COUNCIL MOVES FORWARD WITH SCHOOL FEASIBILITY BORROWING, NORTH AMHERST LIBRARY RENOVATIONS, LINCOLN AVENUE PARKING HEARING

REPORT TOWN COUNCIL MEETING (2/10/20)

Highlights

The Council:

• Approved borrowing $750,000 for school feasibility study
• Adopted a proclamation to honor the 100th anniversary of the League of Women Voters
• Approved moving forward with renovations to North Amherst Library to be funded by a private donor
• Discussed the lack of policy in place to govern acceptance of major private donations for town projects
• Discussed at length how priorities are set (or not) for town transportation projects (see also here)
• Adopted a plan from the Community Resources Committee (CRC) for revising the Master Plan
• Approved the Town Manager’s recommendations for appointments to a variety of Town committees
• Agreed to schedule a public hearing to address parking issues on Lincoln Avenue.

School Feasibility Study Public Forum

Before the Council meeting, a public forum was held to discuss borrowing $350,000 for a feasibility study on a new school design for the elementary schools. The budget already includes $400,000 for the study, but School Superintendent Mark Morris and Town Comptroller Sonia Aldrich estimated that the cost would run closer to $750,000. Reimbursement from the state is unlikely (because the state funded part of a feasibility study for the failed 2017 project) but will be explored. Related studies (such as Fort River feasibility study, Crocker Farm study, Wildwood study, and the work of a “sixth-grade working group) have been completed or are currently underway. As a result, the total cost might be less than the $750,000 estimate. There were few questions from the Councilors and no public comments were offered. The Finance Committee met briefly and voted unanimously to recommend this borrowing to the full Council.

Council Meeting
The regular Council meeting began at 6:30 and ended after midnight. It included numerous non-controversial items as well as interesting discussions on how the Town sets its priorities and how to handle sizable gifts to the Town.

However, the meeting was made decidedly inhospitable to the public and the press when a 45-minute Executive Session was called at 9:40 p.m. The aim was to allow to Council to hear from  Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek , who needed to leave early, but the result also served to empty the gallery of all remaining observers. Residents who came to discuss the Town’s housing policy, for example, did not wait for the item to be brought up, which was after 11 p.m.  Council President Griesemer did not announce the reason for convening an executive session.

Proclamation Honoring League of Women Voters 100th Anniversary
A highlight of the meeting was the attendance of members of the Amherst League of Women Voters, several in original suffragette garb. The Council issued a proclamation recognizing the 100th anniversary of the national organization. For the National Day of Action (Friday, February 14), League officer Adrienne Terrizzi announced the kick-off of the local chapter’s initiative to count every Amherst resident for the national census. The League will distribute cards encouraging participation in the census, downtown from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Public Hearings
There were public hearings on a request for Verizon to use an underground conduit along Spring Street and the Business Improvement District (BID)’s plan to build a permanent handicap ramp in front of its office, at 35 South Pleasant Street, to replace a temporary ramp.

The Spring Street conduits were placed by the Town when the street was repaved in 2008; the goal at the time was to eliminate telephone poles there. The conduits have not been put to use, and Verizon requested permission to use one for telephone service to the new apartment building under construction there. The request passed unanimously with little comment.

Barry Roberts, BID President, and Gabrielle Gould, BID Director, spoke about the unsightliness of the temporary handicap ramp outside the BID offices, and the fact that it encroaches into the area of the display window at J. Austin Antiques. They presented a design for a permanent ramp and stairs that would require occupying 3.5 feet of the sidewalk in front of the BID. This plan was approved unanimously. 

Revised Flood Plain Maps
Town Planning Director Chris Brestrup made the first of three presentations of the Town’s revised flood plain maps, which have been posted on the Town website since June 2019. The previous maps were done in 1983, and mapping methods have improved greatly since then. 

Flood plain maps are part of the Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA)’s program to provide federally subsidized flood insurance to landowners in 100-year-flood areas. The deadline for residents to appeal the new designations is the end of February. All landowners affected were notified in November. The Town will have six to nine months to implement the new maps and make relevant zoning changes. There will be two more presentations to the Council as these progress.

