Council Debates ARPA Funds, High School Track, and Elementary School Building Committee Appointments 

Report on the Meeting of the Town Council, March 18, 2024, Part 2

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

Present
Mandi Jo Hanneke, Andy Steinberg, Ellisha Walker (at large), Freke Ete and Cathy Schoen (District 1), Lynn Griesemer and Pat DeAngelis (District 2), Hala Lord and George Ryan (District 3), Pam Rooney and Jennifer Taub (District 4), Ana Devlin Gauthier and Bob Hegner (District 5). Rooney participated remotely.

Staff: Paul Bockelman (Town Manager) and Athena O’Keeffe (Clerk of the Council).

Where Will Remaining ARPA Funds Go?
Town Manager Paul Bockelman and the Finance Department gave a presentation on their plan to spend the $3.8 million remaining federal COVID relief funds. Amherst received a total of $11.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money. Their proposal for the remaining funds was to use $2.5 million on improvements to the Bangs Community Center, $1 million to add more canopy solar over the parking lot at the new elementary school at Fort River, and $300,000 or any other remaining funds for roads and sidewalk repair. These funds must be allocated by December 31, 2024 and spent by December 31, 2026. The council does not vote on how the funds will be used. That is the discretion of the Town Manager and his staff. 

Previously-allocated funds will continue to pay for Department of Public Health Staff, a driver for the Senior Center van, continued work on creating a permanent shelter for the unhoused at the VFW site, continuing the resident emergency aid program and meal delivery from the Survival Center, and helping the Wayfinders plan to build affordable housing at the East Street School and Belchertown Road properties. 

Bockelman said the town used the priorities of the council and residents to help determine how the remaining money should be spent. For the Bangs Center, the town plans to hire an architect to redesign the space to best meet the needs of the groups and departments that use the building. Plans are to make the building more accessible, update the HVAC system to make it more efficient, and define a space for the Senior Center with an exercise room. It is hoped that a commercial kitchen can also be added, but the funds available may not be sufficient.

The plans for the new elementary school include solar canopies over one-third of the parking lot to provide the energy to make the school net zero. The ARPA money can allow the town to add solar canopies to another third of the parking lot and produce more solar energy for the town without using farmland or cutting down trees. Bockelman said that the Fort River site was chosen over the high school and middle school lots, because the town does not own the latter two properties, and combining the additional solar panels with the construction already planned for Fort River will be a more efficient use of the funds. Any remaining ARPA funds will be used for road and sidewalk repairs, which are a frequent request of residents.

Council and Residents Voice Other Priorities for ARPA Funds
Mandi Jo Hanneke (at large) asked how repairing roads and sidewalks was related to COVID-19.

Andy Steinberg (at large) said that road and sidewalk repair qualified because of the increased cost of materials due to the pandemic. ARPA Grants Administrator Martha Marteney agreed that this was a legitimate expense, used by other area towns. She said all ARPA funds allocated and spent are carefully tracked and must adhere to guidelines established by the government. This information is available on the ARPA page of the town website.

Ellisha Walker (at large) said the Residents’ Emergency Aid application requires that the applicant already be issued an eviction, late mortgage payment, or utility shut-off notice, so it could not be used to avoid those problems. She also added her support to that of several residents who requested providing relief to Black owned businesses that were excluded from the original distribution of aid. Hala Lord (District 3) agreed that the remaining funds should go to businesses and residents who are hurting, and to additional affordable housing, as opposed to more solar panels. However, Ana Devlin Gauthier (District 5) noted that the additional solar panels would decrease the town’s future operating expenses. 

Pam Rooney (District 4) felt that there was no room for a Youth Empowerment Center in the Bangs Center unless the staff, such as DEI, CRESS, or Recreation Departments were moved to a different space. 

Public Advocates for Using ARPA Funds for Black-owned Businesses and Amherst Media
Several members of the Black Business Association of the Amherst Area (BBAAA) said they were shut out of the original aid to small businesses in town, the allocation of which was determined by the Business Improvement District (BID). Yasmin Branford, who owns a hair salon, said she applied earlier, but was told she did not qualify. Ed Cage stated that his taxi service went out of business during the pandemic, and he does not have funds to restart it. He noted that his company provided free rides to many needy residents.

Josna Rege, Layla Moushabec, Amilcar Shabazz, Kathleeen Anderson, Meka Magee, and Debora Ferreira added their support for more money going to Black-owned businesses. Monica Cage said that she would like her hair styling business, Crowned by Cage, to be able to remain in Amherst. Pat Ononibaku alleged that the white-owned Drake music venue received $300,000 in ARPA funds, while BBAAA members were shut out. She said Black-owned businesses are more in need of funds, because they have a harder time accessing capital. 

Amherst Media requested $250,000 in ARPA funds to help finance their new headquarters on Main and Gray Streets. Vira Douangmany Cage, Amilcar Shabazz, and Franny Rothschild spoke for this use of funds. Shabazz noted that Amherst Media provides a crucial service to the town, recording and broadcasting town meetings and local productions and training high school and university students. Rothschild said that Amherst Media was a lifeline for her when she moved to town.

Bockelman said he and the Finance Staff will discuss the requests expressed by the public and councilors. Although there is no need for council approval of the allocations, several councilors requested a report on the plan for the remaining funds.

