USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Amherst > Report of the town of Amherst, Massachusetts for the period, 1960 > Part 4
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C. SIDEWALKS, ENGINEERING, PARKING METERS
D. SNOW, ICE REMOVAL
E. STREET & TRAFFIC LIGHTS
F. NEW ROAD CONSTRUCTION
G. SEWER MAINTENANCE, CONSTRUCTION
E. 9.6%
Sealing Program:
The following streets were resurfaced in whole or part with a seal coat of asphalt and 3/8" stone or sand cover: Meadow, Old Montague Road, Summer, Paige, Cosby Avenue, Harlow Drive, Van Meter Drive, Frost Lane, State, Dickinson, Woodside Avenue, Walnut, Dana, Dana Place, East Hadley Road, Snell, North East and Kellogg Avenue.
Construction:
The following streets were reconstructed with a bituminous concrete surface: Meadow 1,400' and South East Street 1,600'.
New sidewalks were built on Chestnut Street and South East Street.
A retaining wall was erected on North Pleasant Street to stabilize a bad ditch condition that had existed for several years and Center Street was re-built to make an easier approach into Pelham Road.
Chapter 90 Maintenance and Construction:
The following streets were re-surfaced with a seal coat and 3/8" stone cover in whole or part: Bay Road, Pomeroy Lane, Shays Street, Belchertown Road, College Street and North Pleasant Street.
An existing drainage problem on College Street was eliminated by using concrete sidewalk slabs, that had been salvaged, to riprap an area east of the power company sub-station.
New concrete guard rail posts were erected on Pomeroy Lane to eliminate the old wooden posts that had outlived their usefulness.
The appropriation of $28,000 under Article #11 voted at the annual town meeting was carried forward to 1961 to allow for a larger project. This amount added to the 1961 request should allow for the completion of the South Pleasant Street-North Pleasant Street project to Kellogg Avenue.
Gravel Roads:
A considerable amount of improved roadway was built with the appropriation under this article. Portions of the following roads were surfaced for the initial time after a thorough grading and leveling. Cen- ter Street, Red Gate Lane, Plumtrees Road, Mill Lane, Station Road, Rail- road Street, Dump Road, Potwine Lane and Hazel Avenue.
Continued work is planned for Mill Lane, Potwine Lane, Station Road, Fitts Road and Middle Street during the coming year.
Sewer Maintenance and Construction:
New lines were constructed on portions of East Pleasant Street, South East Street and Kellogg Avenue to clear up problems that have caused difficulty for a number of years.
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Manholes were built on College Street, Sunset Avenue, Spring Street, Frost Lane and East Pleasant Street to ease the sewer line cleaning prob- lems.
The sewer-rodding machine which was purchased has proved to be a very valuable piece of equipment. It is very efficient and does a thorough job of cleaning some of our congested lines. A sharp decrease in the num- ber of sewer complaints was noted after some of the most troublesome lines were cleaned with the machine. There were 47 complaints in 1960 as compared to 63 in 1959.
Equipment:
Departmentai recommendations call for the purchase of a tractor- backhoe, a street sweeper, a snow blower and an additional sanding body for the coming year. With the addition of this equipment the depart- ment will be able to offer better service with increased efficiency.
We cannot put off purchasing new equipment without facing a sub- stantial expenditure in the near future. The department has four trucks which will have to be replaced in the near future. They were purchased in 1952, 1953, 1954 and 1956. The value of these vehicles on the mar- ket today is negligible and the maintenance costs are increasing with each year of service.
The snow loading machine now owned by the town was purchased in 1949 and has done a remarkable job but is reaching the point where parts are very difficult to secure. One major breakdown would leave the town without a loader. The machine recommended is more efficient and loads at a much greater rate of speed.
Personnel :
The Highway Department has been very fortunate to have in its em- ploy many older men who have done a fine job in years past for a very low wage. Many of these men are now approaching retirement and can- not be replaced at the salary offered by the town. We will lose one em- ployee in 1961, one in 1962 and one in 1963. These three men have been the backbone of the department for many years. Without increased compensation it will be impossible to replace them with experienced men necessary to do the varied tasks required of all employees.
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SEWAGE PLANT
The Treatment Plant and the Stanley Street Pumping Station have now completed twenty one years of operation. The flow at Stanley Street increased beyond the capacity of the original pumps and these were re- placed with new and larger units. However, at the Treatment Works there were only very minor replacements. Outstanding at the plant are the effluent pump units. With the tremendous increase in flow the de- mand has been more and more each year until they now operate much of the twenty four hours each day. The condition of these units is excel- lent. They have required only minor adjustments from time to time. Made by the Chicago Pump Co., I consider them tops in this work. Other units in the plant show considerable wear but are still in operating condi- tion. Buildings and concrete structures are in good shape. The 1960 Flow of sewage into the plant is estimated about 10% over 1959. Efficiency, of course, is down because of plant overloading.
