How high can you fly?

Should Citizen Journalists be trained?

Well of course there should be training! But then the question becomes who does the training?

The Umass on-line certificate program is of course a good start because it sets minimum standards that allow motivated individuals to tap into a proven brand name for journalism.

But once that training camel gets its nose under the tent, are you going to have government certification required?

In Massachusetts a hair stylist needs 1,000 hours of training and must past a test for a state license. The state legislature is now talking about licensing personal trainers at health clubs and massage therapists. As a health fitness professional (with a degree in Exercise Science/Sport Mgt) I would actually support both of those because someone with inadequate training could potentially hurt a paying client.

What is a “journalist”? Simply somebody who works for a mainstream media outlet and gets paid, or volunteers for a college newspaper, senior center quarterly or high school yearbook? And can their lack of training cause damage? Of course it can.

We have laws against libel/slander for an aggrieved party to seek retribution against a news outlet that publishes something a cub reporter failed to fact check and does damage to an innocent persons reputation.

But we also have something in a freewheeling, market driven system called “let the buyer beware.” If you act upon information gleamed from a Citizen Journalism site that nobody has ever heard of operated by anonymous contributors and it looks like it was designed by a pimple faced high school kid then you deserve to absorb whatever damage inflicted.

Chances are any site that consistently attracts eyeballs –especially enough for the owners to generate revenue from advertisers—must be doing something right.

Most karate schools have a color belt program so you can tell who is the beginner (white belts) and who are the more highly trained experts (brown and black belts). Schools that have lousy standards (selling the higher belts as long as the check clears) usually don’t last as students eventually figure it out.

Perhaps one way for government to ease into this fray is to make it mandatory that any news outlet that puts out their hand for a government subsidy (either tax exempt, non-profit status or outright stimulus funding) must have minimum training standards and a certification program for all reporters and editors.

Information gathering is easier if the sources know they can trust the reporter and the entity they represent. Although Woodward and Bernstein were not the most experienced reporters at the Washington Post the rock solid reputation of the newspaper itself more than made up for that.

While anyone can start a blog and call themselves a “journalist”, the ones that garner attention and make a difference will be those who take themselves seriously and exude that in everything they do.

Training and certification is just another step (leap) forward on the road to mainstream acceptance.

UMass Library Under Fire

No, not from "cleared" Gitmo detainees relocated to the People's Republic of Amherst, just from the usual suspects--right wing radio shock jocks who moonlight as Boston Herald columnists.

And yes these are the same folks who flamed Umass Amherst last spring when Nitwit left wingers interrupted and shut down conservative speaker Don Feder.

But when the shoe is on the other foot...

Yeah, the old First-Amendment-is-great-as-long-as-it-only-applies-to-me routine. You would think folks who make a living spewing vitriol would be passionate defenders of the right to say whatever the Hell you want. Of course this is the same journalist that told Amherst Selectman Gerry Weiss a few weeks back that "innocent until proven guilty" should only apply to Americans.

The speech/discussion by convicted domestic terrorist Ray Luc Levasseur scheduled for next week is now cancelled. But Herald columnist McPhee is dead wrong that the Governor "pulled the plug." UMass Amherst Libraries’ Department of Special Collections and University Archives director Rob Cox, with the greatest of regrets, pulled the plug. Because he feared a circus like atmosphere possibly endangering public safety.

Of course police officers should be upset with what this man once represented caused the murder of one of their own (not by Levasseur but somebody in his group so that still makes him complicit). But he paid his dues--twenty years of hard labor. And if you believe in our American system of justice he has a right to get on with his life. That includes using the constitutionally guaranteed protection of the First Amendment.

What better way to find out what motivates somebody to violence then to hear a first hand account; so that maybe in the future we can take measures to avoid it. Computer security companies love to hire hackers fresh out of the Federal pen and put them to work protecting systems they once pillaged.

The library was going to cover his travel expenses (so yes, some tax money was involved) but the small honorarium was going to be donated to the Rosenberg Fund for Children. And it's not like they were putting him up in a fancy Sheraton Hotel for a week and giving him champagne and call girls.

The Springfield Republican reports:

The Boston Herald brags

FIRE gets fired up

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me--
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Incoming!

WBUR Boston radio reports (NPR affiliate)
Cartoon in today's Amherst Bulletin (also loaded with Letters and Columns on Gitmo)
Ruth Hooke addresses Amherst Town Meeting

UPDATE: 9:20 AM So conservative Boston talk radio station 96.9 WTKK called and will be interviewing me at 10:10 AM. Google search them as they stream live
Looks like this story hit the AP wire about an hour ago as the Boston Herald just published it and the 'Comments' are already pouring in (not overly complimentary of course).
##########################################
ORIGINAL POST last night 10:30 PM

So batten down the hatches, dig the foxhole a little deeper or fire up the Romulan cloaking device, as Amherst will once again become Ground Zero for conservative scorn. The "advisory" article welcoming "cleared" Gitmo refugees passed Town Meeting muster rather overwhelmingly.

Select Board Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe gave a "minority report," but it was more an advisory to Town Meeting that she has done numerous interviews with all manner of mainstream media and heard from Umass officials concerned about safety and parents threatening to scratch Umass and Amherst College off their list of prospective schools.

Being a former PR flack she knows that the real story is not getting out--and that Amherst is being misportrayed as providing safe haven for terrorists.

Within hours of the horrific attacks on 9/11 democratic and republican lawmakers lined up at the capital building and sang "God bless America." Tonight I felt like trying to get Town Meeting to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, especially the closing: "with liberty and justice for all."

Princess Stephanie reads an apologetic piece.

To Be Continued...

Town Meeting that is. Tonight @ 7:30 (well more like 7:40)

Article #9 expanding the potential for medical establishments to locate in a research park will take at least an hour as the NIMBY's bring all guns to bear (fortunately they do not use IEDs.)

Articles #11-13 are also Zoning articles but the neighbors support the changes so those should not take long. So yeah, I think we will get to the Gitmo advisory article (#14) tonight.

And if I had to guess, I would say it will pass. And No, if Bill O'Reilly calls I'll not come out from under my desk to appear on his show (after all, he controls the microphone).

Amherst Town Meeting Fiddles...

Select Board Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe explains the Interstellar Alien Landing Port

But seriously folks, tonight the campaign for a multi-million dollar tax Override began.

The Finance Committee gave a verbal report that parroted the Assistant Town Manager's presentation a few weeks back to the illustrious Select Board projecting a $4 million budget gap next year.

Of course over the next couple hours during routine housekeeping warrant articles we learned the town has stashed in surplus $2.6 million in Free Cash, $2.8 million in a Health Care Trust Fund, $1.3 million in Stabilization, $1.4 million in the Water Fund and the Town Manager announced a $1 million state Community Development Block Grant in each of the next two years.

Yet...the sky is falling. Or maybe it's a UFO.


So notice Princess Stephanie trots out that old fallacy that Prop 2.5% does not allow municipalities to keep up with inflation (roughly 3%). She ignores the other part of the law that allows "new growth" to be combined; and the two have always exceeded the simple rate of inflation.

Even our toothless "watchdog" Finance Committee issued an Override Report last year that clearly shows Amherst homeowners have absorbed a 6% average increase in their taxes--or twice the rate of inflation. Welcome to the People's Republic!

An American institution

So, ugh, Amherst Town Meeting starts tonight--the 250th.5

Only 14 articles compared to around 40 in the Spring so it should not take all that long. And the only article that will generate interest is #14, last on the list, thus no chance it comes up tonight.

Select Board Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe is doing an interview this morning with NPR affiliate Boston radio station WBUR (while holding "office hours" at The Black Sheep) and the reporter is coming to interview me at the Health Club this afternoon at 1:00 PM.

Princess Stephanie voted not to recommend the Gitmo relocation advisory article because she does not think little old Amherst Town Meeting (established thirty years before the US Constitution took effect) should have a foreign policy.

I, on the other hand, honestly believe our nation is a shining city on a hill, a beacon to all, fueled by the blood of patriots.

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free..."

Hear ye, hear ye: Town crier needs material

What things would you do as editor of a Citizens Journalism effort to increase public input?

I would establish ‘beats’, ‘channels’, or compartmentalized sections on the site (just as a newspaper has national, local, sports, entertainment, living sections etc).

All of these sections would have their own Forum Comment fields for reader response/submissions BUT would be moderated. Anonymous comments would be acceptable (you can get great tips when a person knows they are protected) and with moderation you can quickly weed out off-topic comments or possible libel/slander.

Police beat: One of the best read sections of the Amherst Bulletin is the Police Log (they are public documents) so I would make sure to publish that every week. But I would also try to find a cop, spouse, or somebody "into" public safety to write a weekly analysis/report/editorial about crime--even if it is the small town kind.

School/education beat: As you pointed out some towns--like Amherst--spend 75% of their tax money on the schools. A blog in the area that consistently (when schools are in session anyway) beats mine is Catherine Sanderson's "My School Committee Blog" and it gets tons of comments. Since I know she does it for the exposure and not for money (School Committee is an elected but none paid position) it would not be hard to form a strategic alliance with her already successful blog.

Arts beat: These days everybody has a digital camera so I would establish a photo section where budding photographers could upload their work (no Porn of course).

Sports section: Every parent loves to see his or her kids names in print--even if only on the web. A knowledgeable coach would be happy to write a weekly column and I would try to get a lot of them covering everything from standard seasonal sports like basketball, baseball, football as well as mixed martial arts, cycling, running, triathlons, and yes, even bowling.

Health beat: With the graying of America combined with older folks embracing the web and the spread of broadband this is a perfect place to attract that older demographic that the national beer, auto, and entertainment companies seem to ignore in their advertising (going after the 18-35 kids.)

Heath clubs, yoga centers, chiropractors, sports medicine rehab centers would be happy to submit material and I would form a strategic alliance with Umass Exercise Science department as well, for articles of a more general interest (not just trying to drum of business) on safe practical exercise targeted at senior citizens or just casual couch potatoes.

Politics—or I should say local politics: As Tip O’Neil so famously stated: “All politics is local.” This one would of course be my favorite. I would enlist citizen journalists to cover all the major meetings of town boards and committees. My theory is if the town can find 5 or 6 people to staff these committees I should be able to find one person with a computer to cover them or even enlist one of the committee members.

Entertainment Beat: This would include all the staples--local bar and music scene, movies, music downloads, links to local radio and TV stations with a section devoted to music or video uploads from readers.

And all that mundane boring stuff that folks need/like to know: bus schedules, school schedules, weather, lottery results, crossword puzzle, horoscopes, free classifieds, etc

Hmmm…now after review it looks like all I’ve done is combine the best qualities of a local daily newspaper with a weekly free publication and put it all on the web where your audience can instantly interact and even move forward a story/issue.

But since all this happens on the web, the “burn rate” for overhead (unlike bricks and mortar media) is pretty close to nothing. And as Facebook has just demonstrated, if you attract enough “eye balls” advertisers will want a targeted piece of that action.

Downtown fright fest

A hundred or more families turned out for Halloween Kids Parade March last night.



Heaven must be missing an angel.

Tragic Catch-22

No matter the sentence imposed by our system of justice on 75- year-old Parvin Niroomand, who drove W-A-Y over the centerline into the opposite lane to impale 33-year-old cyclist Misty Bassi on a bright sunny Memorial Day morning and then fled the scene, nobody wins...absolutely nobody.

