AMHERST — Amherst’s Human Rights Commission is considering resolutions that would support those in the United States who have Temporary Protected Status, and offer better protections for those being held in a detention camp in Texas.
The commission has drafted a statement asking that the Temporary Protected Status be extended for those from several countries, including Burma, El Salvador, Haiti, Venezuela and Yemen, and that a legal immigrant path to be offered for Tibetan, Palestinian, Afghan and Libyan nationals displaced by war.
Commission member Jay Pillay, who wrote the resolution, said there is still instability in many countries, observing that a Haitian being deported was decapitated at an airport.
“Many of these cases have that level of violence,” Pillay said. “I don’t know how anybody from Amherst, who may have origins from these national groups, could go back in safety,” Pillay added. “So we’ve got to watch out for the safety of our residents, which is why we have a statement like this.”
The statement reads, “We assert that forced deportations conducted without due process constitute a direct violation of the U.S. Constitution while transgressing the fundamental tenets of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as enshrined in the Geneva Conventions and Hague Regulations.”
“It is the right of all people, all nationalities, to seek personal security and dignity,” Commission Chairwoman Rani Parker said. “It’s not just about the people who are classified in a particular way.”
Commission member Milan Clark is bringing forward a separate resolution asking the Department of Homeland Security to use restraint and better dignity in how they are treating people who are being held in a detention center in Fort Bliss, Texas.
Jones staffing
Jones Library trustees are endorsing a staffing plan proposed by Library Director Sharon Sharry that would add 1.5 positions.
The positions, which would be in place when the expanded and renovated building opens in 2027, include one custodian and one librarian for the new teen space.
The recommendation comes as uncertainty surrounds the Jones Inc. endowment and whether portions of it, which annually supports the operating budget, will be needed to cover some of the costs of the $46.1 million expansion and renovation project.
Demolition delay
An 80 South East St. home will remain standing for another year after the Historical Commission imposed a demolition delay on it.
Property owner Agnes Ting had requested to demolish the home, with a deteriorating foundation and floors, and build a replacement in its place.
But the commission advocated that most of the property, known as the Ephraim T. Sabin House and dating to at least 1851, remain standing.
Committee member Joel Greenbaum suggested Ting save the Greek Revival portion and take off the porch and rear, where new construction could occur, possibly on an accessory dwelling unit.
“It could just be an incredibly cute house,” Greenbaum said
“It’s one of those little houses that encircles, it bounds the common, which is a really historic part of the town,” said commission member Hetty Startup.
Attorney Thomas Reidy said redevelopment could fit with a newly proposed local historic district.
“It’s at the end of its useful life,” Reidy said, adding that the home is near a more commercialized area and the new elementary school under construction.
Matrix planting
Matrix planting, a landscape design model where perennials and grasses are used to imitate meadows, will be discussed via a Zoom presentation Tuesday at 7 p.m.
To register for Matrix Planting for Home Gardeners, presented by Deborah Chud, go to https://www.joneslibrary.org/Calendar.aspx?EID=18161
Chud, a retired physician turned landscape designer, consultant and educator, will lead a step-by-step chronicle of the process and reveal the results of her experiment. The program is made possible by the Friends of the Jones Libraries.
Transportation & Parking Commission
Several members of the new Transportation & Parking Commission were appointed by the Town Council this week, with the recommendations coming from Town Manager Paul Bockelman.
The members appointed are Police Chief Gabriel Ting, Department of Public Works Superintendent Guilford Mooring, Director of Planning and Economic Development Jeff Bagg, Commission for Persons with Disabilities member Ian Rhodewalt and Town Councilors Sam MacLeod and George Ryan.
Meetings
SATURDAY: Four Towns Meeting, 9 a.m., middle school library.
WEDNESDAY: Joint Capital Planning Commission, 5 p.m.
THURSDAY: CDBG Advisory Committee, 7 p.m.