By Allison McDonald

A report on the regular meeting of the Amherst Town Council on Monday, April 27.

At its meeting on Monday, the Amherst Town Council rejected a recommended grant of Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds for part of the Jones Library building project and considered potential actions the Town could take in the wake of the recently announced closing of Hampshire College. Councilors also advanced a new clean energy zoning bylaw, and scheduled a public discussion of town policy on immigration enforcement. 

Council Rejects Additional CPA Funds for Jones Library

The most closely watched vote of the night concerned a proposed $330,000 appropriation from the Community Preservation Act (CPA) FY27 funds for the Jones Library renovation and expansion project. The order would have used CPA historic preservation funds to support restoration work on the project. 

Although most Councilors noted their overall support for the project, they were divided on the additional CPA funding proposal. 

Councilor Heather Hala Lord (District 3) noted her ongoing support for the building project, saying she was not aligned with the community members who “caused real harm and fear in the community” when they “weaponized this project through appeals to DOGE or the current federal administration.” Lord said that she will continue to “offer [her] labor and energy to help close [project funding] gaps and support the long term success of this library,” but that her ‘no’ vote on the CPA appropriation was a vote “in favor of accountability, public trust, and a more sustainable way forward.”

Councilor Andy Churchill (At-Large) said he would vote ‘yes’, saying “The library will be built…but right now, we’re just making it just a little bit harder for the folks who are out there trying in a very difficult fundraising environment. And the committee who was charged with looking at the various uses, saw this as an appropriate use.”

For Councilor Sam McLeod (District 5), his vote was not about whether or not CPA funds should be directed to the project–his vote would be ”based on supporting the process and respecting the CPA committee” and “if there were an unequivocal statement from our town attorney or counsel who indicated that this did not qualify [under state law], [he] would not be supporting it.”

Councilor Cathy Schoen (District 1) noted that she would vote ‘no’, saying that one of the main reasons was that “CPA [funds] are not to supplant work that’s already underway, including work funded by debt authorization,” and that she believes that would be the case with this funding proposal. Schoen also said that because CPA funds come partly through a 3% property tax surcharge, the funds should be considered local taxpayer dollars and that this funding proposal would therefore exceed the agreed $15.8 million cap on Town spending for the Library project.  

Councilor Pam Rooney (District 4) agreed and said she “can’t support the use of CPA dollars for this project.”

Although the Town’s legal counsel had advised that the appropriation of CPA funds for this proposed portion of the Library project would be legally permissible under CPA, other outside experts consulted by the Town characterized it as a gray area and suggested it went against the “spirit” of non‑supplanting. Concerns were also raised 

Councilor Lynn Griesemer (District 2) raised the concern about potential litigation if the Council approved the funding. “It cost the town an enormous amount of dollars to defend [this project] in court, and we won. My biggest concern about this vote is that if we vote yes, we’ll end up in court yet again, and it will cost the town even more money.”

The recommendation ultimately failed in the Council vote, with only four members voting ‘yes’  Mandi Jo Hanneke-At-Large, McLeod, George Ryan-District 3, and Churchill) and seven voting ‘no’ (Schoen, Lord, Rooney, Amber Cano Martin-District 2, Jill Brevik-District 1, Jennifer Taub-District 4, and Ellisha Walker-At Large).  

Councilors Griesemer and Ana Devlin‑Gauthier (District 5) both abstained.  

Other CPA allocations for FY27, covering additional housing, recreation, and preservation projects, had been approved earlier as part of separate orders.

Hampshire College Closure: “A Painful Opportunity”

A substantial portion of the meeting focused on the announced closure of Hampshire College and its ramifications for Amherst’s finances, land use, and community services. 

Town Manager Paul Bockelman briefed councilors on the college’s financial situation, noting that Hampshire owes approximately $20 million to banks for land and mortgage debt and another $10 million to fulfill legal obligations to students—about $30 million in total liabilities. He pointed to high insurance and operating costs, including for tennis and pickleball facilities, as ongoing burdens and cited a failed land monetization project near Atkins Farm as an aggravating factor. He also underlined that auditors have declared the college not a going concern,” underscoring the depth of the financial crisis. 

