Conservation Now

Atkins Reservoir is down 4 feet

UPDATE:  The Select Board voted unanimously to give the Town Manager authority to implement mandatory water restrictions should the drought worsen before they meet again on August 29.

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The Amherst Select Board, acting as the town's Water Commissioners, will consider stepping up their game on Monday when it comes to water conservation in the dog days of August by making the current "voluntary" controls "mandatory".

 July rainfall is down 40% from the ten year average

One problem is the the day after they enacted the advisory ban it rained.  Not nearly enough precipitation to do much of anything other then create an impression that Mother Nature was suddenly on our side.

 Click to enlarge/read

As the DPW chief points out the "voluntary water restrictions have helped with only 7 of the last 16 days."

And with our #1 demographic -- college aged youth -- about to descend on our sleepy little town, it would be nice to ensure that when a faucet is turned the water still flows.

 Atkins Reservoir this morning

Consonance & Dissonance

 Today's Gazette (almost keeping up)

This morning's hometown newspaper front page says it all: The catastrophic implosion of Maria Geryk's 5.5 year reign as Superintendent of the venerable Amherst Regional Public Schools dominating above-and-below the fold with two dirty laundry stories on the right side, while the historic Olympic silver medal win of hometown boy and recent ARHS graduate Micheal Hixon shares the left side.

Maria Geryk before the fall


Click to enlarge/read

No mention of the $309K buyout coming out of the schools budget

Controversial Deal Requires DO OVER

Laura Kent (right) first elected to Amherst School Committee 3/29/16

Union 26 will have to try once again to settle the controversial matter of Superintendent Maria Geryk wishing to break her contract and collect $309,000. 

Last night the combined Committees voted 5-3 in favor of the deleterious deal but Union 26 did not have a quorum and therefor should not even have been called into session.

Union 26 will try again on Monday, August 15th, probably in a secured bunker.

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On Aug 10, 2016, at 4:14 PM, Larry Kelley <amherstac@aol.com> wrote:

Hey Laura,

Are you going to call another joint meeting of the RSC and Union 26 to redo the vote on Maria Geryk's separation agreement? 

I'm about to file an Open Meeting Law complaint with you over last night's meeting not having a quorum of Union 26 members, but will hold off if you are in the process of "doing over."

Larry


From: Laura Kent
To: Larry Kelley
Sent: Wed, Aug 10, 2016 5:01 pm
Subject: Re: Last night's boo boo

Hey Larry,

Thanks for the email before doing that. I really appreciate it-  I talked to the Attorney Generals office this afternoon.  It is an honest mistake, I thought with Tara Luce recusing herself the body would sit at 5 and three of us present (4 voting).  The members of the Union are as follows: Tara Luce (Pelham Chair), Darius Modestow (Pelham Vice/ Union #26 Chair), Trevor Baptiste (Pelham Secretary), Katherine Appy (Amherst Chair), Phoebe Hazzard (Amherst Vice) and myself (Amherst Secretary)- 6 total.

There is a "rule of necessity" where Tara could have removed her recusal to meet quorum but I was unaware of that (from Ethics/Conflict of Interest law). I also have not heard or had any communication with her during this whole matter.

Darius is scheduling a meeting of the Union Monday morning and I will be having a Regional School Committee meeting on Wednesday at 6.  I am finalizing the RSC agenda right now and will get that off soon.  The votes of the RSC (quorum present) would be 4-3 from last night.

Thanks also for coming last night and staying post executive session, I know it was another long one.  If you have any other questions, please let me know.

Laura

Do Over!!!

Only two members of Union 26 were present last night

Last night was supposed to be a joint meeting of the Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee and Union 26, so with 100% attendance it would include 12 individuals.

But only seven bothered to show up for the Last Supper and another one -- Katherine Appy -- appeared via "remote participation" which means she does not count towards a quorum.

Since six of the seven were Regional School Committee members that constitutes a quorum for that body.

