AMHERST — A new elementary school for the town of Amherst will also mean new public art to be installed at the site, as part of the Percent for Art Bylaw.
With decisions to be made on the art that will be placed at the Amethyst Brook School site on South East Street, a Percent for Art Advisory Committee is being formed.
Two residents, art professionals who work in the arts in fields such as production, education, criticism, administration, fundraising, curating and collecting, are being sought for the committee. The hope is these residents will also be well respected and knowledgeable regarding visual art.
The committee will provide guidance for soliciting, evaluating, selecting and then installing the art. The Percent for Art Bylaw established a funding program, with the amount a half-a-percent of the capital costs of any eligible town construction project budgeted at a minimum of $1 million. The town’s borrowing costs for the school are $50 million.
For the school project, the first public building constructed following the bylaw’s adoption, Town Council in May 2025 allocated $250,000 for the total cost of procuring and installing the art.
The Percent for Art program is administered by the Public Art Commission, under the
supervision of Town Manager Paul Bockelman. In addition to the two resident members, the Percent for Art Advisory Committee will also be made up of two members of the Public Art Commission, one member of the Elementary School Building Committee, one elementary school art teacher and one Amherst Regional High School student selected by the high school principal
For more information about the Percent for Art Advisory Committee, go to www.amherstma.gov/3935/63418/Percent-for-Art-Advisory-Committee
Interested residents should submit a Community Activity Form at amherstma.gov/CAF
Applications, with applications to be reviewed starting Sept. 1.
Affordable housing tour
Two developments that will provide homeownership opportunities and a mix of rental apartments were part of a recent tour by Juana Matias, secretary for the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
Matias was in town Aug. 17 to see both the Amherst Community Homes in North Amherst, a homeownership development with 30 dwellings nearing completion off Montague Road, and a future 78-unit apartment development on East Street and Belchertown Road that will incorporate the former East Street School.
Matias joined town officials, local legislators and representatives from Valley Community Development and Way Finders in visiting the sites.
In a Facebook post, state Rep. Mindy Domb, D-Amherst, praised the support of the state for helping to finance both developments.
“Like other communities, we are seeking ways to close the housing gap in our community to encourage individuals and families to stay here and to move here,” Domb wrote.
Domb also noted the Way Finders apartments, which will ensure a new option for families, will be close to the Amethyst Brook School.
Run Your City
Run Your City Amherst UMass, a nonprofit program that aims to introduce children to the joy of sports and physical activity, begins its fall season Sunday.
After welcoming more than 280 children ages 3 to 12 last spring, the free six-week program resumes Sunday at 1 p.m. at the track at the University of Massachusetts.
Ella Bosselman, the co-president for the local chapter, wrote in an email that UMass student-athletes will lead small groups of children through fun and engaging activities designed to build confidence, teamwork and a love for being active. Bosselman is a senior kinesiology major and cross country runner at UMass.
The program is open to students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Go to https://www.runyourcity.org/chapters/run-amherst-umass for more information.
Salsa in the Park
Outdoor dancing, music and food will be part of Salsa in the Park at the pavilion at Mill River Recreation Area, 95 Montague Road, Saturday from 6 to 9:30 p.m.
The rain or shine event is hosted by Salsa on Tacos Dance, sponsored by Amherst Recreation and funded by the Amherst Cultural Council.
The first hour will be a free Salsa Rueda de Casino Lesson by Celadry, and then at 7 p.m. will be a free Latin dance social with salsa, bachata and merengue with DJ Picu.
Election Day
In-person voting for the state primary, including those who requested mail-in ballots but didn’t return them, will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at polling locations throughout town.
One change is for those in Precinct 2-B, who will join voters in Precincts 2-A, 3-A, 4-A and 4-B in voting at the Amherst Regional High School, 21 Mattoon St. That adjustment was prompted by the closure of Fort River School.
Precinct 1-A votes at North Amherst Library, 8 Montague Road, Precinct 1-B at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 867 North Pleasant St., Precinct 3-B at Crocker Farm School, 280 West St., Precinct 5-A at the Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk, and Precinct 5-B at Munson Memorial Library, 1046 South East St.