(I should point out her excuse that she simply thought she hit a tree, but if you believe that you probably also believe 9/11 was an inside job orchestrated by our government.)

Since the family of Misty Bassi asked the court for leniency on her killer, I'm not going to argue. And, thank God, Ms. Niroomand will never drive again. But I wonder about the killer of 21-year-old Blake Goodman run over the night of September 12 in North Amherst by a hit-and-driver who is still at large.

Yeah, maybe it sends a positive message: Turn yourself in, show remorse and you will be let off easy (especially if you are a female senior citizen).

At the very least, it should remind cyclist (and their immediate family): you're on your own.

The Springfield Republican reports

Waiting to kill

Still sinking in a sand trap

So at Monday night's illustrious Select Board meeting our highly-paid bean-counter bureaucrats presented a how-we-doing budget analysis now that FY2010 is one-quarter completed.

(Naturally ACTV screwed up the live broadcast so us taxpayers have yet to see it, but I grabbed a PDF of the Select Board media package from the town website.)

Municipally owned and operated Cherry Hill Golf Course revenues stand at a pathetic $88,350 compared to $97,675 at this time two years ago. And expenses--you know that other half of the simple but important equation-- were $81,658 compared to $71,178 two years ago.

In other words revenues are down 9% while expenses are up 11.4%. Nice combination if you can afford it.

In the private sector when met with declining revenues we try to cut expenses. Last quarter, while millions of workers were laid off nationwide, about the only segment to show an employment gain was (BIG) government.

Be afraid. Be very afraid!

The Amherst Bulletin reported (but forgets to follow up)

Blockbuster fast forwards to extinction

So after a dozen years dominating the Happy Valley video/DVD rental market the Blockbuster in the Stop and Shop Hadley stripmall is going the way of the Dodo bird. A tad too late for 'Video To Go' the iconic, slightly funky, video store that opened in Amherst many years before Blockbuster and moved from Main Street to the shopping center near Gold's, errrr, The Leading Edge Gym and then to Greenfield and then the graveyard.

Locally owned 'DV Den' and 'Captain Video' will be happy, but with consumers shifting to online downloads, cable video-on-demand or just the mailorder convenience of Netflix, the future of the industry is not in bricks-and-mortar outlets.

Some of you locals may remember only a couple years ago when Hollywood Video opened right around the corner from Blockbuster and only lasted about a year. Kind of an oldstyle Monitor vs. Merrimack engagement, only in this case one sank (Hollywood Video).

Interestingly this paradigm shift on the demand side leaving large (over)supply types like Blockbuster out in the cold parallels what is happening with the media--especially print media--today.

No wonder Netflix is killing Blockbuster.

Becoming a Citizen Journalist in Amherst?

There’s always room for one more; and God knows I could use the help.

First off, establish a blog…and then behold the power. Like many things involving the Internet, they are free. Perhaps the main reason print news industry has become a “dead man walking.”

Writing is of course a basic requirement but not nearly as important now as it was four or five years ago. But with a blog, if you are going to do it correctly (and my mother taught me “If you are going to do something, do it right,”) then you will be writing a lot and as a result your writing will improve. But still, shorter is better.

A computer, preferably a laptop with WiFi, and high-speed Internet access are mandatory. Give your blog a catchy title, easy for folks to remember and for a google search to find. Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube are great adjuncts and can feed back into the blog.

Get a free sitemeter that tells you how people find your blog, and hits per day will give you an idea of what stories are of interest, have legs, or fall flat. Post frequently but don’t force it with something Twitter –like about what you had for breakfast this morning.

A digital camera with video is also a must. Try to get one with a high optical zoom, as digital zoom tends to come out blurry. Last year I pushed an older camera to the limit of digital /optical zoom taking a shot from a public road about 100 yards away of an Amherst town official gardening at her new home in the town of South Hadley, and it came out lousy.

But she had a recognizable, errrr, figure so it still proved my point. (She later resigned as Amherst has one of those pesky regulations that you must live in town in order to serve as an elected public official.)

Photo editing skills are not all that important as cameras have simple settings that allow any neophyte to take decent photos. Basic skills with video editing are handy because you will need to snip only the pertinent sound bites. These days Apple imovie or simplemoviex make it for anybody to become a Stephen Spielberg.

Now that you have all the tools, establish your turf. Are you going to specialize by covering only school related issues (and in the community of Amherst that is a paramount issue) or just local government in general (and in Amherst they often dabble in foreign policy)?

For the sake of this discussion let’s assume you are a political blog covering the People’s Republic of Amherst.

Either way continue to read/watch the mainstream media, get out to the local coffee shop, bar or restaurant where the locals hang out and keep your ears open. Attend public meetings, ask hard questions. Don’t let anyone tell you that it’s none of your business because you are not a reporter for the local newspaper. The First Amendment applies to everybody.

Bone up on Massachusetts Open Meeting Law and Public Documents Law. Get to know the Town Clerk. Visit other blogs and post relevant comments under your name or google/blogger name so it can link back to your blog. Visit the cyber versions of local media and post comments there with your blog URL.

But above all, seek the truth. Triple check facts and spelling of names,stick to the AP pyramid style of presenting information (most important fact first) and never let your guard down.

Because with every post, you piss somebody off. If you don’t, then you are not doing your job.

And did I mention there’s no pay?

The Gitmo shuffle

Obviously the cataclysmic events of 9/11 brought national attention to the Amherst Select Board decision from the night before restricting the display of 29 commemorative American flags in the downtown.

Around 6:00 AM that morning the AP sent out a brief one-paragraph article about the Amherst town officials decision from the night before, just proving how slow a news day 9/11 first dawned.

Unfortunately some of the BIG media (Fox and CNN) got the story wrong--probably in the confusion of what started going terribly wrong at 8:46 that morning. As a result, some folks watched the Twin Towers fall and then heard a story about a small town in western Massachusetts restricting the rights of residents and businesses to fly the American flag. You can just imagine the hate mail that flowed into Amherst Town Hall that week.

Well as that old saying goes, "here we go again." This Gitmo detainees to Amherst story hit the AP wire on Tuesday (curiously they did not carry it a month ago when the Springfield Republican first covered the story) and within hours the story broke about Federal authorities arresting a Sudbury, Massachusetts resident for plotting to attack shopping malls (probably in the Boston area.) Not a good mix for Amherst.

But, once again, the story is not always presented fairly. Some people make is sound as though Amherst is laying out the welcome mat and promising to harbor Osama Bin Laden. The two men now named by Ruth Hooke are, rightfully, getting great scrutiny and may not pass the smell test.

But the actual Warrant article does not name names and does say four times that the person or persons (does not even mention a number) will have been "cleared." Surely out of all the people left at Gitmo, there does have to be one or two who are completely innocent. Therefore they are not "terrorists".

So if they do ever come to Amherst, the town would not be coddling terrorists.

Michael Graham rips Amherst on radio and in print. Ouch.

Howie Carr Piles on. Double ouch.

And now even the Wall Street Journal. Triple ouch.

The Amherst Bulletin speaks, in their wimpy sort of of way.

Ruth Hooke on welcoming Gitmo guys to Amherst

Whew! So yesterday's 443 hits set a new world's record (about half coming from Boston radio station WTKK 96.9) surpassing last year's 412 when the AP covered Ms. Awad resigning as Amherst Select Board member citing stalking and harassment by little old me as the reason. This of course set the stage for a replacement election last October and a reorganization of the Select Board where Princess Stephanie ousted Gerry Weiss as Chair.

Selectman Weiss speaks

Mr. Weiss's Chariot.

So Boston radio personality Michael Graham wanted to hear Mr. Weiss out on this proposal to allow (2) "cleared" Gitmo detainees to resettle here. Happy to oblige him.

The warrant article (#14) Town Meeting will vote on does not contain any names whatsoever and clearly uses the word "cleared" four times.

So again, just for record. If there is any chance in Hell the two individuals have any connection to terrorist activities I will of course vote No on the floor of Town Meeting. But this naming of the two is kind of a new wrinkle and I'm now told that the two in particular may have some connection to bad things. Makes me wonder about the definition of "cleared."

Amherst Town Meeting: I gave it my best shot

Mr. Graham's blog post about the People's Republic

Yes, the petitioner and Mr. Weiss show up in the Hall of Shame

Really Dumb Foreign policy from the People's Republic

Innocence restored

So I’m sorry my Conservative friends, but have we lost our humanity?

These two 'Guantanamo Guys'--at least according to Federal officials charged with protecting us (although they did do a lousy job that awful morning)--proclaim them “cleared”. They did not do a God damned thing on 9/11. Their only crime is wearing cotton on their head, the pallor of their skin or the accent of their spoken language.

No tax money will be involved if the two men should relocate to Amherst; and--ONCE AGAIN-- the Federal government has cleared them, so they are NOT a threat to local citizens.

Strangely, at the beginning of this Select Board meeting Princess Stephanie voted in favor of two resolutions: one supporting "Climate Action Day" (A global warming thing) and another supporting/promoting "United Nations Day," neither of which are local issues.


My original take over a month ago


Boston Globe picks up the story

UPDATE: 8:00 PM
Of course what is also hyper-hypocritical from Princess Stephanie is that she tells the venerable Boston Globe that "It was just my luck that two of us were absent,"(meaning her pawns Select Board members Alisa Brewer and Aaron Hayden) but two months ago in discussing flying the AMERICAN flags on 9/11 she said the decision (knowing I will come before them next year and the year after that to ask for the flags to fly) should not be "an issue for which the outcome should be politicized by making it dependent on the attendance at a meeting or the make up of the board. Etc."

Lesson learned?

So when I saw the other day that the illustrious Amherst Select Board would be voting on a street closing for Lincoln Avenue to celebrate a safe Halloween block party, I was wondering if the recent disastrous "experiment" to close off that same street to through traffic (mainly to and from economic Juggernaut UMass) would come up or not. It did.

(You can tell Princess Stephanie used to be a PR flack.)

It's Baaaaack...

So the UN Flag (liberated last week--probably as a dorm room decoration) has been replaced, for the 4th or 5th time in the last few years. Paid for by a UN Committee, who also apparently donated the flagpole all those years ago.

What do people want from the media

People want the media to inform, entertain, amuse and they want it all instantly. A Herculean task for the industry—especially since a lot of folks want it free.

But above all, readers want to trust the source. You expect the New York Times or Wall Street Journal to thoroughly vet a story so you know what you are reading is reliable. Folks hate to be deceived.

And in journalism, even with iconic newspapers, it happens. Reporter Janet Cooke’s, infamous profile of “Jimmy, an eight year old third-generation heroin addict” that originally won a Pulitzer Prize for the Washington Post but was then rescinded because it was all fiction.

The Washington Post did something hardly any major newspaper does: they apologized; and in a mea culpa report by their ombudsman of what had gone wrong concluded it was due to a “failure to check confidential sources and the risks of putting sensationalism above editorial judgment. “

I disagree with Mr. Crosbie’s declaration that the local news story is dead, which flies in the face of Tip O’Neil’s famous assertion “All politics is local.”

Yesterday a run away balloon that everyone at first thought had a 6 year old stow away child on board riveted the nation.

