VIRTUAL CUPPA JOE EXPANDS ACCESS TO TOWN OFFICIALS DURING CORONAVIRUS SHUTDOWN

With Town Hall closed and with opportunities for residents to engage Town officials severely limited during the COVID-19 emergency,  Town officials have been seeking alternative ways to connect with residents and insure that their questions are answered and concerns addressed. Friday’s Cuppa Joe, hosted by Communications Manager Brianna Sunryd with Health Director Julie Federman and Town Manager Paul Bockelman offered a chance for residents to seek answers to questions and clarifications about Town policies and about the pandemic.  The question and answer session went on for over an hour. A sampling of questions and answers from that session follows. The town plans to offer weekly chats on Zoom or via call-in on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 to 12:30 with Bockelman and Chief of Police Scott Livingstone on Tuesdays and Federman on Thursdays. See the town web site, www.amherstma.gov  for additional information.  And questions can always be submitted to the Town at mailto:info@amherstma.gov. 

Covid-19
According to Federman, an antibody test to see who has had and hence, may be immune to  the novel coronovirus is not yet available. With the lack of widespread testing in the USA,  especially in the early days of the pandemic, many people may have had the disease and never been tested.  Hopefully a test for antibodies will be developed soon. Because older people are at higher risk for serious illness from Covid-19, they should not volunteer for hands-on activities or activities that entail close social contact, such as distributing meals.  Federman did say that the State was hiring people for contact tracing which could be done by phone. 

Federman reminded those going to the grocery store to wear homemade cloth masks, to use gloves provided and to wipe down carts.  People should minimize the number of trips to the store. Masks should be rinsed out after returning home. The Chamber of Commerce is keeping a list of open businesses in town and of suggestions on how to support them.  There is a link to this web site from the town website www.amherstma.org

Up-to-date information on Covid-19 and the Town can be found on the Town’s new Covid-19 website.

Libraries
With the libraries being closed, there were several questions about how residents could access materials.  Sunryd pointed to the library’s web site http://www.joneslibrary.org  which has many activities and books to download. Bockelman said he would arrange for Library Director Sharon Sharry to come to a Council meeting in the near future.

Bockelman said that he was moving forward with the plan to renovate the North Amherst library.  The renovations will be funded by an anonymous donor. 

Zoom Security
Because of some security problems with the zoom platform, many boards and committees have been asked to delay meeting for a few more weeks.  The Board of Health and Zoning Board of Appeals are still meeting regularly.

Parks and Playgrounds
The golf courses, playgrounds, and basketball and tennis courts are closed because they are not safe during the pandemic.  Golf courses are not essential businesses, and it would not be safe for the staff to keep them open. The beaches at Puffer’s Pond are also closed, but solitary activities such as fishing are allowed, and people may walk on the paths around Puffer’s and on the Cherry Hill golf course. 

Clogged Sewers
Clogged sewer lines continue to be a problem. Residents were reminded that even wipes that are labeled flushable are not flushable. It was suggested that a banner be placed on South Pleasant Street saying “Wipes Clog Pipes”.