(12/15/06) Here’s another collection of bits and pieces of Town information.

Some free parking:  It will be free to park in Boltwood Garage and the parking lot behind CVS from December 16th – 24th. These are the only free parking locations downtown this holiday season; the street meters will still require payment. 

Spirit of the season:  Sunday, December 17th at 4:00 p.m, will be a wreath hanging at 24 Stanley Street.  This is the house being built by Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity and community volunteers for Kathy Perry and her daughter, Rachel, on land donated by Amherst College.  There will be Christmas carols and holiday cheer.  For more information, call 253-3372.

They’ll be back:  UMass’ final exam period starts December 15th and ends December 22nd.  Thus begins a month of being able to once again turn left out of the Post Office and Big Y plaza. 

Just in time for Christmas:  Property tax bills will be mailed December 18th and payments are due February 1st.  According to the Town’s Assessors’ office, the tax rate this year is $15.68 per thousand dollars of value, up from last year’s rate of $15.06.  Applications for abatements will be accepted until February 1st.  Applications for personal exemptions will be accepted until March 15th.  Questions? Contact the Assessors’ office at assessors@amherstma.gov or call 259-3024.

All Aboard:  Ever give any thought to that Amtrak station on Main Street?  You might be surprised to learn that it is a stop on the Vermonter route – a train that runs once daily in both directions between St. Albans, Vermont and Washington D.C.’s Union Station.  Along the way it stops in Hartford, New Haven, New York’s Penn Station, Metro Park in New Jersey, Philadelphia and more.  The southbound train arrives and departs Amherst at 1:19 p.m., and the northbound train arrives and departs at 4:20 p.m.   A trip to New York City takes 5 hours, arriving at 6:25 p.m., while D.C. takes about 8 and a half hours, arriving at 10:00 p.m.  Roundtrip coach-class fares between here and NYC run from $82 - $120, and for D.C., from $140 -$200, depending on travel dates.  Learn more about the schedule here (go to page 3), or reservations here.  The Amherst station is not staffed, so be sure to buy your tickets on-line.

Holiday closings:  Town offices including Bangs Center and the DPW will close at 11:30 a.m. on December 22nd and will be closed December 25th. 

Fight Cabin Fever:  Amherst College’s Museum of Natural History will be open between Christmas and New Year’s, providing a free and fascinating activity option for families during the school vacation week.  Hours will be 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, December 27th through Sunday, December 31st.  The Museum’s regular hours are Tuesday – Sunday, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., but it will be closed Christmas day and the day after, as well as being closed January 1st through the 5th.

Backpedaling:  Contrary to last week’s Nugget, the December 19th school meeting looks like primarily a presentation of school budget issues from the Superintendent.  While questions will be taken there and at other meetings, a January 22nd meeting called “Community Input” looks to be more focused on gathering, you know, community input.  The location of that meeting hasn’t been announced yet.

-- Stephanie O’Keeffe