If not for that hair raising component of a child potentially at great risk it could easily have been just a local news or blogger upload about an “interesting” family who happens to keep a large flying saucer balloon tethered in their backyard and who also recently appeared on the national TV show “wife swap”.

Here in bucolic Amherst, I posted on Monday morning about a “ghost bike” (a bicycle painted all white and placed at the scene of a car/bike accident where they cyclist died) vandalized by ax wielding assailants.

The local newspaper picked it up the next day (even used a photo from my blog) and then within 24 hours both local TV news stations covered the story as well.

And on a slow news day that is the kind of tragic/weird story that could hit the AP wire (they covered the original accident/death a month ago, a hit-and-run still to this day unsolved).

I agree with Crosbie that in today’s 24/7 world of instant information the average reader initially craves (to, sort of, quote Sgt Joe Friday) “just the facts”; but then 59 seconds later, they are ready for a well-written, well –researched, human interest story--all the better if it actually occurs in their neighborhood.

The Power and Class of New England

George Parks demonstrating Power and Class.
Chancellor Holub, who knows a good thing when he sees it.
Former Drummer Boy (actually tuba), State Senator Stan Rosenberg

So in addition to the $52 million Recreation Center 'Death Star' about to open any day now, this afternoon Umass also broke ground on a $5.7 million Minuteman Marching Band Building, appropriately called the "George N. Parks Band Building."

After more than 30 years of service to Umass--and still going strong--nobody deserves more praise and thanks than band leader George Parks. Over 500 folks turned out this afternoon to enjoy the festivities, a historic turnout for a groundbreaking remarked Chancellor Holub.

You can always go, downtown!

10:30 AM
Busy day today as Central Fire Station has an Open House (Pancake Breakfast tomorrow at North Station). The Fall Foliage Walk was just getting started (raising money for A Better Chance) and they were already lining up at McMurphy's Bar. Guess Amherst PD will be busy later tonight.

No great loss

So for the first time in a generation the UN flag in front of the People's Republic of Amherst Town Hall is missing. I have an inquiry out, but it is after all late afternoon Friday so I will probably not get an immediate response.

Death Star delayed

So I was kind of wondering when the venerable Umass Daily Collegian would get around to correcting their front page article, above the fold, with photo from two weeks ago trumpeting the opening that day of the $52 million Recreation Center, what I have dubbed 'The Death Star’.

And I dub is so--as lawyers are fond of saying--with all due respect. As a Umass graduate (with a degree in Exercise Science/Sport Management) I completely agree the University should provide a state of the art fitness facility for staff and students and it will make them more competitive with other colleges and universities for attracting students (who are, after all, paying customers.)

As the owner of a private, taxpaying health fitness facility in town for over 27 years I normally do not like the idea of a competing facility opening up—especially one so L-A-R-G-E. But this, I’m soooooo looking forward to. Because it will hurt/kill others before it kills me.

Kind of like in war hoping for a plague outbreak, knowing you have a built in immunity that the enemy does not.

Boo!

Killing a Ghost Bike

Ch 3 TV picks up the story

UPDATE: Tuesday 6:00 AM
Today's Gazette (using top photo above with permission) states a driver contacted police at 5:31 PM on Saturday after observing two men attacking the bike with axes. Hard to believe two Nitwits could be so callous (also kind of early in the evening to be drunk.)
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ORIGINAL post: Monday 10:00 AM
The Ghost Bike on Montague Road, up for only three weeks, marking the spot where 21-year-old Blake Goodman was killed by a hit-and-run driver was heavily vandalized this past weekend.

And the pernicious perp who did it must have been a Lizzie Borden fan as it appears the bike was whacked 40 times or more with an ax.

Springfield Republican updates:


September 21

A view from the top

Makes even the juggernaut Umass seem small and insignificant

Well if everybody is a journalist, who's the reader?

Take Sides: do you agree with Jay Rosen's definition of "the people formerly knows as the audience."

Jay Rosen: The People Formerly known as the Audience

Yes, I completely agree with Rosen that high technology has changed EVERYTHING concerning news production and news consumption, where the word "instant" applies almost equally to both sides of that equation.

But still, there are a lot of people out there who want (and will pay for) a packaged, professional product covering a wide variety of news, politics, sports, entertainment, weather, lottery numbers, etc. Even if that newspaper does go to bed at 10:00 PM the night before.

Rather than a blogger vs. mainstream media pissing contest, everybody wins--especially the general public--if the the two camps merge into a hybrid that taps the fantastic features of the Internet with the tried-and-true methods of traditional journalism.

Simply allowing comments on a news web cite allows for greater participation from readers; and perhaps some of them have inside information valuable to the story. Even better if the newspaper shares some of their bandwidth and exposure by hosting and promoting outside independent blogs.

They can still keep things at an arms length and protect themselves legally by using a disclaimer to readers that the blog is a separate entity. That way they could use the blog as sort of a canary in the coal mine to ascertain if a story is worth pursuing in greater detail.

Newspapers have always solicited feedback from readers via Letters to the Editor and Guest Columns for almost as long as they have been in existence. Only now those letters or columns can appear INSTANTLY as opposed to the days or weeks it required back in the good old days they they were properly vetted--albeit slowly.

When I was writing a professional column for my little hometown paper--The Amherst Bulletin--my goal was for half the readers to hate it and the other half to love it.

Howie Carr at the Boston Herald has said pretty much the same thing when he observes that half his readership loves how he skewers public officials and the other half are those public officials checking in to see if he is skewering them.

My stingy editor wanted me to keep it to 750 words--and since the issue and not the money was my motivation I would usually end up with a first draft closer to 1,000. Retired Journalism icon Howard Ziff told me his goal was 600.

So I would reread my final draft 100 time and every time try to edit out something.

These days I publish to my blog six days per week, although I try to keep it shorter than 750 words. And before I hit the "publish" button I reread the final edit only 10 times rather than 100.

But I can still go back anytime and instantly change anything 90 more times over the next hours, days or weeks.

And of course my daily numbers even multiplied over the month probably still do not equal the audience I had as a monthly newspaper columnist. But my theory is the folks who come to my blog daily really want to read what I have to say (even if hoping I make a mistake they can use to embarrass me.)

Thus they are committed readers/consumers rather than passive newspaper readers who usually only lazily scan the headlines (and Columnist don’t get to write their headlines) maybe the lead paragraph and if both are really compelling the rest of the article.

Quality vs. quantity.

James, we hardly knew ye.

And our flag was still there.

So the American Legion Post 148 did not take long to replace Old Glory and the POW flags stolen less than a month ago. Replacement costs were a tad steep since the offending Nitwit managed to trash the flagpole while stealing the flags.

This new, more expensive one has better security as the line to raise or lower the flag is on the inside of the hollow pole so easy access can be locked out to any drunk yahoo.

(My WW2 Vet friend Kilroy tells me they also installed twin 50 caliber machine guns on the roof trained on the flagpole base as well as a couple of claymore mines…)

My original post

Cluck, cluck, cluck

Other People's $ (Taxpayers)

Mill River pavilion: estimated revenues $21,900. Actual revenues $5,735

Groff Park pavilion: estimated revenues $14,160. Actual revenues $3,462

So if Socialized Amherst Recreation Empire Director Linda Chalfant was sooooo “confident the town will be able to rent the Mill River pavilion for 88 weekend and holiday days at a rate of $150 and for 116 weekdays for $75” for a grand total of $21,900 then why didn’t she guarantee it with her taxpayer funded $100-K annual salary, like any private sector entrepreneur?

Lucky thing for her she didn't, because this past year the formerly free pavilion only generated $5,735 in total revenue; Chalfant also predicted annual revenues of $14,160 for the Groff Park Pavilion and actual revenues were a paltry $3,462.50 Her total projected revenues (with “add ons”) for both pavilions came to $44,880 and the actual intake this past year was under $10,000…a tad off the mark.

She also s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d things when she told the illustrious Amherst Select Board that one of her $39,000 salaried employees is offset by $44,800 in new pavilion revenues when that $39,000 employee also has an additional $12,000 to $13,000 in health care and other associated employee benefit costs thus bringing the total revenue required to over $50,000 per year.

Either way $9,197 is not even close--unless you subscribe to the adage "close enough for government work."


Groff Park's $140,000 "comfort station" with an expensive "concession" component that has never been used.

The Bully reported (but never followed up)

National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Day.

Amherst (town of) remembers.

Umass Amherst remembers

And on that awful day we lost 343 (three times the yearly average). Some of them off-duty, some of them retired, all of them responding to a call to duty.

What drives Citizens Media?

So yeah, I'm taking an on-line journalism course on line at my old Alma Mater, Umass. This was Friday's assignment.
#################################
A search for the truth drives those who would call them selves “citizen journalists.” And holding up a mirror to reflect what actually occurs at an event is now far easier because of technology—digital cameras, cell phones with built in video, micro-cassette recorders, etc.

Plus the Internet makes publication for the whole world to see just a click away.

But facts still matter. The old “who, what, when, where and why” still matter. And yes, for God sake spell names correctly because somebody will notice, and they’re going to think “If you can’t spell my name correctly what other facts did you mess up.”

When it first made the literary scene in the late 60’s and early 1970’s New Journalism, where a writer immersed themselves in the actual story, was viewed by journalism purists as a red headed bastard stepchild.

But with talented writers like Joan Didion, Truman Capote, and Norman Mailer to name a few, it proved to be more than a passing fad. The New Media journalist has a tremendous advantage with new technology and can capture actual scenes instantly thus relying less on writing skills and more on layout.

A good lead, however, still matters—as does a catchy headline. And these days a citizen journalist can’t rely on a photo editor or headline editor, which of course can be good or bad. But who better to chose a headline or photo than the person who actually wrote the article?

Since most Citizen Journalists are not paid a salary obviously their motivation is similar to an Olympic athlete who does things for the love of the sport.

And yes in spite of some of the recent articles about competition between mainstream media and citizens journalists being a thing of the past competition is a powerful motivator. I hate to say it but I dearly love scooping my local newspaper (not that it’s all that hard to do).

About the only good thing to come out of the 2004 Presidential election was the common use of the term “core.” (I think it came up in a negative sense in ads paid for by the Swift Boat Veterans against John Kerry and he made the huge mistake of not responding instantly but—for the sake of this discussion-- that is irreverent.)

Core is an all or nothing thing. You either have it or you don’t. And being motivated by altruistic principals goes a long way to ensure you do indeed have one (although it’s nice to bring home a paycheck at the same time).

Bobby Kennedy once said something to the effect that if a politician really, really believes in the message then they should be able to present it without a script or (if they had them back then) a teleprompter. Extemporaneous speaking often comes from the heart.

On the day Martin Luther King was assassinated (4 April 1968) Bobby was in the middle of his ill-fated Presidential run and against the wishes of his advisers got up on a flatbed truck and spoke from the heart to a predominantly African American crowd in Indianapolis, Indiana in what was supposed to be a routine campaign stop.

He broke the horrible news off-the-cuff and ever so eloquently, closing with a message of non-violence. That night Indianapolis was one of the few cities not to go up in flames.

No, I don’t honestly think Citizen Journalists or bloggers are the reincarnation of Bobby Kennedy—but many of them share the same ideals: to dream things and say, why not?

