At the risk of sounding like a kvetch, I’d like to address the transportation of the “historic” home from Sunset Avenue to West Street in Amherst in the early hours of Wednesday, April 12. As a homeowner on the route of the transport, we were informed by the developer via flier in our door last week that there could be disruptions to our utilities in the middle of the night but not past 6 a.m.
We lost power around 2:45 a.m. — No big deal! At 7:30 a.m, the power was still out. That’s OK, sometimes projects can take longer than expected. However, I counted at least 10 utility trucks up and down our stretch of S. Pleasant Stree, including both Eversource and Xfinity employees, working hard to reconnect all the wires that were moved for the transport. There also were at least three police officers working detail, with all traffic on 116 rerouted during rush hour. We ended up being without power for 6.5 hours. Farewell raw chicken in the fridge!
Setting aside the minor inconveniences, I have a few questions about this massive undertaking. How does this make any sense financially for the developer, Fearing Sunset LLC? Did they foot the entire bill for all the overtime hours for the police officers and utility workers? Will there be up-charging on the townhomes that will be built on the original site to make up for the cost of moving the building? Are Amherst taxpayers at all subsidizing this project? I hope not! Was the 1923 home that was transported of any historical significance beyond being home to a teacher at the agricultural college? I love old homes and live in one, but all of this isn’t adding up!
Casey Maloney
Amherst