The Battle Continues

 Wildwood new Mega School project on the November 8th ballot

From: Debbie Westmoreland 
Date: September 28, 2016 at 10:04:02 AM EDT
To: Anastasia Ordonez , Cara Castenson , Emily Marriott , Katherine Appy , Phoebe Hazzard , Stephen Sullivan , Tara Luce , Trevor Baptiste , Vira Douangmany 
Cc: Michael Morris 
Subject: Fwd: My Concerns
 
Dear School Committee Members:
 
I grew up in Amherst and am an ARHS alumna as well as my son. I am extremely active with the Hurricane Athletic Boosters and am on the Board of A Better Chance (ABC) House. Although I do not currently have children in our schools, I am deeply involved with funding programs which benefit many students. I am proud of our schools, teachers, programs and especially our students! 

I am also a business professional in Amherst - specifically a Realtor. Realtors promote our community and all of its amenitiesto families, young professionals, and retirees who wish to settle here. Realtors greatly depend upon the viability of the public schools to sell our community and create confidence around a major home purchase. 

Over the past three years I have witnessed the dysfunction of the school committees (Regional, Amherst and Pelham). The infighting amongst members and the negative press our public schools are receiving in the Hampshire Gazette/Amherst Bulletinas a result is horrifying! 

It is abominable to think that the personal agendas of a few members has created this major schism in what was once a stable, collaborative and mindful group. To listen to self-proclaimed activists destroy our schools and community is deplorable. 

These so-called activists are simply masquerading under the guise of commitment, but in reality are intent on destroying Amherst. In particular, I blame two members for the demise of school committee credibility ____________and Vira Cage should be ashamed of themselves! 

I must remind you that your actions and decisions reflect greatly upon the economy and growth of our community. As a long-time Amherst resident and Realtor, it is becoming extremely difficult to accept a school committee system that is so broken. I no longer want to explain to clients and potential residents the school committee “situation” that is reported in the media. I much prefer to focus on the strengths of our community’s public schools. 

I implore all school committee members to be mindful of the community, public schools, teachers and students at all times. As elected officials, please listen to constituents and stop listening to yourselves! 


Respectfully,



Karen S Dunn


#####

Vira Douangmany Cage response posted to Facebook:

I wrestled with sharing this public document but I think it is more important for people to see what folks of color experience when we challenge the status quo...even in a progressive community like Amherst. I redacted the other school committee of color named and cell phone numbers.

On Fri, Sep 30, 2016 at 11:06 AM, wrote:


Dear Ms. Dunn:

Thank you for writing in below. I am glad you are so open about your view and expressing them in such a public way. That takes courage and commitment.

Thank you for sharing your philanthropic causes to help the ABC House and our athletes.

Thank you for sharing that negative media attention is destroying Amherst and our schools and thank you for feeling so comfortable in naming me as your scapegoat.

I know your confidence comes from a very powerful and entrenched place of privilege in this community.
While I welcome your comments, I am not clear about what specifically you are shaming me for?

Are you shaming me because I support Amherst small schools and voted against the elementary school grade reconfiguration and consolidation plan? Many white homeowners are not happy and have said they will remove their children from our public schools if the mega-school proposal goes through. 

I like preserving our K-6 elementary schools (what is left!) don't you? The people of color I know don't like it either. Marks Meadow was a gem but parents lost that struggle.

Are you shaming me for calling our school committee to successfully restore the paraeducator positions that were set to be eliminated in our elementary school
libraries?

Are you shaming me for attempting to protect the public's money in voting against our previous school superintendent buy-out? Certainly, it wasn't my personal money I was giving away.

Are you shaming me for standing up for a particular mom of color from Pelham? I think it is a mistake to dismiss her plight because there is an assumption she has no money or social capital and therefore we can get away with the oppression and vilification and violation of her civil rights.

I read your letter, however, I am not understanding your basis for your public condemnation.

Feel free to clarify.

Have a great day!

Best,
Vira Douangmany Cage

Amherst School Committee
Term 2015-2018

Don't Stop

Current drought monitor map

Drought monitor last month

While conservation measures enacted since late August have been helpful, Mother Nature's teasing response to pleas for drenching rain has been a tad less so.

Take today for instance:  Just enough to screw up your outdoor barbecue but not nearly enough to float a boat on the growing sandbar at closed Atkins Reservoir. 

On September 21, the day Atkins shut down, after we had been pumping close to one million gallons of water per day for the previous few weeks, our main reservoir stood at 9' 7" down with 60 million gallons of water remaining from 200 million gallons when full.

