Select Board packet for June 2nd

Is the reason Select Board Members Ms. Awad and Chair Mr. Wiess voted against allowing Amherst College to “install plastic conduits that will contain low voltage copper, fiberoptic and emergency power wiring” under Sellen Street because the Town of Amherst Public Works Superintendent Guilford Mooring proposed the conduit project justified making Sellen Street one of the streets selected to be repaved this year?

Take it as a rhetorical question. The answer is “yes” according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Amherst will repave Sellen Street, but board split. If that is the case, we have a poorly reasoning and somewhat dysfunctional Select Board… well, at least two of the five members.

The problem Ms. Awad and Mr. Weiss have is unrelated to the Amherst College conduit project. It is a concern about how the Town of Amherst Public Works ought to prioritize its repaving projects. The issues are distinct and yet Ms Awad and Mr. Weiss conflate the two.

Mr. Weiss asserts, “town officials should be watching spending, as well as listening to residents who say their streets need to be paved. Sellen Street only has the dormitories on the street and no other houses.” Mr. Weiss disapproved the college’s conduit project because he feels that repaving the street is a low priority because it is absent homeowners. Whenever a utility digs up a street, they must repave over the place they excavate in order to make the street safe for traffic again. Therefore, Mr. Mooring’s decision to repave the whole street clearly is not driven by the conduit project but some other consideration, perhaps the condition of the street or the new water main installation. How does Mr. Weiss fail to see this, even after Ms. O’Keefe raises it? “O'Keeffe said it would have been unfair to penalize Amherst College when the concerns expressed by Awad and Weiss were more about internal government process.”

First, there is no reason to believe the conduit project requires the street to be repaved by the Town of Amherst. Repaving Sellen is a prioritization issue that has nothing to do with Amherst College’s project. Mr. Weiss substantive problem, prioritizing repaving projects, is unrelated. Yet, the college’s project gets a stick in the eye from Mr. Weiss and Ms. Awad, based on a poorly reasoned analysis of the situation.

Second, Sellen is a one-block street that runs from South Prospect to the main drag. Although no residents live on it, it does have a fair amount of traffic from South Prospect residents and people who drive downtown. The college students in Hitchcock and Seelye walk to class, dining hall and other campus activities a few blocks away.

Third, with their votes Ms. Awad and Mr. Weiss delivered a slap in the face to Amherst College on two counts, disapproving their conduit project and prioritizing the repaving of public ways around Amherst College as a low priority, so much for town gown relations. Wasn’t it just last February the college donated $120000 to the Town of Amherst general fund?

Just to clarify: my comment about it being unfair to penalize Amherst College was not made at the meeting, but rather, was my response to the reporter the next day when he asked about it. I wish I had said it at the meeting -- it might have brought the attention back to the matter at hand. Instead of just being surprised and embarrassed by the vote, I should have made that point then, and I regret that I didn't. But things move quickly, and I'm getting used to leaving meetings and thinking "Darn it! I wish I had handled X differently." Live and learn.

Sorry the summary isn't up yet; it will be up later this afternoon (Thursday.)

Thank you for the clarity, and for keeping and posting the Select Board meeting notes.

In fairness to Mr. Weiss, I'd like to change this:

How does Mr. Weiss fail to see this, even after Ms. O’Keefe raises it? "O'Keeffe said it would have been unfair to penalize Amherst College when the concerns expressed by Awad and Weiss were more about internal government process."

to this:

How do Mr. Weiss and Ms Awad fail to see what Ms. O'Keefe, Ms Brewer and Ms Stein see? That the paving of Sellen Street is not required or caused by the college's conduit project. (Although it may be required or caused by the water main project but that I don't know.) In any case, why vote "no" on the conduit project for a poorly thought out reason? “O'Keeffe said it would have been unfair to penalize Amherst College when the concerns expressed by Awad and Weiss were more about internal government process.”