Bockelman noted that, while the town does not control whether Hampshire closes, it does control zoning on the property, which several councilors highlighted as an important tool in influencing who might buy or lease the land and for what purposes. 

Churchill warned that without proactive zoning, Amherst could face a scenario similar to Northfield Mount Hermon’s former campus, which was sold in a way that yielded no tax revenue and brought in uses misaligned with local expectations. 

Councilors discussed potential zoning overlays or other tools to protect community priorities, including:

• Preserving the farm and agricultural land on the campus,  
• Safeguarding the Early Learning Center, which offers scarce infant and early childhood care,  
• Maintaining access to cultural and educational institutions based at Hampshire. 

McLeod described the closure as both a “trauma for our community” and a “painful opportunity,” urging colleagues to move with both speed and care.

Several councilors also inquired about the potential role of Hampshire’s existing dormitories in addressing local housing needs, and noted an email the Council had received about some students facing homelessness. Bockelman reported ongoing discussions with advocates and the college about the scale of need and the feasibility of short‑term housing arrangements, noting Hampshire’s past practice of allowing vulnerable students to remain on campus during COVID and in cases where returning home was unsafe. 

No decisions were made, though the Council moved to executive session at the close of the regular meeting to discuss potential strategy related to the purchase or lease of part of the College property.

Clean Energy Zoning Bylaw Moves to Public Hearings

The Council voted to refer a proposed Clean Energy Zoning Bylaw—an evolution of a multi‑year effort on solar siting—to the Community Resources Committee (CRC) and the Planning Board for joint public hearings beginning May 20. 

Originally convened in 2022 as a Solar Bylaw Working Group, the committee spent more than a year developing rules for large‑scale solar projects, assisted by technical experts and legal counsel. In 2024, the state enacted the Mass Clean Energy Law, creating a Division of Clean Energy Siting and Permitting and establishing a streamlined, 12‑month permitting timeline for certain large projects. 

Under the new framework, solar projects over 25 megawatts and battery energy storage systems over 100 megawatt‑hours fall under state review and municipalities must offer a consolidated permitting pathway for projects below those thresholds by October 1, 2026, or risk state preemption. 

The draft Amherst bylaw focuses primarily on ground‑mounted solar and battery storage, leaves rooftop residential solar largely governed as an accessory use under existing rules, and incorporates the state’s consolidated permitting timelines, including a 90‑day pre‑filing period. 

Town Sustainability Director Stephanie Ciccarello and CRC Chair Pam Rooney explained that joint hearings with the Planning Board are being planned in an effort to make the process easier for the public to follow. 

After hearings and revisions, the bylaw will return to the Council for final consideration later this year. 

EverSource Conduit Petition Approved on Consent

The meeting opened with a public hearing on a petition from EverSource to install underground electrical conduits at the intersection of College Street and Dickinson Street to upgrade service to Amherst College. Company representative Travis Walsh explained that the work is intended to be primarily underground and to avoid surface disruption. In response to council questions, EverSource clarified that the conduits would not be available to other utilities. 

In a memo to the Town Council, the Town’s Department of Public Works recommended approval of the petition. The petition was ultimately approved on the consent agenda, without additional floor debate later in the evening. 

Public Session on Immigration Policy Scheduled

The Council later voted to require Town Manager Bockelman—and any department heads he designates—to appear at the May 18 Council meeting to discuss his March 3, 2026 executive order on town staff interactions with federal immigration agents. 

The vote came after Councilor Jill Brevik (District 1) presented the request under the Town’s Charter provision that the Council can compel such appearances. Councilors said residents want clarity on how Amherst police and staff would respond in specific enforcement scenarios, beyond general descriptions of state and federal law. Questions are to be submitted to the Town Manager by May 4, and councilors expressed hope that Amherst Police Chief Scott Livingstone or his successor would participate in the discussion.

The motion passed with broad support, with 12 councilors in favor and one abstention. 

An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this article by summarizing a recording of the meeting which was reviewed and adapted by the writer.