AMHERST — An Amherst native who served in the Iraq War will be the guest speaker at Memorial Day events Monday.
Rob McAllister, who earned a Purple Heart medal as well as the Bronze Star with Valor, will speak about what Memorial Day means to him, according to Steven Connor, director of Central Hampshire Veterans Services.
McAllister was among the first American soldiers to enter Iraq, by parachute in the middle of the night, just two days after the United States began bombing Baghdad in March 2003.
A parade begins at the North Common at 9:30 a.m., Connor said, and will follow North Pleasant Street to East Pleasant Street, before turning onto Triangle Street and ending at Community Field and the War Memorial Pool.
Town Manager Paul Bockelman will emcee the event that will include performances by the Hopkins Academy Marching Band and the Amherst Regional High School Chorale, a roll call of departed comrades, a placing of a wreath and a gun salute.
If there is rain, the parade could be called off and the activities would be moved to the VFW, 457 Main St.
Despite some concerns that a 13-member council is too large, the Charter Commission is maintaining that size in its latest proposal.
At its meeting Monday, the panel defeated a motion to reduce the council to nine members, with those supporting this decrease arguing that it would be more efficient.
But a majority of the commission want to maintain the larger size – which is still significantly smaller than a 60-member council considered earlier this spring – because it will provide broader representation.
Chairman Andy Churchill said under the proposal, which will be voted on by residents next March, Town Meeting will be eliminated and the council will work with a professional manager, not an elected mayor.
“In some ways the manager is the stability piece of the puzzle, while the council is the reform piece of the puzzle,” Churchill said.
Churchill said he doesn’t see sufficient votes on the commission to bring back a mayor-council proposal. Even though some residents would like a mayor in the proposal, Churchill said it may be good not to include it.
“This might be an easier transition, and possibly a more unifying one,” Churchill said.
As part of the latest plan, the current 10 precincts would be merged down to five wards, with each ward electing two councilors to two-year terms. The remaining three councilors would be elected townwide, also to serve two-year terms.
The chairperson of the council will be selected by the council, and will be a facilitator, spokesperson and representative of the majority.
When a draft of the full Charter Commission proposal is ready in July, the text will be inserted into the Bulletin, as required by state law.
Douglas Slaughter will become the next chairman of the Select Board on June 1 following a recent unanimous reorganization vote.
Alisa Brewer, who presided over the board for the past two years, told the board prior to March’s annual election that she wouldn’t seek a third year as chairwoman.
The vice chair position will continue to rotate among the other four members.
Residents who have dogs will be subject to $30 late fees if their pets are not licensed by Wednesday.
The fee is $5 for spayed and neutered dogs and $15 for all other dogs. Licenses can be obtained at the town clerk’s office at Town Hall or by calling Animal Welfare Office Carol Hepburn at 478-7084
While some residents may choose not to register their dogs, Hepburn said there can be consequences if dog gets loose from their owners or are involved in incidents, such as dog bites. In addition to the late fee that can be imposed, Hepburn said she could keep the dog for an extended period at the town pound.
Amherst Police officers Scott Gallagher and Justin Satkowski recently earned letters of commendation from their peers for their response to a combative patron at a downtown coffee shop Jan. 17.
The highest distinction that can be received from the department, the letters came after the officers were able to disarm and subdue a man who charged at them with a knife.
The man was arrested on three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and a charge of disorderly conduct.
Olympia Place, the student apartment building on Olympia Drive that opened last fall, is featured in the May issue of AIA Magazine, a worldwide publication of the American Institute of Architects.
Both Archipelago Investments of Amherst and Holst Architects of Portland, Oregon are credited by author Edward Keegan as creating a project that fits into its surroundings and isn’t like a student dormitory.
“Hardly stern and rarely hulking, Olympia Place makes the most of its landscape,” Keegan writes.
WEDNESDAY: Town Meeting Coordinating Committee Subcommittee on Policies and Procedures, 4 p.m., Garrabrants Conference Room, Bangs Community Center; Planning Board, 7 p.m., Town Room, Town Hall.
THURSDAY: Library trustees, 9:05 a.m., Goodwin Room, Jones Library.