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War Memorial Pool in Amherst set to open

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The opening had been delayed 2 weeks.

070312 war memorial pool amherst.JPGThe renovated War Memorial Pool in Amherst will open on Sunday.

AMHERST — The War Memorial pool will open Sunday as renovations and chemical balancing is complete.

Acting Town Manager W. David Ziomek in a press release Friday praised staff for their efforts to coordinate the pool renovation.

“I am thrilled to open the War Memorial Pool to children and families in Amherst and the surrounding towns,” he said in a statement.

A grand opening celebration will be planned for later in the summer. The pool opening had been delayed two weeks.

Pool hours for Sunday are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and admission is free that day. Admission usually is $6 for residents, $7 for those who live within the regional school district and $8 for non-residents. Season memberships are available.

The wading pool will open soon.


Amherst officials to present proposed Pine Street improvements to residents Thursday night

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Amherst residents have until Aug. 17 to comment on the Pine Street improvements.

AMHERST -- Amherst officials will again be applying for a state grant for road improvements on Pine Street, and officials are holding a public hearing Thursday night to review the proposals.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Bangs Community Center.

Department of Public Works Superintendent Guilford B. Mooring said the town will be looking for about $4.2 from the MassWorks Infrastructure Program, a program the town sought funding for last year.
The program is intended to help municipalities with housing development, infrastructure improvements, road safety and downtown revitalization projects, according to the program’s website.

On Thursday, officials will present proposed improvements and listen to comments. Those who are unable to attend the meeting can send comments to the department until Aug. 17.

The Pine Street project would upgrade the water and sewer system, improvements that would allow for North Amherst development should Town Meeting adopt village center zoning there, Mooring said.

Town Meeting twice has rejected plans to develop centers in North and South Amherst. The proposals received a majority vote but fell short of the two-third’s needed to pass zoning changes.

The plan also calls for improving Pine Street at its intersection with East Pleasant Street, with a roundabout as one option.

Fixing sidewalks and putting in a bike lane is also part of the plan, Mooring said.
Some are concerned, however, about tree removal. “We’ll try to make it work the best for everyone,” Mooring said.

Residents can see the plans on the town website, including locations where trees might be removed.

Mooring said the town will try to incorporate concerns or suggestions into the final design. Officials, meanwhile, will finish the application for the grant -- a program that is competitive, he said. Applications can be submitted to the state between Aug. 27 and Sept. 10.

Last year, the program awarded $420,000 to the Springfield Redevelopment Authority for redevelopment at the block at 1208-1220 Main St. and the same amount to Williamsburg for repairs to Route 143 or Chesterfield Road among the awards.

Also, Bernardston received nearly $675,000 for two projects in that town, including one to repair a public safety hazard around the Bernardston Elementary School.

Conceptual Layouts: Pine Street improvement project, Amherst

Amherst police arrest John Kydd for South Amherst break-in

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Town police, responding to a report of a burglary in the area of South Amherst Monday afternooon, arrested a 43-year-old Amherst man for breaking into a house on Whippletree Lane

710kydd.jpgJohn L. Kydd


AMHERST - Town police, responding to a report of a burglary in the area of South Amherst on Monday afternoon, arrested a 43-year-old Amherst man for breaking into a house on Whippletree Lane, police said.

Lt. Ronald Young said police arrested John L. Kydd of 170 Village Park Apartments. He was charged with possession of heroin and breaking and entering in the daytime.

Neighbors told police they saw Kydd breaking into a house, he said.

In addition to the charges, a records check showed an outstanding warrant had been issued against him by Holyoke police, Young said.

He was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Eastern Hampshire District Court but information on his arraignment was not available.


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Pioneer Valley Hotel Group president Shardool Parmar plans $1 million conference center in Hadley

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The conference center will be able to accommodate up to 300 people.

hadley-conference-2.jpgAn architectural rendering of the proposed conference center.

HADLEY -- The president of the Pioneer Valley Hotel Group said he hopes to begin construction of a $1 million conference center adjacent to the Hampton Inn within a month.

Shardool Parmar, the president of the group with hotels here, Ludlow and Springfield, said the 9,000-square foot building will include 4,000 square feet of meeting and banquet space, large enough to accommodate 300 people. “There is nothing to the scale we're proposing,” in the area, he said.

While the Lord Jeff in Amherst and the Hotel Northampton in Northampton provide banquet and meeting space, they’re more “of higher end meeting space.” He said they’re both historical buildings.

“We’re aiming for the upper and middle economy more for the masses than the upper tier. People looking for a decent modern space,” he said.

He said the center, which will also have a kitchen and lounge, will be able to accommodate weddings, receptions, and birthday parties and conferences.


View Hampton Inn, Hadley in a larger maphadley-conference-1.jpgAn architectural rendering of the proposed conference center.

Parmar said they decided to pursue this project in part because it has been difficult to rent out some of the nearby Village Barn Shops that they own.

With the project, they will be razing three of the buildings, he said. The former Christmas Loft has been empty for some time and he said they are renovating a space for Off the Wall games and moving the store to another building.

