Capital Projects

Amherst Forward supports the development and enhancement of civic infrastructure that meet our community’s needs and expectations. We are committed to ensuring that important capital projects benefiting all our children, families, and communities are prioritized and completed in a timely and financially responsible way. We also believe that Amherst’s ability to afford several large-scale capital projects at once hinges on our ability to accept state funding when we secure it, and we support the years of hard work and planning that go into soliciting state funds. 

There are four capital projects that have been in public discourse for many years, often referred to as “One Town, One Plan,” which we believe merit development as soon as possible. These are the Elementary School Building Project; the Jones Public Library Renovation & Expansion; the Department of Public Works Building; and the South Amherst Fire Station. In addition, we believe that our public roadways and sidewalks need regular maintenance and investment to ensure that both residents and visitors can travel safely from one part of Amherst to another on public and private transportation of all kinds. More information about our stance on each of these projects can be found below.

We endorse candidates for elected office who prioritize these capital projects, but these aren’t the only issues we care about. Other issues that we consider critical to our progressive ideals and around which we organize our members include: housing affordability for all, broadening our tax base, and protecting open spaces, among other things. Read more about our three priorities here.

Elementary School Building Project

The Elementary School Building Committee, made up of construction professionals and public officials tasked with developing the plans for our new elementary school building project, has an enormous job. The Committee  makes hundreds of decisions related to the building and site, from cost to local traffic patterns to energy consumption to curriculum. The Committee has sat through hundreds of hours of public meetings, working through these details together and regularly inviting expert and public input along the way.  

Amherst Forward is grateful for the carefully guided process of the Elementary School Building Committee and we know that they do their jobs responsibly and with great care. 

We are also grateful for another layer of oversight on this project – the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). The MSBA is funding roughly 40% of this building project and for this reason, requires that planning details be submitted for their review. This is standard practice for all districts in the MSBA’s pipeline and we appreciate the agency’s oversight on this important project. 

The school building committee has chosen the Fort River School location as the site of the new school building. The 3 story school will have the capacity for 575 students. The building will be energy efficient with a 21st century teaching and learning environment for our teachers, staff and youngest students. The building will have an abundance of natural light, flexible learning spaces, updated technology and dedicated special education rooms. 

It is expected that the consolidation of Wildwood and Fort River with the new energy efficient building will result in utilities savings and other efficiencies resulting in $1 million in annual savings.

We also look forward to a continued public conversation about the elementary school building project and will continue to urge public engagement in the process. Here are a few important dates to keep in mind:

Construction begins - 2024

New school opens - September 2026

Agendas for upcoming Committee meetings as well as recordings of past meetings can be found on their website here.

Jones Public Library Renovation & Expansion

The Jones Public Library is an important resource in downtown Amherst that is relied on by town residents of all ages and demographics. But the building is in such poor shape that it threatens the collection and keeps many would-be users away. Amherst Forward believes that our town’s main public library should be fully accessible to all who want to use it, and should provide a safe, enticing space to meet our town’s educational, entertainment, and public information needs.  

Where the Jones Renovation Stands

In November 2021, Amherst voters expressed their overwhelming support for this project by voting 65.4% in favor of borrowing $15.75 million within our tax levy* to renovate and expand the Jones Library. Despite a subsequent, unexpected inflation in the estimated cost of the project, the Town’s contribution remains fixed at that amount, with an expanded fundraising effort by the Friends of the Jones Library covering any additional cost.  The design/development stage of the project has been completed and construction documents are being created.  Project completion is expected at the end of 2025. You can learn more about the Jones Library project by visiting its website. 

*Funding for the Jones Library project will not raise taxes for Amherst residents. 

Department of Public Works

The Department of Public Works (DPW) services and manages our public infrastructure -- clearing snow, maintaining public lawns, servicing public sewer lines, and maintaining over 130 miles of streets and roads, among other things. They provide pretty important services in town and are often the first responders in public emergencies, but we haven’t prioritized staff needs for many decades. Amherst Forward supports the relocation and building of a new DPW building to replace the over 100-year-old trolley barn in which the agency is currently housed. We believe that the health and well-being of our town staff are important, and that we cannot continue to allow the critical work of the DPW to continue in such decrepit conditions.

Town staff have identified numerous problems with this building and have requested aid from the Town Council to purchase land and build a new building, or to renovate another property. Read this memo from the Town Manager to the Town Council outlining next steps for this project, and this article from Planning Board member Johanna Neumann for more information and history, including pictures!

South Amherst Fire Station

Amherst Forward supports the proposed relocation of the downtown Amherst Fire Station to 586 Pleasant Street, site of the current DPW building in south Amherst. This move will save the town money in property purchase and construction costs, and will ensure the safety of our residents throughout town as well as our first responders. Three separate committees over the past 50 years have recommended moving the fire station so that firefighters and EMTs can better service all of Amherst. A plan now exists to establish a Town Building Committee to oversee both the DPW and fire station construction/ renovation projects, and the Town Council has agreed to use our town’s excellent bond rating to borrow money for this long overdue project. The Town Council aims to vote in June 2022 to authorize borrowing for this project.

This article explains how the DPW and fire station project will be funded, and the next steps currently in play.

Public Roadways and Sidewalks

Amherst has more than 130 miles of roads, and many miles of sidewalks. Thanks to our region’s punishing weather, these public ways require constant maintenance and investment by our town. Unfortunately, our town has amassed a $16 million backlog in street and roadway repairs, and while we receive some aid from the state for road maintenance, we must increase our town spending on this critical infrastructure if we want to catch up to where we need to be. 

Amherst Forward supports the commitment of allocated town resources to maintain our public roads and build more sidewalks in order to increase accessibility and ensure the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicle users of all kinds.