But Union 26 was not even close to a quorum (only 2 of 6).  According to Debbie Westmoreland, assistant to the (now dethroned) Superintendent:

"Union 26 is made up of the three officers (chair, vice-chair and secretary) from the Amherst and Pelham School Committees, so it is currently Tara Luce, Darius Modestow and Trevor Baptiste for Pelham and Katherine Appy, Rick Hood and Phoebe Hazzard for Amherst." 

While Rick Hood was in the room he is no longer a member of the Amherst School Committee so therefor cannot be a member of Union 26.  Katherine Appy was using "remote participation" which state law says you do not count towards the quorum and Phoebe Hazzard and Tara Luce were MIA.

This HUGE oversight certainly demonstrates how the School Committees were distracted by their  headlong rush to judgement.

   Maria Geryk ARPS Superintendent contract by Larry Kelley on Scribd

Note her contract is signed by Union 26 and Regional SC Chairs

The Other Shoe Drops

Aisha & Raheli Hiza:  Banned in Pelham

UPDATE:  The RSC voted 5-3 to give Maria Geryk a $310K buyout.  Ouch!

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Before our embattled, diffident Regional School Committee rubber stamps Maria Geryk's $300K platinum parachute they may want to consider another major lawsuit in the making.

Yes, Ms. Hiza has made it perfectly clear she's not interested in money, only justice.

But she will most certainly be appalled at a $300K payout to Geryk, when in fact it was the impetuous implementation of an unjust stay away order that led to her current downfall.

But if the RSC insists on rewarding that bad behavior, Ms. Hiza will most certainly reset her goals to an equal payout for the significant emotional damages inflicted on her and -- most especially -- her daughter.

The old, "Damned if you do and damned if you don't".  So why not do what's right?

   Aisha Hiza Lawsuit in the Making

School Committee Final Fiasco?

Regional School Committee 6/14, minutes before ousting Trevor Baptiste as Chair

UPDATE:  RSC voted 5-3 to give Maria Geryk a $310K buyout.  Ouch!

For the 4th consecutive time the Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee will retreat into executive session later today to perhaps finalize the deal struck with Superintendent Maria Geryk over the past three secret sessions, however, as he did previously Trevor Baptiste will request the Committee NOT pull the curtains like a Romulan cloaking device.

Rookie Chair Laura Kent already made it perfectly clear in a "confidential" memo illicitly leaked by the Daily Hampshire Gazette that she wants an immediate up or down vote on the offer -- which Sean Mangano, Director of Finance, estimates at between $280,000 to $300,000.

 Click to enlarge/read

Since the vote to confirm that duplicitous deal has to be made in public why not stay in open session and rip off the band-aid like a man? (Or woman as the case may be).

Mr. Baptiste is also concerned there has been no discussion of what a major impact that large settlement amount will do to day-to-day operations of the schools.

Not to mention the loss of an all powerful Superintendent at this critical time, with the Select Board just having approved placing a $33 million Override question for the Amherst Schools on the November 8th ballot.

The RSC can vote to approve the 1.5 year buyout, reduce the offer to one year, or simply fire the Superintendent for insubordination.

As Yogi once said, "It ain't over till it's over"

Alpine Commons Fire Update

Alpine Commons June 4th

Alpine Commons today

While an exact cause for the devastating fire that ripped through an 8-unit apartment complex at Alpine Commons on Saturday afternoon June 4th has not yet been determined, AFD Chief Tim Nelson said they have narrowed down the ignition point to the upstairs apartment on the west end.

Which explains why the fire quickly entered the attic, where it had an unobstructed route all the way to the eastern side of the building.

Both Chief Nelson and Building Commissioner Rob Morra agree the building is still salvageable but two months later nothing has been done besides erecting a protective fencing around the burned out hulk.

If the owners simply demolish it and start over or if the renovation exceeds 50% of the floor area -- and Mr. Morra suspects it will -- then sprinklers will be required by current building codes.

And considering the staffing levels at beleaguered AFD, sprinklers can be a lifesaver.

 The Fisher Hospice House fire 7/22, without sprinklers, could have been a disaster