 Atkins Reservoir October 7th still at only 34% of capacity

On Friday, October 7, with no pumping at all for 17 days, our main reservoir stood at 8' 10" down with 76 million gallons remaining from full capacity of 200 million gallons.

 Atkins Reservoir sandbar 8/21

Atkins sandbar 10/7.  Note hot tub depression once fully underwater

In other words not all that much recharge has taken place.  And if the reservoir had not gone off line when it did it would now be at a historic low level.

Water consumption over the past few weeks has been around 3 million gallons per day but not all that much less than a year ago at this same time when no water ban was in effect.

Click to enlarge/read

Note Columbus Day weekend drop off in consumption with UMass kids gone

UMass is a ghost town over Indigenous Peoples Day weekend

The drought task force is expected to advise municipalities to maintain their water bans until at least Halloween and if a lot more rain has not fallen by then probably into the winter.

The Amherst Select Board enacted fines for water ban violations as an emergency edict until the ban is lifted but stopped short of making it a regular town bylaw since the Department of Environmental Protection would then have the authority to force the town to implement it at any time in the future.




Currently our wells are holding up just fine, although there's no way to measure the supply they draw from.

So as long as a Creepy Clown does not sabotage Wells 3 or 4 ...

Student Power

Student Union located in the heart of campus

In addition to the early voting times and places approved by the Board of Registrars last week they met again on Thursday and added UMass to the list.

Early voting will be held in these locations on the following dates from 10 AM to 4:00 PM:

10/25 – The Spot

10/27 – Cape Cod Lounge

11/1 – Cape Cod Lounge

11 /3 – The Spot

Out of about 20,000 total registered voters in town upwards of 30% are students and although they normally don't bother with our local election in the spring they do come out in droves for the Presidential contest.

Of course the big question is whether they will take any interest in Question 5, the new $67 million Mega School that will forever alter the way elementary aged children in town are educated.

A Town Gown Project

Authority Way on left, Olympia Drive right

In addition to approving the multi-million dollar ten year cable renewal contract with Comcast the Select Board yesterday also approved Town Manager Paul Bockelman's deal with UMass to pave Authority Way, owned by UMass but connecting to town owned Olympia Drive.

The town will pay $20,000 of the $84,000 total cost and UMass will pick up $64,000, the lion's share. 

The town was creating a turn around for school buses (that need to serve Olympia Oaks) anyway as well as installing a fire hydrant which represents the $20,000, and while the contractor is there anyway will pave over Authority Way.

Of course it will also help serve the privately owned Olympia Place, the newest five story student housing building owned by Archipelago Investments, LLC.

APD Did NOT Recommend Stay Away Order

Maria Geryk (rt) pondering how to spend $310K

Click to enlarge/read

Or not
 

   Maria Geryk's final emails by Larry Kelley on Scribd

Three Strikes

Bangs Community Center

So you have to wonder if state gas inspectors check for gas leaks by using a flamethrower.

The Bangs Center elevator failed a once-every-five years load test by having an expensive piston explode after the state inspector used 3,000 pounds of weight/pressure on a system rated for 2,500 pounds, or 20% over.

So that would be fifteen 200 pound occupants in the square footage not much more than a walk in closet.  Or one of those circus -- dare I say it -- CLOWN cars.

Now if this was the first time it happened that would be one thing, but just in our little town this is the the third time it has happened.  A few years ago at the Amherst police headquarters, a few months ago at Ann Whalen Apartments and now the Bangs Center.

 Ann Whalen main elevator was down for three months after load test inspection back in May

Makes you wonder how many elevators state wide have been trashed in this manner?

Perhaps the state should rethink the way they do these inspections, especially since it will cost Amherst taxpayers $80,000 to fix the Bangs Center elevator and the most recent cost to fix Ann Whalen Apartments elevator was $76,000.

Hey Governor Baker, tell your elevator inspectors to lighten up!

Downtown Merger

35 South Pleasant is adjacent to Amherst Town Common

The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce and the Amherst Business Improvement District will be consolidating their two downtown offices into one larger better located one at 35 South Pleasant Street in the heart of downtown.

Chamber Director Tim O'Brien hopes to be serving hot chocolate to folks attending the lighting of the Merry Maple in early December from the new shared location.

 Chamber's current location opposite Jones Library

Since their current location is owned by Barry Roberts it probably will not take long to rent it out to another business entity or perhaps Amherst Coffee sill simply expand into it.

 Click to enlarge/read