Kendrick Park mystery structure solved

From: Shaffer, Larry
Sent: Fri 10/2/2009 9:54 AM
To: Arcamo, Judith; Musante, John; Mooring, Guilford; Seaman, Katherine
Cc: O'Keefe, Stephanie
Subject: RE: Kendrick park structure

I have to get up to see the structure.

I am trying to figure out a balance for the use of the park. Interesting aspects of community life highlighted in brief displays may be a way to achieve a level of excitement. In many ways, I am trying to figure out a good mix of usages….passive, interesting, temporary.

Hope you are well.

Larry

From: Arcamo, Judith
Sent: Friday, October 02, 2009 9:31 AM
To: Musante, John; Mooring, Guilford; Seaman, Katherine
Cc: Shaffer, Larry; O'Keefe, Stephanie
Subject: RE: Kendrick park structure

Yes, Larry approved this back in August. The event begins today through the 11th during meal times 2:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Judith
Administrative Assistant to the Town Manager

From: Musante, John
Sent: Friday, October 02, 2009 8:46 AM
To: Mooring, Guilford; Arcamo, Judith; Seaman, Katherine
Cc: Shaffer, Larry
Subject: FW: Kendrick park structure

???????

From: sjokeeffe@gmail.com (Stephanie O'Keeffe)
Sent: Friday, October 02, 2009 8:43 AM
To: Musante, John
Subject: Kendrick park structure

Just curious: The structure put up yesterday or the day before on Kendrick Park for Sukkot -- presumably someone asked permission to do that? How long will it be up? People will ask.

As long as it's not "permanent"

UPDATE: 10:00 AM I'll take his/her word for it:

It is a sukkah, a structure erected for the celebration of Sukkot, a Jewish holiday.

"Sukkot, a Hebrew word meaning "booths" or "huts", refers to the Jewish festival of giving thanks for the fall harvest, as well as the commemoration of the forty years of Jewish wandering in the desert after Sinai."

Perhaps it is part of the town's harvest/farm festival happening down town tomorrow.
#############################################
So the Kendrick Park study committee came back with their Final Report a while back and concluded that no "permanent structures" (like the sani-can, outhouse, "comfort station") the Town Mangler had in mind should be erected on the donated pristine public park.

And--talk about double diss--they also mentioned how it would be just fine for the Boy Scouts to sell Christmas trees--as they have done for over fifty years--on the cite (presumable without the $1 tax per tree imposed by Mr. Shaffer.)

So I'm not sure what the this is...stay tuned.

Swimming with the guppies

One of the nice things about venerable Amherst College is that they annually provide affordable swim lessons for Amherst children; the entire AC Swim Team provides a super-low teacher/student ratio (sometimes simply a private lesson) in the meticulously maintained Pratt Pool.

My eight-year-old has patronized the program for 3 or 4 years now, and even my two-year-old is now participating.

This past year the town of Amherst did not open the outdoor War Memorial Pool for the first time in over fifty years (where lots of swim lessons normally would occur) and the indoor Middle School Pool is no longer available to average citizens (Leisure Services empire is too busy running the Golf Course.)

So this Amherst College program is now even more invaluable.

Score one for Mr. Baseball

It's been a good Autumn for Stan Ziomek: Grand Marshal at Amherst's 250th Parade last Sunday and this nifty new scoreboard in deep left field at, where else, Ziomek field.

Tales from the trenches 2

A free, unfettered Lincoln Ave/Fearing St intersection

Okay folks, just doing the job the Daily Hampshire Gazette should do. Got the most recent comments via Public Documents Law from Amherst citizens to town officials concerning the "traffic calming experiment" on Lincoln Avenue. Yikes!

#######################################
From: 
Posted At: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 1:26
To whom it may concern,
I have been traveling Lincoln ave for the last year as a way to get from my first job at Umass to my second job at Amherst College.I only have 30 minutes to get from my office to my car and then drive to Amherst college.Since the Lincoln Ave closure I have been late four times which never happened once in the last year.
I cannot pull out of Fearing street on either end because of the amount of traffic and the fact there is no traffic light.
I am not blaming public works as I know they are just following orders and both the sign crew and highway dept were very helpfull the first day as I stopped and asked thier advice on which way to go.
Sincerely,

From: 
Posted At: Wednesday, September 16, 2009 5:08

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing in regard to the recent changes to Lincoln Avenue near its intersection with Massachusetts Avenue. I appreciate your efforts ensure optimal traffic patterns around Amherst, however, I feel that blocking access to Massachusetts Avenue has several detrimental effects that may not outweigh the gains achieved.

My primary concern is with pedestrian safety. Traffic that would have used Lincoln Avenue to access the UMass campus now must travel on pedestrian thoroughfares such as N. Pleasant Street and other portions of Massachusetts Ave. Though there are pedestrians on Lincoln Ave, they typically walk in the sidewalk along the east side of the street and, by the nature of residential locations, rarely have need to cross Lincoln Ave. On the other hand, individuals are constantly crossing Massachusetts Ave and N. Pleasant St. By adding more cars to these roads, simply by the nature of traffic volume, it puts pedestrians in greater peril. This issue is of particular relevance as a friend of mine was struck by a car on Massachusetts Avenue (near the intersection with Presidents Drive) last year and is fortunate to still be alive – I do not want others to have to endure the long, painful rehabilitation process that she experienced.

Secondly, traffic will increase on common bus routes (N. Pleasant St. and University Dr.) as a result of being diverted off of Lincoln. Increasing the congestion on these already crowded roads will inhibit PVTA busses from being about to maintain their schedule. They will not be able to move passengers through town as quickly, nor will their posted timetable be accurate. These factors will disincentivize individuals to use public transportation and instead choose to drive or travel by foot/bike. Additional driving would only exacerbate the congestion problem, while foot/bike travel would raise the risk of pedestrian casualties. Furthermore, pushing people toward driving in lieu of public transportation will likely create added carbon emissions, which is a concern for many people in our community.

I am not suggesting that your department was unaware of the aforementioned issues. However, as an Amherst resident, homeowner, and taxpayer, I feel obligated to voice my concern over the externalities that are likely to arise from the road changes. I am sure there are benefits to reducing traffic on Lincoln (e.g., lessen traffic on a residential road, reduce noise pollution for residents, diminish damage to road), but until pedestrians have protected walkways and capacity has been increased on parallel roads, I contend that the dangers and downsides of this particular traffic pattern modification are excessive.

Thank you for your consideration of my thoughts on this issue and your continued efforts to improve the functioning of our town’s roadways.

Sincerely,




Posted At: Thursday, September 17, 2009 9:48

Hi,

I am a resident living on the side of Sunset Avenue closest to the University of
Massachusetts dorms and I am extremely unhappy with the road closures that
prevent me from directly accessing THE ROAD THAT I LIVE ON. It is absolutely
absurd that I should have to cut through the university campus in order to go
through my house. This "experiment" greatly affects anyone who lives on this
end of Sunset and travels by car. As a matter of fact, when searching for
possible houses to rent in April, the main reason that I chose this house was
because of its great location and accessibility from Fearing and Amity. I now
feel that, if I so chose, I could call my landlord and ask to terminate my lease
due to absolutely absurd accessibility issues. If my landlord had an issue with
that I would simply tell him that he must take it up with the town of Amherst.
This conclusion would certainly lead only to bigger problems for the town of
Amherst. If it wasn't for college students, this town would be solely
agricultural and would have far less, if any, business. I think maybe its time
that the town actually did something in the interest of the students instead of
the forever-complaining locals, who's choice it was to live next to a major
college campus. These are the same people who call noise complaints on a daily
basis yet still choose to live next to the most densely populated area of
college kids in the whole country! I really hope I have communicated the
feeling of anger that is raging inside of myself and many other residents and
that something will be done to fix this.
From: 
Posted At: Thursday, September 17, 2009 9:59 AM
Posted To: Public Works
Conversation: Lincoln Street closure
Subject: Lincoln Street closure

To Whom It May Concern:

I live south of the UMass campus and the Lincoln Street closure near campus has significantly increased my commute. All traffic is now funneled through a few paths and now gets severely backed up. I live on a street that could be considered an alternate to a main traffic pattern. I knew that when I moved there. Should my street be barricaded as well? That would be great as it might improve my resale value (as an aside, do you plan to raise the assessed values of these properties now?).

I think this action sets a bad precedent and leads to greater strain on the remaining outlets to and from campus, likely increasing the chance of accidents. I suggest the barriers be removed and normal traffic patterns be returned as soon as possible.

Sincerely,


From: 
Posted At: Thursday, September 17, 2009 12:16
Dear Folks,

I have already sent a letter concerning the blocked roadways, and was trying to be patient since it was only a “two-week study”. I would now like to voice my concern that this will become a permanent situation with dangerous consequences (the potential for which is cited below).

Amherst officials say the installation of partial traffic barriers on Lincoln and Sunset avenues have provided a wealth of data about commuting patterns in town. The diversion will likely stay in place for another 10 days, they say. Commuter traffic to UMass has been rerouted because of the barriers, revealing the need to make change to University Drive, including a reconfiguring of traffic lights at Amity Street, says Guilford Mooring, town highway superintendent. He also says the higher traffic volume on University Drive along with students crossing the road has created new areas of congestion. (Gazette, 9/17/09)

-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Thursday, September 17, 2009 12:25

The traffic changes on Lincoln and Sunset may have helped make it
quieter for folks living on those streets, but it has made it more
dangerous for folks (like me) who work on University Drive.

My office is at University Drive, next to the post office. Traffic
has increased significantly on both University Drive and the internal
parallel road (not sure what it is called). I have noticed drivers
becoming more and more impatient with waiting to turn onto and off of
University Drive; there are way fewer breaks in traffic. Drivers are
increasingly taking more risks by pulling out and accelerating
abruptly onto to the street or by cutting quickly across traffic to
make turns.

I know that University Drive has been a problem area in the past;
these changes have made it worse. Since the roadblock went up on
Lincoln and Sunset, from 2:45 - 5:30pm (at least), traffic is just a
bear on University Drive

I have also noticed a significant increase in traffic in the center of
the town. It used to be relatively simple to go to lunch there. With
this change in place, I am much less likely to go into town and fight
the traffic on North Pleasant and Amity Streets (that intersection has
gotten busier too).

I don't know if this is related, but I went to lunch at Panera Bread
in the Mountain Farms plaza yesterday and it was packed. I wonder if
these changes are having an impact on lunch business in Amherst; it is
certainly affecting my desire to go into town for lunch.

As a taxpayer of the commonwealth I would urge you to figure out a
different way to "calm" traffic on Lincoln and Sunset. Blockading
traffic is not the same as slowing it down and it is making traffic
much worse in other parts of town. I believe everyone would want less
traffic on their street.

While I have some sympathy for residents who have been there for more
than 40 years, Southwest is pretty obvious for anyone buying in that
neighborhood since the 1960s and home prices and values have already
been affected (it is probably a bit cheaper to purchase there because
of Southwest); I am guessing the houses there are still worth a fair
amount.

Perhaps blockading Main Street would improve the values of homes there
and make people feel safer? Perhaps blockading the town would do the
same for everyone who lives in town? I suspect it won't help the town
increase its tax base with more business.

Sincerely,

From: 
Posted At: Thursday, September 17, 2009 1:53

I read that you welcome comments on the traffic calming efforts. Thought I’d add my mine.

