A Look Back, March 31

Table of Contents

Two Hampshire County Democrats plan to compete for the First Congressional seat now held by U.S. Rep. Silvio O. Conte, R-Pittsfield. Edward A. McColgan, a former state representative from Northampton and presently the director of the state’s Bicentennial Commission, and Edward M. O’Brien, an Easthampton lawyer and a former member of the governor’s council, said today that they hope to run for Congress.
Without voting on the matter, members of the Northampton Conservation Commission last night spoke in opposition to a plan by the county to construct a new jail and house of correction on 70 acres of Northampton State Hospital land. Members said that the site proposed — north of Route 66 and south of Burts Pit Road — is a “beautiful and magnificent” open space area which would be destroyed by construction of a jail.

It was supposed to be a pedestrian-friendly bit of green in a corridor dominated by cars. But when plans for the area in front of Northampton High School came back to the BPW Wednesday night, members were dismayed by what they saw. The section of Elm Street that has been closed since the school renovation began in 1999 would be a short-term, 17-space parking lot.
Forget sort and staple, the Northampton Department of Public Works has been authorized to buy a copier that can print from a computer and scan images. The Board of Public Works Wednesday night authorized the department to spend $14,336 on the Canon ImageRUNNER 5000S digital copier.

A charter commission to study Amherst government, and possibly recommend changes within two years, was approved by voters by a wide margin at Tuesday’s town election. Those in favor of creating a charter commission won 60 percent of the vote, with 2,039 in favor and 1,340 against.
The University of Massachusetts announced Tuesday that Greg Carvel has been hired to replace John Micheletto as the head coach of the hockey program. “This is an exciting day for our hockey program as we welcome Greg and his family to the University of Massachusetts,” UMass athletic director Ryan Bamford said in a release.