Accountability Posts

X / ⁠Twitter

Individual posts for different angles. Pick the one that fits your audience.

Public safety risk from incomplete utility pole replacements with no remediation timeline

Amherst BOS 3/24: Incomplete utility pole replacements leaving dangerous partial poles on public roads. Board will compile locations and send a letter to utility companies — but no deadline was set. If you know a location, contact the town.

240/280 chars

Municipal equipment purchase with tariff-driven payment deferral

Amherst BOS 3/24 approved a $205,775 trackless machine purchase (after $17,750 trade-in). Payment deferred to July 2025 due to tariff concerns. Unanimous 5-0 vote.

163/280 chars

Building code enforcement and unpermitted activity

Two unpermitted building incidents in Amherst: a collapsed garage demolished without permits and structural damage to a business on Rt. 101A. BOS discussed both on 3/24 as an admin update. No enforcement action or policy change was voted on.

241/280 chars

Status of significant fire department capital equipment delivery

Amherst fire dept aerial truck targeted for May 8 delivery. Transportation costs: $9,500–$10,000. Chief Conley getting updated shipping quotes for the second April meeting.

172/280 chars

X ⁠thread

Post these in sequence for maximum impact.

1

THREAD: Amherst Board of Selectmen met 3/24/25 for its reorganization meeting. Mostly routine — but two issues worth noting: utility pole safety and building code enforcement. Here's what happened. 🧵

199/280

2

1/ UTILITY POLES: Board member Tom raised a concern that incomplete utility pole replacements are leaving dangerous partial poles hanging over public roads in Amherst. He called it 'a danger' and said the town should take a stand.

230/280

3

2/ The board's response: compile a list of specific locations, then send a formal letter to the utility companies. No deadline was set for compiling the list or sending the letter.

180/280

4

3/ If you've seen a partial or abandoned utility pole in Amherst, document the location and contact the town. Board member Tom was assigned to compile the location list, with no specified deadline.

197/280

5

4/ BUILDING CODE: Two recent incidents discussed as an admin update — a collapsed garage demolished without proper demolition permits, and structural damage to a business on Rt. 101A involving unpermitted work. No enforcement vote. No policy change.

249/280

6

5/ MONEY: Board unanimously approved a $205,775 trackless machine (after $17,750 trade-in on gross price of $223,525). Payment was deferred to July 2025 due to tariff concerns.

176/280

7

6/ New board leadership: Danielle elected Chair, Cynthia Daco Vice Chair, Pam Coughlin Clerk. Returning member John d'Angelo abstained on the Chair and Vice Chair votes (3-0-1 each). No reason was stated publicly.

213/280

Facebook

Longer-form draft.

📋 AMHERST BOARD OF SELECTMEN — March 24, 2025 Meeting Recap

This was largely a reorganization meeting following recent elections. Here are the key items.

⚠️ UTILITY POLE HAZARDS: Board member Tom raised a concern that incomplete utility pole replacement projects are leaving dangerous partial poles hanging over public roads in Amherst. He argued the town should formally demand action from the utility companies responsible. The board agreed to compile a list of specific locations and send a formal letter to the utility companies. No deadline was set for either step. If you know of a specific location with a hazardous pole, contact the town.

🔨 BUILDING CODE ENFORCEMENT: Two recent unpermitted building incidents were discussed as an administrative update: a collapsed garage that was demolished and removed without proper demolition permits, and structural damage to a business on Route 101A involving unpermitted work. The board received the information but took no formal enforcement action and made no policy changes in response.

💰 EQUIPMENT PURCHASE: The board unanimously approved the purchase of a new trackless machine for $223,525 with a $17,750 trade-in, resulting in a net cost of $205,775. Payment was deferred until July 2025 due to tariff concerns.

🚒 FIRE DEPARTMENT UPDATE: The aerial truck is targeted for delivery by May 8. Transportation costs are estimated at $9,500–$10,000, with Chief Conley getting updated shipping quotes for the second April meeting.

👤 NEW HIRE: Nathaniel Adonisio was approved as Recreation Department Assistant at $24.80/hour (grade 5, step 1) with a March 31 start date. Approved 5-0.

New board leadership: Danielle elected Chair, Cynthia Daco as Vice Chair, and new member Pam Coughlin as Clerk. The board also approved the local source water grant extension unanimously.