School Committee Final Fiasco?

Regional School Committee 6/14, minutes before ousting Trevor Baptiste as Chair

UPDATE:  RSC voted 5-3 to give Maria Geryk a $310K buyout.  Ouch!

For the 4th consecutive time the Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee will retreat into executive session later today to perhaps finalize the deal struck with Superintendent Maria Geryk over the past three secret sessions, however, as he did previously Trevor Baptiste will request the Committee NOT pull the curtains like a Romulan cloaking device.

Rookie Chair Laura Kent already made it perfectly clear in a "confidential" memo illicitly leaked by the Daily Hampshire Gazette that she wants an immediate up or down vote on the offer -- which Sean Mangano, Director of Finance, estimates at between $280,000 to $300,000.

 Click to enlarge/read

Since the vote to confirm that duplicitous deal has to be made in public why not stay in open session and rip off the band-aid like a man? (Or woman as the case may be).

Mr. Baptiste is also concerned there has been no discussion of what a major impact that large settlement amount will do to day-to-day operations of the schools.

Not to mention the loss of an all powerful Superintendent at this critical time, with the Select Board just having approved placing a $33 million Override question for the Amherst Schools on the November 8th ballot.

The RSC can vote to approve the 1.5 year buyout, reduce the offer to one year, or simply fire the Superintendent for insubordination.

As Yogi once said, "It ain't over till it's over"

Alpine Commons Fire Update

Alpine Commons June 4th

Alpine Commons today

While an exact cause for the devastating fire that ripped through an 8-unit apartment complex at Alpine Commons on Saturday afternoon June 4th has not yet been determined, AFD Chief Tim Nelson said they have narrowed down the ignition point to the upstairs apartment on the west end.

Which explains why the fire quickly entered the attic, where it had an unobstructed route all the way to the eastern side of the building.

Both Chief Nelson and Building Commissioner Rob Morra agree the building is still salvageable but two months later nothing has been done besides erecting a protective fencing around the burned out hulk.

If the owners simply demolish it and start over or if the renovation exceeds 50% of the floor area -- and Mr. Morra suspects it will -- then sprinklers will be required by current building codes.

And considering the staffing levels at beleaguered AFD, sprinklers can be a lifesaver.

 The Fisher Hospice House fire 7/22, without sprinklers, could have been a disaster 

Fatal Bus Crash: Sad Update

Tragic accident occurred a little after 5:00 PM in the heart of Amherst center

The District Attorney's office is referring all questions to the Amherst Police Department concerning the fatal crash in Amherst town center last week that took the life of Andrienne Paquette from Chicopee, who was only 22.

 Adrienne Paquette

According to Chief Livingstone his department is awaiting the Medical Examiner's office final report but at this point, "it appears to have been a medical issue."

Meanwhile, a friend of the family has started a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money towards the most unthinkable thing loving parents never in their wildest nightmares contemplate:  a funeral for their precious daughter. 

Just over half way there

Construction Overview (Way Over)

UMass towers over the town

Can you tell Amherst is a "college town"?

Almost all the new growth happening now is from our institutes of higher education, and one of the reasons cited for the unusually high water consumption during July was construction projects using the public water supply to wet down work areas in order to keep the dust from flying.

But I still love the new Design Building, a signature structure along the gateway road (North Pleasant Street) into the heart of  UMass.

 Design Building (Note drone training area in center)

Physical Sciences Building (Also on North Pleasant Street)

Another Solar Canopy going over Lot 44

Roof of Fine Arts Center being prepped for solar panels

Isenberg School of Management expansion looks like it will nuke three majestic Pin Oak trees

Amherst Collge Greenway Dorms (left) look done but Science Center just started

Hitchcock Center Living Building on Hampshire College campus

Olympia Place a privately owned (tax paying) dorm near UMass is now open

Former First National Bank building being renovated for Workbar, which should stimulate town center

Drone Revolution Indeed!

Patriotic drone over Springfield Technical Community College

300 feet over Mt. Sugarloaf summit

I was one of about 35 participants in an all-day educational seminar at the nifty new UMass Center, a  satellite campus of our flagship University located at Tower Square in the heart of Springfield on Thursday.

'Twas an interesting demographic mix of DPW Directors, academics, civil engineers, consultants,  agricultural folks, and a couple of Northampton police officers, although I was the only journalist.

And I came away higher than ever on the future of drones doing amazing things for our economy, agriculture and public safety.

The new FAA rules (Part 107) creating a Pilots Certificate for commercial use of a small unmanned aircraft -- aka drone -- go into effect August 29 and as one of the presenters pointed out, "We are the pioneers, similar to where the aviation industry was in the 1920s."

Previously to use a drone commercially you had to have a pilots license, so the new rules will open things up for the average person who could use an eye in the sky.  Especially Public Safety Departments who could use them to save lives.

 Alpine Commons fire June 4

I mentioned how Birdie assisted Chief Nelson at the Alpine Commons fire on June 4th, giving him a clear enough view of the roof to know it was no longer safe for his firefighters to be in the building.

 Pelham brush fire July 24

And again a few weeks ago at the Pelham brush fire where aerial photos over three days showed the location, size, and how effective firefighter efforts had been over the three day battle.

The presenters pointed out the importance of public education to dispel some of the bad press drones have received, mainly due to irresponsible use that gives everyone a bad name.

Amherst's drone ban came up but I was quick to point out it was only an "advisory" article that cannot be enforced.  Besides, Amherst Town Meeting is now on death row so they have bigger things to worry about.

Cities, towns or states can attempt to pass binding legislation (bylaws) but the FAA has control of airspace from just above grass to the heavens.  Although drones are still limited to 400 feet of altitude.

American airspace hosts 90,000 flights per day with a mix of military, cargo and commercial aircraft.  Already the number of registered drones outnumbers licensed pilots nationwide.

And soon enough some of those aficionados will be trained certified professionals.

Class demo by David Price using Phantom 3

The End Is Near

Maria Geryk is probably out as ARPS Superintendent

So yes, I've been sitting on this memo for a few hours and had no plans to publish it until Tuesday because I try not to negatively influence a story when acting as a reporter -- as opposed to a columnist.

But since the Gazette decided to go with it, thus endangering a source for illegally breaching the sanctity of an executive session, I guess I can, reluctantly, publish it:

 Click to enlarge/read

Terms are 1.5 years of pay (@$158K per year), but will probably also include unused sick days, personal days, etc, so the final price will be over $250,000.

Of course now the interesting thing is with this being splashed on the front page of the Gazette -- above the fold no less -- prior to the deal being done, Regional School Committee members could come under pressure from constituents who think the buyout is too high.

Or Maria Geryk could hear from friends or other professionals that the 1.5 year offer is too low; so either side could change their mind.

Wouldn't be the first time the Gazette was wrong.

No More Free Ride

Amity Street lot is across the street from Jones Library

Or maybe I should say "free park," as the pay machine was just installed at the most popular municipal parking lot in town center, which reopened July 11th after a complete renovation.

Yesterday afternoon

Good thing of course since Amherst needs all the parking it can get and I'm sure shoppers appreciated the free parking over the past three weeks.

Although the town Transportation Fund not so much, since the Amity Street lot generates $150/day in revenues.