Applauding Historic Preservation

Festive, patriotic Lord Jeffery Inn

The Amherst Historical Commission -- not to be confused with the Amherst Historical Society -- awarded three local landowners with a certificate of merit demonstrating the town's appreciation for how they maintain the historical look and feel of their property and as such, adding to the beauty of Amherst.

Three categories were covered:  Retail, residential and institutional.  The winners were all invited to the 12/15/14 Amherst Select Board meeting for a public presentation.

Amherst College, the town's largest landowner, won in the institutional category for the picturesque Lord Jeffery Inn "on the Amherst town common."

Even though they are tax exempt on all their academic buildings and property Amherst College is still the town's largest annual taxpayer due to all the houses they own and rent to faculty, plus the commercial Amherst Golf Course (that puts our municipal one to shame) and Lord Jeff.

Historical Commission Chair Michael Hanke highlighted how Amherst College recently did many millions of dollars in renovations, yet the exterior of the Lord Jeff looks the same as it has for the past 60 or 70 years.

He also mentioned that same exterior attribute when presenting the award for retail to the Cushman Market in North Amherst.

And in the residential category the Historical Commission awarded Henry Hills House, LLC (Jerry Guidera and Russ Wilson) the award for saving historic old houses previously owned by Amherst College, (and another one owned by the town) that were moved to their current location on Gray Street adjacent to the historic old Henry Hills House.

38 Gray Street, Henry Hills House built 1863

14 Gray Street, historic Tuttle homestead

32 Gray Street, historic Chapin-Ward house

Fanning The Flames

Opening Christmas Day.  What could go wrong?

"But you always risk offending people when you open people's eyes to the way the world is. Sometimes the truth is a bit unpalatable."  So said Peter Dale, the head of an entertainment company defending the release of a controversial film depicting the assassination of a sitting world leader.

No, he's not talking about the current controversial comedy depicting the North Korea leader Kim Jong Un's head exploding from a tank round.  Back in 2006 a British documentary style TV film, "Death of a President" showed a realistic assassination of our sitting President, George W. Bush.

So the concept of a fictional film showing a head of state suddenly sent into the afterlife in a rather gruesome manner, has been done before.  And the unprecedented horror of November 22, 1963 -- forever preserved in living color -- serve to remind us that truth is more powerful than fiction.

The attack on the First Amendment rights of Sony Entertainment to release movies as they see fit has taken an ominous turn with the cowardly terrorist threat to physically assault movie theaters showing the film.

Invoking 9/11 as a psychological weapon -- especially in broken English -- against the most sacred freedom we Americans enjoy, is doubly sacrilegious. 

I had not planned to see "The Interview" at the Hadley Cinemark, mainly because it's not the kind of movie I could attend with my kids.  Now, assuming they have the backbone to show it, I may see it twice. 

Sony cancels Christmas Day release

Have App Will Travel

Coming soon:  Amherst town website version 5.0

Have you ever wanted to report a pothole soon after hitting it, or a traffic control signal not working properly after it delayed you at an intersection, or a tree limb hanging precariously over a wire? Well now you can do it from the convenience of your smart phone (after pulling over of course) because: there's an app for that!

In addition to unrolling a new and improved main town website early next month our award winning IT department will also unveil "Amherst Connect," a part of the wider state program called Commonwealth Connect, which allows citizens to instantly report and track non emergency problems.

Amherst first unveiled the main town website back in 2001 with a whopping 3 pages.  Today it has over 10,000 with almost 30% of users now accessing it via a mobile device.  Hence the new minimalist reversion of the main page.

Last year Amherst won second place in the Massachusetts Excellence in Technology category, but over the past year upped their game enough so that two weeks ago they were awarded first place.

Another Amherst Box Alarm

 Chief Nelson on scene 1100 South East Street 6:10 PM

 Ladder 1, Engine 1 on scene 1100 South East Street

For the second time in less than a month Amherst Fire Department scrambled to a box alarm after smoke was reported in a dwelling.  This time it was 1100 South East Street, the former home of former long-time Town Manager Allen Torrey.