Parmar also said they are hoping to bring in business to the Hampton Inn in the slower winter months of December, January and February by having the meeting space available. The group owns the Hampton Inn, the nearby Comfort Inn here and the Comfort Inn & Suites in Ludlow and the City Place Inn & Suites in Springfield.

“There is significant economic activity in Hampshire County. Even the colleges are looking for off-site space.”

He said the project has site plan approval and they are waiting for the Building Inspector to issue a building permit so the work can begin. He expects it will take about six to eight months for the center to be built once work starts.

Rendering: Hadley Conference Center

Latest phase of Atkins Corner construction project hurting Atkins Farms

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On a recent summer afternoon, the parking lot at Atkins Farms was less than half full while an excavator whined in the background.

atk.JPGA sign points to the entrance of Atkins Farms in Amherst. Business at the market has been hit hard during the latest phase of construction.

AMHERST – On a recent summer afternoon, the parking lot at Atkins Farms was less than half full while an excavator whined in the background.

Cement barriers blocked some entrances to the market’s parking lot and a protective fence wound its way around part of the store.

All of these factors are hurting the 50-year-old market and Hampshire County landmark.

Since the latest round of construction began on the Atkins corner project, business is down 30 percent, on top of a five percent drop from last summer, according to Pauline A. Lannon, president of Atkins Farms.

Work on the state and federally-funded project began in March of 2011 with a slated completion date of June 2013.

The redesign is intended to improve safety and traffic flow with roundabouts at Route 116 and West Bay Road and at Route 116 and Bay Road. When finished, the road will be slightly wider and include a multi-use bicycle lane, according to officials.

Since Memorial Day, the westerly end of Bay Road and about 400 feet of the adjoining sections of Route 116 in both directors have been closed, impeding access to the market.

But the market is still accessible from Bay Road in Hadley and from Route 116 heading north from Holyoke, but Lannon said she doesn’t think customers are aware of that.

“There’s not a lot we can do,” Lannon said.

She believes that some customers may be have been scared off by the detours, although they add only a short amount of travel time.

Atkins Farms has offered coupons for free donuts and ice cream in an attempt to keep customers walking through the door but Lannon said the promotions haven't been enough to equalize business.

Additionally, she is concerned that once the roads are re-opened, customers won't be returning as they will already be accustomed to patronizing another store.

Lannon said that she has talked to officials to see if there are any programs available to assist the business with the decline in revenue due to the construction, but was told that there is nothing that government can do to help in relation to the project.

The project is being paid for in part by $2.4 million in federal stimulus money.

She said the current phase of work was expected to take about six weeks and they are about four weeks in. Lannon is hoping crews will finish on time.

Department of Public Works Superintendent Guilford B. Mooring, said he’s expecting crews will finish this phase in about two to three weeks, although he mentioned delays in relation to the removal of telephone poles.

“The majority of the work will be done when school comes back,” Mooring said. The detours will be removed sooner than that.

The Ludlow-based Baltazar Contractors were awarded the contract for the $6 million project.

“The contractor has been doing a good job,” Mooring said. “There are normal little issues (that come up especially) for a project that started in the 80s.”

“Everybody supported it, they still support it. It’s going to improve traffic flow.” But he said, “It’s always hard through the construction.”

Residents and town and Hampshire College officials had been working on creating a village center here since 1998, which included the road improvements. The project required hundreds and hundreds of hours of meetings, design, and town meeting votes as well as land takings from Hampshire College and Atkins among others. But talks to improve the area began decades ago.

Mill Street bridge at Puffer's Pond in Amherst ruled unsafe, closed to vehicular traffic

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The bridge was built in 1906 and its decking was reconstructed in 1983.

AE_IRENE_4_9231213.JPGThe waterfall at Puffer's Pond in August, 2011. The Mill Street bridge just downstream has been closed to traffic.
View Mill Street Bridge closed at Puffer's Pond in a larger map


AMHERST
-- The Mill Street bridge just downstream from the waterfall at Puffer's Pond has been closed indefinitely after a state inspection team found it unsafe for vehicular traffic.

Mill Street will be closed at Summer and State streets to all but local traffic. Motorists are advised to seek alternate routes, but town officials said the bridge will remain open for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

Amy Lane, assistant superintendent of operations for Amherst's Department of Public Works, said a team from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's Bridge Inspection Unit released the results of a January inspection to the town Friday morning. The inspection found that rust had deteriorated the I-beams that support the structure, and the investigators' analysis of load scenarios determined that the beams had lost too much metal to support the weight of cars and other motorized vehicles.

The bridge was built in 1906 and its decking was reconstructed in 1983. Despite that fairly recent work, Lane said, the bridge is exposed to constant moisture from the dam, which accelerates the buildup of rust on the beams.

A message posted to the town website said that town officials will meet next week "to discuss the possible options for this bridge corridor." Lane said a date and time for the meeting has not been set.

Residents seeking additional information about the repair project can contact the Amherst Department of Public Works at (413) 259-3050 or publicworks@amherstma.gov.

