Town Manager Proposes Commission on Traffic and Parking

Report on the Meeting of the Amherst Town Council, August 19, 2024

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Highlights

• Proposed Transportation and Parking Commission referred to Town Services and Outreach Committee
• Lawrence Kluttz appointed to Planning Board
• Town Manager goals discussed

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

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

Proposed Transportation and Parking Commission
Town Manager Paul Bockelman proposed creating a seven-member commission to deal with traffic and parking issues, such as traffic calming, speed limits, parking requests, and utility pole placement. The commission would include staff members from the DPW, Planning Department, and Amherst Police Department, as well as representatives from the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) and the Disability Access Advisory Committee (DAAC), and three residents appointed by the Town Manager. The commission would be analogous to the Board of License Commissioners, which deals with liquor and tobacco licenses and assesses fines for noncompliance.

In supporting this proposal, Bockelman noted the inefficiency in the way traffic matters are dealt with by the council. The council refers them to the Town Services and Outreach (TSO) Committee, which then receives input from the TAC and DAAC and holds public hearings before bringing the matter back to the council for more discussion. He said that residents feel like they must attend many meetings in support of proposals that affect them. Having one commission deal with most parking and traffic issues would streamline the process. He said that the chair of the TAC supported the creation of the commission. Also, about half of the small municipalities in the state have such a commission. 

The Home Rule Charter gives authority over the public ways to the Town Council, so the council can limit what decisions the commission can make and retain some of its own involvement, such as for the creation of a parking garage or changes to the Town Commons. 

In discussion, Cathy Schoen (District 1) thought that the commission should include one or two councilors—people who will need to be re-elected. Mandi Jo Hanneke (at large) wanted to make sure that the residents on the commission have a broad focus so they do not prioritize the concerns of special interest groups such as pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorists. She also thought that the council may want to retain authority over long-term parking reservations and permanent road closures.

Council President Lynn Griesemer wanted to make sure that the council would not spend a lot of time second-guessing the decisions of the commission. The proposal was referred to TSO by a unanimous vote.

Planning Board Stalemate Ends with Appointment of Lawrence Kluttz
The vote for filling the remaining open seat on the Planning Board was postponed by Schoen at the July 15 council meeting. The discussion at that meeting was contentious. The Community Resources Committee (CRC) recommended Melissa Ferris for the seat by a 3-2 vote, but George Ryan (District 3) objected to what he perceived as her “hostility” to UMass, where she is a student. Hanneke, a CRC member, objected to what she called Ferris’ “overemphasis” on the opinions of abutters. The vote at that meeting to affirm Ferris failed by a vote of 5-6-1 and a vote to replace her with the third candidate, Lawrence Kluttz, failed by a vote of 4-5-3. Hanneke’s motion to re-nominate Kluttz was then postponed by Schoen.

At this meeting, Schoen, explained that she was appalled by the process and shocked by the orchestrated move to overturn the CRC’s recommendation. She pointed out that Kluttz had been recruited by the councilor [Ryan] who had then proposed that he be appointed instead of the CRC’s recommended candidate. When Councilor Pam Rooney (District 4) noted Ferris’ skill at reading and understanding architectural plans as an important attribute for a Planning Board member, Hanneke cut her off, saying the motion under consideration did not pertain to Ferris. 

Andy Steinberg (at large) said he, too, was troubled with the appointment process, which does not give applicants a chance to respond to statements made about them. Jennifer Taub (District 4) remarked that this is not the first time that a public comment made at some time in the past  has been used against a candidate and has even prevented them from being appointed, and she reminded the councilors that  the purpose of public hearings is to solicit input from residents.

Kluttz was approved for a three-year Planning Board appointment by a vote of 8-1-4. Rooney voted no. Schoen, Taub, Ellisha Walker (at large), and Freke Ette (District 1) abstained.

In a unanimous vote, Bernie Kubiak was appointed to a one-year term as a nonvoting member of the Finance Committee, and Thomas Porter was appointed to a two-year term.

Discussion of Town Manager Goals Stalls
As a follow up to last spring’s council retreat, Griesemer wanted a discussion of the Town Manager goals regarding affordable housing, with a discussion on climate goals to take place at the September 9 Town Council meeting. Councilors could not come to a consensus on how the goals should be prioritized and evaluated. Ryan stated that his top priorities are infrastructure, a new DPW, and a new fire station. Hala Lord (District 3) and Walker said that racial equity and social justice should be among the priorities. 

Bockelman opined that coming to a consensus about which goals to prioritize would take a lot of the council’s time, and it might be best for the staff to work on the most attainable of the goals in the timeframe laid out, since it will be impossible to fulfill all of them. He noted that the town zoning bylaw will need to be brought into agreement with new state standards for accessory dwelling units and that this will take a considerable amount of  Planning Department staff time. 

Announcements
The next council meeting is scheduled for September 9. The Finance Committee will meet on September 3 to discuss the finances of the Cherry Hill Golf Course and the Jones Library. TSO will continue discussion of the proposed Waste Hauler policy at its August 29 meeting.

The deadline for general contractor bids for the new elementary school have been extended to September 19 due to changes in the electrical system required by Eversource. Schoen said that the sub-bids received so far have been on target with the estimates. The delay will not change the plans for the school to be completed by the fall of 2026.

Pat DeAngelis (District 2) reported on many programs sponsored by the Recreation Department that include outreach to marginalized youth and those with neurodiversity. She noted the expansion of the Family Center, a new seven-week swim program for youth with disabilities, and a morning movement program for middle and high school students that had 64 regular participants. ARPA funds were used to support these programs.

Public Comment Regarding the Jones Library and ARPA Funds
During the only public comment period of the meeting, Maria Kopicki stated that the council had not been informed of the Massachusetts Historical Commission’s (MHC) criticisms of the planned Jones Library demolition and expansion prior to its December 22 vote authorizing another $10 million in borrowing for the project. The MHC’s letter to Library Director Sharon Sharry prior to the council vote, which had declared the project ineligible for the nearly $2 million in historical tax credits, had been kept from the council as well as the library trustees.  It became known in July when a trustee asked about an invoice from a firm that had been hired to help re-apply for those credits. Kopicki decried the fact that this information was kept from elected officials, and asked who knew about the project’s noncompliance and why the council had not been informed.

On another topic, Pat Ononibaku reminded the councilors that  members of the Black Business Association of Amherst Area have  not yet received any ARPA funds to help them recover from COVID-related losses. “We are still waiting,” she said.

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