- Rob Kusner on Elementary School Building Committee Approves Schematic Report. Project Moves Forward: “Thanks for the update, Maria. One nice thing about the Fort River site is it substantial size, which would allow…” Jun 25, 21:53
- on Letter: A Letter To America: “I was thinking of Aristophanes’s Lysistrata yesterday (starting about 10:30AM EDT), but now I’m thinking about joining Dinah Kudatsky’s posse!…” Jun 25, 20:00
- on AJ Hastings To Close After Over 100 Years In Downtown Amherst: “Hastings is a gathering place for the community. It is also one of the few stores in town where one…” Jun 25, 12:33
- on AJ Hastings To Close After Over 100 Years In Downtown Amherst: “Hastings is how I think of Amherst. The identity of the town will surely change. I am very sorry to…” Jun 25, 10:02
- on Photo Of The Week: Reflections At Buffam Falls By Annique Boomsma: “Thank you Art! Nature is such a refuge, we are truly blessed being able to live in this lovely area!…” Jun 25, 09:27
- on AJ Hastings To Close After Over 100 Years In Downtown Amherst: “My husband had always told his kids, grandkids and great grandkids how as a kid, he used to sit on…” Jun 25, 09:24
- on AJ Hastings To Close After Over 100 Years In Downtown Amherst: “This is so sad. Hastings has always been like a rock of normalcy to us. With the town undergoing so…” Jun 25, 07:32
- on Opinion: Watch – Emily Tells It Straight And Slant About Housing In Amherst: “The “… unkempt/… verklemmt” rhyme is worthy of W.S. Gilbert, and D. Stander belts it out beautifully, albeit a cappella…” Jun 19, 11:18
- on Letter: Town Policies Need To Value Year-round Permanent Residents: “I am one of the older readers whom Ken Rosenthal mentions in his letter, and I do indeed remember the…” Jun 19, 09:36
- on Opinion: Watch – Emily Tells It Straight And Slant About Housing In Amherst: “right on! you tell it straight. You are also a fantastic poet.” Jun 18, 18:17
- on Photo Essay: Maintaining Continuity With The Past. Groundbreaking For The North Amherst Library Expansion And Renovation: “Three cheers for the anonymous donor! And three cheers for the designers who recognize the importance of historic preservation! And…” Jun 18, 10:09
- on Photo Essay: Maintaining Continuity With The Past. Groundbreaking For The North Amherst Library Expansion And Renovation: “It was truly a joyous community event much appreciated by all who attended. I felt it duly honored the generous…” Jun 17, 18:06
- on Photo Essay: Maintaining Continuity With The Past. Groundbreaking For The North Amherst Library Expansion And Renovation: “This is a beautiful project, sensitively done to the original library’s look. Many thanks to the donor’s generosity and thoughtfulness.…” Jun 17, 15:06
- on Opinion: Watch – Emily Tells It Straight And Slant About Housing In Amherst: “you can email the planning board at planning@amherstma.gov and the town council, post a public comment at https://www.amherstma.gov/councilcomments and the…” Jun 16, 14:03
- on New Documentary: ‘There’s Always Something To Be Done’: How The Janes Provided Illegal Abortions Before Roe: “We watched this last night and heartily recommend it. For those who were around in the 60’s it offers a…” Jun 15, 19:55
- on Participants At School Building Forum Appear To Favor Fort River Site: “Have the architects read their maps wrong? The illustration of the buildings with rooftop PV shows them sloping to the…” Jun 14, 22:08
- on Library Committee Considers Metal Exterior On New Addition. Space For Civil War Tablets In Limbo: “Pardon my bad ears, Anika. You said “committee” and I heard “community.” It’s great that we have online broadcasts and…” Jun 13, 12:41
- on Library Committee Considers Metal Exterior On New Addition. Space For Civil War Tablets In Limbo: “Thank you for the clarification, Jeff Lee. The Civil War Tablets have been included in the building design for years,…” Jun 13, 08:14
- on Library Committee Considers Metal Exterior On New Addition. Space For Civil War Tablets In Limbo: “Metal siding will add to the Quonset hut-like appearance of the new additions. Ugh.” Jun 12, 18:23