The Department of Transportation operates five District Bridge Inspection Units statewide. Each unit is made up of 2-5 two-person inspection teams. The teams conduct about 2,400 above-water bridge inspections each year, according to the state website.

An 8-year, $3-billion "Accelerated Bridge Program" has seen the completion of 87 bridge projects as of June 1, 2012, according to a recent report on the program. Another 72 projects are under construction and 25 more are scheduled to begin within a year. Over 200 bridges are expected to be repaired or replaced under the program.

Former treasurer charged with stealing from Amherst-Pelham teachers account

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A professional review of the Amherst-Pelham Education Association account showed that Elizabeth Walsh took a total of $112,436 during her tenure as treasurer, according to prosecutor Jayme Parent.

NORTHAMPTON — The former treasurer for the Amherst-Pelham Education Association pleaded not guilty Friday to embezzling from the organization.

According to prosecutor Jayme Parent, Elizabeth Walsh, 45, of Hadley, stole $112,436 from the association from 2006 through March of this year by making checks out to herself from its account. In a court filing, Parent said representatives of the association went to Amherst police with their concerns in March and put Walsh on leave pending an investigation. Lt. Ron Young of the Amherst Police Department subsequently learned that by 2001 the association was $96,000 in arrears in its payments to the Massachusetts Teachers Association, Parent said.

Walsh arrived at a March 2012 meeting with members of the association with a box of documents and admitted she had stolen $60,000 and "gotten in over her head," Parent wrote. Walsh told Young she had written checks to herself and deposited them in her personal banking account and that she felt "overwhelmed" and "very stressed" because she was behind in her bills, Parent wrote.

During her interview with Young, Walsh produced documents showing she had payed back $66,000 to the Massachusetts Teachers Association, Parent said. A professional review of the Amherst-Pelham Education Association account showed that Walsh took a total of $112,436 during her tenure as treasurer, according to Parent.

Walsh, who pleaded not guilty to a single count of larceny over $250, was released on her own recognizance by Judge Richard Carey. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 20.

Amherst Select Board asks residents to weigh in on Town Manager John Musante's performance

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The Select Board will present Musante's evaluation at its meeting Aug. 27.

AMHERST — It’s that time of year again – time for residents to offer their assessment of Town Manager John P. Musante's job performance.

John musante.JPGAmherst Town Manager John P. Musante

The Select Board is asking that comments be submitted by Aug. 1.
Town staff has also been asked to submit comments to the board by then as well, said Select Board chairwoman Stephanie J. O’Keeffe.

“We want our evaluation to be as informed as possible about all aspects of John’s management style,” O’Keeffe said. “That’s dealing with us, dealing with staff, dealing with town meeting, dealing with the public.”

Typically the board receives dozens of comments about the manager, she said.

Board members will complete their own separate evaluations using a five-page evaluation grid that asks them to assess a range of performance areas from fiscal management to staff and personnel relationships. Those are due Aug. 15.

O’Keeffe said that deadline gives members two weeks to review comments from staff and the public before compiling their own reviews.

The board will talk about theevaluation at its Aug. 20 meeting and then, O’Keeffe said, she will compile the final evaluation based on the member evaluations and present it to Musante on Aug. 27.

He became manager on Oct. 1, 2010 after former manager Laurence R. Shaffer retired.

Musante’s evaluation is also based on performance goals set by the board. An evaluation that isn’t based on performance goals is almost worthless, O'Keefe said. The board also incorporates Musante’s self-evaluation, which he presented to the board last month.

Once the evaluation is finished the board will focus on setting future goals.
In smaller towns, the Select Board runs the town. “We delegate the day-to-day running based on our polices and our philosophy,” O'Keeffe said. The evaluation is a public document outlining how the town should be managed, she said.

After last year’s stellar evaluation, the board hiked Musante’s salary effective Oct. 1, 2011 to $140,000, up from the $127,500 he earned the year before.

Comments may be emailed to selectboard@amherstma.gov, or mailed to Town Manager Evaluation, c/o Stephanie O'Keeffe, Chair, Amherst Select Board, Town Hall, 4 Boltwood Ave., Amherst, MA 01002.


Rainbow Players theater group bound for Olympics

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The group is working with the Greenfield-based United ARC to raise funds for the trip to England.

Rainbow players07/12-12-Amherst-Staff Photo by Dave Roback- Members of the Rainbow Players practice for their up coming trip to the 2012 London Olympics where they wil be performing in a ceremony to kick off the summer games. In front, group director Ezzell Floranina leads a routine as Ben Krogh-Grabbe, right looks on.
AMHERST - Members of an improvisational theatrical group featuring people with disabilities are heading to London to be part of a ceremony kicking off the 2012 Olympics.

The Rainbow Players, a 12-year-old group, was invited to be international partners with a similar youth theater company in England and four of its members will participate in the project "Godiva Awakes."

The Rainbow Players, part of Empowerment Through the Arts International, will be part of a cast of more than 2,000 in the English town of Coventry on July 28.