I am a regular commuter to and from work via Lincoln Ave to my UMass parking lot. The diversion to other streets makes me realize how much more hazardous they are compared to Lincoln! I tried exiting campus by going out Lincoln and turning down Fearing by SouthWest. The foot of Fearing and University Drive can be a very hectic intersection, with both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The top of Fearing seems to have fewer pedestrians, but without the light, it is a difficult intersection to move through. My even bigger concern is the effect the diversion of Lincoln traffic seems to have had on the volume of cars moving up and down Mass Ave from N. Pleasant to Comm Ave. With so many pedestrians (and unexpected behaviors – today in front of me a car stopped in the middle of Mass Ave to let two students out!), that short stretch is pretty crazy.

I like the idea of keeping Lincoln open all the way through with two-way traffic AND calming measures. Is there any way to keep traffic at 25 mph (or 30 mph at most)? I hope so.

I agree with your thinking that turning lanes are needed for the intersection of Univ Drive and Amity, and that improvements are needed to the Big Y entrance too.

Thanks for listening – and good luck!

-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Thursday, September 17, 2009 3:49


To whom it may concern,

I currently live on sunset ave and am very upset about the road blocks you have
installed blocking off access to my own house. I understand you don’t want
people speeding down residential streets trying to get to Campus but to block
access off from current residents is completely uncalled for. I live on the
corner of sunset and Fearing and because of the new road blocks in order for me
to get home I need to drive an extra 10 minutes in traffic to get to my house.
To force us to drive completely out of the way and through campus when we are
not even coming from that direction is not fair at all. You treat students like
they do not matter in this town when in fact it is the student population that
keeps this town running. I would like a response to this email explaining to me
the logic behind these road blocks. If you are going to force me to drive an
extra 10 minutes every time I drive home then you should too find the time to
write me back with a thorough explanation.

Thank you
-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Thursday, September 17, 2009

Hello,

I am an alumni of umass, and I was up visiting this weekend, and couldn't help but notice the new temporary road blocks that have been set up.

Not only do I find them dangerous, but I find that they further complicate traffic, and also divert heavu traffic onto tiny side roads that are filled with cracks and potholes.

I strongly urge that these roadblocks do not remain in place.

Thank you for your time,

-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Thursday, September 17, 2009 4:06

To whom it may concern,

Hello, my name is. I live on Sunset ave, and I cannot deal
with these roadblocks any longer. My street is nearly 100% cut of from the rest
of Amherst, and in order to even make it to my house I have to take University
Dr. to Massachusetts Ave. If I am driving from the middle of Campus, say on
North Pleasant St. where all of my classes are, I have to drive in the most
indirect route to my house, and it is completely outrageous. I understand that
you are trying to cut down traffic through/out of campus, but I am contemplating
exiting my lease because of this horrible inconvenience. I leased my house
because of the location, and now this location is rendered insignificant.
Please remove these roadblocks as soon as possible and not re-post them based on
traffic, you will make residents in this area very fed up and unhappy.

Thank you for you time,

-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Thursday, September 17, 2009 6:01 PM


I live on Sunset Ave and the road block situation is absolutely ridiculous. I
would not have signed a lease to live here if I knew it meant driving half way
around campus through hundreds of students just to get home from getting milk
and bread. I am embarassed and infuriated at the same time. Please remove them
or give me a pass to drive through them. This is unbelievable.

A very displeased,

-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Friday, September 18, 2009 7:59

To Whom It May Concern:

I find it hard to believe that the citizens of Lincoln Ave. have bullied
the Town of Amherst into closing off their street to UMass and the
public. The University has been here since 1863……didn’t these people
realize that they were purchasing homes next to the University? If they
don’t like where they live, then they should move.

The closing of these roads is a major inconvenience to those who travel
to the University every day. If Lincoln Street and/or Sunset Ave. are
permanently closed to “the public” then I will no longer shop in the
Amherst area. And I do a significant amount of shopping during my lunch
hour. I will take my business to a friendlier town. And IF these streets
remain closed, I hope the Town of Amherst has a backbone to stand up to
these selfish individuals and deny them the plowing of their streets in
the winter time. If they want a “private road”, then let them pay for
the upkeep and not use the taxpayer’s money.

From: 
Posted At: Friday, September 18, 2009 9:05

Hi - I returned back from lunch last week, using Lincoln Ave to get back to the UMASS building where I work. I diverted to Fearing Street and then tried to turn left on North Pleasant Street to get to campus. Since the removal of the traffic light there, I had to contend with pedestrians, bicyclists and cars going in both directions to try to make the turn. I strongly urge you to remove the barriers ASAP and remind the Lincoln Ave residents that they live on a public street that the public should have access to! Thank you. Most UMASS employees I know do not use the University Drive/Massachusetts Ave route onto campus, due to the high numbers of student pedestrians which cause traffic stand-stills.

From: 
Posted At: Friday, September 18, 2009 9:56 AM

I am a UMass employee who uses Lincoln to get to my parking lot (32). The current system is terrible. It takes me an additional 10 minutes to get to my parking lot as I have to go all the way University Drive and up to Lincoln to get to my parking lot.
I have always obeyed the traffic speed laws and am incensed that I now have to drive completely out of my way in order to get to a parking lot that is on the very street you’ve closed.

This plan is very inefficient for all those who use Lincoln St. to park in lot 32.

-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Friday, September 18, 2009 11:21

Dear Sir or Madam:

Like most residents on Lincoln Avenue, we would like to see measures taken to control the excessive traffic on our residential road. The testing measures conducted over the past two weeks, however, controlled traffic in a manner that interfered dramatically with our quality of life, our property value, our personal safety, our peace-of-mind and our carbon footprint. With details of our unpleasant and unacceptable experiences during the traffic calming initiative
provided below, we strongly urge decision-makers involved with this matter to immediately conclude that this experiment was wholly unsuccessful. We urge you to take the boulders down at once.

Significant Property Value Loss

We purchased our house just two years ago, largely prompted by the prestige and history associated with Lincoln Avenue. We also wanted a house in close proximity to Amherst College, one of our employers. We paid $360,000 for a very small single family home at the end of the
road with the assumption that our property was slightly more valuable, prone to appreciation and easier resale due to it being on this esteemed road.

Now, everyone from pizza delivery vehicles to friends, family, home contractors, our landscaping and lawn care company, trash and recycling collectors, electric company/meter readers, heating oil delivery trucks, product delivery trucks and the Boston Globe newspaper carrier have been inconvenienced and forced to venture deep into the private and massive University parking lot simply to access our house. This takes an extra 10 to 20 minutes longer than it had previously, depending on the time of day. (At or around 5 PM on weekdays, this detour can require as much as 40 minutes more than before.)

Were we to sell our home at this point, we would have an extremely difficult time and would suffer from a massive monetary loss, as prospective buyers would need to drive through a parking lot and a private business to access it. It is also no longer connected with the rest of Lincoln Avenue, thus reducing it’s prestige.

Diminished Safety and Security

In the event of an emergency – were someone in the house in danger, the house on fire or being burglarized, to name just a few possible scenarios – emergency vehicles and residents would not be able to get to our house fast enough to respond in an acceptable and reasonable manner. Furthermore, should the University of Massachusetts campus face a lock-down, close roads for any reason or delay snow shoveling, we would have absolutely no access to our house whatsoever. During events, commencement and new student move-in, we are literally
trapped at home with no access to public roads.

Increased Road Rage and Frustration

We come and go frequently throughout the day. We enjoy being close to downtown, shopping and basic conveniences. Simple trips to the library, Amherst College (an employer), grocery stores, doctors, dentists, shops and Amherst Middle School have become major outings,
albeit walking distance from our house. Instead of the previous five minutes needed to reach most in-town destinations, it requires a 20-minute commute deep into the University dodging unpredictable bicycle and pedestrian traffic. Furthermore, there are minimal to no traffic
lights on campus to lessen the stress involved in our commute, with left turns lacking the assistance of any signals or signs to stop oncoming traffic.

Physical and Emotional Disconnect

The current situation leaves the entire household feeling disconnected from the rest of the world. It feels like we’re part of the University of Massachusetts campus, yet we have absolutely no
affiliation with it. We are residents of Amherst, yet we’ve been barricaded into a commercial property zone as if living in a dormitory. We are private citizens paying taxes to enjoy convenient access to the town of Amherst and everything it has to offer. Several people in our household have suffered from intense feelings of isolation, depression and rage since the boulders were installed.

Increase in Traffic Violations and Police Patrol

The concrete boulder placed at the end of Lincoln at Fearing has caused an influx of wrong-way traffic going around it and onto Lincoln Avenue to access the University. Drivers have gone so far as to motion us out of the way so they could enter Lincoln at the Fearing intersection. On one instance, we nearly collided head-on with an oncoming car driving illegally onto Lincoln Avenue while taking our daughter to school in the morning. This has led to increased cost for police presence to monitor and patrol our road.

Detrimental and Unnecessary Environmental Impact

Our carbon footprint has drastically increased as a result of the traffic calming issues: 1.) due to excessive idling while forced to wait for pedestrians and bike traffic to cross multiple crosswalks
within the University on our new commute home, 2.) due to the added 10 to 20 minutes of driving time involved in each and every trip to and from our house with an average of five trips per day per adult driver in our household alone, and 3.) due to the added 10 to 20 minutes of driving time involved for each and every vehicle that needs to access our house including friends, family, deliveries (pizza, packages, newspapers, heating oil), services (electric company/meter readers, contractors, lawn and landscaping, trash and recycling collectors).

As a final note, as tax-paying home owners affected by this major
project, we would like to receive adequate advance notice in the future when projects like this are in the pipeline. We did not know that our road would be closed, as it has been for the past two weeks, until the day the concrete boulders were erected and signs were posted. Not knowing why or for how long this would happen, we searched the Internet and located the announcement on the town website. We do not feel it is too much to ask that property owners be notified via a simple slip of paper in our mailbox and/or letter delivered to the address on property deed records.

We appreciate your consideration to all issues addressed above, your proactive deliberation regarding consequences not yet evident and your continued respect for the needs of all residents on Lincoln Avenue. Please feel free to contact us should you have questions or require further clarification.
Kind regards,

From: 
Posted At: Friday, September 18, 2009 4:24

Dear,
I have forwarded your message. As I understand it, the barriers will be taken down next week. They were put up to study the effect they would have. I believe most commentary has been negative. They are not going to be permanent, so I hope you will not take such drastic steps to hurt your local businesses as to stop using and shopping at them. The loss of business to them will only hurt them and they had nothing to do with the traffic calming project.

Best,

----- Original Message -----

Sent: Friday, September 18, 2009 4:03 PM
Subject: Traffic Calming

Hello,
 
I am writing to voice my displeasure with the traffic calming project that the town has undertaken. It has created more traffic on both ends of Fearing street, with University Drive seeing long lines of cars backed up at rush hour. Traffic calming is creating more traffic, and doesn't make any sense. Frankly lets call it what it is: you're privitizing public roads under the guise of "traffic calming". You're not calming traffic, you're creating it. As a resident of Amherst, I am strongly opposed to this becoming a permanent fixture. Until it is removed, I will not be frequenting Amherst based businesses, and I will be actively recruiting people to join me. I have already cancelled my membership at a local Amherst gym, been driving into Sunderland, Hadley and Belchertown, for restaurants, and have moved my general shopping out of the Amherst area.
 

