AMHERST — Before renovations and expansion of the Jones Library begin later this winter, the public is invited to tour the 43 Amity St. building, including portions of the 1928 and 1993 addition normally open only to staff.
On Saturday, the Friends of the Jones Libraries is holding the “Jones for the Holidays” event that will include guided tours and a fundraising concert for the Jones Library Capital Campaign in the atrium. For the “Tutti: Youth Concert Series,” the suggested donations are $5 for seniors and students and $10 for adults.
The event is running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. At 10:30 a.m. and again at 1 p.m., volunteers will lead tours. Then, at 2:30 p.m., youth musicians will fill the atrium with music, with refreshments served.
When complete, the $46.1 million project will make the building climate friendly, expand programming space to meet current and emerging needs for all ages and various populations, and improve the layout.
The town is again soliciting bids for temporary space for library operations, with a legal ad seeking 15,000 square feet within 20 minutes of downtown Amherst. The space has to be handicapped accessible, with restrooms and ample parking, and be ready for move-in by Feb. 1 and for 23 months, through Dec. 1, 2025. Proposals are due Jan. 5.
A previous ad sought 25,000 square feet. Town Manager Paul Bockelman said the hope is that seeking less space will yield successful bids.
With the library closing, the final Burnett Gallery exhibition will showcase Amherst artist Amy Crawley’s “Portals and Passageways: Paintings and Process.” That opens on Jan. 3 and runs through Jan. 30. An opening reception is scheduled for Jan. 6 from 2 to 4 p.m., with Eric Crawley performing music during the reception.
The exhibit includes paintings, alongside Amy Crawley’s sketchbooks, drawings and studies that led to the finished pieces.
“In this exhibit, I explore my ongoing journey with portals,” Crawley’s artist statement reads. “With a focus on the movement of spirals and circles, I draw the viewer’s eye toward the center of a space and take the viewer on a visual meditation that transports them from one place to another.”
Two councilors serving since the first Town Council was inaugurated in December 2018, and two councilors who joined the current panel in January 2022, were feted at the council’s Dec. 18 meeting. The next council meeting, Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, will see the swearing-in of four new members.
The outgoing councilors are District 5’s Shalini Bahl-Milne and District 3’s Dorothy Pam, both elected five years ago, and District 4’s Anika Lopes and District 1’s Michele Miller, both elected in 2021.
“I think of Dorothy as the conscience of the council,” said District 3 Councilor Jennifer Taub. “She speaks her mind, and eloquently so, and always remains true to her convictions, which are rooted in fairness, empathy, equity and social justice.”
District 4 Councilor Pamela Rooney said people in the new District 4 want to say thanks and good-bye, and that they “look to Dorothy as the consummate spokesperson for her constituents. She has advocated for their needs, and she brought attention to the issues they had.”
Council President Lynn Griesemer said Bahl-Milne, a native of India, fought hard for people who are not originally residents of the United States.
At-Large Councilor Mandi Jo Hanneke said Bahl-Milne brought a focus of values and community outreach. “I think your legacy at the Town Council will be never forgetting that one of our roles is community outreach,” Hanneke said.
At Large Councilor Andy Steinberg called Miller an exceptional person who brought passion to reparations for Black residents.
At Large Councilor Ellisha Walker said Miller’s dedication and passion have left an undeniable mark on the community, laying groundwork for a more equitable and just town. “Her commitment to bettering our town has been unwavering and her advocacy for the community has been nothing short of amazing,” Walker said.
“Anika has dedicated much of herself to honoring the legacy of her ancestors,” said District 5 Councilor Ana Devlin Gauthier said. “While honoring and uplifting the stories of the past, Anika herself has also been building a legacy that stands on its own.”
Lopes has also been “embracing, empowering and uplifting our community and the multitude of communities within the one,” said District 2 Councilor Pat De Angelis.
A 1980s-style New Year’s Eve Extravaganza is being held at the University of Massachusetts in the Student Union Ballroom. Hosted by Brian Lapis, a meteorologist at television station WWLP, there will be live music, dancing, food and a countdown to midnight.
Starting with a pre-cocktail hour at 7 p.m., guests will arrive to live entertainment by the local band Diamondz and full buffet dinner served by UMass Catering, followed by dancing and a champagne midnight toast. A premium bar and photo booth will be on-site, door prizes will be awarded and a costume contest will be held.
Guests will leave the party with a 1980s-themed gift bag, created for the event, and have the option to stay the night at Hotel UMass.
Tickets are $150 per person and $250 per couple. Room reservations at Hotel UMass are $139 per room, per night.
A $349,803 National Endowment for the Humanities grant is supporting a team of UMass faculty, librarians, staff and students, and partners at the Pioneer Valley History Network, to work on a project titled “Enslaved: Peoples of the Historical Slave Trade,” on the web at Enslaved.org, a portal that publishes biographical narratives about those who suffered under slavery and who were part of the transatlantic slave trade.
This will expand the initiative “Documenting the Early History of Black Lives in the Connecticut River Valley,” launched in 2021. So far, researchers have amassed 4,500 entries for the region for the pre-1900 period.
“Making those connections — across archives, across institutions, across town and county lines — is crucial if we are to fully understand our region’s history,” said Marla Miller, a UMass historian. “But they also help researchers trying to piece together family histories, support new, dynamic interpretation at museums and historic sites, and can support claims for reparations.”
TUESDAY: Conservation Commission Land Management Subcommittee, noon; Town Council, 6:30 p.m., Town Room, Town Hall.
WEDNESDAY: Energy and Climate Action Committee, 4:30 p.m.
THURSDAY: Disability Access Advisory Committee, 11:30 a.m., Zoning Board of Appeals, 6 p.m.
