Amherst Opens Free Pools and Cooling Centers Through July 4 Weekend
With an extreme heat event forecast through the July 4th holiday weekend, Amherst is opening cooling centers and waiving pool fees — and the town wrapped up the workweek with a new leadership appointment at Senior Services.
TOWN HALL
A heat advisory covering the rest of the week through Friday, July 3 is prompting the town to activate several relief options. Public pools will be free to enter Wednesday, July 1 through Friday, July 3, the spray pad is up and running, and cooling centers are available during limited hours. Residents without air conditioning or who need a break from the heat are encouraged to take advantage of all three options. Town offices will be closed Friday, July 3 in observance of Independence Day.
Town Manager Paul Bockelman also announced the appointment of Daniel Garcia as the new Director of Senior Services. Garcia is expected to begin the role on July 20. The position oversees programs and services for Amherst's older adult residents, housed at the Bangs Community Center — which is itself undergoing ongoing renovations expected to be complete in early 2027.
In a separate update, Amherst Recreation has relocated its offices, though the department noted it remains fully available to the public. Residents needing to reach the department should check the town website for the new location.
Bockelman is also seeking one resident to join the DPW Building Committee, a temporary advisory body guiding the design and construction of a new Department of Public Works facility. Application review begins July 6.
COMMUNITY & ARTS
Amherst Town Library is running its summer reading program, "Plant a Seed, Read!" through Friday, August 7, with books, challenges, prizes, and events for all ages. Note that the library will be closed Friday, July 3 through Sunday, July 5, reopening Monday, July 6.
Coming up at the library this week: Little Listeners for young children meets Wednesday, July 2 at 10 a.m.; Story Makers Studio is Wednesday at 3 p.m.; Tots & Tunes is Thursday, July 2 at 10 a.m.; and kids can decorate their bikes for the parade Thursday at 1 p.m. For adults, the in-person Let's Play Mahjong! session is Thursday, July 2 at 1 p.m., and a virtual Slow Doodling session runs Thursday at 2 p.m.
COMING UP
Wednesday, July 1: Little Listeners (library, 10 a.m.); Story Makers Studio (library, 3 p.m.); Planning Board Public Hearing and Planning Board meeting; Drum Circle for Healing of Nations (community calendar); Summer Seminars at UMass Downtown. Pools free through July 3.
Thursday, July 2: Tots & Tunes (library, 10 a.m.); Parade Bike Decorating (library, 1 p.m.); Let's Play Mahjong! (library, 1 p.m.); Slow Doodling virtual (library, 2 p.m.); Town Services and Outreach Committee of the Town Council; Transportation and Parking Commission subcommittee meeting; Open-Play Pickleball at Mill River.
Friday, July 3: Independence Day Celebration and Fireworks at UMass Amherst's McGuirk Alumni Stadium South Lawn — free event with live entertainment, food vendors, and family activities. Town offices closed.
Sunday, July 6: Library reopens. Jones Library Building Design Subcommittee meets.
Thursday, July 9: ATL Reads Cookbook Club (library, noon, in-person); ATL Reads Book Discussion: Revolutionary Summer by Joseph Ellis (library, 6 p.m., in-person).
ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS
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