By Alex Cox || coxalexj@gmail.com

A report on the meeting of the Amherst Town Council on Monday, December 16.

Amity Street Roundabout

The Town Council approved the conversion of the current Amity Street and University Drive intersection to a roundabout at its Monday meeting (11-1, 1 abstention). The proposal, which was prepared by the University of Massachusetts- Amherst, is the culmination of a long-term partnership with the University to “improve intersections at the junctions of campus roads and Town roadways”.

We’ve been looking at changing this intersection… since 2003,” said Public Works Superintendent Guilford Mooring. In a Memo to the Council, Town Manager Paul Bockelman and Superintendent Mooring indicated that, “the Town is seeking State funding for the project via the MassWorks Infrastructure Grant program. The grant would fund the installation of the roundabout and repaving of University Drive to Northampton Road.”

The Town is currently considering a proposed zoning overlay which may increase the pace of development and, as a result, traffic and pedestrian activity along the corridor between Biy Y and UMass campus. The roundabout is expected to increase safety and efficiency at the intersection in anticipation of this potential new development on University Drive. 

With the exception of Councilor Cathy Schoen (District 1), all councilors who were present for the entirety of the presentation voted in favor of the roundabout. Schoen, however, claimed that the roundabout was unnecessary. “I don’t know why this investment is needed,” said Schoen – who cited the existence of the current crosswalks, control beacons, and mixed-use path at the intersection. Schoen expressed concern that the new crosswalks will not have a way to completely stop traffic for pedestrians and instead will rely on motorists obeying the repeated flashing beacons. 

Proponents of the new intersection cited Title XIV Chapter 89 §11 of Massachusetts Law, which would require that motorists yield the right-of-way to pedestrians within the crosswalks at the roundabout even without a stoplight. Mooring further ensured that the mixed-use path will remain in its entirety under the plans and that traffic should be slow enough in the roundabout that cyclists can bike on the roadway if they wish. 

Increased Allocation for Roads and Sidewalks

Town Council formally asked the Town Manager to request half a million dollars for other road and sidewalk improvements following their adoption of the roundabout proposal (13,0). This allocation of $500,000 would come from the roughly $5.6 million surplus from the FY24 budget.

This surplus is being allocated outside of a normal budget cycle, so any Town Department (including the schools) is able to submit special requests to the Town for funding. 

Based on received proposals and stated Town Council goals, the Finance Committee had recommended a $1 million allocation to roads and sidewalks. However,  the Council had voted down (6-6, 1 absent) this allocation at their November 18th meeting, with some Councilors indicating they would rather save a portion of the surplus for Amherst Schools (although the schools had not submitted a formal funding request to the Town Manager or the Council). 

Now, the Council is asking the Town Manager to submit another appropriation request for roads and sidewalks- this time for half the original amount. Although many councilors have indicated willingness to appropriate the remaining half of the failed appropriation to the schools, the Town Manager said his office had received “no appropriate requests [from the schools] to share at this time” despite having recent conversations with the Superintendent. 

This request came from Councilor George Ryan (District 3), who cited the “long-standing problem that we have with our roads and sidewalks.” Ryan said that “this issue is something we can only solve through allocating money,” and that the $500,000 increase in next year’s budget would make up for the decrease in money allocated to roads and sidewalks in the current fiscal year. 

Other Business

At the remainder of their meeting, the Town Council approved the Budget Guidelines for Fiscal Year 2026 (13-0) and worked on editing their goals for the Town Manager. In combination, these documents outline the priorities and policies that the Town will use in allocating funds and resources in the coming year. Within the approved Budget Guidelines, the Town Council recommends a 3% increase over FY25 for the Town, Libraries, and each of the school districts. (For the Regional school district, the 3% increase is over the FY25 base excluding the additional support the Town provided through ARPA funds, as has been consistently stated). However, the guidelines recommend prioritizing increasing the Regional Schools assessment if the Town revenue projection increases throughout the budgetary process. Further, Town Council approved a 3% increase to Town Manager compensation (11-0, 1 absent, 1 abstention) as a reaffirmation of their discussion in executive session. 

In other updates, the Manager shared that the two bid challenges to the new Fort River Elementary School building project had been denied, allowing the project to move forward. Additionally, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners extended their deadline for grant funding for the Jones Library project by three months, as was expected by the Town. 

The next Town Council meeting will be January 13 in Amherst Town Hall, immediately following the elections and swearing-in of officers. Town Council meetings are also accessible via Zoom, livestream, and Amherst Media broadcast. Meeting details, agendas, and access are posted on the Town Council webpage. If you’re interested in knowing more about upcoming Council meetings, you can subscribe to text and email updates from the Town. 

This post was edited to correct the date of the next Town Council meeting. It is on January 13, not January 6.

Alex Cox (he/him) is a current graduate student at UMass- Amherst studying Regional Planning (MRP) and Public Policy and Administration (MPPA). He currently serves on the Amherst Affordable Housing Trust Fund and as the Graduate Director of the Student Union Art Gallery. He has been a member of the Amherst Current editorial board since 2024.