On that day, the character Godiva, described as a fighter for common folks' rights, will awaken after 1,000 years to a spectacular performance involving actors, dancers, carnival characters, musicians and aerialists. The following day, Godiva will be featured at the Godiva Carnival in Coventry, before she makes a seven-day trip - powered by 100 cyclists - through seven towns on her way to London. The spectacle is being put together by Imagineer Productions in the United Kingdom.

Rainbow Players' artistic director Ezzell Floranina says she and her assistant, Cheri Martinez, will accompany four of the players, Wole Abiodun, Chris Wood, Karen Weneczek and Lee Williams, to London.

Floranina said it was strange how the whole trip came about. Floranina received an email last fall from the director of a youth theater group featuring young people with disabilities, based in Birmingham, England. The British direction said he'd learned of The Rainbow Players through a New York-based professor he met at a conference on social justice theater in the U.S.

Floranina at first dismissed the email, thinking it was junk mail, but then received a follow-up telephone call two days later from a man at Imagineer Productions, asking her to confirm whether her group could perform in Coventry.

Floranina, who is also a skilled stilt-walker, originally considered making the trip alone.
"I could have just gone and done that (stilt-walking), but I said to (my players), 'What do you think about going?,' and they were so excited," she said. "The group has traveled to Ireland twice. I readjusted my thinking."

While a couple of her players have fears of flying, the four players bound for England are ready to go. They are ages 30, 31, 59 and 61, and have a range of disabilities. Although they are labeled with disabilities, she said it is not what defines them.

The 61 year old gentleman has some learning disabilities, according to Floranina. "If he were a kid now, he would have minimally been involved in some special education programs, but it was the 1960s (when he was a kid) and he was tagged in a pretty hurtful way," she said. "He does a great Elvis impersonation; he's amazing."

Floranina said her group has had to send their measurements to England to ensure some silk costumes are ready when they arrive on July 22.

"The youth group (there) has been working together for two years," she said. "We've been doing a creative collaboration, so basically our role in the youth performance piece is as the groundwork."

The Rainbow Players will perform with the Lawnmowers, an improvisational troupe, in northeastern England on July 31.

"We're going to spend a day together," Floranina said. "We're going to show them some of our current work and they'll show us their work."

Floranina believes this trip is a wonderful opportunity for her players, and she's proud of all they have accomplished.

"Sometimes figuratively and sometimes physically, they stand taller and just feel more valued," she said. "In the beginning, they didn't feel very valued and they didn't feel like they could take risks. One of my players went and tried out for a theater production, and I didn't set it up for him. I hope the empowerment allows them to go out and take risks."

The Rainbow Players are still seeking donations for their trip, as they attempt to raise the remaining $3,000 it will cost. Donations can be made by sending a check made out to "The Rainbow Players, United" and mailed to the United Arc, 111 Summer St., Greenfield, MA 01301.
For more information, visit www.etta-international.com and www.imagineerproductions.co.uk.

Amherst police hire Springfield resident Amber Sullivan to analyze crime data

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The position is funded with a Justice Department grant.

AMHERST – The police department has hired a Springfield woman as its first Civilian Crime and Intelligence Analyst, a position funded by a Justice Department grant.

Police Chief Scott P. Livingston said in a press release he has hired Amber F. Sullivan after an extensive selection process. He said in the release that she has “extensive experience in the field of crime analysis.”

The town received the $55,000 grant this spring from the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security under the Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program from the U.S. Department of Justice. The town was one of 63 communities in the state to receive the money.

Sullivan will help police prevent and reduce crime by analyzing data. “She will work closely to aid both the patrol operations and the detective bureau to accomplish the overall goal of reducing and preventing crime within the Amherst community,” the chief stated.

“We’ll be looking at crime trends to better problem solve the issues we have,” Capt. Jennifer Gunderson said in the spring when announcing the grant. With the data, police will be able to look at how officers are deployed.

“Due to the difficult economic climate, the police department is faced with fewer resources while activity levels have continually increased, and we hope that the implementation of intelligence led policing can improve our efficiency,” Livingstone said in the release.

The grant will fund the part-time salary, benefits, training and equipment needs for the program.

The grant is for one year but the department will pursue other funding sources to extend it, Livingstone said.

Amherst officials hope to sign an agreement with solar firm BlueWave Capital this week

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The new savings estimate is in the $1.8 to $6.8 million range.

SOL.JPGThis a solar array on the Oliver Street landfill in Easthampton. Amherst is hoping to see an array on a closed landfill as well.

AMHERST – Town Manager John P. Musante expects to sign a power purchase agreement with BlueWave Capital Inc. within the next few days – a signing that he called a precursor to permitting for a solar array at the old Amherst landfill.

Musante is also negotiating a second purchase agreement with a developer for a solar power site in another town. That would allow BlueWave to build a smaller array at the landfill.

A group of neighbors is suing the town and seeking to block the town from establishing a solar site at the landfill.

In a memo to the Select Board, Musante wrote that he hopes a smaller footprint will “be a good faith action step on the part of the Town in response to some neighbors’ concerns.”

He said Tuesday that there are “ongoing efforts (to reach) an outcome that is amenable to all parties.”

