Around Amherst: Middle school roof fix could change plans

STAFF PHOTODON’T USE IN PAPER STAFF PHOTO
Published: 12-20-2024 10:25 AM |
AMHERST — Having the Amherst Regional Middle School roof placed on the accelerated repair program by the Massachusetts School Building Authority is prompting a possible delay in considering whether seventh and eighth graders should move to the high school next fall.
Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman told participants at the four-towns meeting Dec. 14 that she is having conversations with state officials about being in the building program. As part of potential efficiencies, Herman has suggested consolidating the secondary schools into one building, but this is now, as she describes it, “pausing, but still moving.”
State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg, who chairs the school building authority, said in a statement that the accelerated repair program allows partnerships with school districts on needed repairs to extend a school building’s lifespan. “Besides making the learning environment more comfortable for our schoolchildren, these repairs also make our schools more energy efficient and generate substantial cost savings,” Goldberg said.
The roof’s challenges were illustrated recently by a fallen ceiling tile outside a middle school classroom.
Herman wrote in an email to families that the tile came down on the evening of Dec. 11. No one was injured, and she has instructed staff that any tiles that appear wet or unstable will be removed, which for a time could leave some areas of the school ceiling with missing tiles.
“Unfortunately, the condition of the roof, which requires significant repairs, contributes to these ongoing issues,” Herman wrote.
The Amherst Town Council is issuing a proclamation that Dec. 26 through Jan. 1 is Kwanzaa Week.
Councilors “invite all residents to join in celebrating and learning of this special time of joy and reflection in our community,” the proclamation states.
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A reading of the proclamation is set for Thursday at 5 p.m. on the steps of Town Hall, and then three days later, Dec. 29 at 4 p.m., a Kwanzaa event organized by Sankofa Gumbo takes place at the New Africa House on the University of Massachusetts campus.
A new report outlining the history of special trees, shrubs and gardens at Munson Memorial Library, compiled by former library employee Susan McCoy, is available at the town’s libraries.
The report, which highlights trees planted to honor people or for special events, was put together by McCoy, after she created a handout for the planting of a tree to recognize recently retired librarian Susan Hugus last spring.
McCoy enlisted the help of former trustee and former Daily Hampshire Gazette and Amherst Bulletin garden writer Sherry Wilson to research the history of the plantings. She then includes the stories behind several trees planted in memory of South Amherst residents, another marking the 100th anniversary of the Thursday Club of South Amherst, a memorial bench in honor of Jean Manfredi, who preceded Hugus as the Munson librarian, and other plantings, as well as the history of the building itself.
McCoy took numerous pictures of the special trees and gathered stories from families involved, as well as people who have worked on the gardens over the years.
The report can be read at Munson Memorial Library and in the Special Collections at the Jones Library.
The Jones Library Kids’ Room staff, members of Amherst Recreation and musician Julie Stepanek will hold a celebration of the winter solstice, including sharing stories about darkness and light, and singing to celebrate the longer daylight ahead, during an event Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Kendrick Park.
The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Jones Libraries.
The public is also invited to observe sunrise and sunset that day at the University of Massachusetts’ Sunwheel. Those events are set for 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., with faculty from the UMass astronomy department discussing the astronomical cause of the solstice, and a telescope set up to observe the waning gibbous moon, Venus, and the surface of the sun.
Valley Festival Brass will play holiday favorites and host a carol sing-along at a Sunday evening event, with proceeds to benefit the Amherst Survival Center.
The choir is conducted by Margaret Reidy, the organist is Bruce Glenny and the coordinator is Sheldon Ross.
The 35th annual concert, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 867 North Pleasant St., is free, but donations are suggested.
For more information, call 413-549-0322 or 413-535-7220.
ViViYarn Fashion recently opened at Hampshire Mall in Hadley and the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting event this week.
The store, which sells a variety of garments, is located near JC Penney.