- on Library Committee Considers Metal Exterior On New Addition. Space For Civil War Tablets In Limbo: “CORRECTION/UPDATE: I missed seeing that the Civil War Tablets are in fact depicted in the most recent schematic design document,…” Jun 12, 13:22
- on Almanac: The Planets Align: “Wow! There are few opportunities for naked-eye celestial observation that reveal the deep sky, shifting our perspective from the 2-dimensional…” Jun 11, 18:26
- on Library Committee Considers Metal Exterior On New Addition. Space For Civil War Tablets In Limbo: “The designs for the Jones addition continue from bad to worse!! As to the Civil War Tablets being located there,…” Jun 11, 09:06
- on The Food Desert That Is Amherst: “To give you an idea of the modest pricing at Amherst’s Mobile Market, at last week’s Groff Park marketplace those…” Jun 11, 08:10
- on Opinion: Local and Green. Introducing The Amherst Climate Alliance: “It’s good to learn about the formation of ACA and the effort to help the town reach its ambitious goals…” Jun 11, 07:30
- on Opinion: Council Needs To Step In On Conversion Of Homes To Student Housing: “To Simon Peter Alciere: If your remarks were directed toward me, I take exception. I do not have a ‘nasty…” Jun 11, 07:21
- on Opinion: Council Needs To Step In On Conversion Of Homes To Student Housing: “How refreshing. Instead of hiding the nasty attitude and prejudice against college students, somebody comes right out says what they…” Jun 10, 21:50
- on Opinion: Council Needs To Step In On Conversion Of Homes To Student Housing: “As someone looking for a home in the town of Amherst because our kids already go to the schools, we…” Jun 10, 20:37
- on Hornik Ends Term As Chair Of Affordable Housing Trust: “John did an amazing job-no surprise to anyone who knows. All of Amherst benefitted. Many thanks!” Jun 10, 18:47
- on Finance Committee Discusses Disposition Of Town’s “Surplus Buildings”: “Thank you, Toni, for the reply. I am still concerned with the use of absolutes. I would like to understand…” Jun 6, 15:02
- on Speak Up! Share Your Comments With The Jones Library Outreach Committee: “I find the bowed out design clunky. IF it were straight like the side of the original building, it would…” Jun 6, 12:17
- on Letter: On Amherst Forward’s Curious Notion Of Democracy: “I would expect a call for less public advocacy to come from an authoritarian country like Russia, China, or Egypt,…” Jun 6, 08:46
- on Opinion: Racism and Some Good News About Public Opinion: “Russ, I’m very grateful for the work you do and agree with everything you wrote except one semantic quibble. So…” Jun 6, 07:39
- on Finance Committee Discusses Disposition Of Town’s “Surplus Buildings”: “Fair question, Marcus. A number of town leaders have made comments in public meetings that they want to get the…” Jun 5, 13:50
- on Site Issues For New School More Complicated At Wildwood: “Thanks for this report, Maura. It is a lot of information to capture. Regarding the off-site improvement cost estimates, which…” Jun 4, 15:11
- on Site Issues For New School More Complicated At Wildwood: “Thank for reporting, Maura. I did make one other public comment at the meeting that I wanted to share here,…” Jun 4, 13:20
- on Finance Committee Discusses Disposition Of Town’s “Surplus Buildings”: “Toni, why is there zero chance that fort river would be retained? I have heard this assertion many times, but…” Jun 4, 12:59
- on Finance Committee Discusses Disposition Of Town’s “Surplus Buildings”: “According to the property card for the South Amherst School, the first floor of the 2-story building is 6,192 square…” Jun 4, 11:29
- on Opinion: Choosing The Site For Our New Elementary School: “Thanks very much, Bruce, for a balanced discussion of the siting options for the new school. It contrasts with other…” Jun 4, 11:28
- on Finance Committee Discusses Disposition Of Town’s “Surplus Buildings”: “It looks like there is a core of town leadership that hopes to sell them. Looks very short sighted to…” Jun 4, 11:16
- on New Study Aims to Understand The Psychology That Threatens American Democracy: “This is an important topic, and a welcome article. Social scientists are increasingly looking at embodied physiological elements which are…” Jun 4, 10:28