The financial benefits, meanwhile, are no longer expected to be as high. When initially presenting the proposal to Town Meeting in 2011, Musante predicted the town would save about $25 million over the 25-year contract. “The changing electricity market and legal environment means that the original $25 million savings estimate is no longer realistic.”

He said the cost of electricity has dropped substantially and the savings would vary depending upon the consumer price.

The new savings estimate is in the $1.8 to $6.8 million range, he said. The town will pay BlueWave 6.75 cents per kilowatt-hour, a cost that will increase by 1.5 percent per year. The savings will be determined by the cost the town would have had to pay to Western Massachusetts Electric Co. for a kilowatt-hour.

The Legislature is expected to pass a law that that would exempt solar projects from paying property taxes. Consequently, Musante said he has negotiated a rate where the town would pay less for electricity but pay more if that does not happen. He said they had estimated that BlueWave would have paid about $350,000 in property taxes.

The array is expected to provide enough electricity to meet the town and school electrical needs.

BlueWave is working on an interconnection agreement with Western Mass Electric as well, he said.

BlueWave needs to seek a myriad permits and in the meantime officials and BlueWave will be meeting with the community to talk about the project.

“Community engagement is a fundamental step,” Musante said.


Amherst Select Board denies beer and wine license to Hess

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The board had rejected a similar request from Cumberland Farms.

Amherst Town Hall


AMHERST
-- The Select Board unanimously rejected a request from Hess to offer beer and wine at its 468 West St. location because of concerns about student drinking.

Hess officials said they wanted to improve their customer experience by offering beer and wine at the convenience store.

The board rejected a similar request from Cumberland Farms in April. Several people wrote to the board opposing it.

While the applicant met the criteria for approval, Police Chief Scott P. Livingstone wrote, “I do not believe that a convenience store selling alcohol best serves the interest of the public.” He wrote that those who sell alcohol as a main business “understand the guidelines and consequences” of current state law. And, he wrote, such retailers “appreciate the unique clientele” of the town.

Capt. Christopher Pronovost told the board police are concerned that the store, because it is so busy, would not be able to ensure that all customers were properly carded.

In bringing the request before the board, Hess Regional Manager Dennis Milan said they wanted to “improve their offering to their customers…improve their experience” at the store. He said it is a very busy store. He also said all staff would be properly trained.

Sally Linowski, director for the Center of Health Promotion at the University of Massachusetts and co-chairwoman of the Campus and Community Coalition, raised concerns about the number of sites in town already selling alcohol. Research has shown that density of retailers selling alcohol increases alcohol consumption, which is already a problem in town with students.

Select Board Chairwoman Stephanie J. O’Keeffe said the board – which serves as the town’s license commission -- has to consider if granting such a license meets the community’s need. The board agreed that it did not.

R & P Liquor Store is located at 505 West St., across the street from the Hess location. Selling beer and wine at a gas station on a busy street was not in the best interest of the community, the board concluded.

Retired Amherst Town Manager Larry Shaffer retires again -- after 1 year as city manager in Jackson, Michigan

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Shaffer's salary in Jackson was $115,000.

LShaffer2008.jpgLaurence R. Shaffer

AMHERST — Former town manager Laurence R. Shaffer, who retired from his post here in September 2010, will receive a $64,000 severance package after retiring as City Manager in Jackson, Mich.

Shaffer served just over a year in Jackson before announcing his retirement, which will take effect Aug. 3. Bob Wheaton, a reporter for the Jackson Citizen Patriot, reports that Jackson's city council approved the employment release agreement with Shaffer Tuesday night.

Shaffer's salary in Jackson was $115,000, and he will receive payment for the remaining 5 months in 2012 – a total of $47,917 – when he leaves the job in August. Under the agreement approved by the council, Shaffer will also receive health insurance through the end of 2012 and will be paid for vacation pay, sick time and deferred compensation.

A contract Shaffer signed with the City of Jackson in May 2011 stipulated that Shaffer would give the city 60 days notice if he decided to leave the position voluntarily. In the event of an involuntary termination of Shaffer's employment, the contract reads, the city would have the option to offer Shaffer a severance package of up to four months salary and a continuation of benefits for up to four months beyond his termination date.

It was unclear Wednesday whether or not Shaffer's decision to leave Jackson was voluntary. Shaffer told the Citizen Patriot that the decision to leave was his own, but some councilors speculated that he was forced out.

"I don't think he wanted to leave," councilor Carl Breeding said in an interview with the Citizen Patriot. "I think he was asked to leave. The message was, some people weren't happy with him."

Breeding said he voted against the employment release agreement because the terms were inconsistent with those outlined in Shaffer's contract. While Shaffer did not honor the 60-day notice required for a voluntary resignation, the five-month salary payout he negotiated was also more than the four months of salary the contract allotted for an involuntary termination.

"I'm really dumbfounded as to why this all happened. That's one of the reasons I voted no on this document," Breeding told the Citizen Patriot.

The Jackson terms are similar to the retirement agreement Shaffer negotiated in Amherst. A document obtained by Amherst blogger Larry Kelley shows that on August 30, 2010 members of the Select Board -- meeting in executive session – agreed by a unanimous vote to award Shaffer four months of pay upon his retirement on Sept. 30 of that year.

