Steering A New Course

The Town Gown Steering Committee met this afternoon, appropriately enough, in the "Amherst Room" on the tenth floor of the Campus Center, bringing together 22 committee members that reads like a "who's who" of heavy hitters.

Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy

And to top it off Chancellor Subbaswamy and Town Manager John Musante attended the inaugural meeting.  Although the Chancellor left early with the parting comment, "May the Red Sox win, and may our students celebrate peacefully."

Co Chairs David Ziomek and Nancy Buffone (center)

The committee is charged with developing a Request For Proposals to hire a consultant (for $60,000 or less) who can create a blueprint for mutually beneficial action steps each partner can undertake to deal with growth and change.

Problems that need to be addressed include the creation of more (taxable) student housing, economic development and the quelling of rowdy student party houses in residential neighborhoods.

8 Qualifications for Town/Gown Consultant

The Committee will issue the RFP by December 1, review the proposals and interview finalist through January, and award the contract by February 1.  Over the following three months the Committee will continue to meet and hold public forums with a completion date of May 1st for a new joint Master Plan.

This Steering Committee follows in the wake (with many of the same members) of the successful Safe & Healthy Neighborhoods Working Group that crafted a precedent setting Town Meeting approved (by super majority) "Rental Registration and  Permit Bylaw" that goes into effect January 1st. 

Hampshire Hijinks (College That Is)

AFD crew heading toward Hampshire Dining Commons for an  ETOH female 12:20 AM

One of those damn Republicans must have culturally appropriated Wiccan abilities and placed a curse on Hampshire College this past weekend:

On Friday the negative press just started circulating on social media over the idiotic cancelling of Shokazoba because they were "too white" to play African music at their "Hampshire Halloween' event.

And then that festival ended up requiring SIX (6) transports by AFD for drug/alcohol related incidents!

   Hectic AFD weekend.pdf by larry_kelley_1

Which of course was simply a prelude to Sunday afternoon -- what could easily have been the mother of all disasters, a major structure fire.  As happened in Hadley a few hours later.

You have to wonder what they teach at Hampshire these days when a student thinks it's okay to dry a sweater in a microwave oven.

Sprinklers and AFD combined for a quick stop

And then leaves it smouldering on a wooden porch.  Yikes!

Start at the bottom and read up (response to ambulance photo tweet)

DUI Dishonor Roll

 

There but for the grace of God (and APD)

Although it was a relatively quiet weekend for rowdy off campus parties -- what appears to be a trend this fall -- the negative effects of too much alcohol still continues to reverberate around our little "college town."  Consider this just the first of a two part report.

Amherst police arrested two young men -- both age 20 -- within hours of each other late Saturday night/early Sunday morning for Driving Under the Influence.  The most egregious, Miguel T. Ellis, drew attention to himself by driving half the length of Triangle Street on the WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD.  And it was not all that late at night (11:58 PM).

Mr. Ellis's dangerous weapon  is escorted off Triangle Street by Ernie's Towing

#####

And then we have the wrath of David Kahn:

A Horse Is A Horse

 Unless of course that horse's name is Ms. Jada.  Central Fire Station 

With two fires in Amherst quickly stopped by AFD and an unstoppable one in Hadley over the weekend, along with an overflowing number of "college aged youth"  transported to the hospital for intoxication there was, refreshingly, at least one family oriented event that attracted a major crowd to Amherst town center early Sunday afternoon: the annual Halloween Fest.  

 Parade through town center down Kellogg Street to the Bangs Community Center

Even a downtown Bar got into the spirit

Twenty downtown businesses participated, giving out candy to the kids (and occasional parent).  Customers at busy locations like Rao's Coffee, Bart's Ice Cream or Antonio's Pizza seemed amused by the sudden influx of ghosts, goblins, robots, and my little horse. 

 

No fun Amherst event is complete without Representative Ellen Story

The Devastating Day After

Normally, I like rainbows

UPDATE Wednesday morning:  Relief efforts

Storefronts facing Rt 9

 

Mi Tierra Mexican restaurant a complete loss

State fire officials on scene

 

Red Cross on scene

Kung Fu school complete loss

 

Next door hotel and Stan's Drive In were okay 

Hotel was evacuated during the fire

Long closed Stan's Drive In survived just fine

12 Hours earlier ...

 

Town of Hadley Ladder truck rains water down

 

To no avail

The Beast of Hadley

 

Firefighters dig in at close quarters

At times the firefighters seemed completely swallowed by the dense acrid black smoke billowing out of the sides and top of the building only yards in front of them.  And at other times flames seemed to explode from the building making them easy to spot working diligently in harm's way.

 

The Beast's maw

 Wind whipped flames

As they maintained their precarious position directly in front of the The Beast and continued to pour water into the center of the firestorm, I was reminded of my karate days when you hit someone with your best shot ... and they just kept on coming.

Damn!

Hadley Fire Rt 9

 Two ladder trucks pour water down on the conflagration

A devastating fire consumed an entire block of businesses in the center of Hadley this evening.  Witnesses stated it started in the laundromat and spread quickly to Mi Tierra Mexican restaurant and then an entire block of businesses.

The truck was the only thing to survive from Mi Tierra restaurant

The stubborn fire seemed impervious to the pressurized streams of water firefighters poured on it for hours.  Fortunately there were no injuries.  Morning light would reveal just how thorough was The Beast.

 Like a fire breathing dragon

 

Laundromat: area of building where fire started

Venting flames

The beast refuses to die

Hadley's Ladder truck was soon joined by Northampton's, but still could not bring the beast under control 

Hell on earth