A Million Here, A Million There

Intersection of Sunderland and Montague Roads just before North Amherst Library

Option D turns end Sunderland Road into green space

In addition to the four major building projects costing upwards of $100 million in town funds in our near and intermediate future, Amherst is also undertaking costly infrastructure improvements all over town.

Last night the Select Board unanimously approved a Town Meeting warrant article calling for $660,000 to purchase the gas station behind the North Amherst Library to coincide with intersection improvements to the North Amherst Center intersection known as Option D.

Last month the town applied for a $1.1 million MassWorks Grant to cover the actual cost of the construction but last year a grant request to improve traffic signals at that intersection was turned down.

As was (twice) a $4 million request to reconstruct Pine Street which the town later did on its own.

Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek told the Select Board last night the town will probably know by the November 14th start of Town Meeting if a $400,000 PARC grant for the Groff Park spray park is approved.

The spray park will replace the ancient wading pool

 

Town Meeting already approved $550,000 from Community Preservation Act funds and if the PARC grant doesn't materialized the other $400,000 will be requested during the upcoming CPA funding cycle to be voted on this spring by Town Meeting.

And still no word how the town will fund the much talked about and much protested roundabout at Triangle and East Pleasant Street, a main gateway to our beloved flagship of higher education UMass/AMHERST.

Work has been ongoing around this intersection since late Spring

The current construction project in the north downtown that seem to be taking forever is the result of a $1.5 million MassWorks grant for removing ugly utility poles by placing wires underground.  But that money can't be used for the roundabout itself, which is sure to cost over a million.

And then there's that $17 million backlog in road repairs town wide ...

Our Gorgeous Valley

UMass, Amherst center, Amherst College

Hadley  (Click photos to enlarge)

Belchertown

North East Street

Deep South Amherst

Pelham 

 Groff Park

 Colorful Flagship

Well I love That Dirty Water

Town is using Mill River Pool water for trees, shrubs and sewer flushing

Amherst Road, Pelham  pond usually a lot fuller

Whatever you are doing to conserve water, keep doing it.  In fact, think about stepping it up over the next few weeks as the water situation continues to tread water, but not really improve.

   Amherst Water Drought Update by Larry Kelley on Scribd

 Atkins Reservoir 10/14 off line and only 37.5% full

At the four boards economic summit meeting on Thursday, Town Manager Paul Bockelman pointed out the water crisis had a silver lining in that it has brought the town and University of Massachusetts closer together as a team (Amherst & Hampshire Colleges as well).

 Hills Reservoir 10/14 off line

And Assistant Town Manager Dave Ziomek confirmed that although the Select Board approved fines for water ban violators no such tickets have been issued to date because "cooperation has been so good."

 Hawley Reservoir 10/14 currently off line

I'll drink to that.

Drugs & Drones Don't Mix

Ryan Krouch stands before Judge Estes from the lock up

Back in the Wild West days it was a hanging offense to steal a man's horse.  These days don't mess with a man's drone, even if he is a college aged male.

 Click to enlarge/read

 

In Easter Hampshire District Court on Friday the Commonwealth requested $1,500 bail for Ryan Krouch, age 21, telling the judge he had struggled with Sargent Ting and had to be restrained via an armbar.  He also had two previous defaults on minor charges.

But Judge Estes noted he did make good on those two appearances within days of the default so he allowed him to be released on his personal recognizance. 

Mr. Krouch will appear for pre trial on November 18 but in the meantime has to "stay away" from Amherst and submit to random drug testing.

Many Shots Fired

APD mobile command center on scene Southpoint Apartments

UPDATE Sunday 12:45 PM from District Attorney

Jose M. "Joselito" Rodriguez, 31, has been identified as the deceased in Friday night's shooting at the Southpoint Apartments, 266 East Hadley Road in Amherst.

A 28-year-old man who also sustained multiple gunshot wounds remains at UMass Memorial Medical Center of Worcester.

No arrests have been made.

The incident remains under investigation by Amherst Police, Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Northwestern District Attorney's Office and MSP Crime Scene Services.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Amherst Police Department at (413) 259-3015, or to text a tip to the anonymous tip line at 274637.

More information will be released as it becomes available.

Jose Rodriguez (father of three)

####

The DA's office just confirmed the somewhat stunning news that a local apartment complex in South Amherst became the gunfight at OK corral, although this appeared to be more one sided.

I'm told the scene was chaotic when first responders arrived on the scene a little after midnight.  One victim was beyond help and the other was also shot numerous times and was initially transported to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.

#####

One man is dead and another hospitalized at UMass Medical Center in Worcester after a shooting at the Southpoint Apartments in Amherst Friday night.

Police believe this was not a random act,and that members of the public are not at risk.

Amherst Police, Massachusetts State Police attached to the Northwestern District Attorney's Office and MSP Crime Scene Services are investigating.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Amherst Police Department at (413) 259-3015, or to text a tip to the anonymous tip line at 274637.

More information will be released as it becomes available.

Mary Carey
Communications Director- Northwestern District Attorney's Office
Mary.Carey@state.ma.us/(413)-588-4274 (cell)
NorthwesternDA.org

Party Responsibly

Sunset Avenue near Southwest

Proving that there's such a thing as responsible partying in a college town, the new Party Registration Program for off-campus UMass students is working way better than some pessimists expected. 

According to Nancy Buffone, Associate Vice Chancellor for University Relations, 35 parties have been registered thus far, five of them required a "courtesy call" from Amherst police, and of those five none required any further action of APD.

 Fearing Street

Party on dudes! (Well, at least until you get a courtesy call).

A Touchy Subject

UMass is a city unto itself with its own PD (but not FD)

Rape is not only an under reported crime but those that are officially reported to authorities almost never make it into local news.  And if a tree falls in the forest without someone posting it to social media, it does not make a sound.

My friends in the professional bricks and mortar media covered yesterday's annual release of the Clery Crime Report with optimistic headlines about the decrease in alcohol and drug arrests from the previous year at our beloved flagship, UMass/AMHERST.

But they barely mentioned the shocking number of rapes that occurred (17).  Or cover the even more shocking number at Hampshire College (15) or Amherst College (12). 

Only the Mass Daily Collegian seemed to get it

I say shocking because they all went pretty much unreported all year long and we are only now being given the information.  Sort of. 

As a father of two daughters I am far more concerned with a school's incidence of rape than I am with alcohol/drug violations, although my guess is they are somewhat related.

Back in 2012 I broke the story of the gang rape at UMass and within 12 hours dozens of media outlets converged on UMass for a hasty press conference.  But I can only think of one or two rapes that has been reported by the media in the past few years.

The first step in solving a problem is to admit there is a problem.  And when our little college town had 58 rapes last year I would call that a problem.  Yes, I said 58.  (In 2014 the sad total was 48).

According to APD they had 14 reported rapes in 2015, but the University and Colleges are there own separate little fiefdoms.

UMass had 17, Hampshire College 15 and Amherst College 12 or a total between all four agencies of 58.  Or out of a population of 38,000 a much higher than average of 1.53/1,000, where federal Department of Justice statistics show nationwide an average of 1.3/1,000.

Whenever I live tweet a potential threat at UMass be it a wandering bear, guy with a machete or Creepy Clown, it gets tremendous attention.  And I hope that puts the kids on guard, as well it should (with everything except clowns).

Note to college aged women:  be on guard!