ambulance averages 78 times per year.

 AFD & APD on scene Northampton Road 8:10 AM for our friend Ethel

Over the next 12 hours AFD Dispatch would tone out on three separate occasions for off duty personnel or the Call Force to come in for "station coverage."

And even that only provides minimum coverage at the station, not enough to fully staff an engine in case The Beast came calling.

Why do you think they are a called a "fire department?"

Engine 1 with only 1 aboard (left) arrived to this on June 4th

Last month on a "routine" Saturday afternoon the first arriving engine at a major fire at Alpine Commons apartment building had only one firefighter aboard (the driver) and he could do virtually nothing until anther engine arrived from North Station with three aboard.

We were flat out lucky on Friday morning.  One day soon, our luck will run out.

Pot Of Gold

Amherst Medical marijuana is projected to be $10 million in annual sales

The Amherst Select Board acting as our chief executives will sign a "community host agreement" on Monday night with one of four Registered Marijuana Dispensaries  that will generate at least $90,000 in guaranteed payments and possibly twice that in a 3% take of the action, estimated to be $10 million annually.

   Amherst Pot Agreement

The contract calls for $75,000 in year one plus 3% of gross sales, and a guaranteed payment of $15,000 annually to a social service agency that focuses on Amherst.  The next two years of the contract ,where annual sales will have ramped up, calls for just the 3% cut of sales.

Of the four entities wishing to acquire the Golden Ticket to sell medicinal pot in Amherst only two have thus far gained a required Special Permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals: Mass Alternative Care at 55 University Drive and GTI Massachusetts NP Corporation at 169 Meadow Street.

Rafters has been a local landmark for 25 years proposed site for Happy Valley Ventures

Interestingly Happy Valley Ventures has not yet acquired that vital document.  And by most measures they are only business generating controversy since their operation will displace Rafters Sports Bar and Restaurant, a beloved institution for the past 25 years.

Obviously this gold rush is stimulated by not only the medical market for this all natural drug of choice, but the recreational legalization question coming up on the November 8th ballot.

In 2000 Amherst was the first community in the state to approve a non binding referendum question urging police to relax the enforcement of marijuana laws.

And in 2001 the Select Board unanimously approved a letter to state and federal authorities urging legalization as Amherst Town Meeting had done previously in 1976.