Around Town: Swift Way Connector signs on rail trail up for all to see

By Scott Merzbach
Staff Writer

Published on May 09, 2008

Signs for the Swift Way Connector portion of the Norwottuck Rail Trail were put in place along University Drive this week, just before the annual Pioneer Valley Bike Commute Week begins.

Craig Della Penna, coordinator of the Massachusetts Central Rail Trail Coalition, said the signs along the 1.7-mile long route celebrate Arthur Swift, who has been involved in civic affairs for decades and was instrumental in getting the connector from the Norwottuck Rail Trail to the University of Massachusetts campus constructed.

"We want to get the word out that he did a lot of good work in Amherst," Della Penna said.

Swift chaired the town-UMass committee that planned the connector, a $675,000 project paid for mostly with federal and state money.

The connector opened in 2002 after several years of planning.

While the rail trail was primarily built for recreation, and continues to be managed by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, Della Penna estimates that between 30 and 40 percent of the people now using it do so for utilitarian purposes, namely commuting to and from work.

While one old rail bed in Amherst is now used by bicyclists, skateboarders and walkers, the other rail bed continues to serve its original purpose.

Recognizing this, the Select Board is declaring Saturday National Train Day in Amherst and encouraging residents to celebrate and support Amtrak's presence in the community.

Sudro Brown, a member of the Amherst Railway Society, told the board that four trains a day pass through the Amtrak station.

With 40 to 50 cars on each train, this helps to reduce vehicular traffic, specifically tractor-trailer trucks, on roads throughout the region.

Select Board member Anne Awad said riding the train make sense. "It's easy; we're very luck to have it," Awad said.

Fellow board member Diana Stein said she also values the Amtrak station, noting that she uses it regularly.

Taxi accessibility

Terry Forrest, a Town Meeting member from Precinct 7, is hoping the taxi cabs that service Amherst can one day be more accessible to people with disabilities.

At the Select Board meeting this week, Forrest said he would be willing to provide information to the owners and operators of the cab companies in Amherst about ways in which they can better serve people, including those in wheelchairs.

Forrest said there is a $15,000 tax benefit available to these companies should they pursue the accessibility options.

Downtown beautification

The effort to fill the downtown with flower pots and pay for the flowers that will bring color to the streets and sidewalks has begun.

Select Board Chairman Gerry Weiss said anyone wishing to contribute to the flower pot drive can send donations directly to Andrew's Greenhouse in South Amherst.

Meetings

MONDAY: Budget Coordinating Group Room, noon, Town Room, Town Hall; Select Board, 6:15 p.m., Music Room, Regional Middle School; Finance Committee, 6:30 p.m., Band Room, Regional Middle School; Town Meeting, 7:30 p.m., Regional Middle School auditorium.

TUESDAY: Agricultural Commission, 7 p.m., First Floor Meeting Room, Town Hall; Amherst Pelham Regional School Committee, 7 p.m., library, Amherst Pelham Regional High School; Jones Library Board of Trustees, 7 p.m., Trustee Room, Jones Library.

WEDNESDAY: Public Shade Tree Committee, 4 p.m., First Floor Meeting Room, Town Hall; Select Board, 6:15 p.m., Music Room, Regional Middle School; Finance Committee, 6:30 p.m., Band Room, Regional Middle School; Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Town Hall, Town Room. Town Meeting, 7:30 p.m., Regional Middle School auditorium.

THURSDAY: 250th Anniversary Arts and Literature Committee, 4 p.m., First Floor Meeting Room; Kendrick Park Committee, 7 p.m., Town Hall; Human Rights Commission, 7 p.m., Bangs Center; Zoning Board of Appeals, 7:30 p.m.,Town Room, Town Hall for public hearings on a request to modify the special permit to allow a wireless communication facility at 740 Belchertown Road; to allow Omnipoint to construct a wireless communication facility at 740 Belchertown Road.