Thursday, August 02, 2007
August Beginning of Month Updates
Berlin Community Festival - the town has decided to work toward a spring event next year instead of a fall event this year. If you're interested in helping out (and yes, they do indeed need help!), please contact Pat McDonald. The date still needs to be set and I believe people will meet in September to start planning.
In addition to the http://socialenergy.blogspot.com (be sure to check out all the new links), I've also moved sports information I have to: http://sportsactivities.blogspot.com/
Have any of you visited: http://www.u32.phanfare.com/ - It's U-32 photos and it's not just sports! There are photos from the 2007 8th grade Washington DC trip and the 2006 U-32 graduation! Maybe there are people with photos out there who can somehow contribute theirs to the site also?!
Have you been reading the latest Harry Potter book? I was surprised how quickly everyone in my family got through it! Have you listened to any of them on tape or cd? There is a fun 15 question game to guess the characters after listening to a clip read by Jim Dale
http://www.randomhouse.com/audio/features/harrypotter/ (at the top it says "Play Guess the Voices Game), I must admit I did miss one of them. If you haven't finished HP yet, you may want to avoid HP sites until you're done, but when you're ready there is some interesting reading at: http://www.mugglenet.com/ Do you have a favorite Harry Potter site? Let me know!
I'm not sure that everyone knows about Midstate Regional Library which is located just down the road from Berlin Elementary School. The address is: 578 Paine Tpke N, Montpelier, VT 05602 and they can be reached at: (802) 828-2320. Berlin residents can get a library card there and take out books and also get books using interlibrary loan.
For those of you who have been doing some traveling or plan to, here's a way to share information on free and affordable fun! http://www.stretcher.com/stories/970525a.cfm
The Dollar Stretcher website has a lot of good ideas on many topics you'll want to look at, I've been on their email list for years.
BERLIN REAPPRAISAL STARTED
The Town of Berlin has begun the process of updating values. The Town last completed a full reappraisal in 1989. The base has been used since to place the assessments on all real estate. At the time the 1989 values (3 year rolling average) are roughly two-thirds of current market value. Some recent sales are twice the assessed values.
The Town has contracted with the Vermont Appraisal Company (VAC) to complete this project. The Berlin Listers (Mike Domingue, Carol Fitzpatrick and Maurice Willard) and VAC appraisers (Rich Lewis and Ted Nelson) will be working together over the next year to update all information including photographs, new electronic diagrams and the actual valuation of each taxable property in Town.
At present there are just under 1,500 properties in Berlin. These are mostly residential (over 1,000) with a strong commercial (the Berlin Mall and properties on the Barre-Montpelier Road) and industrial base of roughly 200 parcels. There are also working farms and undeveloped land parcels located in Berlin.
The Town will be individually contacting the residential property owners in advance of inspections. The Listers plan to send a letter to each home-owner asking for their cooperation to inspect the interior and exterior of all principle buildings. The letters will go out to each section of Town and be addressed directly to the owner of record as of April 1, 2007.
Interested people are encouraged to contact the Listers at their office (229-4880). Every effort will be made to accommodate schedules and inspection preferences.
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LIFEGUARDS NEEDED: Barre Pool is still trying to open for some amount of time this summer and they're looking for lifeguards. http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070803/NEWS02/708030342/1003/NEWS02 If you have the training contact the Barre City Rec Dept at 476-0257 or Dave Pickel at FIrst in Fitness 223-6161.