From: 
Posted At: Friday, September 18, 2009 4:34 PM
Posted To: Public Works
Conversation: Sunset and Lincoln Traffic Calming
Subject: Sunset and Lincoln Traffic Calming

To Whom It May Concern,
As a resident of Amherst Massachusetts I am deeply concerned with the recent changes to the traffic patterns on Lincoln Avenue, Sunset Avenue, Mclure street, and Sunset Court. As of right now there is only one entrance to my house and with the addition of Mclure street and sunset court there is added stress in leaving my residence. In the two weeks since the barricades have gone up all over my neighborhood my want and ability to leave my house to go shopping or visit the center of town has decreased exponentially.

The traffic all of my neihgborhood has increased ten folds, going up and down Fearing St. as well as on University Drive and Massachusetts Avenue. It is unsafe to continue with the traffic barricades as it creates an unsafe arena for the students to walk across Massachusetts Avenue to get from campus to the southwest area of campus. You are not only creating a hassle for everyone traveling in the neighborhood but also an unsafe traffic pattern for all of the students and other residents who believed the neighborhood was a safe area to walk on foot instead of having to rely solely on fossil fuels to transportation.

Sincerely,
Resident of the Town of Amherst
From: 
Posted At: Friday, September 18, 2009 8:19 PM


I am appalled with the decision to implement the traffic calming pilot. Not only do I work at MASS Amherst, but I am also a tax paying resident of the Town. Amherst was just rated the best college town....the University contributed to the honor which in turn will bring in business to this community. Instead, the Town decides to close off avenues to reach the school on behalf of a small interest group.

The Lincoln Ave Coalition knew where they were purchasing their home. So now I am held captive to a decision they made. My taxes entitle me to rights and access in this community, just like Lincoln Ave. If Lincoln Ave residents want a private road, then they need to fully support that notion financially and not rely on my tax dollars to set up barricades that jeopardize the safety of 5000 residents who live in the Southwest Area.

I have pulled my business in Amherst and will continue to do so until this fiasco is rectified. Halley will get my financial support.

Please rethink this calming pattern as all I see is a handful of privileged individuals who have raised such an uproar that the town knows no other solution than to keep them quiet at any cost...that cost is the faculty, staff and students (24,000 plus) who make contributions to this community.

Sincerely,
Town Resident
Staff Member
 From: 
Posted At: Saturday, September 19, 2009 9:53

As a 21 year, tax paying resident of E Pleasant St, having NO connection to UMass. Why is my right to travel on Lincoln Ave and Sunset Ave impeded? (In order to avoid all the chaos in the downtown area, Triangle St to Fearing St to Lincoln to Amity St is the safest route)

Amherst roads can not handle the increased traffic the barriers have caused.

Downtown is a mess- especially on Fri afternoons. It was bad before the change- now traffic is backed up in all directions!

Many intersections need to be redesigned to keep traffic moving- separate lanes for traffic turning left are desperately needed (Triangle St/ E Pleasant, University Dr/Amity St)

Traffic lights need to be installed at both ends of Fearing St to assist those turning left.

Route 116 in Hadley needs to be redesigned to handle more traffic. This route is underutilized because it is inefficient. It was built to handle a large volume of cars yet it is always empty.
The traffic light on Route 9 needs to allow more than 10 cars to turn onto Route 116 (it could easily handle a second turn lane) It also needs more exits (and on ramps) for the campus (one directly into the Mullins parking lot area) to help.

Closing roads will only magnify these long standing issues. It is not the solution!

Keep public roads open to the public!

From: 
Posted At: Sunday, September 20, 2009 2:48 PM

To DPW,
The past, two-week traffic diversion test off Fearing Street has illustrated a very negative effect for those who reside off Lincoln Ave, North of Fearing street (i.e. the UMASS Lincoln Apartments). Hopefully, the trial results will show that this is not a positive nor permanent solution to limiting traffic on the south side of the UMASS campus.
The diversion simply forces more automobiles to transit through campus on roads highly trafficked by pedestrians and thereby increases the risk of collisions between cars and people. Rather than being able to traffic North on Lincoln Avenue from Route 9, residents must traffic all the way through campus from either N. Pleasant Street or University Drive, and vice versa from leaving the apartments. Instead residents are forced to transit down Fearing Street, a highly trafficked area by pedestrians, rather than being able to leave the area in the most direct manner to Route 9. Many students, or pedestrians in general, walk along N. Pleasant Street, University Drive and Fearing Street to go to and return from the town and shopping areas. Roads like Sunset and Lincoln avenues allow vehicles to move direct routes South to Route 9 and thereby passing these "high pedestrian" areas.
Furthermore, the barriers currently in place during this "traffic calming trial" have not "calmed" traffic or drivers. It has simply enraged them and made driver-behavior more aggitated and aggressive. I have witnessed initial driver reaction to these barriers off Lincoln Ave whereby driver behavior has turned more violent. Hard breaking, peeling out, speeding down Fearing street since drivers were anticipating being able to get to a parking lot in a few seconds suddenly realized it will take them more time to go around campus. Or, drivers have simply gone around the barriers ignoring their intended purpose. Even the Amherst Police have commented that these traffic barriers are "stupid" and have not been enforced during the two-week trial.
If the barriers along Lincoln and Sunset are left in place, then they will continue to increase the probability of pedestrians getting hit by automobiles and commuters and residents will continue to go around them.

From: 
Posted At: Monday, September 21, 2009 12:34
To Whom It May Concern:

The redirection of traffic to campus from Lincoln Ave. is a ridiculous experiment. It simply creates more traffic on both of the main roads to campus AND Fearing and McLellan Streets. Because I park on Lot 32, this measure adds to my commute time and cost. I now have to leave a few minutes earlier for work, and I am annoyed at being forced to drive around in circles in an indirect route to get to a large, main campus parking lot on a road to campus that has been traveled for decades. This re-routing has added 1/2 a mile to both my morning and afternoon commute, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year. So much for trying to conserve fuel and keeping my carbon footprint to a minimum!

I wonder what is really being accomplished in redirecting the paths of so many UMass employees on Lincoln St. at a point where there is only ONE BLOCK left to travel it to arrive at our destination. In addition, I'm curious about how the residents of Fearing and McLellan Streets feel about the increased traffic on their streets - have they been asked for their feedback on this measure???

In summary, whatever issues exist that warranted this type of re-routing experiment probably won't be solved by redirecting traffic from traveling ONE BLOCK further on Lincoln St. It is my sincere hope that the Town of Amherst realizes that more issues will probably arise from such a measure than be solved by it.

Best regards,


-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Monday, September 21, 2009 1:43
To Whom It May Concern:

The redirection of traffic to campus from Lincoln Ave. is a ridiculous
experiment. It simply creates more traffic on either the main roads to
campus AND Fearing and McLellan Streets. Because I park on Lot 32, this
measure adds to my commute time and cost. I now have to leave a few minutes
earlier for work, and I am annoyed at having to drive around in circles in
an indirect route to get to a large, main campus parking lot on a road to
campus that has been traveled for decades. This re-routing has added 1/2 a
mile to both my morning and afternoon commute, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a
year. It is also making more traffic leaving campus especially when there is so
much foot traffice from the school of management. So much for trying to
conserve fuel. Thank you for making my work days even longer!

I wonder what is really being accomplished in redirecting the paths of so
many UMass employees on Lincoln St. at a point where there is only ONE BLOCK
left to travel it to arrive at our destination. In addition, I'm curious
about how the residents of Fearing and McLellan Streets feel about the
increased traffic on their streets - have they been asked for their feedback
on this measure???

Whatever issues exist that warranted this type of re-routing
experiment probably won't be solved by redirecting traffic from traveling
ONE BLOCK further on Lincoln St. It is my sincere hope that the Town of
Amherst realizes that more issues will probably arise from such a measure
than be solved by it.

On another note I will not be patronizing any Amherst businesses anymore since
it is so difficult for travel. Delivery services must also be at a standstill,
so I am boycotting that as well. I have also been doing all of my grocery needs
in Northampton instead of Hadley as well. I use to like to travel to TJ Max on
my lunch hour or after work however I will have to find a new town and new
stores to bring my family of 5 purchases.

My biggest concern as a parent of 2 UMass students: Please reconsider..........
I have a daughter in the dorms directly near these roads, in fact on Sunset.
Can you guarantee to me you have imagined any emergency that could arise in
that area how you would be able to manage the kaos? Has every angle has been
carefully looked at if there is an emergency. Do you have solutions, have you
retrained your police force and fire departments of their protocal if it is
jammed up before you are able to unbaracade your creations. Do you realize how
many students live in that SouthWest Community? What if something happened on
one road like it did in Sunderland a few weeks ago? Is it fair to the parents
of these students? Befroe they enrolled their children were they informed the
town of Amherst would be closing roads and the safety of their children was at
risk because of this. Meanwhile without these students your town wouldn't be
making the #1 town college town in the country.

Please write back to me referencing your plans as to how you would get to my
daughter. Remember this is all about safety!


Thank you,
-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Monday, September 21, 2009 3:14
Hi,

I work at the University of Massachusetts in the Whitmore Administration
building.. For the last 7 years that I have worked here, I have always
traveled the same way. From N. Pleasant, to Lincoln street to get into
the Whitmore building parking lot 71 (at the other end of Lincoln).
Before I parked there, my parking lot (lot 32) was directly on Lincoln
st. This is why for many years, I am used to getting on and off campus
this way. Now, if it wasn't hard enough to get out of my parking lot
because students crossing, in addition, now I also have to travel down
Massachusetts Ave (main campus road), where I encounter a few more
crosswalks with students crossing. Thats not even the worst of it.
Comiong in in the morning is nothing compared with tyring to get out
(and make it back) for lunch. If I want to leave campus to go to lunch
in Amherst, or run errands in town during lunch, it takes twice as long
to get back on campus. the only routes are to go towards 116 in Hadley,
University drive (which is always busy), and from N. Pleasant to Mass
Ave (also busy at lunch). So this makes it very inconvenient for me to
go to Amherst, and easier to go to Hadley, since there is much less
traffic, and you can come out right by Home Depot. I can now get to the
Hadley mall faster than I can get to Boltwood walk.
So, I do not understand what the point of this is, unless the town of
Amherst is trying to have less UMass staff going to Amherst for lunch,
and instead go to Hadley. I would very much appreciate being able to
use the most convenient roads in order to get to work and travel around
town. If residents didn't want University traffic traveling on their
street, they shouldn't of bought a house there. I would love to have a
house that was that close to campus.

thank you,
-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Monday, September 21, 2009 3:55 PM

To whom it may concern,

The road blocks around campus are making it really hard to get to campus by car. We have to drive all around campus and is really frustrating. I think the road blocks should be taken away.

