AMHERST — A joint municipal electric aggregation program involving Amherst, Pelham and Northampton that would provide green energy sources to users and reduce greenhouse gas emissions is another step closer to reality.
As the lead community, Amherst recently signed a contract with MassPowerChoice to procure its services in developing and implementing the inter-municipal community choice aggregation plan.
The three communities have been researching the feasibility and potential benefits of developing such a program for several years.
Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockelman said in a statement that moving the program forward is an exciting moment.
“Working in partnership with Northampton and Pelham, and we hope other communities in the future, we will focus our purchasing and developing power on green energy that will help in meeting local and state carbon reduction goals,” Bockelman said.
The Valley Green Energy initiative, based on the Community Choice Aggregation model, is designed to address climate change by offering green electricity at a competitive rate.
“We are delighted to be working with Amherst, Northampton and Pelham and to support their efforts to use CCA to address climate change,” said Paul Gromer, managing director of MassPowerChoice.
MassPowerChoice will oversee community engagement and develop the community choice aggregation application that will be submitted to the state Department of Public Utilities, which serves as the granting authority.
Generation Ratify Amherst will be at Pulaski Park in Northampton from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday for an event focused on reproductive justice, following the Supreme Court’s recent overturning of its Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide.
The event, with community art, performances and an open microphone, comes after a flash mob event this week at the Tuesday Farmers Market in Northampton.
Generation Ratify, made up of teenagers and supporters in Amherst, issued a statement about its outrage over the court’s decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. “This strips away nearly 50 years of precedent, rights and freedom for any person to hold the right to govern their own bodily autonomy and receive an abortion if they choose,” the statement reads.
The group also cites the work of its mothers and grandmothers in fighting for equality, from the Seneca Falls Conventions push for women’s voting rights in the 1800s to the Equal Rights Amendment in the 20th century.
Friends of the Jones Libraries recently remitted $500,000 to the town of Amherst to show its commitment for raising private funds for the $36.3 million library renovation and expansion project.
“We are pleased to be able to make this first installment toward our collaborative effort to renovate and expand the Jones Library,” Friends of the Jones Libraries Board Chair Nancy Campbell said in a statement.
The project costs are being shared by the town, with $15.8 million allocated by the Town Council; the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners’ award of $13.8 million; and the trustees for the library, working with the Friends. Together, they are seeking grants from foundations; local, state, and federal grants; and private donations in a capital campaign.
The renovation and expansion groundbreaking is likely in October 2023.
The Amherst Business Improvement District, awarded $100,000 in American Rescue Plan Act money for economic recovery, revitalization and growth, is dedicating a portion of this to new business start-up grants.
In collaboration with the town, the BID is opening up grant applications for $40,000 to support small storefront businesses throughout town. Grants for new businesses will be between $5,000 and $10,000, with an application deadline of Aug. 15 and a committee to score applications by Aug. 30.
In addition to new business grants, the BID has $35,000 in funding through ARPA to assist with professional fees for opening a business.
The Leverett Village Co-op will hold its Second Saturdays Artisan Market Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the 180 Rattlesnake Gutter Road site.
Vendors will be selling handmade items including quilts, jewelry, soaps and pottery. There will also be Tarot card readings, massage therapy and nutrition info.
Wendell Warriors, a drum-centered Afro-infusion ensemble, will provide live music.
Markets are held on the second Saturday of each month from June through September, and the store is also open during the event.
MONDAY: Public Art Commission, noon.
THURSDAY: Zoning Board of Appeals, 6 p.m.
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Amherst Bulletin Office 115 Conz Street, Northampton, MA 01061 Phone: 413-584-5000
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