(1/12/07) It's kind of a slow nugget week, but here's a small collection of bits and pieces of news and information.
Taking out papers: Folks stopping by the Town Clerk's office for nomination papers this week were Harrison Gregg, seeking re-election to the position of Moderator, and Nonny Burack, a new candidate for Jones Library Trustee. They join the previously declared candidates: Gerry Weiss, Robie Hubley, Alisa Brewer and David Keenan for Select Board; Tom Flittie for School Committee; Kathleen Wang for Jones Library Trustee; Joan Ross Logan for Housing Authority; and David Farnham for Oliver Smith Will Elector. Nomination papers with at least 50 signatures of registered Amherst voters are due back to the Clerk's office by 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 6th. [Correction: This had said Friday. Whoops.]
There's always TM: Nomination papers are available for Town Meeting as well, and those require only one signature from a voter in the candidate's precinct – the candidate's own signature is enough. If you're contemplating running for Town Meeting but want to know more, you might be interested in this reporter's blog, tracing my newbie TM experiences in excruciating detail. On second thought, maybe you should just wing it.
Or maybe you'd rather get paid: If being on “the inside” is more appealing, you might consider applying for the position of Administrative Assistant to the offices of the Town Manager, Select Board and Human Resources. Starting salary is around $30,000. Applications are due by January 19th. For more information, see the full job posting and description.
Mystery Focus: Sunday, January 14th at noon, Leo Maley and Peter Vickery will host Focus on WMUA 91.1FM, and if you want to know what this week's show is about, you'll just have to tune in. On the 21st, Molly Turner will host the program, and her guests will be the four Select Board candidates mentioned above.
In Memoriam: A memorial service will be held for Ken Mosakowski, longtime local activist and founder of Focus, Saturday, January 20th at 3:30 p.m. in the Jones Library Community Room. Friends of Ken are invited to share brief remembrances, and refreshments will be served. To volunteer to bring food or for additional information, call Margot Parrot at 508-696-5450.
Lights, camera, action: You can learn all about studio television production at ACTV's two-part workshop. You will be taught camera, audio, lighting, graphics, directing and more, all for a mere $10 fee. Part 1 of the Studio Production workshop will be held Tuesday, January 16th and Part 2 will be Thursday, January 18th, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. both evenings. Upon completing this workshop, you will be certified to produce your own programming at ACTV, or be part of a production crew. For more information, e-mail ACTV, check out their web site, or call 256-1010.
ABCs of the School Budget: A forum providing information and soliciting community input about the priorities and challenges of the FY08 school budget situation will be held January 22nd at 10:30 a.m. in the Bangs Community Center's South Meeting Room. “Walk-through” tours of the schools are planned for early-February, to give residents a better idea of what goes on there. More information on the school budget is available in the Budget Information section of the Amherst Regional Public Schools web site.
Crunchy humor: This is cheating, since it isn't actually in Amherst, near Amherst, or specifically relevant to Amherst. But it had enough Amherst flavor that I just couldn't resist it. For a smile and a snicker, read this essay from the January 7th New York Times Magazine. (Registration may be required.)
Know it all: The Town's web site is a never-ending source of fascinating information. Three cheers for Kris Pacunas and the IT Department! For example, you might be interested to know that as of 2000, in Amherst there were: 9,174 households; 132.8 miles of road; 642 widowed females and 214 widowed males; 265 people of Hungarian ancestry; and 655 people employed in manufacturing. This is but a teeny smidgen of the good stuff to be found in the Planning Department's Town Data Book.
-- Stephanie O'Keeffe