Sincerely,
From: 
Posted At: Monday, September 21, 2009 4:02 PM
Posted To: Public Works
Conversation: Road Blocks
Subject: Road Blocks

I would like to file a complaint regarding the blockades on Sunset, Lincoln and surrounding side streets. As a student at UMass who lives off campus in the general area of these blocks (North Pleasant St), I find these blockades to be cumbersome and a general hassle. In addition, I have noticed that traffic at the lights on University Dr. and Mass Ave has increased substantially. I understand why the residents of Amherst would want their streets to be blocked as students are sometimes given a bad reputation when interacting with neighbors. However, punishing every student (as well as some local residents) with this silly inconvenience seems ridiculous. I have noticed in past days that many are ignoring the blocks and simply going around them. This will require extra police force time to monitor which to me is a waste. Please listen to the voices of the students living in your community as we pay upwards of 30,000 to attend university here and add invaluable support your local businesses. If these become permanent, local landlords will have a very difficult time renting their properties on these streets, that is how anxious this is making the student community. Also, I noticed today that Mass Ave will be closed between 1-4 for the Amherst Parade this weekend. Mass Ave is the ONLY way to access the block of Sunset closest to campus at this time. Feel free to contact me for further statements. I have friends living on both Sunset and Lincoln as well as many other streets in the neighborhood. Thank you.
-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Monday, September 21, 2009 4:05 PM
Posted To: Public Works
Conversation: Road Blocks
Subject: Road Blocks

To Whom it May Concern:

I am a student of UMass Amherst and I live in an off campus house on
North Pleasant street. I go to the Chabad Center most days and because
of the road blocks I have a hard time getting to the building. In
addition I must plan ahead an extra 15 minutes due to the increased
traffic that is caused by the road blocks. I understand that residents
are annoyed by students driving by their houses, but we pay thousands
of dollars to come to this university and we are annoyed by the
increased traffic due to the road blocks. In addition I have been late
to many classes that I need to drive to because of the road blocks.
From: 
Posted At: Monday, September 21, 2009 4:08 PM
Posted To: Public Works
Conversation: Road Blocks
Subject: Road Blocks

Hello.

My name is and I am a Senior at Umass Amherst. I live on Sunset Ave and cannot begin to express how terrible these road blocks have been on my roommates, myself and my friends. The extra traffic is clear and the way's to get to my home are now down to one, considering McClure was recently blockaded off as well. As I read a sign on Mass Ave today it said the road will be closed for a portion of the day this weekend for the parade which causes great concern to me as that is the ONLY way left for me to get to my home. On top of the annoyance, extra traffic, extra gas and more, what if there was an emergency? There really isn't much of a route that we could take which would not only cause backup and confusion but a major issue. As someone who is from out of state and pays exorbitant funds to attend this university and I am truly outraged. Had I known these blocks would be in place I really would have reconsidered moving onto Sunset and I know students on Lincoln and McClure who feel the same way. I know when I have called and spoke to people of the town, this is only an experiment and I truly hope the outpouring of students makes it clear how hard this has become on us. I completely understand the way residents of the town of Amherst feel and I think there could be other solutions rather then blocking off streets. I work at a home in Amherst with a family and they too feel terrible for the students and what we are now going through regarding this. I would really love to hear back from the town and I even will give my phone number and talk regarding this situation. I really hope something is done to help this situation that is growing increasingly more difficult.
-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Monday, September 21, 2009 4:13 PM
Posted To: Public Works
Conversation: Road blocks
Subject: Road blocks

Hi
I am writing to show my dissatisfaction with the road blocks. Not only does it make getting anywhere impossible for everyone, it also makes more fuel emissions in the air because you have to drive more and makes people spend more money on gas. Whatever problem this is trying to help, it is not. I have only heard complaints about the roadblocks. They help the community in now way. Please consider this message after the road block experiments as it is troublesome to all.
Thank you,
From: 
Posted At: Monday, September 21, 2009 4:40 PM


To whom it may concern,
I apologize in advance if this email comes off in a frustrated manner. As a second year student, I am quite familiar with the roads surrounding campus. The road blocks on such streets such as sunset and lincoln are frustrating. It makes it really difficult to commute back and forth from friends houses and in doing so, it creates more traffic on the main streets making the drive take much longer than needed. Please consider getting rid of these road blocks as soon as possible because they are extremely inconvenient for so many students and residents.
From: 
Posted At: Monday, September 21, 2009 5:12 PM
Posted To: Public Works
Conversation: Road Blocks
Subject: Road Blocks

To whom it may concern:

As a resident of the town of Amherst, I am truly frustrated at the amount of trouble the new road blocks on Sunset, Lincoln, and McClure have been causing myself and everyone I know that also resides in the area. It is extremely inconvenient and dangerous for there to be such minimal ways to reach these streets and, in my opinion, causes more harm than good. I sincerely hope that these road blocks will be removed in the upcoming months, as they are unbelievably unnecessary and cause there to be more traffic and confusion than help.

Sincerely,
From: 
Posted At: Monday, September 21, 2009 5:33 PM


My name in and I live at McClellan Street in Amherst.

First off, let me tell you that when this experiment started, I was against it. I thought that since Lincoln naturally went directly to Umass, that blocking it off, seemed like an artificial solution and might very well cause other problems.

After 3 weeks, however, I can see where it is clearly benefiting many neighborhoods around university including McClellan Street. I see less traffic,and less racing down Lincoln and McClellan. Frankly, the traffic appears to be going where it should now, which is on the main arteries going into Umass.

What this translated to is a safer neighborhood environment for many.

I do feel for those that have seen increased traffic, and certainly steps should be taken to help alleviate those concerns. I saw one comment from a woman who was being negatively impacted by rerouting of traffic, indicating that her street did not have sidewalks on both sides. Any street that sees a high volume of traffic like this, should have sidewalks on both sides of street in my opinion.

One other issue that has come up in these discussions is the lack of police presence in and around Umass neighborhoods including McClellan during the school year, I believe this issue still persists with many neighborhoods and really should be addressed by both the University and Town. 

Personally, I believe that instituting a normal patrol on Thurs/Fri/Sa night between 9pm -3 am with hourly police checks would relieve a great deal of these problems. Vandalism and drunk and disorderly conduct commonplace between these hours with little indication of police presence.

I hope this feedback is helpful in your decision process.

Thank you,

From: 
Posted At: Monday, September 21, 2009 7:32 PM


I would greatly appreciate if the road blocks on Lincoln and Sunset Aves were removed. I have friends who live on both streets and living on North Pleasant, it's very difficult to get to their homes with the new road blocks. Not only that, but I've noticed excess traffic in town lately that seems to be coming from the road blocks, because people are forced to go all the way through town to get to where they're going. They are terribly inconvenient and are causing back up problems.
From: 
Posted At: Monday, September 21, 2009 7:52 PM
Posted To: Public Works
Conversation: LINCOLN SUNSET ROAD BLOCKS
Subject: LINCOLN SUNSET ROAD BLOCKS

the road blocks at lincoln and sunset ave are unnecessary. all they do is move the traffic elsewhere, not get rid of it. as a resident of lincoln it is extremely inconvenient. PLEASE get rid of them!
-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Monday, September 21, 2009 10:24 PM

Hi there,

As a senior, I moved on Sunset for its convenience. It was close to campus,
close to town, and close to my gym. To my dismay, 2 days following my arrival
on Sunset, extremely annoying road blocks were put up. Had I had known this
prior to move-in, I would honestly not have moved on my street. I am paying a
tremendous amount of money along with my roommates for a house that in order to
arrive at, I literally feel as if I am going through a maze. I, along with many
of my neighbors, will do ANYTHING to remove these signs. I am aware of the
annoyances that the UMass campus in general causes for the town of Amherst,
putting us through these changes, I feel, will only aggravate students to the
utmost degree. With this, I am living on my own this year and have just as
equal rights as any of the other Amherst community members. Please take my
frustrations into consideration when deciding whether or not to keep the signs.

Signed,
-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 3:19 PM


I think that your "Traffic Calming" trial is really the latest in absurd
ideas from the town.

Heading south from the campus you just funneled ALL the traffic from a
prior three roadways leaving campus heading south down to two. Take a
look and you will see it. Try going through town at 5pm and see what
you get.

There are plenty of things that could be done if the objective is to
slow traffic on Lincoln.

Heck, why don't you buy a speed checking station that clocks and videos
the traffic. You could send people speeding tickets in the mail and
would likely pay for itself in 6 months time. Hey, lower the speed
limit to 25 or 20 and make even more money.

It could be the Mass Pike for the town of Amherst. All sorts of revenue
well into the future long after it paid for itself. You could probably
afford to fund redoing all the sidewalks throughout the town with bricks
of gold with the revenues.

I have written to the DPW before and exchanged emails with the town
manager about the town not patching dangerous pothole riddled roads.
The attitude that his comments demonstrated represented the
ill-thought-out plan (not to patch the potholes) not unlike this one.

The town spends much time in town meetings, much money on silly things
like tunnels for salamanders. They would do well to spend a few minutes
thinking when it comes to seeking solutions to problems such as this.

Get a clue would you please.


From: 
Posted At: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 12:32 PM

I Would like to add my voice to those opposing the "traffic calming" efforts on Lincoln Avenue. Living on Kendrick Place and working at UMass, the re-routing has added significantly to my commute time (and carbon footprint), and has made the commute less predictable due to traffic on Fearing and University. While this increase in commute time is not large by LA standards, it is multiplied by the hundreds of people re-routed every day. Moreover, the traffic is being re-directed over routes that either not appropriate (e.g. S. Prospect) or known to increase hazards (e.g. University and Fearing). In the absence of a demonstration that the barriers enhance the public good (as opposed to the select few that live on Lincoln), I see the result of this experiment being a net negative.

Sincerely,

-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 4:32 PM

I am very unhappy with the closing of Lincoln ave. It is adding more
time on to my commute each day.

I have also seen multiple vehicles, driving around the barriers. The
same people that are going to speed and break the law are going to drive
around the barricades when no one is looking. It is the same when the
speed bumps were installed a few years back. That created a situation
where both directions of traffic were going fast down the center of the
road.

It is forcing more traffic onto Mass Ave which has a large amount of
Pedestrian traffic which is creating a more dangerous environment for
the pedestrians. Just today I had someone zip in front of me while I was
in the crosswalk.

People will seek the easiest route from one place to another. Instead
of making one route more difficult, why not make the other avenues into
the University work better by adding in left had turn lanes so that
traffic does not get backed up. The traffic lights need to be adjusted
too. The light at the corner of Mass Ave and N. Pleasant needs to be
adjusted so that people are not sitting and waiting, and no one is going
through the intersection. Triangle and East Pleasant needs more left
hand turn lanes too to allow the traffic wanting to go straight, the
ability to go straight.

This is driving business away from Amherst center. Right now it is
easier for me to go to Hadley for lunch, than Amherst Center for lunch.
I have heard that there are others in the department that have canceled
orders and stopped doing business in Amherst because it is easier to go
into Hadley.

Thanks,

-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 5:52
According to the press release announcement posted on your website,
traffic calming measures on my road, Lincoln Avenue, were to end today.

"Starting: Tuesday, September 8th, 2009
Ending: Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009"

http://www.amherstma.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=188

Yet the boulders remain on my road. Pedestrian and bike traffic
traveling down the middle of my road has grown out-of-hand. I am
extremely frustrated that I am not only forced to dodge thousands of
pedestrians and jay-walkers on the UMass campus multiple times per
day, but am now also unable to safely drive to my house without
dodging pedestrians, joggers and bikers who travel down the middle of
our road.

I am beyond impatient and frustrated with this barricade, and I would
like to have a normal life back. Please let me know why the boulders
have not been removed and when they will be. This weekend, with the
main road on the UMass campus completely closed due to the parade, I
will be unable to get to my home via any streets. We are completely
trapped.

