Accountability posts
Drafts ready to share. Click to copy, then post. Planning Board · Amherst, NH · August 21, 2024.
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Individual posts for different angles. Pick the one that fits your audience.
Key town officials were absent from a hearing where their testimony was essential to evaluate public safety
Amherst Planning Board (8/21): A driveway permit requiring THREE simultaneous safety waivers — steep grade, oversized apron, dangerous side slope — couldn't get full review because the DPW Director was on vacation and the Fire Chief didn't show. Continued to Nov. 6.
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Grossly inadequate bond amount on a high-risk permitted project went unaddressed by the board
At 8/21 Amherst Planning Board, a $300,000 driveway project has a $600 safety bond. Attorney for neighbors flagged it. The board didn't address it. That's a 500:1 cost-to-bond ratio on a project with three active safety waivers. Nov. 6 is the next hearing.
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Pattern of incremental, incomplete applications consuming multiple hearing cycles without meeting baseline requirements
Amherst Planning Board member on 8/21: 'Death by a thousand cuts — get one permit, need a bunch of waivers.' The Old Manchester Rd driveway was denied at 18% grade, denied at 15%, now proposed at 12% — still above the 8% max. Still no stormwater analysis done.
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DPW reversed its own decisions without public explanation; board accountability question unresolved
Amherst Planning Board (8/21): The DPW denied a driveway permit twice, then approved it. The board chair said: 'I'd like to understand what the thinking is.' The DPW Director wasn't there to explain. That question now waits until November 6.
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Post these in sequence for maximum impact.
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🧵 Amherst Planning Board – Aug. 21, 2024: A driveway permit at 32-36 Old Manchester Rd turned into a contentious quasi-judicial hearing. Here's what residents need to know before the next hearing on Nov. 6. Thread:
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The DPW approved a driveway permit that requires THREE simultaneous waivers of town safety standards: grade (12% vs. 8% max), apron flare (45ft vs. 24ft max), and side slope (2:1 vs. the required 4:1–6:1 range). Neighbors appealed with legal counsel.
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Why does the grade matter? Emergency vehicles. Fire Chief Connolly's assessment of whether trucks can safely navigate a 12% grade with non-standard geometry was considered essential — and he wasn't there. Neither was DPW Director Eric Slazik. Both are now required to testify Nov. 6.
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The DPW had denied this same permit twice before — at 18% grade, then at 15% — before approving the current 12% proposal. The board chair said directly: 'I'd like to understand what the thinking is.' No one from DPW was present to answer that question.
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A required stormwater analysis? Not done. Board member Bill stated plainly: 'It is a requirement of our regulations that a driveway design be in compliance with stormwater regulations. The applicant has not demonstrated that it is.' Neighbors identified two water courses that would be blocked.
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The project is estimated at $300,000. The safety bond posted? $600. The board did not address this disparity. It was raised by the neighbors' attorney and left unresolved.
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There's also a property rights issue: a neighbor holds a permitted driveway and parking area at 36 Old Manchester Rd dating to 1979. The proposed design allegedly encroaches on those rights. The board acknowledged the concern and deferred it to November.
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The board continued the hearing unanimously to Nov. 6, requiring: ✅ Completed stormwater analysis ✅ In-person testimony from DPW Director Slazik ✅ In-person testimony from Fire Chief Connolly. If you live near Old Manchester Rd, that hearing affects you.
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Longer-form draft.
At its August 21 meeting, the Amherst Planning Board spent most of its session on a contested driveway permit appeal for 32-36 Old Manchester Road — and what residents heard should prompt serious attention before the next hearing on November 6, 2024. The DPW approved a driveway permit that requires three simultaneous waivers of the town's own safety standards: the driveway grade is 12% where the maximum is 8%; the apron flare is 45 feet where the maximum is 24 feet; and the side slope is 2:1 where the required range is 4:1 to 6:1. Neighbors, represented by an attorney, appealed the permit and argued the combination of waivers creates public safety hazards — particularly for emergency vehicle access. What made the hearing even more difficult: the DPW Director, whose department approved the permit after denying it twice before (at 18% grade, then at 15%), was on vacation and did not attend. The Fire Chief, whose assessment of emergency vehicle safety is directly relevant to the 12% grade question, was also absent. The board chair said plainly: 'I'd like to understand what the thinking is' behind the DPW's reversal. That question remains unanswered. The board also learned that a required stormwater analysis has not been completed. Board member Bill stated that this analysis is a regulatory requirement for any driveway permit and that the applicant has not met it. Neighbors identified two natural water courses that would be blocked by 30 feet of fill, raising concerns about drainage impacts on abutting properties and the Old Manchester Road culvert. Separately, a neighbor holds permitted driveway and parking rights dating to 1979 that may be encroached upon by the proposed design — a property rights conflict the board acknowledged but did not resolve. And a $300,000 project is currently bonded at $600 — a disparity raised by the neighbors' attorney that the board did not address. The hearing was continued unanimously to November 6, 2024 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall. As conditions of further review, the board required the applicant to complete a stormwater analysis and to arrange testimony from both the DPW Director and the Fire Chief. If you live near Old Manchester Road or care about how Amherst manages safety waivers and regulatory compliance, this is a hearing worth attending.