And See If Anyone Salutes

Amherst Town Hall 

I've never been a huge fan of Flag Day because it seems a little too contrived--you either respect the flag 24/7 or you do not. In fact, a few years ago I asked the Select Board to trade Flag Day for 9/11 as one of the days the 29 commemorative flags are allowed to fly in town center, thus keeping the six-day restriction in place.

Some of you may have noticed the return of the flag on Town Hall. It disappeared a couple years ago when the building exterior was undergoing repointing and town officials simply got out of the habit of putting it up.

The flag first appeared soon after 9/11 when Amherst was taking a PR drubbing over ill-timed flag disparaging public comments made just 12 hours before civilian aircraft turned the Twin Towers into dust.  At the time Select Board member Anne Awad voiced her displeasure with the Town Hall flag saying it looked like somebody was trapped inside the building and using it to draw attention to their plight.

Perhaps a subliminal result of endless footage aired of helpless civilians trapped on the upper floors of the towers waiving their clothing to get first responders attention.

Last year the town also purchased an extra large flag for the main pole in town center--but only on the same occasions the 29 commemorative flags are allowed to fly.  Now I'm told that BIGGER flag will start flying 24/7 (after I complained a few years ago the town added illumination to the main pole) every day, except for when the weather is particularly inclement.

Bigger American Flag flew for Memorial Day

That starts as soon as town officials can find the b-i-g-g-e-r POW flag that accompanies the b-i-g-g-e-r American flag.  Let's hope they find it by July 4th.
Actually let's hope they find it today as the current flag is a tad, err, TATTERED. 

  UPDATE: 2:15 PM Yeah!

 

New flag is up. LONG may she wave

Dog Days of Summer

Conservation Commission: Briony Agus (Chair), Todd Walker, Elizabeth Hamin, Harvey Allen, Paris Boice, Christiane Healey

Amherst's burgeoning canine population may not jump for joy, but they will still wag their tails over tonight's 4-3 vote of the seven member Conservation Commission to maintain the current policy of allowing dogs off leash at Mill River and Amethyst Brook recreation areas for another three months--a time of peak activity for dogs and their owners--from dawn until 10:00 AM seven days a week

The vote to make the policy permanent failed by 3-4 but by most measures the six-month trial period has been a success, with dog owners taking more responsibility for keeping their pets under control and runners, walkers,bikers and nearby permanent residents also learning to respectfully coexist with an influx of exuberant four legged guests.


Dog Officer Carol Hepburn advocates for unrestricted off leash time but better education (for the dogs and owners)

Like student party houses it's the well publicized outlier incidents perpetrated by an irresponsible minority that give the responsible vast majority a bad reputation. 

25 Amherst residents showed up, the majority of them dog lovers

Gloomy Norwegian Outlook

Norway Spruce dead center is now a Dead Tree Standing

So this majestic fifty-year-old Norway Spruce will fall in order to make way for a more conveniently located driveway that routes traffic onto Railroad Street rather than busy College Street (RT9), although since the other end of Railroad Street is blockaded by owners New England Central Railroad, tenants will still have to enter/exit onto busy Rt 9.

 Closed end of Railroad Street 

Last night the Amherst Shade Tree Committee voted against the removal (3-1-1) of a healthy tree at 166 College Street,  however Amherst Tree Warden Alan Snow overruled the committee and allowed the whacking, but with conditions that a "new tree is planted where the old driveway was located and an inch per inch replacement value for the loss of the healthy public shade tree."

Current driveway 166 College Street, Amherst

Who would have thought--especially in Amherst--shade trees would be traded like public commodities.

 Less than a week after the hearing

A nickel here and a nickel there...

Left: Jarred Rose, Director MassPIRG Amherst office. Center:John Musante, Diana Stein, Stephanie O'Keeffe

Despite strong industry opposition and a lukewarm response from politicians, the bright eyed, bushy tailed MassPIRG activists continue to push for passage of an expanded bottle bill that would add water and juice containers to the list of items--mainly beer and soda--requiring a five cent deposit.

Amherst Select Board Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe, fellow SB member Diana Stein and Town Manager John Musante attended an event today at high noon to show their support.  The sparsly attended rally at Kendrick Park mirrors one held in Boston today where activists hope the bill will make it out of committee later this week.