At the time, Shaffer was earning $127,528, meaning the salary portion of his retirement payout would total roughly $42,500.

Kelley first reported Shaffer's departure from Jackson earlier today.

Amherst hired Shaffer to a five-year contact in 2006. In 2009, Shaffer successfully lobbied for a contract extension through 2013.

In announcing his retirement from Amherst, Shaffer – then 62 – told reporters the job had been all-consuming, and that he would be taking stock of his life. "It's time to think about other things in my life besides my career," he told The Republican in a 2010 interview. "I need to do a better job in my personal life."

After leaving Amherst, though, Shaffer immediately began applying for jobs in multiple Michigan cities. In November 2010 he failed to win a post as city manager in Essexville, Mich. In late November, he was announced as a finalist for the city manager position in Birmingham, Mich.

He was ultimately hired by Jackson in May 2011, and began work in June.

John P. Musante, formerly Amherst's assistant town manager and finance director, succeeded Shaffer as town manager.

Laurence Shaffer's contract with Jackson, Mich.

Amherst Survival Center needs to raise $300,000 more for new building

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The Amherst Survival Center serves more than 4,000 people a year.

surv1.JPGThis is a look at the new Amherst Survival Center.

AMHERST — The new Amherst Survival Center is on target for an October finish, and those leading the fundraising campaign are looking to the community to complete the financial mission as well in the “Help Us Get Home” campaign.

The center, which provides services for Amherst and 11 other communities including Hadley, Belchertown South Hadley and Deerfield, is $300,000 shy of its $2.5 million goal.
The majority of the donations have come from Amherst residents, said Lynn Griesemer, chairwoman of the Capital Campaign Committee. She’d like to see more donations come from people in the communities the center also serves.

People from Springfield, Easthampton and Greenfield and other areas also come, said board president Jan Eidelson.

The center, by offering an on-site medical clinic, help with finding housing, medical insurance and other services in addition to the free meals, food pantry and free store, is considered unique and that’s why people come, Eidelson said.

surv2.JPGArchitect Carol Vincze, left, Lynn Griesemer, chairwoman of the Amherst Survival capital campaign, and center president Jan Eidelson hold a sign highlighting the fund-raising need.

The center has been run from the basement of the North Amherst School for decades and has grown to serve more than 4,000 people a year. The 6,000-square-foot building will nearly double the existing space and make it easier and more comfortable for those seeking and providing services.

Unlike now, when providing services requires a form of musical offices where staff move in and out of offices for doctors, services providers and others, the new building has space dedicated to particular services.

Executive Director Cheryl Zoll will actually get her own office and not have to give it up to others, she said.

The new center also offers a space that Griesemer calls the great room that will be able to seat 60 for meals. Another room offers space that can be used for lectures, classes and other programs. Also, with more than an acre of land, there’s space for a picnic table and garden.

surv4.JPGThis is an outside view of the new Amherst Survival Center slated to be completed by October.

Architect Carol Vincze designed the building to be as efficient and economical as possible. “I spent quite a bit of time hearing how the daily choreography and programming (was done.)” With all the skylights and windows, the space can be illuminated mostly by natural light, she said.

The Amherst Survival Center purchased the former Rooster's Restaurant at 138 Sunderland Road in 2010, initially planning to renovate, but staff realized it would be less costly to tear the restaurant down and build a new center.

With a fund-raising team, the center raised $2 million in the quiet phase of the campaign and turned to the public in January.

Western Builders of Granby began building earlier this year, and everything is on target, Eidelson said. “We are so warmed, they are so gracious,” she said of the crew. “I can’t say enough about them.”

She said staff will likely move into the new building in January. With that move, Eidelson said “We’re going from the basement into the light.”

Grants totaling $605,000 awarded by Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts

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Lesser-known groups to benefit from the grants include a group called Better Homes, which renovates Springfield apartments still damaged from the June 2011 tornado.

NANCY-REICHE.JPGNancy Reiche, vice president for programs at the Community Foundations.

The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts has awarded $605,000 in grants to 66 nonprofit organizations in the Pioneer Valley, from the Enchanted Circle Theater to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Recipients were chosen from 81 applicants in the first of two annual grant cycles, with grants ranging from $2,000 to $35,000.

“I think what stands out for me is the wide range of needs and constituencies,” said Nancy Reiche, vice president for programs at the Community Foundations. Health, education, culture, the arts, the environment and housing were served by the grants.

Some of the organizations are well-known, such as Big Brothers-Big Sisters, the Appalachian Mountain Club, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (Greater New England chapter), the YMCA (both Holyoke and Hampshire Regional) and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Westfield.

Lesser-known groups to benefit from the grants include the Young Entrepreneurs Society in Orange, Friends of Children in Northampton and a group called Better Homes, which renovates Springfield apartments still damaged from the June 2011 tornado.

Also unfamiliar may be Reader to Reader, an innovative program in which Amherst College students pair up online with Springfield Central High School students to read books at the same time for purposes of encouragement and discussion.