Thanks for your assistance with this matter.
-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Thursday, September 24, 2009 8:42 AM

DPW & Mr. Shaffer,

I was delighted to be able to return to commuting from my home on
Kendrick Place to my job at UMass via Lincoln Avenue this morning -- at
least, I was delighted until I reached the intersection of Lincoln and
Fearing. At that point, traffic from Lincoln was diverted to Fearing.
Turning off Fearing onto Pleasant St or University Drive can be
difficult because of heavy traffic volume on those roads combined with
the lack of a signal at either end of Fearing. This causes backups and
irritation, both of which are unnecessary.

Given that the disastrous "experiment" with Lincoln traffic ended
yesterday, *when will the remaining barricades be removed from this
public street? * I hope that leaving some barricades in place is not a
ridiculous attempt at compromise. The best solution to the traffic
situation is obvious, and was proven successful last fall: install
speed-bumps on Lincoln (and perhaps Sunset). Make them permanent this
time. I have no sympathy for the complaints of Lincoln residents about
traffic volume, but I support them in their efforts to reduce the speeds
on that road.

Sincerely,

-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Thursday, September 24, 2009 9:24 AM

I think "public" streets should be public. Restricting access on Lincoln
makes commutes from South Amherst much longer in distance and time.I feel
like I am being penalized for an infraction I didn't really commit...I
suggest going back to speed bumps if the residents want existing traffic to
be "calmed" and stop the commuting penalty.

From:
Posted At: Thursday, September 24, 2009 6:08 PM

I claim no expertise in calming traffic (or neighbors), but have been living either on (for two years) or in the shadow of Lincoln Avenue for better than fifty years. It is a lovely street, blessed with fine trees, gracious houses, pleasing lawns–though trees have suffered decay or death in some cases. Walking down LIncoln to and from the University in recent weeks has been a new and depressing experience when the concrete barriers come in sight. They are reminiscent of one of the oppressive structures of our time: the Berlin Wall, though on a very small scale. Apart from their contribution to diverting traffic from Lincoln to Fearing (surely a gain to humankind), they spoil the beauty of Lincoln. Good riddance to the barriers.
-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Thursday, September 24, 2009 6:53 PM
Posted To: Public Works
Conversation: Blockades
Subject: Blockades

I am writing to hopefully have some questions answered regarding the new blockades that were put up, blocking access to campus. As a student living off campus, to say that this has made traveling to and from class difficult is an understatement. Not only has it added an extra 10 minutes on to my travel time, it has caused great aggrivation from sitting in traffic. I would really appreciate at least an explanation if not possible removal of these blockades in order to make everyone's life easier.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Friday, September 25, 2009 10:20 AM


Dear Mr. Shaffer and Mr. Mooring:

Although myself and my Blue Hills Road neighbors had feared that the
temporary barriers on Lincoln and Sunset might adversely affect our
neighborhood, we have been pleasantly surprised. Since the barriers
were installed, traffic volumes on the Blue Hills Road appear to have
decreased markedly; for example, whereas during peak travel period we
used to experience a constant steady flow of cars traveling from Route 9
along the street, now we have very few. (though too many of the
remaining cars still travel at high speeds). It would be interesting
to see if other residential streets near the downtown have had similar
experiences.

Though the barriers have some rightful critics, this experience has
shown the traffic calming measures can have positive impacts beyond
their immediate location. I hope that the town will continue to move
forward implementing long term traffic calming measures on Lincoln and
Sunset and in other neighborhoods. Hopefully too, the town will
finalize and approve the traffic calming guidelines that the DPW has
drafted for the town. All residential neighborhoods deserve
consideration of their traffic issues, and these guidelines could ensure
that they do. Blue Hills Road, for example, has also been concerned
about traffic volumes and speeds for many years, particularly because
Blue Hills Road has a large number of families and children, a high
level of pedestrians, and no sidewalks to help keep pedestrians and
children safe, and because when Route 9 becomes congested with traffic,
Blue Hills Road is often used as an alternative route.

Thanks for providing an opportunity for public comment on the traffic
barriers.

Many regards,

-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Sunday, September 27, 2009 10:14 AM

To whom it may concern:

As the experimental closing of Sunset and Lincoln Avenues comes to a
close, I would like to express my opinion on the impact of this
experiment.

I empathize with the homeowners on Sunset and Lincoln Avenues who
apparently did not realize when they bought their homes that living
adjacent to the University of Massachusetts with its 25,000 students
and a couple thousand more faculty and staff coming and going each day
might create traffic in front of their homes. It is the price one
pays for the convenience of living next to a large, vibrant
university.

I also agree wholeheartedly with the town’s efforts to calm traffic.
Speeding and other violations of traffic laws should never be
tolerated, whether on a residential street in the middle of town or on
a rural highway.

However, the attempt to create a quiet haven for the residents of two
select in-town streets by closing off these streets, did not create
calm. It created chaos, danger, and inconvenience. Furthermore, it
goes against everything that town government should do.

I commute to UMass daily and I park on the north side of campus. I
typically drive by a variety of routes. The ability to have
flexibility to come and go efficiently from campus through the safest
possible route is essential. People use Lincoln Avenue not because
they want to speed through a residential neighborhood. In fact, most
people do not speed, and both these roads have sidewalks (poorly
maintained sidewalks, but sidewalks nonetheless). They drive on
these routes because they are essential parts of the traffic flow and
Lincoln Avenue especially is one of the most direct routes, and also
the safest routes, to approach the north side of campus – particularly
to lots 32 and 71. It avoids dangerous, unregulated intersections at
Fearing and University and Fearing and No. Pleasant and filters
traffic away from Mass. Ave. that runs through the center of campus
where crowded pedestrian crossings are particularly hazardous.

With the barriers in place, everyone heading to campus had to take
University Dr. or No. Pleasant to Mass. Ave., creating enormous
traffic in an already congested area. Was this not foreseen?

We can debate whether the extra commuting time is a mere inconvenience
or something the town should work to prevent.

Something that is not debatable is the real danger caused by the
blockade. More traffic through the center of campus meant more cars
coming in contact with the already dangerous student pedestrian
crossings. I saw close calls literally every single day. We know
there have been accidents before. Some very serious. Some fatal.

The longer, slower commutes for so many drivers also caused more cars
to spend time idling in stop-and-go traffic, spewing pollution into
the air. Is this really the intent of town government?

And what about access by safety vehicles, like fire trucks and
ambulances? Shouldn’t every route be as open as possible?

What happens when the next snow storm hits and UMass closes early, or
has a delayed opening? Both of these scenarios have a history of
creating massive traffic jams, even with the new staggered departure
system now in place for these situations. You can only imagine how
this will be multiplied with some of the main access roads to and from
the campus blocked off. And, again, what happens if a firetruck or
ambulance needs to gain access in the middle of a snowstorm? It’s
happened before.

If speeding is indeed a problem on Lincoln and Sunset, this can and
should be addressed with intelligently-placed speed humps and with
police patrols. While you’re at it, how about patrols to stop people
who run the four-way stop sign at Lincoln and Fearing. This only got
worse during the blockade. And repaving of Lincoln Avenue is
certainly in order as is repair to the sidewalks on both Lincoln and
Sunset. A less pothole- and patch-ridden street will be a quieter
street for its residents.

As I mentioned above, this attempt at calming went against everything
that a town government should do. Government’s mission should be to
act for the greater good of its citizens. This move acted in the
interest of a few “squeaky wheels” out to preserve their
poorly-considered real estate choices, and to the detriment of almost
everyone else in the community.

I hope you will not only forgo any further attempts to close off
access to UMass from Lincoln and Sunset Avenues but also learn from
the valuable lessons that this failed attempt provided.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback.

Sincerely,

-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Sunday, September 27, 2009 12:20 PM



the new blockades on sunset ave. have made it very difficult to get to campus
and
well as have made me late for class.

thank you,
concerned student
-----Original Message-----
From: 
Posted At: Sunday, September 27, 2009 9:08 PM
Posted To: Public Works
Conversation: jersey barriers still up?!
Subject: jersey barriers still up?!

Dear Public Works:

I am writing to communicate one more part of my frustration with the
Lincoln Ave "Experiment".

It is now Sunday night, Sept 27 and the barriers are still up.

Your Press release stated that the barriers would be removed on the
23rd of September.

Please.... Take the barriers down.

People have been inconvenienced enough.


From: 
Sent: Sat 9/26/2009 1:03 PM
To: Mooring, Guilford
Subject: Traffic Calming
Dear Mr. Mooring, 
Although the experiment is over, I feel compelled to comment on the disastrous closure of Lincoln and Sunset over the course of the past two weeks. I write as one who wears many hats—that of Amherst resident, downtown business owner, runner, swimmer on a UMASS Master’s team, and cyclist. All of these were inconvenienced as I dealt with the road closures. 
Not only were the closures difficult to navigate, causing confusion for drivers, decreased safety for runners and cyclists (myself included), they contributed to a divisiveness and hostility in town that impacts us all. 
I will not go into my particular difficulties with the closure. Suffice to say, the moments I spent idling on my way to swim practice at UMASS felt wasteful both environmentally and in terms of my time. In addition, the idea that people were essentially redirected from my place of business in downtown toward the “big box” stores in Hadley strikes another blow at the movement to support local business. 
I hope that the residents of Lincoln and Sunset can recognize that they live on a vital town artery, warranting the respect drivers should have for all neighborhood roads but requiring fair and unimpeded access for all Amherst residents and those who work here. 
Thank you, 

From: 
Sent: Sun 9/27/2009 10:29 AM
To: Select Board; Mooring, Guilford; Shaffer, Larry
Subject: Traffic Calming
Dear Select Board, Town Manager, and Department of Public Works:

Now that the Lincoln/Sunset traffic calming experiment is completed,
please allow me to share my thoughts on its effects and dynamics.

Last weekend my eight-year-old and I rode our bikes into town to pick
up dinner. We traveled down Sunset Ave to Elm St, then across Lincoln
Ave to Amity. What a pleasure it was to travel these streets by bike
with my novice son without worrying about significant traffic. We
wouldn't have ridden into town that day if the experiment hadn't been
in effect, we would have gone a different direction, and if we were to
pick up dinner, I think we would have driven the short distance from
our home.

The Chamber of Commerce voiced concern over traffic calming's effects
on in-town business and UMass employees complained about it taking
longer for them to get to work. Each of these issues cut both ways.
UMass actively works to decrease the number of single driver trips to
campus. Perhaps making it a little less convenient for employees to
get to UMass will encourage those drivers to find other modes. This is
an unpleasant truth to transportation demand management -
inconvenience is one of the most effective tools to change behavior.
Similarly the Chamber would like everyone to use down-town businesses
(and for there to be available parking for all when they get there).
I'd like to think that making our in-town neighborhoods more
walkable/bikeable would help bring commerce w/o the cars. I'm inclined
to think that we've been working to convenience drivers for a long
time and that has not always lead to the development of the kinds of
places we enjoy (think giant parking lots).

I applaud the Town's willingness to consider, and experiment with,
measures that prioritize other values and modes of transportation than
those that revolve around the car. While this or any solution won't be
perfect, neither is the status quo. I hope this experiment will lead
to consideration of town-wide policies in which we start to bend the
preferential treatment for cars back just a bit.

Best regards,


Tales from the trenches Part 1