Early in the year the Bird Company of So. Walpole, Mass. installed one of their Centrifuge Units here at the plant and demonstrated its ability to de-water sludge, both raw and digested. It did a very good job and many officials from other towns and cities came here to observe its operation.
SEWER FINANCIAL REPORT
Billings and Receipts
Due to Treasurer on Commitments, Jan. 1, 1960 $ 2,199.55
Billed and Committed in 1960:
46,106.38
Bills Prepaid (before commitment )
100.86
Collected and Paid to Treasurer by Collector: Accounted as 1960 $45,704.76
$45,704.76
Abatements
269.55
Transferred to Sewer Lien Account
293.70
Prepaid in 1959
4.05
Outstanding Dec. 31, 1960
2,134.73
$48,406.79 $48,406.79
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UNIVERSITY CHAPEL BELLS
The lasting memory of a college friendship has provided the Uni- versity of Massachusetts campus with one of its most beautiful features- the Chapel Bells. Installed in the Old Chapel tower in 1937, the bells were the gift of Bernard Smith who dedicated them to the memory of his classmate Warren Elmer Hines. Both men were members of the Class of 1899.
The bells, ten in all, are made of copper and new block tin, the basic elements in pure bell metal. Suspended in an oblong steel frame-with the old college bell mounted on top and sounded independently-the chimes are operated piano-fashion from a lever stand placed in the tower area below the belfry.
A mechanical operation at present, the ringing of the bells will one day produce even better effects when the mechanism is converted to elec- trical operation. The Class of 1959 left a gift of $2500 for just such a project, and it is hoped that additional funds will soon be available to begin the necessary work.
All who have heard the song of the Chapel Bells can attest to their beauty of tone and power of evocation. They serve to fuse "music and the beauty of this valley," which the inscription below the tower tells us were dear to the man whose memory they honor.
STEARNS CHURCH CHIMES - AMHERST COLLEGE
When Stearns Church was razed in 1948, and the Mead Art Build- ing was built, the church tower which houses the chimes was preserved and stands today and the chimes are still played.
The chimes were played for the first time at the semi-centennial celebration of the College in 1871.
"During the years immediately following the Civil War, the Col- lege had been considering a memorial for the Amherst men who had fallen in battle, but no agreement had been reached as to its appropriate form. In the summer of 1870, George Howe of Boston offered the Col- lege a memorial chime of bells, to be placed in the new college church, 'in honor and commemoration of the members and graduates of this Col- lege who gave their lives to their country'; the offer was gratefully ac- cepted by the Board. Mr. Howe's own son, Sidney Walker Howe of the Amherst class of 1859, a first lieutenant in the First Regiment of the New York Excelsior Brigade, had fallen in the battle of Williamsburg in 1862. President Stearns' son, Frazar Augustus Stearns, of the class of 1863, 1st Lieutenant, Company I, 21st Massachusetts Volunteers, had been lost at Newbern in 1862, one of the earliest casualties of the war."* *From Stanley King's Consecrated Eminence, published in 1951.
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Kellogg East and West Intermediate and Junior High Schools
AMHERST PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The Amherst School Committee is comprised of five people who are elected to office by popular vote. The term of office is three years. Under normal circumstances the term of one member of the committee expires during even numbered years whereas the terms of two members expire in odd numbered years.
Although the primary concern of the Amherst School Committee is limited to the elementary schools (grades 1-6), they also serve as mem- bers of the Amherst-Pelham Regional District School Committee which concerns itself primarily with the secondary schools (grades 7-12). Dual membership provides an opportunity for educational continuity from the first grade through the senior year in high school.
Regular meetings of the Committee are held each month during the school year and special meetings are scheduled as necessary. Nearly all meetings of the Committee are held in the Committee Room of the Am- herst Regional High School. These meetings are open to the public and interested citizens are invited to attend whenever they care to do so. Such attendance permits first hand observation of the acivities and efforts of the Committee, and is likely to provide a good insight into the many problems with which the Committee is involved.
The Committee functions in many and varied ways. In general, the main functions involve policy determination by which the elementary schools are operated, the reviewing of certain proposals and criticisms, constructive and otherwise, submitted to them, and continuous evaluation of the school program for which they are responsible. The Committee employs a superintendent of schools and delegates to him certain duties which permit him to execute policies formulated by them. In general, the duties of the School Committee are thought of as legislative in nature, whereas the duties of the superintendent are defined as administrative.