Council Agrees to Expanded Options for High School Track
In 2021 the council approved a $1.5 million appropriation for the Regional School District to redo the high school track. The options ranged from only resurfacing the badly degraded six-lane track to reorienting the track, improving the drainage, expanding the track to eight lanes, and replacing the infield with artificial turf. Because the appropriation is expiring, the town needed to reallocate the funds. 

The original funding was supplemented by Community Preservation Act funds and free cash, as well as allocations from the three other towns. The school’s preferred plan of reorientation with an artificial turf infield ran into trouble when insufficient funds were raised by the booster club, and the three other towns and the Amherst Board of Health objected to the use of artificial turf. The Regional School Committee (RSC) voted at their meeting of January 23, 2024 to rescind and replace the debt authorization to borrow $1.5 million to resurface the track and make it ADA accessible. Under the previous debt authorization, the RSC was only permitted to either replace the 6 lane track in situ or to install an artificial turf infield in a reoriented and expanded track. The replacement authorization allows the RSC to explore the full range of options for improving the track and field facility (including natural grass versus artificial turf for the interior field, east-west versus north-south orientation, and inclusion of lighting, irrigation, etc).

The Finance Committee voted 3-1 on March 5, 2024, with Hanneke voting no, to recommend the reallocation. The regional school district is currently getting updated bids for the project, but the estimates will not be available until mid-April, and Amherst needs to decide on the appropriation before the other towns have their town meetings in April and early May. 

Hanneke said that approving the $1.5 million will probably mean that the town will end up with only the resurfaced six-lane track, which does not fit the Master Plan and the needs of the town and the schools. She suggested that the council revote the borrowing authorization when the town has up-to-date cost estimates and a concrete renovation plan. 

However, Cathy Schoen (District 1) felt it was important to “keep the money on the books, or it will go away.” She thought that the other towns might approve additional CPA funds if artificial turf was not going to be used. She added, “I feel more sure about this than the financing of the Jones Library. The gap here is smaller.”

Council President Lynn Griesemer (District 2) maintained that the dilemma was “how not to walk away from a needed project, and how to do that without completely killing the project.“

Walker agreed, stating that the previous amount to be borrowed has not changed, only that plans for the project are more vague. She concluded, “That’s to the benefit of our community getting something done. And I remember the council meeting the first time around, and we had a significant amount of public comment in regard to the safety concerns with the field.”

The vote for reauthorizing the funds passed 9-3-1. (Ryan, Hanneke, and Pat DeAngelis voted no; Freke Ette abstained).

Bockelman’s Appointment to the Elementary School Building Committee Approved
Despite some objections, Bockelman’s appointment of architect Bruce Coldham to the Elementary School Building Committee was approved by a 10-3 vote. As she did at the March 14 TSO meeting, Jennifer Shiao pointed out that the vacancy Coldham was nominated to fill had been held by a woman of color and parent of school age children, Phoebe Merriam. Shiao said, “I don’t see a resident with experience in effective community outreach among the current members. And the committee charge also says that preference will be given to parents or  guardians of young children who may be in the elementary schools in 2025.” She pointed out that another applicant for the position, Amber Cano Martin, has those qualifications and is bilingual as well. The committee already includes architect Jonathan Salvon, she said. She concluded, “This project is so important to the school community, and I urge you to prioritize community engagement.”

Steinberg said that the discussion at the Town Services and Outreach committee centered on the need for someone experienced in the construction of net zero buildings. Committee chair Schoen pointed out that there were several parents on the committee, but Coldham’s expertise was needed to understand the very detailed plans that the committee is now evaluating. Rooney noted that Coldham could continue to attend the meetings and offer advice, even if he were not a member of the committee.

Walker emphasized that outreach to the community is more important than ever, now that construction is ready to begin. She also criticized the opaque process of town manager appointments where the council was not informed of the applicant pool. The appointment of Coldham was approved 10-3, with Rooney, Walker, and Lord voting against. 

A groundbreaking ceremony for the school will take place on Wednesday, March 26 at 3:30.

Resolutions and Announcements
Bockelman announced that Camille Theriaque will be the new CRESS Director. She will start on April 8. A welcoming reception is being planned.

The council proclaimed the month of April to be Child Abuse Awareness month. The Child Abuse Prevention flag will fly in front of Town Hall from April 1-30. The proclamation was sponsored by Griesemer and Hanneke. 

Devlin Gauthier announced that the Governance, Organization, and Leadership committee is still seeking applicants for the Charter Review Committee and for the nonvoting member of the Finance Committee vacancy. Interested residents should fill out a Community Activity form.

Devlin Gauthier also said she is following bills in the state legislature that may impact Amherst. Schoen suggested that the town craft a resolution encouraging changes to the formula for public school payments to charter schools. Currently, Amherst spends over $3.3 million a year for students who attend charter schools, up to $21,000 per student, while a student who choices out to another public school only costs the district $5,000. Schoen and Devlin Gauthier will work together on bringing forth a plan for action.

Roadwork Plans Referred to TSO
Three roads projects were referred to the Town Services and Outreach Committee for evaluation. They are resurfacing and sidewalk creation on Heatherstone Road, a round-about at University Drive and Amity Street, and sidewalk repairs on West Street between Potwine and Longmeadow Drive. 

The next Town Council meeting will be on April 1.

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