Many Suggestions Offered For Use Of Remaining ARPA Funds.

Town Manager Envisions Creation Of Roads And Parking Commission

Report On The Meeting Of The Amherst Town Council, July 17, 2023

This meeting was held in hybrid format and was recorded. It can be viewed here. 

Present
Lynn Griesemer (President, District 2), Cathy Schoen and Michele Miller (District 1), Pat DeAngelis (District 2), Pam Rooney and Anika Lopes (District 4), Dorothy Pam and Jennifer Taub (District 3), Shalini Bahl-Milne (District 5), Mandi Jo Hanneke, Andy Steinberg, and Ellisha Walker (At large) Absent: Ana Devlin Gauthier (District 5)

Staff: Paul Bockelman (Town Manager), Sean Mangano (Finance Director), and Athena O’Keeffe (Clerk of the Council)

Highlights

• Many suggestions were offered for how to spend town’s remaining ARPA funds
• Town Manager recommends creation of a transportation and parking commission
• No rank choice voting for November election (or any time soon)
• Public input for police chief search to be sought after Labor Day
• Pilot project launched to remove iron from water at Ice Pond Woods condos
• Steinberg requests review of rules for public comments

Many Possible Needs For Remaining ARPA Money
During the first 75 minutes of the council meeting, many members of the public offered their suggestions for the use of the remaining $4.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money that Amherst has yet to allocate. All must be allocated by December 31, 2024 and spent by December 31, 2026. The purpose of ARPA funding is to alleviate some of the harms caused or worsened by the COVID pandemic. Town Manager Paul Bockelman and Finance Director Sean Mangano gave a presentation on the initial uses of the funds at the June 26 council meeting, and offered answers to questions submitted by councilors in the packet for this meeting. In total, Amherst will receive $11.9 million in ARPA funding.

Hwei Ling Greeney, Director of Amherst Community Connections (ACC), pointed out that ACC was serving twice as many families as prior to the pandemic, yet has only received Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) money twice in the past seven years. [It did receive Community Preservation Act funds.] 

Lauren Mills spoke for the need to address mental health issues and issues of racial inequity.

Margaret Sawyer, a board member of Amherst Media, noted that the work of Amherst Media has greatly increased with the recording of all town meetings since March, 2020. She said Amherst Media provides a vital service to the town, and has been doing so since 1970. It needs additional funding to support these services and complete its fundraising for its new headquarters on Main Street.

Dennis Vandal and Marc Barrette advocated for more money for the Senior Center, which Vandal pointed out has lost space over the past few years. Both he and Barrette said the Center needs a new kitchen and space to resume community meals, and an exercise room so that the existing equipment can be used. They emphasized the isolation many seniors faced during the pandemic and the need to reestablish communal activities.

Amherst Survival Center Director Lev Ben Ezra stated that they are serving 2,582 Amherst residents a month, a significant increase from before 2020, and are in need of additional funds to support the increased need for services. 

Talvin Dhingra, a high school student, advocated for a BIPOC youth center, largely guided by students.

State Representative Mindy Domb, calling from the Mass. Turnpike on her way back from Boston, said that her office has heard most about fixing the water treatment plant and roads and sidewalks. Therefore, she feels that most of the second tranche of ARPA funds should go to those areas, with the rest being used for Family Outreach of Amherst, addiction treatment, childcare, and small business relief.

Black Community Speaks For Funding Existing Black-Owned Businesses
Several members of the Black Business Association of Amherst Area (BBAAA) spoke about being left out of the initial ARPA funds to Amherst businesses. Vira Cage, Amilcar Shabazz, and Pat Ononibaku noted that no existing black-owned businesses were funded , although two new Black-owned businesses were supported in the first round of ARPA funding. Shabazz said that his family’s successful transit service, Black Star Transit, had to close during the pandemic and does not have the funds to reopen. Ononibaku felt the ARPA money should go to residents, not to roads. She said, “Just because new businesses are opening doesn’t mean others aren’t struggling. Are we supporting our businesses or [only] the ability for landlords to rent out spaces?” Kathleen Traphagen pointed out that the Black community suffered the most from COVID and urged the town to listen to them in compensating for losses.

Alluding to downtown commercial property owners, all of whom must pay dues to and belong to   the Business Improvement District (BID) which was in charge of distributing the first round of ARPA funding to businesses, Isolde Ortega-Bustamante said that anyone who could benefit in any way from the awarding of public funds should step away from the decision-making process to avoid a conflict of interest. However, Irv Rhodes felt the process in the first round of ARPA funding was “transparent and fair”, and said that all of the data is public. He added that  he would like to see a youth center for all teens, rather than one designated as BIPOC, because he feels there should be no separation between various groups in town.

Councilors Respond To Public Suggestions
Dorothy Pam (District 3) agreed that the Senior Center deserves a new kitchen and space for communal meals. She also said that the BBAAA deserves to be heard, and its concerns about funds not being awarded to existing Black-owned businesses, and that transparency is needed to avoid impropriety or the appearance of impropriety in the awarding of ARPA money. Mandi Jo Hanneke (at large) said that although she doesn’t say this often, she agrees with Pam this time, that money should go to the Senior Center. She had reservations, however, about a suggestion  to put canopy solar on the high school parking lot because the land belongs to the regional school district, not the town.