AFD Chief Nelson confirms there were no injuries to first responders or residents of the home, although an ambulance was called about an hour after the fire was first reported just as a precautionary evaluation of the tenants for carbon monoxide.

Chief Nelson also confirms that after a routine investigation by his Fire Investigation Unit (the Chief does not like the term "Arson Squad" because "It makes the most innocuous seem sinister") the fire was NOT considered suspicious.

Apparently a stuffed chair had smouldered for a long period of time (with the HVAC system sending the carbon monoxide and soot throughout the house) but never actually burst into flame.  

 Engine 2 (the quint) on scene 222 Belchertown Road 11/29/14

The other structure fire AFD handled a little over two weeks ago at 222 Belchertown Road was far more sinister.

 Mark Andre, 54, will remain incarcerated until 1/2/15 "dangerousness hearing"

In Eastern Hampshire District Court yesterday before Judge Shea, Mark Andre was ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation and his arson case was continued until January 2, 2015.

The state will argue for a Chapter 58A too-dangerous-to-be-out-on-bail decree at that hearing.

Fortunately, he will stay behind bars until then.

   Amherst Arson by Larry Kelley

Go Team!

There's a new team in town:  Positive Team Presence

The UMass Student Government Association is taking the $160,000  Davis Report on the Blarney Blowout to heart -- as well they should.

In response they created "MinuteMarshals", now renamed "Team Positive Presence", a group of fellow students who will be embedded into the potential party scene as peer counselors hoping to deescalate things before they get out of hand.

Naturally they will also use Social Media prior to events to send a message about being responsible and maintaining control.  

 

Walk This Way group on Fearing Street last Labor Day weekend

The peacekeeping program will be in addition to and a step up from "Walk This Way", where a group of students stand out on late night weekends in heavily traveled corridors just off campus to request the herds keep quiet when traveling through residential neighborhoods.

Town Manager Musante report to Select Board last night

This just completed Fall Semester has been the quietest in memory, with noise/nuisance tickets and arrests down dramatically, so this new program comes at an opportune time.

But the true game changer -- also heartily endorsed by the Davis Report -- is the hiring of an "off campus Resident Assistant".

Boston College has successfully used the program for many years to keep peace between off campus students and nearby neighbors.  The Off Campus RA is an official representative of the school and as such wields far more authority with potential miscreants.  Either abide by his/her wishes or risk being expelled.
 
UMass has already acknowledged they will probably make such a hire.  Since Team Positive Presence hopes to be in operation by the Super Bowl, it would be nice if UMass hired the Off Campus RA before the weather gets warm this coming spring.

Because even with Team Positive Presence and Walk This Way crews, plus an Off Campus RA, they still would not have stopped the Blarney Blowout last March.

Only Mother Nature, conjuring up a blizzard, could have done that.

Public vs Private Documents

The Sony Entertainment hack has led to some salacious materials meant to be private suddenly making it into the bright limelight provided by media bandwidth, which many readers probably find entertaining.

Over the past few years I have published more local public documents than all the media outlets combined who cover Amherst. 

And as someone who relishes that role of being first I have to say, I would not publish the Sony trove, even if contained mentions of Amherst (My "Only in Amherst" movie deal is still a few years away).

Sony is a private sector organizer, not some government agency doing harm to the American people.

The materials were stolen via a criminal illegal act.

They are being used to bribe a private company into scuttling a movie that makes fun of the whacko despot of evil empire, and since the hackers probably work for that goofball government, a clear violation of Sony's First Amendment rights.

Do journalists who ethically have their own version of the Hippocratic Oath to live by, really want to be used as pawns by a chubby little North Korean killer?