- on Finance Committee Declines To Recommend Additional Funds For School Budget: ““Slaughter felt that the $54,000 could be found in the school operating budget through unfilled positions and other sources, so…” Jun 4, 10:14
- on Letter: On Amherst Forward’s Curious Notion Of Democracy: “It seems to me that the views of teachers, parents of students, and school administrators should be given serious consideration…” Jun 4, 10:12
- on Finance Committee Discusses Disposition Of Town’s “Surplus Buildings”: “We need a functional senior center. The the school on the south common would be an easy, affordable solution. It…” Jun 4, 09:24
- on Opinion: Choosing The Site For Our New Elementary School: “Thanks to Bruce (and the previous commenters) for contributing to this discussion. One important challenge which Bruce points out is…” Jun 4, 01:55
- on Letter: On Amherst Forward’s Curious Notion Of Democracy: “Excellent letter Michael. Even more “curious” is Peter Demling’s guest column in the June 2 Gazette where he accuses supporters…” Jun 3, 20:50
- on Opinion: Choosing The Site For Our New Elementary School: “Thank you, Bruce, for weighing in. I agree that the ESBC should, as you say, get “as much constructive input…” Jun 1, 15:41
- on Opinion: Choosing The Site For Our New Elementary School: “Thanks, Bruce. I appreciate your commitment to this process and your thoughtful comments and questions, as a long-time architect. Having…” Jun 1, 14:30
- on New History Trail To Be Built Along The Mill River: “This will be a great way to preserve the kind of local knowledge that my ancestors in N Amherst lived…” Jun 1, 09:00
- on Finance Committee Discusses Disposition Of Town’s “Surplus Buildings”: “I don’t understand the “people dump buildings on us” opinion. All the examples mentioned are buildings the town has either…” May 30, 09:21
- on Issues & Analyses: Becoming Human. A New Column About Hope And Possibility: “Not sure what all the “ping back” above means but I hope it’s models you’ll describe for adoption into Amherst…” May 30, 06:44
- on Speak Up! What Should Amherst Do With A Surplus Elementary School?: “I think the new school should be at the Fort River site. The Wildwood site should NOT be sold to…” May 29, 13:17
- on Finance Committee Discusses Disposition Of Town’s “Surplus Buildings”: “All town owned buildings have value and potential, particularly when one takes a long term view. In addition, should Amherst…” May 29, 12:41
- on Letter: Follow The Science. Fort River Is The Best Site For A New School: “Hear, hear, Sarah! Besides frequent, 7-day/week, year-round bus service right by the Fort River School site, the nearby commercial area…” May 29, 11:49
- on North Amherst Library Finds Interim Home In Mill District. Special Collections’ Head Departs To Belchertown: “CORRECTION: The North Amherst Library groundbreaking was reported to be scheduled for June 22. That should be June 2022. Town…” May 28, 18:05
- on What’s Happening In Amherst?: “We encourage/implore every able-bodied person in Amherst to join in the ‘March For Our Lives’ in Northampton (unless you can…” May 28, 14:39
- on Opinion: A Community Center: If Not At Wildwood, Where?: “Adaptive re-use is “greener” than tearing down and disposing of either Wildwood or Fort River to build anew. I would…” May 28, 12:52
- on New History Trail To Be Built Along The Mill River: “And, it fits right in the beginning of the up-dating of our Town’s Historic Preservation Plan with the goals of…” May 28, 12:25
- on Finance Committee Discusses Disposition Of Town’s “Surplus Buildings”: “I am somewhat stunned that anyone would think that the South Amherst School is not worth preserving. It’s beautiful and…” May 28, 11:53
- on Opinion: A Community Center: If Not At Wildwood, Where?: “At the District 2 meeting on May 23, Town Councilors were asked if they would commit to retaining the vacated…” May 28, 11:28
- on New History Trail To Be Built Along The Mill River: “This is exciting! I look forward to walking the interpretive trail when it’s ready.” May 28, 10:55
