Special Olympics Torch Shines Brightly

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 Special Olympics Saturday Night Dance around the Olympic Flame of Hope
Threatening clouds and the rumble of thunder didn't dissuade dozens of law enforcement personnel and a few of their family members from running the distance between Amherst Police Department headquarters on Main Street and the UMass Southwest Quad area three miles away, where they were warmly greeted by hundreds of exuberant and thankful Special Olympics athletes.

All the money raised goes towards supporting the Special Olympics ... the good will goes everywhere.

Group shot just before the gun goes offAmherst town centerAFD in front of Central Station stands and salutes Group runs by former "Frat Row" just outside campusUniversity Drive with Southwest towers looming.  Final stretch

Jumping Ship at ARPS

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 Irv Rhodes former School Committee member (left), former principal Mike Morris (right)
One of the downsides to principal Mike Morris abdicating his leadership position at Crocker Farm Elementary School is the scuttling of plans to become an "innovation school" to help the Amherst public schools compete with charter schools that are currently eating their lunch.

Six months ago the state awarded the Amherst schools $10,000 to support "planning activities" to turn Crocker Farm into an innovation school, a first for Amherst --  and hopefully a transformative template for more.

Not much of a chance now. According to Mr. Morris, "Crocker Farm decided not to go forward with applying for the ($75,000) implementation grant."

As a founding member of the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School, I know all too well the rigors involved with taking an innovative concept and making it happen.  But with Mr Morris at the helm, Crocker Farm had a good chance for achieving that goal.

Interestingly, PVCIC did not get the coveted state education charter in its initial year (2006) of application. The state, however, was impressed enough to award -- for the first time ever -- $10,000 to help make the not-ready-for-prime-time concept, ready.  And that did the trick.

Now PVCIC is the number one competitor to ARPS siphoning away children from Amherst elementary schools at $16,413 per child, while Pioneer Valley Performing Arts continues to drain away kids at the middle school and high school level at a whopping cost of $17,144 per student.

If Crocker Farm had become an "innovation school," maybe those losses could be mitigated, keeping all that money in the district.

B-I-G problem #2 is ARPS is known for being top heavy with highly paid administrators, spending  $697.73 per student vs. state average of $445.97.   A difference of $252.76 per student, 57% higher than state average, or in real dollars $388,969.20!  And this was before they added this new $100K position.

Interim co-principals (don't you just hate that term?) Derek Shea and newcomer Annemarie Foley, I'm told, will have "revenue neutral" budget impact once they agree on a contract, since Mr. Shea will make less than Mr. Morris's previous $87K and Ms Foley will make less than Mr Shea was currently making as Assistant Principal.  

While Mr. Morris was already a member of the $85K Club, he will now move into the more exclusive 100K club in an entirely new position.  Amherst Regional schools will now have eleven (11) employees in the 100K Club compared to Northampton's, umm, one (1)!

And God help anyone who dares to mention it!

Party House of the Weekend

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 173 Pelham Road, Amherst
So yes, already it has begun -- even before the main army of youth returns to our little college town and turns it into a ... big city.  Well, almost.

Two houses were cited over the weekend for violating the anti-noise Town ByLaw (bringing a $300 fine per person) but the party house winner was easy to choose.  All women for one.

According to APD logs (9:45 PM Saturday night):
Upon our arrival on scene, loud music and voice could be heard coming from inside the residence at 173 Pelham Road.  I spoke with a resident of that address who stated they were all underage and had been drinking.  Alcoholic beverages were visible throughout the house.  The resident stated that a live band was playing inside the house and that was the reason for the noise.  All five (5) placed under arrest for TBL noise.

All of them, gasp, UMass/Amherst students:

Jessica Gibbon, Oakhurst, NJ, age 20Kate Werder, Narberth, PA, age 19Lindsey Leistinger, Marshfield, MA, age 19Sarah Ricciarelli, Pembroke, MA, age 19Rosa Topping, Belmont, MA, age 20

Failure to Communicate

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 Snell Street, Amherst:  Go away (or something like that)
Early this morning the boys in white hats fanned out to both ends of Snell Street from their portable trailer, located on that road about half way between busy Route 9 and equally busy Route 116, to take up guard duty and close off the popular road to only those who live or try to do business there (Hampshire Veterinary Hospital).

Chain link fence surrounds trailer (to keep out citizens with torches and pitchforks)
Sure we locals all knew it was coming ... generally speaking. But this was the first indication the road would close today.  Kind of short notice. 

I guess when you are the Department of Conservation Recreation, customer service is not too high on the list.  Right up there with Western Mass Electric Company.

UPDATE:  6:00 PMBy 3:05 this afternoon the guards and signs were gone without a trace, and the road reopened.   No notice as to whether this will be the daily routine or not. 

UPDATE: 8:00 AM Tuesday morning
They're baaaaaack ...

Historic Indeed

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321 Main Street Amherst, neighbor to Emily Dickinson 
While the current parking lot reconstruction probably would have distracted Miss Emily from her writing 130 years ago (although her room was on the other side of the neighboring Homestead, farther away) this does demonstrate rather concretely that the new Amherst Local Historic District is not a hindrance to owners within the district doing basic maintenance or renovations on their property.

And since local landscaper Taylor Davis is doing the work, safe bet it will be completed within the next week, in plenty of time for the students return.  

Even better: I'm told Rob Morra, the new building commissioner, is very easy to work with, helpful and proactive.  That too is historic.