DUI Dishonor Roll

This post is a tad late as both these DUI arrests (or OUIs) occurred last weekend.  I'm still working out an efficient (i.e. quicker) line of communication with my friends at UMPD for these public documents.

APD had no drunk driving arrests last weekend, when UMass was still in session and of course one of these UMPD arrests, Calvin Wynder,  is not a student.  Both Wynder and Kravchenko appeared before Judge Payne in Eastern Hampshire District Court on Monday, 12/8 and had their cases continued to next month.

Sergey Kravchenko stands before Judge John Payne

   UMPD OUI arrest

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UMass Amherst police also arrested Calvin Wynder, age 36, in his second brush with the law on this serious charge. 

When Duty Calls

Flags are flying at half staff in Connecticut today, not that anybody in that state needs reminding of the horrific event that once again stunned our nation with its raw savagery.

 Sandy Hook Elementary School, 12/14/12

We expect to occasionally hear the unfortunate news that a first responder is suddenly cut down in the line of duty. However, all first responders know death is in their job description.

It takes an extraordinary event like the Worcester fire tragedy or 9/11 to grab us by the throat so we suddenly pay attention again.

Teachers on the other, are not expected to die in the routine performance of their daily duty.  Columbine changed that.  Sandy Hook moved the bar a little higher.

And since not much has changed, the next one will be even more unspeakable.

Shouldn't they call this "Shelter in Place"?

One Hand Clapping

Just don't use the other hand to smoke a cigarette

Massachusetts motorists by the millions will want to applaud the Board of Fire Prevention Regulators come January 1st as multi-tasking while filling up at your local self-serve gas station will get a whole lot more comfortable. 

For the first time in a generation, drivers will be allowed to use hold open clips so you don't have to keep one hand on the squeeze handle to keep the gas flowing.

Self-serve gas stations were also banned in Massachusetts until the mid-1970s and the ban on hold open clips coincided with the relaxing of regulations allowing such stations.

So for some of us, this could be our first time using them.  Hence this instructional video:

I asked AFD Assistant Chief Lindsay Stromgren if he had any concerns about this new development and he said he brought it up at a recent Hampshire County Chiefs meeting and nobody seemed alarmed.

Although he was quick to add, "But I'm sure we'll see some unique cases in the next year or so."

Executive Office of Public Safety and Security

School Meeting Confirmed (We Hope)

Amherst Regional School Committee

Anyone remember that episode of the The Flintstones where Fred was fired for the umpteenth time by Mr. Slate but because he had modified over the years the operational controls of the big old front end loader at the rock quarry to where only he could run it, his boss pretty much had to rehire him?

Apparently long-time secretary Debbie Westmoreland fits into that unique category as she does all the intricate interactions with the town clerks for both the Amherst School Committee and Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee ... and she's on leave until early January.

Hence the reason for recent scheduling snafus: Two RSC meetings canceled for not being posted in Pelham (one of the four towns in the Region) in time, and the mislabeling of the 12/16 meeting.

The mysterious, is it a Regional or just an Amherst School Committee meeting on 12/16 has been solved:  It is an Amherst School Committee meeting, not a Regional School Committee meeting.

Since the 5 member Amherst School Committee makes up more than half of the 9-member Regional SC it's easy to be confused.  And since Amherst comprises 88% of the Region, you also have to wonder why it's only 5-of-9 and not more like 8-of-9?

But then math was never my strong point.

So the simple take away is rookie RSC chair Trevor Baptiste is not to blame.  Although if I were him I would hand deliver a meeting notice to the part-time Pelham (his hometown) Town Clerk in plenty of time to be properly posted for the next RSC meeting.

And the simple solution of voting the "alternative method" of posting to the regional ARPS website (an option open to them for many years) should be endorsed forthwith. 

Merry Once More

Merry Maple last night

Some of you more sagacious types may have noticed the Merry Maple went dark soon after the unveiling last week, but as of last night it's back for the duration of the Christmas, err, holiday season.