- on Letter: Follow The Science. Fort River Is The Best Site For A New School: “To Maria Kopicki’s compelling array of reasons for siting the new elementary school at Fort River, I’d add: our public…” May 28, 07:36
- on Opinion: In A Democratic Society, The Public’s Voice Must Be Heard: “Part of the the eradication of citizen input resultant from the charter commission’s governing change was a dog bone included:…” May 28, 07:21
- on Opinion: A Community Center: If Not At Wildwood, Where?: “It is short sighted to sell town land. Ever. We have multiple needs for the land and buildings now, as…” May 27, 22:52
- on UMass Five College Credit Union Plans New Building On Route 9: “This is an opportunity to include a wide multi-use path there from the Swift Way along the south side of…” May 21, 12:42
- on Letter: In Developing Downtown Amherst, Plan For The Future: “Hear, hear! And please cover the bike areas as well!!” May 21, 12:33
- on Water Treatment Plant Replacement Costs Rise Significantly: “Already the town has a minimum water/sewer usage charge that amounts to about $150/year, and which will rise with the…” May 21, 12:30
- on Temporary Mask Mandate Reinstated At Amherst Middle School: “This could have been avoided. Vaccinated&boosted friends who always wear masks at ARMS – but whose students do not –…” May 21, 12:14
- on Town Receives Financing From State for Centennial Water Treatment Facility : “Has Town Manager Paul Bockelman, who meets with UMass officials every Monday, asked UMass to help pay specifically for this…” May 21, 10:27
- on Letter: In Developing Downtown Amherst, Plan For The Future: “Ira’s suggestion for the town lot at CVS is excellent! It resolves many issues positively. Much greener than another climate…” May 21, 09:48
- on Town Receives Financing From State for Centennial Water Treatment Facility : “Making this water treatment plant energy efficient, and sourcing it with renewable energy would go a long way to meeting…” May 21, 07:26
- on Letter: Build BIPOC Cultural/Empowerment Center At Wildwood School: “This is a great idea and would be a win-win for our community – put the new school at Fort…” May 21, 00:52
- on Town Receives Financing From State for Centennial Water Treatment Facility : “The estimated cost of this project is now $18 million!!! Over $4m more than this time last year. I’m glad…” May 20, 21:16
- on Opinion: In A Democratic Society, The Public’s Voice Must Be Heard: “Thank you Dorothy Pam and thank you Laura Draucker. I agree! A more vibrant and robust democracy would make room…” May 18, 09:40
- on Opinion: In A Democratic Society, The Public’s Voice Must Be Heard: “I completely agree that in a democratic society a public’s voice must not only be heard but also listened to…” May 17, 21:32
- on A Better World Is Possible: Creating Towns That Are Bicycle Friendly: “Guerrilla cycling. Who knew? A quick Google search yields several articles. See e.g. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2018/may/11/the-guerilla-cyclists-solving-urban-transport-problems or https://99percentinvisible.org/article/guerrilla-bike-lanes-san-francisco-makes-illicit-infrastructure-permanent/” May 14, 14:57
- on A Better World Is Possible: Creating Towns That Are Bicycle Friendly: “One fast comment: the very expensive thermoplastic markings serve as a “straw” man in the fiscal argument. They can also…” May 14, 14:44
- on Timber Construction For New Library Gets Thumbs Up: “The lifetime for good concrete and steel construction can be many centuries – what about CLT? The “embodied carbon” calculation…” May 14, 14:27
- on Timber Construction For New Library Gets Thumbs Up: “Sadly, CLT is just another UMass hyped scam to continue business-as-usual in logging forests that should instead be left undisturbed…” May 14, 08:48
- on Opinion: Why Can’t We Move Faster On Climate Change?: “I feel compelled to disagree with Russ when he opens with: “Is it the climate deniers? Is it people not…” May 14, 08:23
