Around Amherst: Traffic zones being expanded for regional high, middle schools

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Published: 12-24-2024 1:16 PM |
AMHERST — New school traffic zones for both the Amherst Regional Middle and High schools are being established by the Town Council.
At the middle school, 20 mph signs will installed be on the south side of Chestnut Street and the east side of High Street, with associated school zone pavement markings in accordance with the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices and the Massachusetts amendments to this manual.
At the high school, 20 mph signs will go up on the north and south sides of Triangle Street, also with pavement markings.
Andy Steinberg, the at-large councilor who chairs the Town Services and Outreach Committee, said that there is not enough traffic on Gray, Mattoon and Taylor streets to require any more trafic controls, based on input from the Department of Public Works.
The committee report notes that members of the Transportation Advisory Committee supported the school zone for the middle school, even though a four-way stop is there: “They reported that cars speed past the school despite the stop sign and that High and Chestnut are heavily used by people traveling to the university who seek to avoid downtown.”
The report also observes that even though the high school doesn’t have a physical address on Triangle Street, that “is the street proximate to the school that has the most traffic and the greatest speed.”
Innovintage Place, an antiques and vintage consignment shop based in Greenfield for the past six years, is relocating to Amherst.
The store opened just before Christmas at 314 College St., the former location of Kelly’s Restaurant, which closed at the end of 2022. Plans for another restaurant at the site in a small shopping plaza, The Corner Cupboard, fell through, even though a sign went up for that business.
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A Facebook post announcing the move states owner Skye Wellington frequented Kelly’s as a teenager. “We just love Amherst and are so excited to share this incredible building with other businesses,” the post reads.
Meanwhile, Bruno’s Pizza at 363 Main St., a pizza and sub shop that has been at the foot of Triangle Street and just a stone’s throw from the Emily Dickinson Museum since 1984, is closing.
Founded by Bruno Matarazzo, who later also created Antonio’s pizza by the slice, and later sold to other owners, Bruno’s has been an almost exclusively takeout and delivery business, with residential rental units in other parts of the building. Before Bruno’s, the building housed Whole Wheat Pizza Factory, and a pizza shop has been at the location since at least the late 1960s.
An online message from the current owners thanks the community for its patronage and notes that memories and memories and friendships will be cherished. “To the town of Amherst and the University of Massachusetts, thank you once again, we couldn’t have done it without you.”
Several town employees were recognized at the annual holiday party for milestone anniversaries of ppeople working for Amherst, with Lynne Weintraub, who coordinates the English as a Second Language Center at the Jones Library, leading the way at 35 years.
Celebrating 30 years were police Officers James Damouras, Douglas Geary, Todd Lang and William Menard, along with Assistant Fire Chief Jeffrey Olmstead and Miguel Otero, who is part of the Jones Library’s maintenance team.
Marking 25 years were police Officers Jesus Arocho and Janet Griffin, Comptroller Holly Drake, Treasurer/Collector Jennifer LaFountain, Jones Library employees Jessica Lamson and Janet Ryan, Department of Public Works management assistant Nancy Murphy and firefighter Ronald Ryczek.
At two decades of service are police Officer Felipe Feliciano, Information Technology employee William Glover, Recreation Department after-school coordinator Grazyna Marczuk and Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek.
Amherst Oyster Bar’s long-awaited opening at the former Judie’s Restaurant space at North Pleasant is set for February,
“We’ve been getting through a bunch of stuff to get to this point, and we’re excited to announce we’re looking at a February open,” Dylan Barstow Manz, an owner of the restaurant, said at a recent Design Review Board meeting.
The extensive work on the restaurant included the removal of the front facade and a complete renovation of the interior that was underway by May 2023.
The exterior will include the restaurant name in halo-lit channel letters, rather than using gooseneck lights, “which provides a cleaner look for the roofline and is more dark sky friendly,” BarstownManz said.
“The design of the storefront, I think, looks beautiful, and I’m really excited you’re opening,” said board member Lindsay Schnarr. Similarly, board member Pat Auth called the appearance a classic and subtle style.