Hands-on Elders offers massage and other healing touch at its clinic at the Northampton Council on Aging. Hands-on Elders director Beth Goren, a somatic movement therapist, said she and her team will use their $5,000 grant to serve homebound elders, “with priority given to those who live alone.”

Take and Eat was founded in 2003 by the Reverend Francis and Kathleen Ryan to fill in the gap where the Meals on Wheels program leaves off. They train volunteers in churches of different faiths all over the Pioneer Valley in how to shop for, cook and deliver hot meals to eligible elderly on weekends. They have one paid employee, but the involvement of so many churches amounts to about 2,000 volunteers participating in the program, said Francis. Take and Eat received $8,000.

The Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton received $35,000 for its Cancer Center, and the Amherst Survival Center also received $35,000.

Thirteen volunteers on the distribution committee of the Communication Foundation and 18 project reviewers studied the applications thoroughly.

“It’s a very careful and methodical process,” said Reiche. It even involved visiting the applicants face-to-face.




Amherst's Robert Hirschfeld prepares for move to New Hampshire as next Episcopal bishop there

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Hirschfeld said he is a big supporter of The Rev. Gene Robinson, who was the first openly gay Bishop of the Granite State.

Robert Hirschfeld 72012.jpgA. Robert Hirschfeld, former rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst, has been elected as the new bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire.

AMHERST - A. Robert Hirschfeld said it was his then 12 year-old son Henry who suggested he consider becoming the next bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire.

“I wasn’t interested. I was eager to stay here,” said Hirschfeld, who had been the reverend of the Grace Episcopal Church since 2001. If anything he was thinking of the bishop’s position for the diocese in Western Massachusetts.

He thinks his son was interested because “he has cousins. My brother’s the rector for the St. Paul’s School (in Concord, N.H.)”

On May 19, Hirschfeld, 51, was elected bishop coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. He was consecrated July 4 bat the Episcopal General Convention in Indianapolis.

He will be ordained Aug. 4 as bishop coadjutor and then installed as the 10th Bishop of New Hampshire Diocese on Jan. 5, 2013.

Hirschfeld, one of three finalists, was elected on the first ballot, which is considered rare. The Rev. William W. Rich, a senior associate rector at Trinity Church in Boston, a married gay man and the Rev. Penelope Maud Bridges, rector of St. Francis Episcopal Church in Great Falls, Va. were the other two nominees.

“I was kind of humbled I was on the same ballot (with them,)” Hirschfeld said during a recent interview at his former office at Grace Church.

In New Hampshire, Hirschfeld will succeed Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Anglican church an appointment in 2003 that drew controversy and death threats.

At one of the sessions where bishop finalists meet with people and convention delegates Hirschfeld said he was asked what he was going to do to keep the diocese in the news.

He smiled. “I don’t see that as the role of the bishop,” he said. But he said, “there are realities we all are facing and the church has something to offer.

“I see families running ragged. They’re exhausted and being pulled in any number of directions...the pressure on young people to perform and accomplish.

He said the “bishop may be called upon to speak and offer visions” that would help.

And he said, “I’m a big supporter of Gene Robinson. I’m not going to turn the clock backwards.”

Hirschfeld said he was drawn to New Hampshire because of the mystery.
After having been rector at Grace for 11 years he said there was a real possibility of becoming bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, “I knew exactly what would done if I stayed in Western Massachusetts. It was so clear to me.

"When I thought about New Hampshire it was a fog, it was unknown yet I felt this mysterious pull, this attraction of uncertainty that kept me in the process.”

Hirschfeld left Grace July 15 and since then has been in the process of packing their Shutesbury home and looking for a house. His wife Polly Ingraham teaches in Fitchburg so they will try to find a house that accommodates both. “It’s a jagged time.”

He said it was difficult leaving Grace and the community. His first service at Grace was the Sunday following the Sept. 11 attacks. He said he was thrown “into the caldron…It kind of fused our relationship for good or ill. There was no honeymoon period.”

But through this transition, he said “I’m learning to become more dependent on my relationship with God.”

Memorial held at UMass, Amherst for professor Howard Ziff

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Memorial service held for journalism professor Howard Ziff.

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AMHERST – Howard Ziff was many things, a journalist, a teacher, a mentor, a story teller a father and husband, a friend.

Those who knew him and loved him gathered at Memorial Hall at the University of Amherst Sunday to recall the man who in some way touched their lives.

Ziff, the founder of the journalism program at the university, died in April at age 81.

“We initially planned to do something right after he died, but I’m glad we decided to wait a bit,” said Karen List, the director of the journalism department at UMass. “There are so many people here from the area as well as New York and even Florida who came to hear and tell stories about this man who was there greatest of storytellers.”

Many of his friends, family members, colleagues and former students attended the memorial service, which included musical performances, a reading of the Mourner’s Kaddish, a Jewish prayer, and stories about Ziff’s life.

“One thing I always said about Howard is that anytime you have an event with Howard at the center of it it’s going to be fun,” said B.J. Roche a lecturer at the university, a former student of Ziff’s and organizer of the event. “This is really a celebration of his life and an opportunity for us to honor him even thought he is no longer with us.”

