What The Ruck?

5:00 AM Bramble Hill Farm: Moment of respect before the journey begins

If you happened to notice that flag bearer -- which in Amherst tends to stand out -- with a crew of 30 enthusiastic participants close behind this morning glistening under a stunning blue sky, that was the  GoRuck Light Challenge.

Kind of a one (long) day intro to special forces training, this band of brothers and sisters awoke very early this morning for an 0500 start.  And spent the next 6 hours sweating across nine scenic miles of Amherst.

10:30 AM In Amherst town center

Rucksacks are military quality backpacks sold by GoRuck, a company founded by an ex-Green Beret. GoRuck Light events use the backpack (packed with bricks), in an extended group workout that is sort of a combination of Outward Bound and Crossfit.

The event is not an individual competition where the object is to win, the goal is to come together as a team, listen to your Cadre (former special forces group leader) and then carry out his commands.  Adversity becomes the challenge to overcome.  As a team.

And for these now hardier individuals, the day was a success. Go team!

Groff Park

Inevitable End?

Food For Thought Books

Like losing a child, it's almost impossible to describe to those who have not endured it the heartbreak that coincides with locking the door to your long-time business one last time.

In America -- built on the unforgiving survival of the fittest model -- it happens all the time. 

A majority of small business start ups fail to celebrate their first anniversary, and the vast majority do not make it to double digits.

Food For Thought Books' run of 38 years was stellar.

The Internet has, after all, changed everything -- giving consumers the instant ability to find exactly what they want at the cheapest price possible.  Even worse for book and record stores or DVD rental shops (or print newspapers): the very nature of the product has been transformed from physical to digital.

Jeffery Amherst Books closed in town center half dozen years ago after 70 years in business

The upside is when consumers pay less for products they keep more money in their pockets, which they can spend on other products at another -- hopefully local -- business.

The downside is now we have another vacant commercial spot in the heart of Amherst, a town with far too few businesses as it is. 

Gallons Of Prevention

First flush sends up a geyser

AFD Fire Prevention officer Mike Roy and UMass Fire Prevention Services Supervisor Mike Swain were on scene this morning for a flushing and inspection of the water system which ties in to the sprinklers at the new Olympia Oaks affordable housing development which is scheduled for a ribbon cutting ceremony next week.

AFD does not currently have the proper equipment to do the sprinkler test so they borrow a unit from nearby UMass.  Just as AFD is almost always assisted by APD for emergency calls in town, anytime they are dispatched to the UMass campus, Environmental Health Services shows up to assist.

 UMass does not have its own Fire Department but does have Fire & Safety Services

The "Hose Monster" costs around $1,300 and the readout gauge and coupler adds another $500.

After the system is first flushed out for pebbles or other debris (which could possibly jam in the head of a sprinkler and cut off the water flow) the gauge is attached and another measurement taken with full water running.

Both buildings tested at over 42.5 on the picot scale which translates to over 250 gallons per minute flow rate, enough to pass state regulations.  With today's test completed, 15 of 17 buildings have been tested and they all passed.

 AFD inspector Mike Roy reading the Pitot Gage

Today's test was just for the underground water system as it comes into each building.    The above ground sprinkler test of all outlets inside the building is an additional inspection that also costs $125 per building plus 5 cents per square foot.

Some units are much farther along than others

Sprinkler systems combined with smoke detectors makes for a formidable defense against fire.  The most recent Amherst fire fatality occurred last year at Rolling Green Apartments, which did not have a sprinkler system. 

D-Day at ARHS

I guess I'm not the only one who viewed the past four months discombobulation in the Amherst School system as a bit of a three ring circus.

Principal Mark Jackson has declared next Thursday "Dialogue Day" where students and staff will take school time to "process the year".  I find it interesting he uses the term "allegations of" preceding the R-word. 

But I wonder how open and honest kids will be under the constraints of teachers or administrators standing guard.  Wouldn't it have been better to bring in outside, unbiased, professional help?  And to have scheduled it last week when seniors were still in school?

Well at least there's ice cream. 

One Million Down ...

So I should have stayed up a little later last night because sometime just before midnight the milestone one millionth visitor came a calling.  Not that my sitemeter gives me their email so I can award him/her a prize.

Over the past seven years I have tried to cover the stories that my friends in the bricks and mortar media may have missed, or to cover them in a way that offers more of the backstory.

Living here all my life and having operated a small service-oriented business for 28 years gives me Google-like institutional memory and a fairly extensive list of ultra-reliable sources.

Sources who trust my use of "off the record," knowing that North Koreans could hold a flamethrower to my head and I would never give them up.

If you looked at my widget for "popular posts" (which is continuously updated real time) four months ago, six of the top ten stories had nothing to do with  "rowdy student behavior."

Cowardly Anon Nitwits constantly accuse me, a proud UMass grad, of being "anti-student" where all I ever write about is the tiny minority of students who screw up.