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The office of the Amherst School Committee, located in the Amherst Town Hall, is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M., including the noon hour. The office telephone numbers are Alpine 3-2868 and 3-7464.
The Elementary Schools
The purpose of this element of the report is to review those events in 1960 which influenced the schools in one way or another during that time. A year ago we gave particular emphasis to the Bicentennial year, and this was good because it enabled us to look back for a few fleeting moments. However, in the "sixties" we are more concerned with looking ahead, and with this in mind let us examine what we did accomplish this past year.
We did schedule and attend an even dozen Amherst School Com- mittee meetings during the past year. In the early part of the year we did what we usually do at this time of the year-concentrate on the next year's budget. Later an analysis of test results indicated that we do a pretty good job in the teaching of basic skills-critics of the school sys- tem not withstanding. Dr. Thomas E. Sullivan completed eighteen years of faithful service as a member of the Amherst School Committee. Mrs. Ethel Eaton Colt was elected to a three-year term on the Amherst School Committee. The School Committee authorized the Secretary to apply for Federal assistance under Public Law 874 (Federal Impacted Arca).
The need for future school sites in North Amherst, South Amherst, as well as other areas in the town, was recognized by the Committee and effort aimed at the acquisition of such sites was undertaken.
In April, the Committee voted to accept the provisions of A Coop- crative Agreement for the Joint Administration of the School of Edu- cation Laboratory School at the University of Massachusetts by the Uni- versity and by the Amherst School Committee. It is expected that the Laboratory School, which now has been named the Mark's Meadow Ob- servation-Laboratory School, will be opened in September 1961.
Miss Esther L. Benjamin, former teacher and pricipal of the Amity Street School, was presented the Valley Forge Classroom Teacher Medal awarded by Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge for her outstanding work to create a better understanding of our American way of life. Spe- cial presentation ceremonies were held at the South Amherst School on June 13, 1960. Miss Benjamin, the only teacher in this area to receive this honor, was one of fifteen educators in Massachusetts to be so recog- nized.
The Amherst School Committee requested the Department of Edu- cation in Boston to conduct a survey pertinent to the extension of the present School Union and/or regional school district.
The superintendent was instructed to seek professional assistance for a survey regarding the desirability of certain proposed parcels of land as future school sites.
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A request for the purchase of six commercial style milk storage cab- inets for the elementary school milk program with funds taken from a balance in the Amherst School Milk Account was denied, and the Com- mittee moved that steps be taken to return $1,000 from the School Milk Account to the Federal government in Washington, D. C. (Note this vote was reconsidered later in the year.)
It was reported that the per pupil cost in the elementary schools for the year ending June 30, 1960, amounted to $311.30. This figure takes into consideration the cost of instruction, operation, maintenance, and parts of auxiliary agencies; but does not include expenditures for general control, capital outlay, and transportation (under auxiliary agen- cies ). Per pupil cost for 1959 was $291.64.
The Cooperative Agreement Governing the Joint Administration of the Mark's Meadow Observation-Laboratory School at the University of Massachusetts was signed during the summer by Mrs. Alberta Holden, Chairman of the Amherst School Committee, and Dr. Shannon McCune, Provost, University of Massachusetts, on behalf of the Amherst School Committee and the University Board of Trustees respectively.
The Amherst School Committee indicated its desire to initiate a foreign language program in the elementary schools effective in Septem- ber 1961.
An experimental program in elementary school mathematics (basic geometric concepts) was undertaken with Mrs. David Dickinson as teach- er.
A revised salary schedule for September 1961 was adopted late in 1960. This schedule involves the so-called "x" factor and doubles the number of steps necessary to reach maximum salary. The new salary schedule provides a range of $4,200-$6,930 in twenty steps for teachers with the bachelor's degree and $4,500-$7,230 in twenty steps for teach- ers with the master's degree.
Representatives of the Department of Safety, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, commended the Amherst School Committee and the Am- herst Public Schools for the recognition and provision of the necessary safety equipment (hardware, etc.), and for providing unusually well maintained and safe public school buildings.
The Amherst School Committee received reimbursement under Public Law 874, Federal Impacted Area, in the sum of $5,351.00 representing 95% of the amount due. Certification of this reimbursement had been advised by Representative Boland and Senator Saltonstall.
It was reported that Fire Chief George A. Cavanaugh had suggested that the use of the basement room at the Kellogg East School for class- room purposes be discouraged in the future because of inadequate exits to the outside and proximity to the boiler room.