- on Senior, Childhood, And Teen Centers Are Most Suggested Uses For Elementary School Building: “I was originally neutral about sites, but I have been persuaded that Fort River School would be the preferable site…” May 12, 09:13
- on Senior, Childhood, And Teen Centers Are Most Suggested Uses For Elementary School Building: “I really appreciate all of the great ideas shared via this edition of Speak Up. I read some great suggestions…” May 10, 20:19
- on Ground-Source System Offers Advantages Over Air-Source System, Say School Building Designers : “Thank you for your comment, Chad. The net zero consultant team working with the designers performed a life cycle costs…” May 9, 20:54
- on Water And Soil Challenges At Wildwood And Fort River Sites Similar And Solvable: “Related to Laura Quilter’s comments above, a new Traffic Study was published last week and can be found here: https://www.amherstma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/61499/22_0505_Draft-Traffic-Study…” May 9, 17:00
- on UMass Establishes Ellsberg Initiative For Peace And Democracy: “One of so very few givebacks (they certainly take) our anchor institution provides to the community. I like much this…” May 8, 21:28
- on North Pleasant Street Parking Plan Will Have More Spaces For Kendrick Park Users: “May be some lessons learned? Parking to be supplied with new buildings? planned Sharing w/buildings? More pocket parks so folks…” May 8, 21:14
- on Truth School Will Offer Eight Free In-Person Classes In May: “Nothing but the tops of local presenters since the tRump election (thank you Rev Dr Andrea) and many of national…” May 8, 20:58
- on ZBA Reviews Plans For Townhouse And Apartment Complex At Sunset And Fearing: “And so we see the future (currently) of Amherst. Growing university space into “the neighborhoods” at the expense of those…” May 8, 20:39
- on Water And Soil Challenges At Wildwood And Fort River Sites Similar And Solvable: “too bad the sites were chosen. The Hatch Act forbids use of our wet lands for building and its been…” May 8, 20:07
- on Ground-Source System Offers Advantages Over Air-Source System, Say School Building Designers : “I would caution the decision makers on their choices. I believe a full ‘ground source’ to be a life cycle…” May 8, 19:48
- on Amherst Media Struggles To Find Temporary Home: “The Town’s Land Bank – Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust sought the same information: what are the town buildings available…” May 8, 19:06
- on Senior, Childhood, And Teen Centers Are Most Suggested Uses For Elementary School Building: “Any time we can poll the community on its thoughts about our resources in common it’s a good move. Thank…” May 8, 10:59
- on Letter: When Choosing Site Of New School, Consider Traffic: “Recording of the 5/6 Elementary School Building Committee mtg is available on the Town’s youtube channel. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5KZ__QBTmw” May 7, 18:15
- on Letter: When Choosing Site Of New School, Consider Traffic: “At the most recent building committee meeting, Councilor Walker astutely pointed out that South East St between College and Main…” May 7, 18:01
- on Letter: When Choosing Site Of New School, Consider Traffic: “It was good to see that at the Elementary School Building Committee meeting on Friday, 5/6, so much time was…” May 7, 15:50
- on Board Of Health Votes To Join Mosquito Control District. Splits On Decision To Opt Out of Aerial Spraying Program: “How does anyone with an organic garden or orchard at their home “opt-out” of this spraying program?” May 7, 13:32
- on North Pleasant Street Parking Plan Will Have More Spaces For Kendrick Park Users: “Did anyone remember the on-street counterflow bike lane southbound? The May 5th plan still shows a mix of pedestrians and…” May 7, 13:10
- on Letter: How Will New Housing Development At Sunset And Fearing Transform The Neighborhood?: “The idea of an international house with apartments for visiting scholars, with programs open to the public, is such a…” May 7, 12:03
- on Senior, Childhood, And Teen Centers Are Most Suggested Uses For Elementary School Building: “Thanks for doing this Jeff–you gathered great public input!” May 7, 11:35