So I kind of liked that I could respond with, "60% of my top ten stories have nothing to do with students behaving badly."  Well unfortunately, that is no longer the case.  This year's Blarney Blowout -- not exactly a "tiny minority" of students -- pushed not one, but two new posts into the top ten.

Now 60% of my "popular posts" do involve student bad behavior (4 of them specifically related to Blarney Blowout).

But I take great journo pride in the two stories that were pushed out of the top ten:

The potentially catastrophic basement fire at a Hobart Lane (students) apartment that exposed a (well known) landlord coverup of shoddy conditions -- including orchestrated violations of the bylaw restricting one family units to no more than four unrelated tenants.

A case that came at just the right time to help pass the Amherst Rental Registration & Permit Bylaw last year, the most important piece of legislation enacted by Town Meeting in a generation.

And the other case that you have also read about here more than any other media outlet:  A working class family unfairly sanctioned by an overly PC Amherst School system.  A sad story that is still ongoing.

I hope to be around to bring you a conclusion.

Blowing The Whistle

Competition of a different kind

Since Amherst Regional High School officials overreacted to the initial incident by declaring a "lockdown" over two errant assistant coaches from Smith Vocational High School, no big shock they are now blowing the whistle on the earnest young recruiters ... which may not look good on their resumes.  

Since both assistant coaches signed in the day they visited ARHS obviously they were not trying to hide anything.  And by not signing out they only demonstrated unfamiliarity with a security system that is a tad confusing.

Smith Vocational High School, operated by our sister city to the west, Northampton, is one of two vocational schools that attracts away Amherst Regional students (thereby impacting the school's budget via payouts).  

Between Smith Vocational and Franklin County Technical ARHS lost 38 students this year.So maybe there's a measure of payback involved in this bit of hyperbole.

Of course when the shoe was on the other foot ...

The past four months in the Amherst schools have been a three ring circus.  

Continuous lockdowns, racist graffiti in the High School bathrooms targeting a teacher of color, and a racial bullying incident (that did not fit the PC agenda) that lead to a Facebook "threat" that closed the High School.

Fortunately the senior prom went off last Friday without incident (or at least any incidents that required police intervention).  This Friday ARHS graduation is hosted at the Mullins Center, which seemingly straddles three police jurisdictions -- Hadley, Amherst and UMPD.

According to APD Chief Livingstone:

"I have met with school officials and with Chief Horvath of UMPD regarding the High School graduation and after graduation party and I’m confident that the security measures planned will be adequate and sufficient.

 

Our goal is that it is a safe and enjoyable evening for all of those in attendance…"

Attempted Coup d'état

Tellers huddle with Moderator at June 2 Town Meeting

Apparently members collaborated before the final session of Amherst Town Meeting Monday night, although all the usual suspects were involved so probably not much more collaboration than usual.

The Planning Board wished to refer a hot potato zoning article they had placed on the warrant back to themselves for further study after it was not overly well received by the business community.

With Vince O'Connor absent, his mini-me Jim Oldham led the sneak attack by asking Town Meeting to vote down the "motion to refer" so the article would stay on the floor and he could then make a simple amendment (although with zoning nothing is simple) "within the scope of the article" targeting mixed-use developments in the downtown.

After an extra unanticipated 55 minutes of discussion, Town Meeting did pass the motion to refer 86 Yes 70 No, which actually sounds kind of close.  But since a zoning article requires a two-thirds vote to pass, not close at all.  Keep in mind this gerrymandering occurred in the final hour of the 9th and final session of the 256th Annual  Town Meeting, which started back in April.

The real scary overthrow of decorum occurred just before this article, when once again Vince O'Connor caused Town Meeting to waste over an hour-and-a-half discussing citizen petition zoning articles that had been ruled illegal the week before.

 Vince O'Connor strutting to the podium last year

Since O'Connor had submitted his 100 signature petitions too late for the Planning Board to hold a Public Hearing and issue their required report, the Moderator ruled the two articles could only be "refereed back to a committee" or "dismissed."

Mr. O'Connor demonstrated supreme hubris by not only refusing to make the motion to refer but he did not even bother to show up to Town Meeting.  The Select Board made the motion to dismiss.

 And then the drones took over and squandered even more time.

Each motion to dismiss was adamantly opposed and each required a Tally Vote (which takes up another ten minutes) because of doubters who could not accept defeat.  The first motion to dismiss passed 88-78 and the second one 87-77.

 

Usual Suspect:  Hipster Rob Kusner

Now put that together with the final vote (86-70) on Mr. Oldham's attempt to hijack the Planning Board article at the end of the night and you get an idea of the overall strength of the drone bees.

While 70 or so out of 250 is a distinct minority -- they are dedicated.  The average turnout on any given night is under 200, so those 70 can block any zoning article that requires a two-thirds vote.

Usual Suspect:  Mary Streeter

Unfortunately, any pro-development zoning article is viewed as a conspiracy to benefit the rich and powerful while trampling upon the rights of "the people." 

Or the folks with too much time on their hands.

 Jim Oldham at podium, David Webber, beleaguered Planning Board Chair in front