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The position of Business Manager-Treasurer was established effective January 1, 1961. The treasurer's responsibility will be limited, however, to the Regional School District. The position will be involved with the Regional School District and the Pelham School Committee as well.
The superintendent was instructed to explore all possibilities leading to the acquisition of additional space for administrative and school com- mittee use.
Schools opened in September with the following new teachers on duty :
Miss Martha Bernard-Music
Mrs. Merrilyn Cushing-Grade 5, Kellogg West School
Mrs. Doris Estes-Grade 2, South Amherst
Miss Betty Guttman-Grade 3, Kellogg East School Mrs. Ann Horton-Grade 3, East School
Miss Marcia Katra-Grade 6, Intermediate School
Mrs. Debora MacGrath-Grade 2, North Amherst School Mrs. Mary Lee Orr-Grade 1, North Amherst School
Miss Jane Rauscher-Grade 3, Kellogg East School
Mrs. Barbara Smith-Grades 2 and 3. Cushman School
Enrollment Statistics
Grades
October 1, 1960 3 1 2 178 159 156
4
5
6 Total
Enrollment
135
148
143
919
A Year Ago -October 1, 1959
Grades
5
6
Total
Enrollment
1 160
2 168
3 141
4
146
139
142
896
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Money Earned-Money Spent 1960
General School Appropriation (Current Expenditures)
S356,694.00 350,402.44
Expenditures (current ) 1960
Balance, December 31, 1959 Earnings
S 6,291.56
Tuition (includes State Wards )
594.15
Fines and Sales
1,594.05
State Aid-South Amherst School
70,493.48
Regional School District-15℃ additional All school transportation
27,135.79
School Adjustment Counsellor
1,946.75
Mentally handicapped, tuition and transportation
3,425.98
Vocational Education
5,351.00
P. L. 874 (Federal Impacted Area)
$115,377.20
$235,025.24
Net Cost of Day Schools from Local Taxation
Interest and Enthusiasm
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S 336.00
Chapter 70, Part I includes Amherst-Pelham
4,500.00
LOOKING AHEAD
During the fall months of 1960 the Amherst School Committee and the administration discussed a number of "plans" which might be put into effect when the new Mark's Meadow Observation-Laboratory School is opened in 1961. At the time of writing of this report, there is reason to believe that the following plan of organization for September 1961 will be approved by the School Committee with such modifications as may be necessary.
1. South Amherst
Estimated enrollment
Grade 1
32
2
28
3
28
4
29
117
2. East Street School
Grade 1
30
2
30
3
29
4
29
118
3. Amity Street School
3 first grades
Enrollment estimated at 87
1 second grade Enrollment estimated at 24
111
4. Kellogg East School
Estimated Enrollment
Grade 2
24
2
24
3
26
3
26
4
28
128
5. Kellogg West School
Grade 4
29
5
28
5
28
5
28
113
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6. Intermediate School
Estimated Enrollment
Grade 6
25
6
25
6
25
6
25
100
7. Mark's Meadow School
Grade 1
25
1
25
2
25
2
25
3
25
3
25
4
25
4
25
5
25
5
25
6
25
6
25
300
At the time this plan was discussed by the Amherst School Com- mittee and the administration, there was reason to believe that we could close temporarily both the North Amherst and the Cushman schools in 1961. However, the 1961 budget as adopted by the Amherst School Com- mittee assumes the temporary closing of the North Amherst School only and the utilization of the Cushman School for special education classes. Whether the North Amherst School actually is closed this coming year remains to be seen.
Although it is true that the proposed preliminary plan detailed above has some advantages, it is also true that it has a number of disadvantages. For example, I do not believe that we should schedule classes in so-called "basement classrooms" of any kind, any where, at any time. When I speak of "basement classrooms" I refer to those which are below ground level. In my opinion the "basement room" in the Kellogg East School presently housing a third grade of some 25 youngsters, should be abandoned per- manently as a regular classroom. This opinion is the same as expressed by local safety officials on a number of occasions.
In addition, I question the wisdom of assignment of some of the classrooms in the present Intermediate School for utilization by the junior high school. My major objection to this arrangement is administrative in nature since the elementary schools and the junior high schools are or- ganized and administered in such different ways.
