AMHERST — Completion of the $4.6 million track and field complex at Amherst Regional High School was recently celebrated by numerous student-athletes, school and town officials and educators and coaches.
On a sunny Friday afternoon before Labor Day weekend, senior Ololara Baptiste reflected on how the girls track team took home a state champaionship in 2025, despite not being able to host home meets and training on a dilapidated track.
“We showed the track is not something that holds us back and that we can overcome,” Baptiste said, offering thanks to those who helped spearhead and fund the project, and closing her remarks by saying “go Canes.”
In a similar vein, juniors Claire Fortin and Maeve Fitzgerald cited the poor track conditions and that the school now has a facility reflecting what the students have accomplished.
While the track was improved, so has the field where students play soccer, field hockey and Ultimate, who will benefit from the new grass field and where goalkpeers will no longer have to face the sun.
In addition to thanking the four communities that make up the school district and the Amherst Hurricane Boosters, Athletic Director Victoria Dawson expressed appreciation for the current and former student-athletes who advocated for a better track and field in recent years.
“Your voices, commitment and persistence made this a reality,” Dawson said.
Also on hand for the ribbon-cutting were Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek and Bob Peirent, special capital projects coordinator, both credited for bringing the project to completion, along with designer SLR Consulting and contractor MJ Cataldo, Inc.
Town Council President Mandi Jo Hanneke said the final product is a “great demonstration of what we can do when two government entities work together for the common good.”
Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman noted that Pelham, Shutesbury and Leverett also stepped forward as part of a “true example of a regional effort.”
Block Party returns
The annual Block Party returns to a section of North Pleasant Street in downtown Amherst for a 13th time Sept. 17 from 5 to 9 p.m., with various entertainment, vendors and restaurants set up along the road.
Aerialists, acrobats, stilt walkers, jugglers and a variety of street performers will join local bands and musicians.
The event is put on by the Amherst Business Improvement District in partnership with the town, the Amherst Cultural Council and supported by the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, Amherst College and the University of Massachusetts.
Cuppa Joe
Jeff Bagg, the town’s director of Planning and Economic Development, will join Town Manager Paul Bockelman for the next Cuppa Joe, being held at Izote Latin & American Kitchen, 460 West St., Sept. 18 at 8 a.m.
The 90-minute meet-up with the public will focus on planning and economic development initiatives, such as the Hampshire College campus zoning study, design standards for downtown Amherst and affordable housing projects.
Jones Library feedback sessions
Community feedback sessions that will help provide a vision for the renovated and expanded Jones Library are underway.
On Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. at the temporary 101 University Drive location, Pat Romney and Angelica Castro will facilitate the discussion. That will be followed by another one on Sept. 19 at 10 a.m. at the Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk.
Childcare and refreshments will be served. Go to amherstma.gov/Jones-Library-Feedback-Sessions to register.
The sessions are put on by the library’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion subcommittee, which wants to ensure the new space feels safe, welcoming and inclusive for everyone.
“We want to know what people value, and what they believe could be improved,” said Library Director Sharon Sharry. “Most importantly, we’re asking for honest thoughts and feelings so that we can better understand what our community needs and help shape a library that truly serves you.”
Democracy conversations
Two conversations about democracy and the Trump Administration are scheduled at the North Amherst Library’s meeting room
“The US Congress Midterms and Democracy: What the UMass Poll Reveals About the 2026 Elections” will be held Sept 15 at 7 p.m.
Drawing on the latest findings from the UMass Poll, political scientist and UMass Poll co-director Ray La Raja will talk about the polling numbers in an historical and political context, with time for questions and discussion.
Then, on Oct. 15, also at 7 p.m., will be “The First Amendment Is Dangerous: That Is Why We Should Support It.”
The talk by Austin Sarat, the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Jurisprudence & Political Science at Amherst College, reviews the history and purposes of that amendment and current threats to it.
Meeting
MONDAY: Town Council, 6:30 p.m., Town Room, Town Hall.
