Bangs Community Center Renovation Targets Safety, Senior Center Upgrades
AMHERST — Renovations at the Bangs Community Center are moving ahead with safety, accessibility and Senior Center upgrades, while Amherst Central School District closed out the summer with a string of staff and student honors and the Amherst Public Library set an August 8 artist reception.
TOWN HALL The Bangs Community Center Renovations project includes improvements to health and safety, accessibility, the Senior Center, and the area adjacent to Room 101, according to the town's website. The building will remain open throughout construction, with completion expected in early 2027.
SCHOOLS Amherst Central School District marked several appointments and awards as the new school year approaches. Zoe Simonson has been selected as the district's ex-officio student board member, a one-year term that began July 1, according to the district. Adam Wierbinski was named assistant principal at Amherst Central High School, and Patrick Kapperman was named high school principal, part of a broader slate of building leadership changes the district announced.
Music teacher Julie Furlong was awarded the 2026 General Music Educator of the Year award, and the district was named one of the 2026 Best Communities for Music Education for the tenth consecutive year. Smallwood Drive Elementary capped its "See the Good, Be the Good, Spread the Good" character program with a Community Day celebration, earning the school its seventh Promising Practice character award. The Board of Education meets Tuesday, August 4, at 6 p.m. in the District Board Room.
COMMUNITY & ARTS The Amherst Public Library's Friends of the Library will host an Artist Reception on Saturday, August 8, at 1 p.m. Library patrons can also join "Let's Play Mahjong!" on Thursday, August 6, at 1 p.m., and the ATL Reads book discussion of "All Systems Red" by Martha Wells is scheduled for Tuesday, August 11, at 1 p.m. and repeated Wednesday, August 12, at 6 p.m., according to the library's calendar.
COMING UP The Board of Health meets Wednesday, August 5, and the Planning Board & Community Resources Committee of the Town Council also meets that day, per the town's public meetings calendar. The Board of Education convenes Tuesday, August 4, at 6 p.m., and the library's Mahjong session runs Thursday, August 6, at 1 p.m.
Compiled from official town feeds, community organizations, and local press. Outside reporting is attributed inline.