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All of these conditions need serious and detailed study and it is my opinion that the Amherst School Needs Committee, appointed in Decem- ber 1959, will bring forth specific recommendations for future considera- tion by the Amherst School Committee and the community. In the mean- time we are faced with immediate needs as well as long range needs. There are a number of problems requiring rather immediate solution. The need for additional administrative working space, although not a new one, is becoming constantly aggravated by changing conditions and this need cannot await solution for any length of time. The need for planning for acquisition of future school sites, although currently underway, in many respects must be pursued more diligently. The future need for both additional elementary school construction as well as secondary (regional) school construction must be planned for well in advance.
Although the opening of the Mark's Meadow School in September 1961 will tend to alleviate the present complicated elementary school organizational problems, it is a mistake to assume that the mere opening of this building solves our elementary school needs for many years to come. As a matter of fact, although additional classroom needs are being met at the present time by the opening of this school, one major advantage of such opening is to permit the Amherst School Committee to reduce class size as well as pupil school assignment back to its original stated policy involving reasonable class size, particularly in the primary grades. Please note, however, that the anticipated plan of organization for Septem- ber 1961 still visualizes larger primary grade enrollment in many sections of the town than current policy deems advisable. The present danger may be our inability to solve in time the growing needs with which we shall be constantly faced.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STAFF DIRECTORY
Miss Ellen R. Abbott
Guidance
Miss Martha Bernard
Music
Mrs. Wilma Cashin
Art
Mrs. Ann Gass
Music (part-time)
Donald Johnson
Physical Education
Harold Young
Instrumental Music (part-time)
Amity Street School
Grade
Mrs. Hazel Doran
1 (Principal)
Miss Margaret Flynn
1
Mrs. Janice Lee
1
Mrs. Mary E. Walsh
2
Cushman School
Miss Viola Mitchell
1 (Principal)
Mrs. Eleanor Hobart
5
Mrs. Barabra Smith
2 & 3
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East Street School Arvo Lamsa Mrs. Marion Becker Mrs. Ellen Healy Mrs. Ann Horton
4 (Principal) 1 2
3
Intermediate School Philip R. Smith
6 (Principal)
Mrs. Lillian Bartlett
6
Miss Janet Copeland 5
Miss Marcia Katra 6
Mrs. Winifred Moore
6
Mrs. Ivy Naumowicz
6
Kellogg East School
Mrs. Muriel M. Curtis
4 (Principal)
Mrs. Mary Corrieri
2
Miss Betty Guttmann
3
Miss Sara Hills 3
Miss Jane Rauscher
3
Kellogg West School
Miss Nancy Morrison
4 (Principal)
Mrs. Merrilyn Cushing
5
Mrs. Kay Frizzle
4
Mrs. Emma Johnson
5
North Amherst School
Miss Susie Sanderson
3 (Principal)
Mrs. Debora MacGrath
2
Mrs. Mary Lee Orr 1
Mrs. Mary C. Whittaker
5
South Amberst School
Mrs. Helen Knowlton
3 (Principal)
Mrs. Margaret Barringer
1
Mrs. Doris Estes 2
Miss Martha Harrington
4
Head Custodian Mr. Lester Ward
Custodians Francis B. Gustin Edmund Higgins Joseph Ocicki Guy Reed
No. Amherst, Cushman Intermediate, Kellogg West Amity, Kellogg East East St., So. Amherst
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SCHOOL CALENDAR - 1961
January 4, Wednesday-Winter Term begins, all schools reopen.
February 17, Friday -- All schools close for winter vacation at end of re- gular school day.
February 20-24, Monday through Friday-Winter vacation
March 31, Friday-Good Friday-no school
April 3-7, Monday through Friday-AMHERST and PELHAM-Solid sessions in morning for elementary schools. Parent conferences in afternoon. Junior and Senior high schools remain in full session.
April 14, Friday-Spring vacation begins, all schools close at end of re- gular school day.
April 17-21, Monday through Friday-Spring vacation.
April 24, Monday-All schools reopen.
May 30, Tuesday-Memorial Day-no school.
June 16, Friday-AMHERST and PELHAM-all elementary schools close.
June 23, Friday-Junior and Senior High Schools close. End of school year.
September 5, Tuesday-Teachers Meeting
September 6, Wednesday-High and Junior High Schools open
September 6-7-8, Wednesday-Friday-Orientation and Workshop for Elementary Teachers.
September 11, Monday-All Elementary Schools open.
October 12, Thursday-Columbus Day-no school.
November 13-17, Monday-Friday-AMHERST and PELHAM-Solid sessions in morning for elementary schools. Parent conferences in afternoon. Junior and Senior high schools remain in full session.
November 22, Wednesday-Solid sessions, elementary schools close at 11:15 a.m. Junior-Senior high schools at 12:00 noon for Thanks- giving recess.
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