Everybody Into The Pool

Workers finish up drainage system around War Memorial Pool metal bed

Last night during his "Town Managers Report" to the Amherst Select Board John Musante hedged his bet concerning the already announced June 23 Grand Reopening of the War Memorial Pool, saying he would make the "Go, No Go" decision on Monday, June 18.

The project was made possible by a Town Meeting vote demanding the centrally located recreation center be reopened after sitting idle for the past four years.  The town recieved a $208, 320 state grant towards the $239,000 cost of having Aquatic Renovation Systems Inc do the renovation.

Workers today were busy installing/finishing the drainage system and a new liner is awaiting installation over the metal bed; and then the entire area around the pool--an area as big as the pool itself--needs to be set in concrete. 

But once renovations are complete the pool will require dramatically less annual maintance as the new liner does not require a labor intensive paint job every year with expensive special paint.

Only question now is, will the pool be open on the 23rd?  (Probably not.)

Weekend Weirdness

 

BOA Amherst center. Bad place to pass out drunk behind the wheel

Although the party hardy college students (that tiny fraction who give all students a bad name) are away for the next few months creating mayhem in their own hometowns, alcohol related problems are still keeping our first responders busy and putting public safety at risk.

2:29 AM early Sunday morning, Bank of America, heart of the downtown

Walk in report to APD of male passed out in vehicle in middle of roadway.

Operator observed slumped over in the drivers seat with the engine running.  I applied the emergency brake and had to shut the engine off as the operator was attempting to drive away even though there was a cruiser directly in front of him.


Operator was asked to step out of the vehicle however he continued to sit in the vehicle and attempted to drive off.  Operator was removed from the vehicle and placed under arrest for OUI.

Brandon K Wawrzonek, 26 Crestview Dr, S Deerfield, MA, age 23, OUI liquor 2nd offense

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Puffer's Pond Porta-potty. Also a bad place to pass out 

Remember how hot it was yesterday afternoon? Yikes!

Puffer's Pond Sunday afternoon 4:00 PM

RP reporting a b/m 16-18 years old ETOH (drunk) on beach staring at people.  Described as wearing no shirt and blue sweat pants with sand all over them.  

Listed party unconscious in porta-potty.  AFD summoned and party was woken up by officers.  Party was highly ETOH and may have been on narcotics.  Party is requesting to go to hospital for evaluation.  He stated he was supposed to go to the hospital today to get checked into detox program but skipped appointment and got drunk.  AFD on scene and transporting to Cooley Dickinson Hospital.  

Hot Time on Ye Ol' Landfill

Now discredited concerns over red staining around the old landfill

On what would have been a great day to generate electricity via a solar farm, Amherst's Sustainability Coordinator Stephanie Ciccarello braved the hot weather, mosquitoes, and ticks to provide an educational hike across the wide open, unshaded old landfill for a presentation to nearly 40 residents on the proposed solar energy farm.  NIMBYs proved to be the bigger nuisance, however.

 Old Landfill provides wide open flat terrain (and a nice view)

In spite of repeated assertions that she did not want "to get into a political debate," nearby neighbors came to the event loaded for bear. Constant sniping about fencing,lighting, noise, and weight on the landfill cap gave way to a full on assault as one gentleman, his voice rising, branded the proceeding "propaganda" and then invoked his Viet Nam service to remind the crowd of the memorable line, "Sometimes you have to destroy the village in order to save it."

He then stormed off with a few angry folks following close behind, reminiscent of the very first public hearing the town promoted just over a year ago. The remaining crowd gave Ms. Ciccarello polite applause.

Stephanie Ciccarello (center with back to camera, white hat) answers question for Dick Stein retired UMass professor

Town Manager John Musante won by an overwhelming Town Meeting vote the right to negotiate a 30 year deal with Blue Wave Capital for a solar array potentially generating $1 million annually to the town while significantly reducing our carbon footprint. Blue Wave has also agreed that 25% of the workforce related to the construction of the site will be from Amherst.

Musante recently stated the lucrative deal was "inches from the goal line".

NIMBYs of course specialize in goal line defense.

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Meanwhile on Sunday, not far from this heated public gathering, the South Amherst Congregational Church voted unanimously to install solar panels on their roof "in order to send a statement that we are stewards of the land ..."

South Amherst Congregational Church