A question that has puzzled me for a long time is why the backers of the project to expand the Jones Library are so adamant about this project, but here’s an idea.

Any construction project requires staging, a place to put the massive equipment and materials. The only place I can see where the project could be staged is the CVS parking lot. Part of that lot is owned by the town, but the part that CVS has is between the town-owned part and the library site, so the town would have to take it by eminent domain and pay for it, yet another cost added to the project.

The CVS store would have no parking lot for the two-year duration of the construction. CVS is already closing stores all around the country. We would very probably lose one of only three pharmacies in the town, and the only one downtown, meaning the only one close to senior housing downtown. Would this be an unintended consequence?

Maybe, maybe not, but either way the building would be vacant, ripe for demolition and replacement with another five-story apartment building, perhaps including the building to the north of the CVS. Would the fire station be next? The obvious next step would be a private parking structure on what remains of the lot.

Is this the plan? I don’t know. I imagine that if it wasn’t before, some will be considering it now. Instead of destination Amherst we’re getting vertical Amherst.

Lou Conover

Amherst