Roundabout for Eastman Ln/North Pleasant St -- May 4, 2010 Hearing

Updates: Charlie Moran of Public Works Committee reminds me that *ours* is a ONE lane roundabout, so even easier!  And Guilford pointed out these are UMass' materials, not from our Amherst DPW. avb


From: Alisa Brewer
Sent: Monday, April 26, 2010 2:12:56 PM
To: Mooring, Guilford
Cc: Select Board; Stephen Braun; Crowner, Rob; Charlie Moran
Subject: Roundabout Additional Handouts beyond the Excellent DPW Materials re: Eastman Ln North Pleasant St intersection May 4, 2010 hearing
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Hi Guilford!

Beyond the excellent DPW materials for Eastman Ln / N Pleasant St 
Intersection > Conceptual Plans and Comments here:

http://www.amherstma.gov/index.aspx?NID=1322&ART=3161&admin=1
(aka www.amherstma.gov/eastman )

*I* find the two attachments from:

http://www.co.washington.mn.us/info_for_residents/transportation_division/roundabout_u/faqs/

to also be very useful...I had no experience with rotaries 'til I moved to MA, and seeing even more distinct differences between the rotary and the roundabout (and the traffic circle!) than is already described in the excellent powerpoint on the project website was  really helpful to me.  So you may want to have copies made for the hearing on May 4, and add them to the project website, too.

I'm just sayin'

:-)

Take care,
Alisa
whose menagerie includes an impatient adult bicyclist trying to get to UMass, a 77 year old mother-in-law, and a 16 year old learner's permit-holding son within a block of this intersection:-)

Amherst Police Department Blog: Amherst Police Department Open House

Amherst Police Department Blog: Amherst Police Department Open House Downtown Saturday May 22nd 10 am - 2 pm

Lights Up! Check it out!

Check out Riverwolf Production's newest: Lights Up! In the Valley -- available at Livestream & soon On Demand at ACTV! I was of course at Select Board last night, but I heard the premiere went out on many local cable stations, not just in Amherst.

Remember this is not a school-sponsored event, and is done entirely on the kids own time -- most are tenth graders, and all of them participate in some combination of music ensembles, dramatic performances throughout the valley, part time jobs, and a variety of sports at the same time! And in case you wondered, I am unaware of *any* adults having any input to any of the decisions made by these amazingly talented students -- aside from suggesting they add caption/lyric to the beginning of the closing song, so us old people could hear all the words:-) -- thanks!!

TONIGHT! ARMS Library: Middle School Principal Finalists Public Forums April 1, 2010 start 6:30

Note the update: the third, Goodhind, dropped out Wednesday. The first set of info below is from the ARHS website, then some links from my Googling:-) I'm sorry I don't have anything to link to for Michael Hayes beyond what's on the ARHS Middle School Principal Search pages.

The public forums will be held in the Middle School library on the evening of April 1 at the following times:
Karsten Schlenter 6:30 - 7:15 p.m.
Michael Hayes 7:15 - 8:00 p.m.
We invite all members of the community to attend the forums and provide input into this very important decision for our school district.
For more information about the search

My brief Google of Karsten Schlenter of Swan Valley Middle School provided his detailed website & P.R.I.D.E.

Note this section that addresses why Michigan -> Massachusetts:
What happened to school funding in Michigan?
The following web cast explains what has occurred since 1994, when a proposal was approved by the voters (Proposal A) that shifted the primary source of school funding from property taxes (at the local level) to sales taxes (at the state level).
This web cast addresses in detail why most school districts in the state are currently experiencing severe financial hardships and are being forced to make major cuts.
This web cast does take several minutes to download and is about 16 minutes in length.
Why is this important?
Since I am currently employed in a smaller size school district, I have the least seniority in my small administrative bargaining unit and therefore fear potential lay offs in the future. I have genuinely enjoyed working for the Swan Valley School District for the past 9 years. However, as a father of 3 children I can't take such a risk at this stage of my career.

and some other positions he's seeking:
McCall Middle School, Winchester, MA
Winchester update: failed search
Frederick H Tuttle Middle School, South Burlington, VT
South Burlington process