Ziff was born in Holyoke and received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Amherst College before he was drafted during the Korean War. He began his journalism career as a reporter for Pacific Stars and Stripes. He moved to Chicago in 1958, where he worked at the City News Bureau of Chicago, a cooperative news agency, alongside famed newsman Mike Royko. Both men left the cooperative to work at the Chicago Daily News, where Ziff eventually become city editor. In 1968, Ziff left the newsroom to teach journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.He moved to Amherst in 1971 to establish the journalism program at UMass and served on its faculty until his retirement in 1998. He was chairman of the journalism program for about 13 years.

Larry Carpman was a student of Ziff’s in the 1970s. He said Ziff’s greatest quality was his passion.

“He taught me to be passionate about journalism, but more importantly he taught me to be passionate about life,” Carpman said.

Jon Hite, who was also a student of Ziff’s in the late 1970s, described him as a man of virtue, contemplation and understanding.

“He was more than a teacher he was an influence, a friend and a mentor and I will miss him,” he said.

Anyone interested in viewing the memorial can see it at ustream./channel/new-england-news-forum. 

Shutesbury resident to ride 192-mile Pan-Massachusetts Challenge on his unicycle

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Peter Corbett had to design a special seat to make the Pan-Mass Challenge ride from Sturbridge to Provincetown more comfortable.

UNI.JPGPeter Corbett of Shutesbury plans to ride 192 miles on this unicycle in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge to raise money for cancer treatment and research.

NORTHAMPTON – Peter Corbett doesn’t enjoy bike riding. Still, the Shutesbury resident will be one of more than 5,500 riders hoping to raise millions for cancer research.

Corbett’s 192-mile journey will take a little longer and be a little tougher than that of his bicycle-riding comrades. They will have two wheels and gears to help negotiate the hills. He’ll be riding a 29-inch unicycle.

His nods to technology? Different crank arms for his pedals to give him more leverage on hills – and a seat he designed himself to help make the ride a tad more comfortable.

The 33rd Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, with a goal to raise more than $36 million, runs Aug. 4 to Aug. 5 for those who choose the two-day ride from Sturbridge to Provincetown.

Corbett, 54, is leaving Sunday and hopes to arrive when bicyclists finish Aug. 5. His plan is to ride 25 to 30 miles a day – which he expects will take about 4½ hours each day.

Corbett learned to ride a unicycle when he met a family in his Burlington, Vt., neighborhood who rode them. “I became obsessed with learning it,” he said.

He said he got so adept that he could deliver newspapers that way – it was easier having both hands free – and ride to a local golf course with clubs on his back.

He started thinking about unicycles again in the spring of 2011 when his girlfriend’s daughter was planning to run a marathon. He talked to his two sons about running as part of a relay team. He told them he’d ride a unicycle if they agreed. But after he started training to see if he could make the ride, he learned that cyclists of any kind were banned from the race.

A friend had ridden in the Pan Mass Challenge, and so Corbett began thinking about that. In part, he wanted to ride as an act of solidarity with his brother, Ned, who was diagnosed with Hodgkins disease 15 years ago. His brother is fine now, he said.

And he also wanted to provide his kids with some good role modeling. He wanted them “to have a close-up view of perseverance. What if we choose to do something that seems impossible but moment by moment (we work) to solve the problems” and do it?

That problem-solving included designing the seat and building up his endurance. Unlike a bicycle, he doesn’t have gears and he can’t coast downhill. “When it’s flat, it’s not that hard.” But on a hill, “it’s pretty strenuous,” he said.

Corbett, a social worker, has offices in Amherst and Northampton. In Northampton, he has easy access to the bike trail right behind his office, so sometimes, in between clients, he can hop on his cycle and ride. On the weekends, he’ll also ride longer training runs.

“I think I’ll be able to do it. I’m still nervous,” he said.

In his bio submitted to race organizers, he wrote: “I expect there will be many moments when the burn in my legs or the strain in my back leads me to question the wisdom of taking on this crazy ride. I can’t say I’ve ever before taken on a challenge as big as this. To keep me going, I’m dedicating every groan and strain I feel to all the cancer patients whose daily endurance represents their commitment to thriving again on the other side of this disease, with the people they love.”

To donate, visit http://www.pmc.org/profile/PC0201.

Amherst Town Hall phone lines down because of early morning storm

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Verizon has dispatched technicians, and officials are hoping service will be restored soon.

AMHERST -- Phone lines for all town offices are out this morning following the severe thunderstorm overnight.

Officials expect the lines to be restored quickly as Verizon has dispatched technicians. Callers will experience a busy signal when calling any Town office with a number starting with a 259 prefix.

If there's an emergency, callers should dial 911.

Town Manager John P. Musante said Kris Pacunas in the Information Technology department is working with Verizon.

Phone lines in Amherst town offices now working

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Lines were knocked down because of early morning thunderstorms.

AMHERST — Phone lines in town offices have been repaired and are now in operation, according to the Amherst Web site.

Lines were knocked down because of the early morning thunderstorms. The outage extended beyond town buildings, according to the Web site.

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