November 03, 2008

College forwards movie windfall to town

According to a report in Saturday’s Springfield Republican, Amherst College was paid $40,000 for the use of the former SAC bunker in the Holyoke Range by the crew filming “The Edge of Darkness”, a film starring Mel Gibson scheduled for a 2009 release.

The bunker, now used as a repository by the Five Colleges, was staged to reprise its former role in the movie. The college, according to Amherst Town Manager Larry Shaffer, considered the money “found revenue” and decided to donate it to the town.

Half of the $40,000 was given to the schools, while town officials divided the remaining $20,000, with half to be used to provide emergency help to needy elderly residents, Shaffer said.

The other half will be administered by Community Development Director Roy Rosenblatt to provide emergency rental and fuel assistance and emergency shelter help to those referred to his department by town agencies.

…Because the money was a gift, it did not need to be deposited in the general fund but it did have to meet with donor approval, he said.

The town of Amherst, which received some help from the College in the face of a large budget deficit earlier this year, is likely to face even greater problems in their next budget cycle, with both state and local tax bases eroding in the face of the current economic situation. The Republican article, while mentioning the February gift from the College, doesn’t mention the tax losses the Town will likely endure from the South Pleasant Street building recently purchased by the College leaving the tax rolls next year, or from the Lord Jeffery Inn being closed over the winter. Financial relations between the College and the Town are likely to remain complicated.

Parker Morse '96 | November 3, 2008 01:48 PM | Town

Larry Kelley | November 3, 2008 08:56 PM:

Name:

Email Address:

URL:
Remember Me? YesNo

Comments:

Select --- Administration Alumni Amherstiana Athletics Campus Faculty History Publications Student Life Town --- Complete Archives