Sale of Szala Property
Ziomek presented the proposed sale of the 39-acre Szala property in North Amherst. Because it has been under Chapter 61A of the the state Tax Code, enabling the owners to pay reduced taxes for preserved agricultural land, the Town has the first right of refusal to purchase the land. Ziomek recommended that the Town not exercise its right to purchase. This was also the view of the Planning Board. The Conservation Commission must evaluate the property and is scheduled to meet on February 12. The Council will vote on this matter at its February 24 meeting.

Upgrades to North Amherst Library
Town Manager, Paul Bockelman, discussed an anonymous donor’s offer, presented to the Town in May 2019, to finance an upgrade of the North Amherst library, adding restrooms and an accessible entry, possibly adding a community room, and possibly making the building sustainable. The donor is anxious to get started on the plans, he said. Bockelman would like to solicit public input on the project and hire an architect to begin developing a design for the renovation. He stated he would not proceed until the funds are secured from the donor. The project would involve staff time, but not Town money. The total cost is estimated to be $750,000 to $1,150,000 depending on the extent of the renovations.

Councilor Evan Ross (District 4) voiced concern that the project could interfere with future plans for the intersection in North Amherst, if a roundabout were to be constructed. Councilor George Ryan (District 3) said he is worried that this project would be seen as a “competition” for money for the Jones library demolition/expansion proposal, even though no public funds would be used. Also, additional maintenance staff could be needed for an enlarged building with restrooms. Councilor Alisa Brewer (At large) said that gifts can have unintended consequences. The garden behind the Jones library, which was a gift, is sometimes included in arguments against the proposed demolition/expansion. Council President Lynn Griesemer (District 2) acknowledged that the Town should establish a policy regarding substantial gifts. Generally, the idea of improving the North Amherst library was favorably viewed by the Council, however, and Town Manager Bockelman will proceed accordingly.

Setting Town Priorities
A discussion of how the Town sets priorities was triggered by two topics on the agenda. The first was the repurposing of funds remaining from the temporary Station Road bridge to install traffic signals at the intersection of Pine, Meadow, and North Pleasant Street. The $116,919 left over from the construction of the temporary bridge could be used to install an updated traffic light that would adjust for vehicle and pedestrian traffic flow and would allow some improvements to nearby sidewalks. 

Councilor Darcy DuMont (District 5) asked why the money was going to this project, when many other areas in Town also need upgrades. Bockelman explained that this intersection has long been a trouble spot. Previous attempts to get grants to improve it have failed, but new technology has provided a lower cost means of solving the problem, which is expected to become more acute with the opening of North Square apartments.

Ross thought the money should go back into free cash for the entire town. Councilor Steve Schreiber (District 4) agreed and said that it was a weird way of budgeting—to use leftover money for a project not in the budget. Councilor Andrew Steinberg (At large) said that the intersection is in the FY 21 capital plan. The vote to repurpose the funds passed 10 to 1 with Schreiber voting no and DuMont abstaining.

Similar issues were raised during a discussion to hold a public hearing about possible changes in parking on Lincoln Avenue. Twenty-five residents submitted a petition, with supporting letters, requesting that parking be banned on Lincoln from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. DuMont and fellow District 5 Councilor Shalini Bahl-Milne asked why a small group of residents, far fewer than the 150 signers required by the Town’s Charter, can gain a public hearing, when District 5 has been trying to work with Town staff on traffic problems in South Amherst, with little progress. Bahl-Milne pointed out that because of speed bumps, traffic on Lincoln is relatively tame compared to the speeding cars on South East Street and West Street, which present a greater danger to pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vehicles. Resident Julian Hynes stated that the roads near the high school are also hazardous because of traffic, parked cars, and students walking to and from school. Jim Barna of Dana Street said he walks up Lincoln every day and does not find it dangerous. Several Councilors expressed worry that banning parking on Lincoln would mean that more cars park on neighboring streets, creating new problems. The vote to hold a public hearing on parking on Lincoln Avenue on March 9 passed 9 to 3, with Schreiber, DuMont, and Bahl-Milne voting no.

