By Nick Grabbe

Amherst is a great place to live, but we do have our problems. I’ve listed 10 of them here. I have limited my list to distinctly Amherst problems, excluding national wrongs that affect us, such as racism, wealth inequality, housing unaffordability, and homelessness. 

10. Parking 

In the 1990s, a bitter battle over a proposed garage at Boltwood Walk resulted in a compromise that did not significantly increase the number of downtown spaces. Our parking system is complex, with a variety of rules for how long you can park, how much you pay, and whether to use coins or cards. There will be fewer places to park because of the new park (no pun intended) across from Town Hall. A new garage behind CVS? Don’t hold your breath. Here’s more information.

9. Student Rentals

Frequently, when a house goes on the market, it is scooped up by an investor who rents it to students for around $1,000 per bedroom. The consequence is that in some neighborhoods, clashing lifestyles between students and longtime residents create conflict. Investors bid up house prices, so young families find it harder to afford to live here. Housing often deteriorates and Amherst becomes even more stratified between homeowners and renters.

8. Fire Station

It’s been decades since Amherst first planned to replace the downtown station, which is 95 years old, too small, and has outdated electrical and plumbing systems. The goal has been to build a new station in South Amherst, because response times to emergencies in the Bay Road area have been too long for too long. The cost has been estimated at between $15 and $20 million. One possible site is the Public Works headquarters on South Pleasant Street, but it has to find a new home first.

7. Public Works Headquarters

The 45 people who work there affect the lives of every Amherst resident, every day. But the century-old building has a leaking roof, cracks in the brick masonry, minimal insulation and poor ventilation in the vehicle maintenance areas. A new headquarters has been estimated to cost $20 to $25 million. Amherst College offered to donate land for a new public works headquarters, but the gift was rejected because of complaints that it was too close to modestly priced housing. Here’s more information.

6. Incivility

It has become more acceptable in Amherst to vilify people you disagree with, attack their character or morals, and even harass elected and appointed officials. This trend  accelerated in the storm over middle school trans students last summer, and resurfaced in the public meeting on a Gaza cease-fire. The consequences include bad feelings, the loss of capable town employees, and perhaps a disinclination on the part of civic-minded residents to seek elected office.

5. Road Repair

Amherst underfunded it for many years, and as a result, some people compare our roads to those in a Third World country. The town’s expenditure, supplementing state money, has increased in recent years, but now there’s a proposal to cut it in half. We’re due to spend $1.34 million on road repair in the coming year, but the backlog is estimated at over $47 million. The costs are annoyance, wrecked tires and stressed suspension, plus the risk of accidents when drivers swerve to avoid potholes. Here’s more information. 

4. Tribalism

Amherst lacks a space where residents with diverse views can debate the issues, seek common ground and explore compromise. The Gazette and Bulletin editorial pages don’t provide this anymore. The Amherst Current and the Amherst Indy are like silos, each providing few dissenting voices. Even in political campaigns, there is very little back-and-forth between candidates. So it’s difficult to achieve consensus on anything.

3. Jones Library

A determined minority opposed the renovation/expansion project, which was endorsed by voters and the Town Council, and succeeded in delaying it. Meanwhile, construction costs soared, and the sole bid came in way over expectations. Trimming the project, rebidding in the fall, and continued private fundraising may succeed in bridging the gap. On Monday, the Council voted 8-4-1 to wait and see if this strategy works. If it doesn’t, we could give up over $17 million in state and federal grants, and $4 million in private pledges might not come through. The state grant would go to another town, and we would have to spend $15 to $20 million on infrastructure fixes. Here’s more information.

2. High Taxes

Amherst’s average annual property tax ($9,416) on single-family homes is already the second highest in Western Mass, after Longmeadow’s ($10,391). In the fiscal year starting July 1, we’ll be hit with an annual surcharge, averaging over $500, to pay for the new elementary school, in the form of a $1.01 hike in the tax rate (currently $18.51 per $1,000 valuation). That tax increase will be in addition to the $300 to $500 that taxes go up on the average home every year. Hadley’s average annual tax bill (currently $5,007) will be about half Amherst’s, and we will come closer to tying Longmeadow. Here’s a link to a 2022 post on why Amherst’s taxes are so high.

1. School Spending

The elementary and regional budgets keep going up despite the fact that  the number of students keeps declining. The Town Council will probably agree to a 6 percent increase in the regional schools’ budget, higher than the 4 percent level that the Town Hall and the Jones Library spending hikes, in the face of vigorous pleas from parents and teachers. But this will just postpone until next year a reckoning with the schools’ built-in deficit, which the town manager calls “very serious.” And then there’s the high school track. The new superintendent may bring fresh perspective to this vexing problem. Here’s more information.

Don’t agree with this ranking of Amherst’s problems? Do you think there’s a serious problem that’s not on this list? Do you have a solution to one of these? Post a comment below with your own perspective.

This post was updated to include the outcome of a vote related to the Jones Library building project taken at Monday’s Town Council meeting.