We're #51!

Amherst Regional High School

Ever since websites discovered digital consumers love lists the "Top ten", "Top 100" and every odd number in between has become a standard cliche of publishing.

But for parents who take education seriously, the US News & World Report education ratings has been the gold standard for over a generation now.

Indeed, Amherst Regional High School coming in shy of the top 50 for Massachusetts is cause for concern.  Two other Western Mass schools came in higher, Greenfield (#43) and Palmer  (#49).

And in the most recent financials published by the state Amherst comes in a #35 for average (high) cost per student.

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Quieter Winter Spring

Amherst Police Department, 111 Main Street

The war on rowdy (college aged) student behavior continues to show steady gains. A combination of APD community policing and UMass outreach has once again paid off with a decent decline in "noise" complaints all across town.

But "Nuisance" tickets are up, which only indicates that a small hard core of party hardy types need a further attitude adjustment.

Perhaps UMass will take a closer look at outlier students who received both a "noise" and "nuisance" ticket and issue stern sanctions that gets their undivided attention.  Once and for all.

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UMass Team Positive out in force for Blarney Blowout 3/7/15

Don't Build A Damn Thing

New Town Logo: Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything

Amherst downtown business community dodged a dirty bomb last night as Town Meeting -- all too narrowly -- rejected by 97 Yes-83 No (but it required a 2/3 Yes vote) a citizen petition article requiring strict parking requirements with any new development in the Municipal Parking District which currently exempts such parking requirements.

 CVS parking lot downtown

And the common sense reason for that is parking is very expensive, and takes up precious space.  Besides, Amherst is a "green community" where walking, cycling, skateboarding and public transportation are highly encouraged.

The scary thing about last night is that more than a majority of Town Meeting members supported this anti-business, no growth strategy. 

Currently Amherst has an out of whack tax base: 10% commercial, 90% residential.  Hadley by comparison has 34% commercial tax base and 66% residential.  And their property tax rate is almost half that of Amherst. 

All of their commercial property is located along the RT9 corridor, aka two shopping malls, which provide plenty of free parking.  No wonder our downtown is struggling.  

The other anti-development travesty last night was the scuttling of Article 23, which would have rezoned four adjacent properties bordering UMass and Amherst town center, thus allowing greater housing density.

Currently problem #1 in our little college town is lack of housing.

Naturally the neighbors, whose backyards run down a steep incline into the zone would have none of it.  And naturally, because we're talking Amherst Town Meeting, their NIMBY sentiments prevailed. 

Classik By Any Other Name

Road races (and walks) to benefit social service agencies have sprung up like luscious lawns in a warm moist spring.  Mainly because it's a perfect win-win situation:  the participants get fresh air & exercise, camaraderie, plus the positive feeling that comes with supporting a great cause.

Perhaps the granddaddy (or grandmommy) of all events happens this Sunday: The Rafters 2015 College Town Classik Road Race to benefit The Jimmy Fund and Amherst Police Relief Fund.

Now in its 22nd year.  And the weather is going to be hospitable. 

Register now and save $5 (enough to buy a beer at Rafters after the race).

Educational Merger?

 

Amherst Regional High School

Starting with the school year September, 2018 if all goes according to plan, 7th and 8th graders will be home based in the Amherst Regional High School building while high school seniors will be taking college courses via dual enrollment in the (former) Middle School building located well within walking distance next door.

Kathy Mazur (left) addresses Regional School Committee

Last night an animated Director of Human Resources Kathy Mazur updated the 9 member Regional School Committee about the ambitious plan.  Both buildings are owned by the Region and are bound by the Regional Agreement signed by all four towns:  Amherst, Pelham, Leverett, and Shutesbury.

And according to their attorney Giny Tate, there's nothing in the Regional Agreement that precludes such a reorganization.

Amherst Regional Middle School

The plan involves a major collaboration with  Greenfield Community College, who will use the former Middle School building as a satellite facility in exchange for below market rate rent and offering Amherst Regional School students reduced rate college courses.

And the main niche they would fill is in vocational training.  In the upcoming fiscal year (FY16) the Region will lose 55 students to out of district vocational schools (mainly Smith Vocational in Northampton) at a cost to the Region of $18,000 per student or a total cost of $990,000. 

The High School was renovated/expanded in 1996 when enrollments were at a high water mark so the building is capable of handling 1,725 students.  Current enrollment in both Middle and High School is 1472 and five years from now is projected to be only 1,372. 

In the Fall (2015) Amherst Regional Public Schools will host an "Educational Summit" (facilitated by state Representative Ellen Story) to discuss strategies for dealing with education in 21st century with of course particular emphasis on this collaboration.

   ARPS Merger Memo

DUI Dishonor Roll

Amherst Police took three impaired drivers off the road over the weekend: Richard Sherwood (his 3rd offense), William Sevene, age 49, and Sky Walters age 20.  Three sounds like a lot but only because there have not been all that many over the past few weekends.

 Sky Walters arraigned from lock up

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Now that the students are gone APD will have more time on weekends to keep an eye out, so we may see this higher average hold up for the summer.

In Eastern Hampshire District Court on Monday Sky Walters was assigned a public defender for which he will pay $150 and his case was continued until June 22.  Mr. Sevene will also return for a pre-trial hearing next month.

Inclusionary Zoning Strikes Out ... Again

Amherst Planning Board last night (like lambs to slaughter)

Last year at the very last minute the Planning Board pulled back their Inclusionary Zoning overhaul that would require across the board 10%  affordable units in any new housing project of 10 units or more.

They were reacting to concerns from the business community who complained it would make things especially arduous in the downtown or Village Centers where development costs are higher.

One good result was the town came up with Article 21, tax incentives to help alleviate the pain for developers who otherwise can't make the affordable unit requirement work.

Last night Town Meeting, considering it required a two-thirds vote, overwhelmingly rejected the Planning Board's two-years-in-the-making Inclusionary Zoning Article 22 by a 100 No to 88 Yes vote after 1.5 hours of sometimes snippy discussion.

Critics said it was unnecessary simply because the Planning Board was not correctly interpreting the current Inclusionary Zoning bylaw which trips the 10% affordable unit requirement whenever a Special Permit is required.

The Kendrick Place development (36 units) required two concessions -- an extra 10 feet of height and extra lot coverage -- but they were not considered major enough to trip the existing bylaw.

And of course this same scenario played out just up the road with the same developer's  One East Pleasant Street (80 units).

 Using future home of One East Pleasant as leasing office for Kendrick Place

As a result certain BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) types now consider the Planning Board to be made up of Robber Baron, pro-development hacks.

Will the Planning Board take another shot at appeasing the unappeasable next year?  Who could blame them if they do not.

Sure Article 21, the property tax breaks package, did pass because the unholy alliance of the BANANA/NIMBY crowd faltered.  But will that alone make a difference?  Probably not. 

Perhaps the best idea last night came from black sheep Town Meeting member Kevin Collins, who floated the sometimes-you-have-to-destroy-the-Village-in-order-to-save-it concept by suggesting we allow the town to fall below the 10% Subsidized Housing Index.

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That way any developer can come in and build pretty much whatever they want as long as it is 25% affordable.

Maybe now that town/gown relations seem to be at a high water mark, it's time to revive the Gateway Project. 

Gateway Area with former Frat Row (on right) shovel ready for a signature project