AMHERST — The town is joining a nationwide Day of Recollection to honor those who have lost their lives after contracting COVID-19.
On Jan. 19 at 5:30 p.m., the town will mark the reflection on the pandemic with the ringing of the bells at Town Hall.
Town Manager Paul Bockelman is being directed to have town buildings illuminated during the hour-long remembrance period.
This week the Town Council adopted a proclamation remembering the more than 350,000 in America who have died with COVID-19 and honoring the 20 million infected with the coronavirus.
“When so many Americans are grieving the loss of family, friends and neighbors, it is important that we honor those who have died, take time to reflect on what has been one of the more challenging periods in our nation’s history, and renew our commitment to ending the pandemic and restoring a national sense of unity and shared purpose,” the proclamation states.
The proclamation also highlights the launch of vaccines to prevent the illness, though it also notes the challenges that remain.
A new initiative called the Winter Pivot Grant program is being offered by the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce beginning Monday.
Through funding made possible as a result of an earmark by Sen. Jo Comerford and administered through the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, $12,500 in micro-grants for small businesses will be available.
The plan is for 25 $500 micro-grants to go to area businesses, with this money to be doubled through fundraising.
“We continue to maximize every resource possible to buoy our small businesses during this crisis,” Executive Director Claudia Pazmany said in a statement. “With these creative solutions we can offer hope, especially as we head into yet another difficult three-month spike of COVID even as the vaccine rolls out.”
Businesses that didn’t receive Relief & Resiliency Microgrants last year are among those eligible.
Applications are being accepted through Jan. 29 at amherstarea.com/wintergrant.
A walk-in orthopedic injury care clinic recently opened in Amherst.
Cooley Dickinson Health Care is running the center at 170 University Drive, an addition to the west Hatfield orthopedic injury clinic that opened in the fall of 2016.
Clinic staff diagnose and treat acute injuries such as sprains and strains, fractures, and dislocations and infected nails.
Depending on the nature of the injury, residents may be able to skip a visit to a local emergency department.
Head injuries, chronic injuries and back pain are not handled at the location, which is led by physician’s assistant John E. Hauschild.
The clinic is open weekdays from 8 am to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call 586-8200 or visit cooleydickinson.org.
A 90-day statutory appeal period for Amherst’s revised Flood Insurance Rate Maps ends Feb. 25.
Last updated in 1983, the federal flood maps are being worked on by consulting firm AECOM to create more accurate mapping of the floodable areas along rivers and streams in Amherst.
The maps are posted at amherstma.gov/2261.
Once the appeal period is complete and all appeals have been resolved, the town will enter into a six-month compliance period, during which the maps will be presented to Town Council for approval. Possible bylaw amendments associated with Federal Emergency Management Agency floodplain requirements will also be decided by the council.
MONDAY: Amherst Cultural Council, 4:30 p.m., virtual meeting via Zoom.
TUESDAY: Community Resources Committee, 2 p.m., and Public Shade Tree Committee, 5:30 p.m., both virtual meetings via Zoom.
WEDNESDAY: Elementary School Building Committee, 7:30 a.m., virtual meeting via Zoom.
THURSDAY: Board of Assessors, 11 a.m., and Amherst Cultural Council, 6:30 p.m., both virtual meetings via Zoom.