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Date: 12/27/2022
AMHERST – The annual State of the Town address was delivered at Amherst Town Hall on Dec. 19. Town Manager Paul Bockelman and Town Council President Lynn Griesemer spoke about the town’s 2022 accomplishments and 2023 goals and challenges. School Committee Chair Allison McDonald did the same for the school district, and Town Councilor Cathy Schoen gave an update on the elementary school building project.
Griesemer opened her presentation by showing her respect for the responsibility of her position.
“This is the fourth State of the Town Address that I’ve given, and it continues to be an honor and a privilege to serve as president of the Town Council,” Griesemer said.
She listed the town’s many accomplishments over the course of 2022. These fell into seven categories, which also overlap with the town manager goals. These focus areas were climate action, community health and safety, providing support for local businesses including farmers, boosting economic vitality, continuing and completing capital investment projects, housing affordability and racial equity and justice. In terms of the financial success Amherst enjoys, she was adamant that the success is the result of excellent management by town staff.
“We continue to [succeed in our capital investment goals] because of sound, outstanding fiscal management, a balanced budget, sufficient reserves, the creation of a capital stabilization fund, clean audits and an A-plus-plus bond rating. None of this should be taken lightly or assumed to be normal. With our outstanding fiscal staff and town management, we have worked hard to get there,” Griesemer said.
In addition to the positive feedback, Griesemer also discussed the challenges of 2023 which she resolved to fix. First on this list were “continuing to pass responsible Capital and Operating Budget” and “Implementation of ranked-choice voting [when passed by legislature].” She also drafted some goals for the council regarding their relationship with the public. Together, they endeavor to shorten council meetings, provide additional transparency on council matters and facilitate more resident engagement with the town process.
Bockelman opened his address much like Griesemer, but he also offered constructive criticism regarding the dissent and at times division among town councilors.
“I have the wonderful privilege to walk into this magnificent building, the Town Hall, every day when I come to work…It’s no secret that it’s hard to get things done in local government, this government that is closest to the people. We all have opinions and we all care…It’s especially true in Amherst, but I have to say, the town where only the ‘H’ is silent takes debate on nearly every issue to a new level. We see it play out in the Town Council meetings weekly,” Bockelman said.
He acknowledged that although debate can be necessary, it does also create tension, and that he wants Amherst to continue trying to bridge the gap between differing perspectives.
“Through the course of these debates I strive to be positive. I tell myself that the debate is part of the process that we have to go through to get to a better place to actually get things done, but it can be frustrating at times. I know you all feel this too and I know the public feels it as well. One of our challenges is how to maintain the kind of optimism it took to build this building and to retain the fortitude and confidence it takes to move the community forward even in the face of criticism,” Bockelman said.
Chair of the Amherst School Committee and Amherst Regional School Committee Allison McDonald gave a presentation on the state of Amherst’s schools. She started with Amherst Public Schools (APS), which currently serves grades K-6, and will begin serving only grades K-5 when the sixth grade moves to the Amherst Regional Middle School (ARMS) next school year.
“We enjoy a strong statewide reputation for our public schools and it’s a legacy that our community values and prioritizes. Our elementary school district consistently meets state progress and accountability goals, though persistent gaps remain among high-needs student and other groups. To address these persistent gaps, particularly in math, we implemented a new math curriculum this year after an extensive review and pilot last year,” McDonald said.
She mentioned that APS has a comparatively low student-to-teacher ratio of 9:1, which allows for students to receive the personalized attention they need from their instructors.
The regional school district, which includes ARMS and Amherst Regional High School (ARHS), got a similarly glowing review from McDonald.
“Like our elementary schools, our regional schools enjoy an excellent reputation thanks to our dedicated, high-quality educators and administrators. Students at both the middle and high schools are offered an array of electives. At the high school, our core academic program includes a diverse offering of AP and other advanced courses. Two-thirds of our 11th- and 12th-graders complete advanced courses each year, and 80 percent of all ARHS students take courses in the arts, which is a reflection of the diversity and popularity of these offerings. This is pretty unusual in our area,” McDonald said.
Besides sheer academic performance, McDonald said that Amherst’s schools are dedicated to student wellbeing in all aspects, and offer programs to back it up.
“Our schools provide a strong community and school programs to support student wellbeing and social-emotional health, including our family center that operates district-wide-it’s based in the middle school but it operates for the entire elementary/regional district-, our BRIGHT program which is a support for mental health and students after extended absences from school, and our restorative justice programs,” McDonald said.
Amherst’s schools goals for 2023 are making further progress on the elementary school building project, budget engagement with the Town Council and parents alike, promoting greater student safety and wellbeing, improved curriculum and instruction, facilitating a smooth transition as the sixth grade moves to ARMS, developing the regional capital plan, greater staff diversity and inclusion and creating more school improvement plans.
Cathy Schoen presented the current site plan for the new Fort River Elementary school and gave verbal updates on the project.
“With the sixth grade moving to the middle school, the proposed new school will serve 575 students from grades K-5, consolidating Wildwood and Fort River into one school located at the current Fort River site…The site is large enough to allow a new building on the south end of the property a substantial distance away from the current school,” Schoen said.
The school itself will feature all the latest technology and design features, but the school’s exterior and grounds will be similarly equipped.
“The site plan includes locations for play and outdoor learning, including areas for student projects and rain gardens for water runoff. Outdoor learning was a top priority for the community and staff when we listened during the spring forums. Recreational playing fields to the north side will be well-drained and available during and after school for multiple recreational sports. The site is big enough to allow cars and buses to circulate without crossing over with safe pathways for walkers and bicyclists,” Schoen said.
The Elementary School Building Committee will host two community forums via Zoom. The first will take place on Jan. 25 at 8:30 a.m., and the second will be Jan. 26 at 6:30 p.m. The same topics will be covered in both meetings, so attendees can pick whichever time slot best suits their schedule.
Finally, there were several new appointments to various committees and departments sworn in at the meeting prior to the State of the Town Address.
Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Service (CRESS) Department Executive Director Earl Miller announced the addition of Tia Atwell to the team. Amherst Fire Department Chief Walter Nelson announced Audrey Bulger, Madeline Burke, Sandra Cody, Stone Curry and Alex Guessowitz as the department’s newest members. Amherst Police Department Chief Scott Livingstone announced Josh Santos, Dylan Tucci and Genesis Saenz as new officers. All were sworn in by Town Clerk Susan Audette.
Bockelman appointed Premila Nair to the Board of Health; Rani Parker, Tyler Matsuo and LaVerne Kelly to the Human Rights Commission; Sara Ewell to the Recreation Commission; Stephen George to the Registrar of Voters; Tracy Zafian, Marcus Smith, Kimberly Tremblay, Tate Coleman and Joseph Fattorusso to the Transportation Advisory Committee and Melissa Loidice as Director of Human Resources.
The Amherst Town Council next meets on Jan. 9.