Apparently the problem was an "amateur hour repair on the cut wires performed by the contractor in charge of stringing the lights."  According to town electrician Fred Hartwell, "The Merry Maple should now function properly for the remainder of the holiday season."

Hallelujah. 

Box Alarm UMass

 AFD Engine 1 on scene near UMass Southwest towers

The  still alarm -- automatic response due to tripped smoke detectors -- first came in around 10:30 PM last night but then within minutes became a box alarm as UMass first responders reported "smoke in the building."

 AFD Engine 2 (the quint) gets in close to Berkshire Dining Commons

The Quint has a 75' aerial ladder 

The tone sent out to all on and off duty firefighters brings a massive response to the UMass Berkshire Dining Commons, in this case Engine 1, Engine 2, Engine 3, Ladder 1, an ambulance, AFD Chief Nelson and assistant Chief Stromgren.

Off duty firefighters and Call Force are automatically mobilized

 AFD Ladder 1 with a 102' aerial platform standing by

Two firefighters went up on the roof and headed down into the building searching for the source of the smoke, which turned out to be electrical: Burned out motor on a HVAC system.

By midnight all AFD assets had packed up and returned to quarters, waiting for the next tone.

E2 taps into Fire Dept Connection to supplement building's sprinkler system

Regional School Committee Runaround

Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee 10/14/14

The Keystone Cops have got nothin' on our Regional School Committee when it comes to setting meetings.

Tonight's meeting, with only an Executive Session scheduled to talk about the many legal issues confronting the Region had to be cancelled once again because of a posting issue in Pelham, one of the four towns making up the Region.

The meeting on November 18 had to be cancelled because of a posting issue in, you guessed it, Pelham.  

The meeting scheduled for two nights ago (12/9) was canceled due to inclement weather (but never posted to the town website as such).

Ironically they were set to discuss the recent Open Meeting Law ruling against them, as well as a simple, quick, easy, efficient new way of posting their public meetings by using the ARPS website.  All it takes is a simple majority vote of the Committee.

But now the Regional School Committee meeting scheduled for 12/16, no longer shows the OML update and vote on the new "alternative" way of posting meetings on the agenda.  And if it's not on the agenda, they cannot discuss or vote on it.

Pernicious Top 10 List

Hampshire College founded 1970

Here's a sad story you will not read about too much in the local media:  Two-out-of-three Amherst based institutes of higher education made a (legitimate) top-ten list for reported per capita sexual assaults on campus.

And no, UMass is not one of them.  Not even close.

Washington Post 10/28/14

So yes that leaves Amherst and Hampshire Colleges, two of the most expensive liberal arts colleges in the country.  Clearly Hampshire College needs to take a long hard look in the mirror.

If the Washington Post updates its sexual assault story with current 2013 numbers, Hampshire (20 assaults = 13.3/1,000) our local "alternative" college would most likely be #1 in the nation.

 Amherst College:  Named after the town, not the General

To their credit, Amherst College would fall further down the list (9 assaults = 5/1,000).

The current #1 Gallaudet went from 18 to 17 rapes in 2013 and current #2 Grinnell College dropped dramatically from 18 assaults down to 8.  Thus Hampshire College would leap ahead of both of them.

UMass, where a tiny minority of nitwits want to return to the Animal House glory days by using the malicious moniker "Zoomass", has less than 1 sexual assault per 1,000 students (22 out of 27,269 students).

Or another way of looking at this astounding comparison is if UMass had the same 2013 assault rate as Hampshire College that would come to 363 assaults.

 UMass Amherst Clery Report

Other esteemed members of the Five College Consortium -- Smith College and Mount Holyoke -- also have tiny assault rates compared to Hampshire College, at 1.5/1,000 for Smith College and less than 1/1,000 (.87) for Mount Holyoke.

And the town of Amherst overall is lesser still at .45/1,000.

Hey Hampshire: You're doing it wrong.

