AMHERST — Amherst’s senior citizens, likely the most vulnerable population should COVID-19 infections in town rise, are sending an open letter to college students reminding them of the dangers carelessness may pose.
The letter, from Council on Aging Chairwoman Patricia Rector, offers a warm welcome to students and observes that they bring vibrancy, energy and idealism to the town, but also reminds them to follow “strong social discipline” such as wearing masks, keeping socially distant from others and doing frequent hand washing.
“We, as aging adults, really need your help in the school year ahead: please help keep us safe. We are grandmas and grandpas, widows and widowers, staff and faculty, employed or retired, super healthy or medically fragile,” Rector writes. “There are about 5,000 of us residing in Amherst, and we, too, are an important part of the life of this community.”
She cites a statistic from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health that approximately 95% of deaths from COVID-19 are of people over 60.
“We believe that the vast majority of students will conscientiously respect public health concerns related to this coronavirus,” Rector writes. “Thank you for partnering with us in exercising the strong social discipline that supports everyone’s well-being.”
A pickup window patterned after an Italian custom used to dispense glasses of wine during the bubonic plague in the 1600s will get patrons materials at the Munson Memorial Library
While no wine will be served, library items will appear for those who use the delivery window, which will be open from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays.
Patrons can place a hold online or by calling reference staff at 259-3096, weekdays from 1 to 4 p.m., and make Munson the pickup site.
Three new patrol officers are joining the Amherst police force after graduating from the Western Massachusetts Regional Police Academy.
John M. Sarnacki and Daniel E. Menard, Jr., both of Granby, and Joseph W. Worthley of Amherst are beginning their 12-week field training.
Sarnacki, 22, the son of Michael and Kimberly Sarnacki and a 2016 graduate of Granby High School, earned a criminal justice bachelor’s degree from Westfield State University. He previously worked as an EMT for Granby Fire Department and a seasonal police officer in Provincetown.
Menard, 23, the son of Daniel and Tonya Menard and a 2015 graduate of Granby High School, earned a criminal justice bachelor’s degree from Western New England University. He previously worked as an EMT for Granby Fire Department and an orderly in the radiology department at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.
Worthley, the son of William and Lee Worthley and a 2012 graduate of Amherst Regional High School, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in computer science and twice deployed as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps to the Middle East and Japan. He concluded his active duty in August 2018 after advancing to the rank of sergeant.
The Rotary Club of Amherst recently made a $5,000 gift to the Downtown Amherst Foundation Relief and Resiliency Microgrant fund to provide grant assistance to local businesses recovering from the pandemic, and also distributed $9,000 in scholarship to area seniors who demonstrated “serving above self,” including four Amherst seniors, one Hadley senior, one Belchertown senior, two Smith Vocational and Agricultural School seniors, along with one Stan Ziomek scholarship.
The club also has a new slate of executive directors, with an Executive Committee made up of Andrew Jones of Jones Properties, as president, who takes over for interim president Anna Holhut of Amherst Insurance/The Nathan Agencies. Others on the committee are Claudia Pazmany, executive director of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, as vice president; Richard Mathews, retired from Greenfield Savings Bank, as treasurer; and Ellen Carey, of Davis Financial Group, as secretary. Board members welcomes are Jim Barnhill, Shelley Daughdrill, Linda Michaud, Ed Severance and Lyons Witten.