Shalini Bahl-Milne (District 5) pointed to needs for a youth empowerment center and for creative approaches to more residential construction in town. She would like the town to hire an economic development director again to work with real estate developers on building more housing. Pam Rooney (District 4) wanted the funds to strengthen a broad base of businesses, not only those on the main streets; and Jennifer Taub (District 3) said that, although road and sidewalk repair is an important priority for the town, ARPA money could have a bigger impact if it went to support of organizations and town businesses. Andy Steinberg (at large) stated that one of the criteria for ARPA funds should be that the entity should be able to continue after the ARPA funds run out. He said it is important to support businesses in town in order to ease the tax burdens on homeowners ( property taxes are the primary source of income for the town).

Michele Miller (District 1) suggested forming a town manager-appointed advisory committee, such as the one that exists for CDBG or CPA funds, to establish criteria for ARPA funds and then to recommend their distribution.

Cathy Schoen (District 1) thought that the funds should be divided into different categories based on specified criteria because some projects, such as  upgrading the kitchen at the senior center, require a substantial investment, while other entities can be helped with a much smaller amount.

Ellisha Walker (at large) pointed out that ARPA funds are intended to mitigate the impacts of COVID on the most vulnerable communities, which she feels are seniors and youth. She would like to see, for example, services directed to a youth empowerment center. She would also like funds for losses suffered because of the pandemic to be able to be paid  to recipients directly, not through nonprofits  in order to lessen the requirements on businesses applying for funds.

Town Manager Will Make Final Decision On ARPA Funds
The council does not decide how the ARPA funds will be used. That is in the purview of the Town Manager. Bockelman said that with the first round of ARPA funds, he tried to “align the distribution with the goals of the council and the needs of residents and the town.” For the second round, he is now listening to suggestions, and said he has noted some common themes: support for a youth empowerment center and improvements to the senior center, the value of an advisory committee, and explicit criteria as well as transparency in awarding funds. 

Bockelman Suggests Creating A Transportation And Parking Commission
According to the Town Charter, the Town Council is designated as the “keeper of the public way.” Some of this oversight, such as temporary parking changes for special events, have been delegated to the Town Manager, but Bockelman said that small issues, like the placement of electrical poles, take up a considerable amount of the council’s time. In addition, he noted, “Residents and members of the Town Council have been frustrated by the seemingly opaque process for making decisions about transportation issues, most frequently about making improvements to roads and sidewalks, setting priorities, and establishing funding. In addition, there is not a clear venue for people with neighborhood concerns to present their concerns or budget requests.” The Transportation Advisory Committee, he said, can make suggestions, but has no decision-making power. Therefore, Bockelman recommends that “the Town Council consider establishing a Transportation and Parking Commission that would be charged with making policy decisions on transportation and parking issues, and reviewing and approving staff recommendations for changes to the public way.” He said this process has been used in several municipalities in the state. He compared a transportation and parking commission to the Board of License Commissioners, which is charged with making decisions on liquor and cannabis licenses. He would like the Governance, Organization, and Legislation Committee (GOL) of the council to review his proposal.

Bahl-Milne thought the proposal made sense, that the commission would make use of the expertise in the community to make decisions on roads and parking. But Hanneke disagreed, saying, “It seems like you’re stripping the council of all its authority over the public way.” She disagreed that this was analogous to the Board of License Commissioners since, unlike liquor licenses, road and parking changes can be permanent. These changes would also require a change in bylaws.

Taub noted that there is a big difference between where electrical poles should be placed and the construction of a parking garage, but both issues would fall under the Transportation Commission, as envisioned by Bockelman. Pam agreed, saying some transportation issues, such as a parking garage, are political “and that is us. I’m not willing to give that away. People are used to coming to us.”

Schoen thought there needs to be clarity on policies related to parking, roads, and sidewalks, not another body. Steinberg asked what we can do to fix the system. Rooney thought the issue should be looked at holistically so as to create a better system.

The council voted to refer the issue back to Bockelman to create a charge for the potential commission and offer potential changes in the transportation and parking policy by the end of October.

Rank Choice Voting Will Not Be In Place For November Election
Amherst’s request for special legislation for local elections to allow rank choice voting is still held up in the state legislature. Another hearing was held, but no action was taken. The Amherst Town Charter requires that any change in voting must occur 120 days before the election, so rank choice voting is ruled out for the November town election. The town was advised to look at Easthampton, which used a way to enact rank choice voting that did not require special legislation. Griesemer suggested that either GOL or the 2024 Charter Review Commission might be able to take this issue up. 

Police Chief Search—Public Outreach After Labor Day
Bockelman announced that the town is working with a consulting firm based in Illinois to help in the search for a new police chief. Scott Livingstone retired in May after 14 years as chief. After a description of the skills and values wanted in the new chief is formulated, which will not be until after Labor Day, there will be outreach to the community for input.

Pilot Project Launched To Remove Iron From Water At Ice Pond Woods Condos
The stormwater collection pipe and settling tank installed in the 1980s to catch the iron and manganese in the groundwater at Ice Pond Woods Condominiums has overflowed into the sewer system and damaged the Kestrel Lane pump station. Superintendent of Public Works Guilford Mooring announced that the town will be piloting an experimental system developed at UMass to remove the iron and manganese from the water before it reaches the sewer system. The experimental system uses electrochemical methods to treat the water. It will run for six to 12 months. In order to run this system, the town will need an easement from the Ice Pond Woods Homeowners’ Association for access to the water system and a rooftop solar array for power . This motion passed without objection.

Steinberg Asks GOL To Review Public Comment Rules
The lengthy public comment period [regarding ARPA funding awards] in this meeting led Steinberg to request that GOL review the guidelines for public comment. He asked if it was appropriate for someone to ask to be recognized and then turn the microphone over to someone who had already spoken, which was done recently. He also requested that the time limit be enforced.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:37 p.m. The next council meeting will be held on August 7, but will be entirely virtual since no clerk will be available on that date.