#####

Only 20% of female college students who are victims of sexual assault report it to police. http://t.co/HpOTlVYv8i pic.twitter.com/5qoaZvmPZ4
— WBUR (@WBUR) December 11, 2014

Another Busy Day For 1st Responders

Car with two occupants vs tree on Potwine Lane in South Amherst 

A very serious one car vs tree accident called in at 11:57 AM tied up almost all our first responders for over an hour as firefighters had to extricate the female passenger trapped in the vehicle before she was transported to Baystate Medical in Springfield, the closest hospital with a critical care unit.

Volvo was heading west into a curve at the time of the accident

The call came in at a busy time for AFD so the first ambulance (A3) dispatched had to make the longer trip from North Station rather than Central.  The crew from a second ambulance (A4), also from North Station, jumped into A3 at the scene, since the patient was so critical, and whisked her off to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield with a crew of four.

 AFD A3 leaving the scene

The third ambulance to the scene (A1) normally dispatched from Central Station had to come from Northampton after dropping off a patient at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.  A1, with a crew of three, then also transported the second, male, driver of the vehicle to Baystate Medical in Springfield. 

 Potwine Lane was closed

The injuries were so obviously serious that AFD originally requested LifeFlight helicopter out of Worcester which has a trauma surgeon and nurse aboard and could get to Springfield from the scene of the accident in 10 minutes. 

The Potwine Lane soccer fields right around the bend from where the accident occurred is a designated landing zone for LifeFlight.

Unfortunately the weather was too miserable for the bird to fly.

LifeFlight helicopter landed at Amherst College on Sunday for an all day training exercise

Homeless In A College Town

First Baptist Church, 434 North Pleasant Street

The Housing & Sheltering Committee hosted the unveiling of a report last night done by two area college students over the past semester under the direction of John Hornik dissecting the overall operation of Craig's Doors, the seasonal homeless shelter operated part-time out of the First Baptist Church at the main gateway to UMass.

 John Hornik, Sakshi Bhatnager, Grace Nash

The homeless shelter originally started in 2010 as simply a "warming place", morphed into an overnight shelter run by Milestone Ministries and then became "Craig's Doors".

The facility runs on a $300,000 operation budget, two-thirds from the state and one-third from the town and is open from November until April 30 during New England's most dangerous season of the year, winter.

 Most recent year unique visitors are down, but utilization is up

The shelter has a capacity of 22 beds (16 men, 6 women) and oftentimes turns away two or three potential users, although during particularly bad weather they can get permission from Town Manager John Musante to expand capacity to 34 guests.  

The shelter has a close working relationship with Amherst police who visit nightly just as a courtesy call.  That way should their emergency services be needed residents do not view them as hostile outsiders. 

Year's worth of public safety calls (or about a weekend's calls to students' parties disturbances)

One of the criticisms of the shelter is that it does not enforce a strict policy of alcohol abstention prior to coming into the facility.  This of course can lead to behavior that requires the services of Amherst police.

 Click to enlarge/read

The other drawback that's a concern to downtown businesses is the facility attracts individuals to town who do not have a job or meaningful ways to occupy their time during the day.   Town center becomes a magnet for some of them to hang out ... panhandling, or a roughhousing in such a way as to make potential customers uncomfortable.

Of course the alternative is potential death due to the elements, so the inconvenience of occasional bad behavior is offset by the greater good:  keeping people safe.

 Comparison with Interfaith Cot Shelter in Northampton, a "dry" shelter i.e. no under the influence of alcohol admissions allowed 

John Hornik pointed out that Craig's Doors is safe for a few more years at its current location, but needs a permanent home.

Funding is also not guaranteed as the lion's share comes from the state as "earmarked funds," which means they have to be renewed annually and as such are subject to the vagaries of the state legislature.

Although having state senator Stan Rosenberg about to assume his powerful leadership roll should be comforting.