Councilor Mandi-Jo Hanneke (At large) proposed that the Council allow the Board of License Commissioners and the Board of Health to effect noncriminal enforcement of their regulations. These measures were passed unanimously and were referred to the Government, Organization and Leadership Committee (GOL) to be vetted for wording and consistency with the Town’s bylaws. 

Updating the Master Plan
The planned update of the Master Plan (see planning board 2/5/20)  engendered a lively discussion. Councilor Hanneke presented the Community Resources Committee (CRC)’s plan to work on the Master Plan with the Planning Board. The CRC’s plan differs slightly from the process proposed earlier by the Planning Board.

Brewer advocated adopting the 2010 Master Plan (other than changing references to the select board to Council) and doing a complete revision in 10 years. She pointed out that a committee to implement the Master Plan was never  formed and that the Town should focus on implementation, not an extensive revisioning process.

Councilor Dorothy Pam (District 3) reported that the Planning Board was leaning toward making only necessary changes, and completing the project within the next nine months. Ross questioned that an update would take nine months. Pam pointed out that the Master Plan has 10 sections and that the updates would take place during regular Planning Board meetings.
The Council voted to accept the CRC plan 8-1-1 with Brewer voting no and Schoen abstaining. Schreiber left at 11:30 p.m.

Affordable Housing Policy
The Council resumed discussion of the Affordable Housing Policy proposed by the Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust last fall. 

The CRC had discussed it on November 13 and January 29, but voted 4-1 against it, and in favor of a “comprehensive housing policy” that would deal with all forms of housing instead. Councilor Pat DeAngelis (District 2) had cast the dissenting vote because it would delay the development of an Affordable Housing Policy..

Steinberg, speaking for the Finance Committee, noted the importance of assessing the costs each time the Town develops affordable housing. DuMont asked whether a comprehensive plan would be separate from the Housing section of the Master Plan. Bahl-Milne said she wants the plan to address homelessness and workforce housing. Brewer said that in the past, the Town would have hired someone to develop a plan, that the Town staff already have too much to do, as does the CRC. Griesemer left it to the CRC to recommend an approach to creating a Comprehensive Housing Policy. This passed unanimously. A report is expected in 90 days.

Changes to Charges of Joint Capital Planning Committee and Budget Coordinating Group
Ryan presented proposed changes by the GOL to the charges of the Joint Capital Planning Committee (JCPC) and the Budget Coordinating Group. The JCPC and the Budget Coordinating Group are comprised of members of the Town Council, School Committee, and Library Trustees. Wording in the charges was tweaked, but not substantially changed. The members of the JCPC were specified. The Budget Coordinating Group is mandated by the Town Charter but has only met once—and has no designated members. The charge revisions passed unopposed.

Town Manager’s Report
Bockelman’s Town Manager Report was brief. He announced the early voting period for the primaries is February 24 to 28, at Town Hall, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There will also be early voting at UMass. 

There was a site visit by the State Housing Authority to 132 Northampton Road, the site of a proposed studio apartment development. Three Town Councilors as well as some Town staff and neighbors met there with representatives from the Department of Housing and community Development.  Three Town Councilors also attended. 

The University of Massachusetts says it will contribute $185,000 annually for the next three years to the Amherst schools to partially cover the cost of educating the children of students who live in tax-exempt University housing. This is a revision of an agreement that expired July 1, 2019. 

Four Towns Meeting
Steinberg noted that the school assessment plan for the Regional School District was agreed upon at the Four Towns Meeting. 

Committee Appointments
Town Manager appointments to the Council on Aging, Participatory Budgeting Commission, and  Cultural Commission were all recommended by the Outreach, Communication and Appointments Committee (OCA) and were approved unanimously by the Town Council. The appointments are Jacqueline Smith-Crooks, Greg Bascomb, and Timothy Neale ( Council on Aging); Jonathan McCabe (Participatory Budgeting Commission); and Arthur Pero, Nicholas Graber-Mitchell, and Rachel Wang (Cultural Commission). 

Minutes from the previous meeting were quickly approved without comment or correction. The meeting adjourned at 12:02 a.m.