First Day

 Paul Bockelman, Amherst Town Hall

Paul Bockelman started his first day on the job as the new permanent Town Manager replacing Temporary Town Manager Pete Hechenbleikner who replaced acting Town Manager Dave Ziomek who replaced John Musante when he died unexpectedly almost one year ago.

While Mr. Bockelman was heading back up the stairs to his new office the Amherst Cable Advisory Committee was meeting in the room next door, fomenting revolution.

The CAC is very unhappy with the final offer from Comcast on a ten year cable license renewal with a drop dead deadline of September 26.

Temporary Town Manager Hechenbleikner was happy enough with it to recommend it to the Select Board on his final day in office, August 1st.

But at their meeting last week the Select Board unanimously passed a motion underscoring their unhappiness with the proposed contract as well:

"Voted that the Town Manager communicate to our counsel that the Select Board is not satisfied with the proposed contract with Comcast because of the need for a more specific understanding about the availability of high definition and electronic program guide for PEG channels and our conclusion that the proposed capital budget does not meet our community's needs and expectations as expressed through the ascertainment process and our knowledge of community needs."

In addition the town is currently in a water crisis just as our #1 demographic -- college aged youth -- start returning to our institutes of higher education as Amherst is a three company town: UMass, Amherst & Hampshire Colleges.

Well, mainly UMass -- our states flagship of higher education.

And our public schools, once a source of civic pride, are in chaos after the sudden sour departure of Superintendent Maria Geryk, the highest paid town employee.  With first day of school only a week away.

Perhaps Mr. Bockelman should be wearing something more comfortable on his first day, as he most certainly will need to hit the ground running.

Wet Your Whistle

Atkins Reservoir this morning 8/21

Atkins Reservoir last Sunday 8/14 (down 7 feet or 50% total volume)

Unless today turns into a torrential downpour it's not looking good for our water crisis to be over with anytime soon, especially with our population about to almost double.

 Atkins sandbar this morning 8/21 (ignore that guy in the treeline)

 Atkins sandbar last week 8/14

Let's hope our beloved college aged youth don't use the water emergency as an excuse to drink more beer.

Most recent drought monitor 8/16 

Drought monitor 7/19

Secret Meetings Continue

Former Superintendent Maria Geryk getting a $309,000 buyout

Region and Union 26

Once again Pelham school committee representative Trevor Baptiste put up a stink about proceedings, this time concerning Union 26 taking a revote/do over on Maria Geryk's $309,000 buyout package, after he questioned if Union 26 is even a legal entity.

 Trevor Baptiste, former Chair of the Region 

Union 26 (Amherst & Pelham SC members) revote Maria Geryk $309K buyout

Last week they voted in favor of the contract but did not have a legal quorum.  

So after 10 minutes of bickering they came to a 4-1 affirmative vote (one member, Chair Tara Luce, had recused herself).  Last week the Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee voted 4-3 in favor of the buyout.

So now, theoretically, it's a done deal.

Except RSC member Vira Douangmany Cage is asking the Attorney General to investigate the matter.  And/or it only takes 10 teed-off taxpayers to file a class action lawsuit in Hampshire Superior Court
.

 Mike Morris appointed acting Superintendent

The Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee then went into executive session to negotiate a contract with Mike Morris to become Acting Superintendent, and to approve the executive session minutes over the past four sessions amounting to just over 11 hours of secret meetings.

Chair Laura Kent said it would be 45 minutes.  The Committee finally came back into public session around 9:15 PM -- after THREE HOURS -- but said they would not release the executive session minutes tonight.

   Audience at 6:15 when RSC went into executive session

That Didn't Take Long

Atkins Reservoir is down 50%

On Monday night the Amherst Select Board voted to give the Town Manager authority to escalate the "voluntary" water restrictions to "mandatory".  And today he did just that, starting Friday August 19.

My drone will be working overtime on enforcement.

 Click to enlarge/read

Don't Drink & Drive

MADD:  About one-third of all drunk driving arrests are repeat offenders

The two APD routine arrests over the weekend for Driving Under the Influence illustrate perfectly why the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on Monday reaffirmed the common sense notion that perps who have been detained for DUI have no right of counsel prior to administration of the Breathalyzer.

DUI Attorney Not Mandatory

In Massachusetts, an "implied consent" state, you do have the right to say "No" but that will result in a loss of license for six months.  And you do have the right to a phone call within one hour of being escorted into the police station.

Since the Breathalzyer test is time sensitive and DUI attorneys are not always available in the dead of night, requiring police departments to forgo this invaluable tool would result in far too many guilty parties going free.

With any one of them potentially going on to change forever the lives of an innocent family.

 Rafael Garcia, age 21 (APD intake photo)

Click to enlarge/read (note time of stop)

 Joshua Silver, age 27

Another late night incident

A Shining Example

During the Town Manager's report last night Dave Ziomek extolled the recent stand out performance of native son Michael Hixon who won an olympic silver medal, and the hearts and minds of many townies.

Amherst has the lowest median age in the state

Select Board Chair Alisa Brewer said the board had received a request to have a good old fashioned parade to congratulate Hixon, but she was concerned about such an undertaking -- especially at this time of year when the entire world seems to be on vacation.

Connie Kruger suggested a proclamation at least, with some sort of ceremony.  Mr. Ziomek said he would contact Hixon's parents to see when he may be back from Rio and available.

 Click to enlarge/read

Its been a tough year in our little college town.  Beloved Town Manager John Musante passed away suddenly on September 20, and our other top employee, School Superintendent Maria Geryk, is leaving under a toxic cloud of secrecy and suspicion.

Amherst, in spite of its independent spirit, is a company town and that company is higher education.

Michael Hixon represents everything that is right with our college aged youth.  And even more, what is righteous about our country.

Fight The Power

CAC Chair Dee Shabazz tells Select Board current contract offer is "disappointing"

The anti-corporate stand up for the little guy (and gal) attitude New Englanders are famous for was on full display at last nights' lengthy Select Board meeting as our executive branch voted unanimously to fight the current Comcast ten year cable franchise renewal offer and to send a message to Berkshire Gas to end the current moratorium on new gas hook ups that hurts our downtown.

To the cheers of the Cable Advisory Committee in the audience the SB instructed the Town Manager to tell Comcast the town is unhappy with the current final offer because the one time $950,000 capital allotment is too low and not bringing HD to our local cable access channels is unacceptable.



In the 2006 contract Comcast allocated $450,000 (or $538,000 in today's dollars) in one time capital allowance but much of the infrastructure equipment was already dated and now needs to be replaced.

Amherst Media requested $2.2 million and at yesterday's CAC meeting Director Jim Lescault said even with the draconian cuts to reach the new $950K target he is still shy $230,000.

The capital monies in question are "pass along" costs to the 7,000 Amherst Comcast customers and at $950K would amount to $1.24 monthly which is an increase of 36 cents from the current 86 cents per month.

The contract expires in mid-October but the Select Board has a September 26th drop-dead deadline to officially respond to the current Comcast offer.

Amherst now relies on the Comcast iNet infrastructure for telephones and Internet, so if the system should go dark in October it will send the town back into the stone age.