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Date: 2/14/2023
AMHERST — The Amherst Town Council reserved the South Common as the designated location for this year’s Amherst Farmers Market at its Feb. 6 meeting. Councilor Mandi Jo Hanneke was also appointed to the Joint Capital Planning Committee (JCPC) at the meeting.
The South Common reservation was going to be passed automatically via the meeting’s consent agenda, however, Councilor Pam Rooney pulled the item off the consent agenda because she had a question regarding a potential scheduling conflict. The Odenong tribe will host its third annual Powwow this year on the South Common, and though no date was provided during the meeting, it may fall on the same day as the farmers market. Rooney was wondering where each event will take place if such a conflict does arise. Town Manager Paul Bockelman answered the question.
“I have been in discussion with both the farmers market and the Odenong tribe. The tribe came in last fall to reserve the common, knowing that the farmers market was also interested in it. We have promised the Odenong tribe the entire South Common, and in talking to the farmers market, they are OK with relocating to the Spring Street lot for that one day, but the Odenong tribe is considering whether they even need the space that the farmer’s market typically uses. They have not had their committee meeting but they will. They will let us know if they can free up that space for the farmers market to be where it normally is, or if they’re going to be utilizing the entire common,” Bockelman said.
The motion to approve the Amherst Farmers Market’s long-term event use request passed unanimously. The market will run on the South Common every Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., beginning on April 22 and ending on Nov. 18. A clause authorizing the town manager to modify the approval was added to the motion to allow for wiggle room with coinciding events such as the Powwow.
In a statement to Reminder Publishing over email, Justin Beatty, the founder and powwow committee chair clarified that the Odenong Powwow is an intertribal event and not the name of a tribe. This year's committee includes members of the Ojibwe, Odawa and Kanien'keha or Mohawk tribes.
Beatty also clarified that the powwow will not be taking place at the south common but instead will most likely take place at Amherst-Pelham Regional High School, citing several factors that go into picking the location.
"These factors include elements that are cultural, spiritual, financial, and educational. At present, we made the difficult choice to forego using the Amherst Town Common based on several things pertaining to the aforementioned factors. Our desire to make sure that the Odenong Powwow is the best that it can be must take precedence over our use of a particular space," Beatty wrote.
Due to a resignation by Councilor Ana Devlin Gauthier from her position on the JCPC, the third spot on the committee was up for grabs. Council President Lynn Griesemer reached out to the council in its entirety, asking who would like to fill the position. Councilors Mandi Jo Hanneke and Dorothy Pam expressed interest, and at the meeting both were given the opportunity to speak on why they would like to serve on the JCPC before the decision was put to a vote.
Pam once served on the Finance Committee, an experience which she said she enjoyed. A past attempt to get back on the committee fell through, and so when the opportunity arose to serve on the JCPC, which performs similar tasks to the Finance Committee, it piqued her interest, leading to her volunteering herself for the position.
“I know it’s an important thing to deal with the capital expenses, and I enjoy thinking about the finances of the council and the town. I just thought it would be a good experience to do that again and to bring some fresh eyes ... I definitely would like to be on JCPC,” Pam said.
Hanneke has served on the JCPC in the past, and wanted to continue contributing to the committee.
“I, like Dorothy, have had an interest in finances since I joined this council. Unlike Dorothy I have never been appointed to the Finance Committee, but I have had the pleasure of serving on JCPC for a number of years. It is a unique committee in that we make recommendations and advise the [town] manager. We deal with the year to year capital expenditures, and it’s something I have enjoyed doing. I’ve enjoyed contributing to the change since the form of government changed to how the committee works and how the reports are presented, actually, and advising the manager on what would be most helpful to the council. I think I’ve contributed a lot to that and would love to be able to continue to contribute,” Hanneke said.
The council voted on the two candidates, and Hanneke won with seven votes to Pam’s five. She will serve on the JCPC alongside fellow Councilors Rooney and Cathy Schoen.