Berlin Community News

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The Floating Bridge in Brookfield hasn't been open to traffic since 2008, and is now expected to reopen next year! YEAH! I'm so excited to hear it will be built in modules so if anything happens and it needs repair, a section can be taken out and repaired.
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Included below please find:

SAFETY ANDSECURITY AT U-32
FINAL PUBLIC INFOMEETING REGARDING WATER PROJECT FEB 6, 6:30PM
BERLIN SETS SPECIAL VOTE ON WATER PROJECT
OFFICE SUPPORT PART-TIME POSITION
SLEDDING, SKIING, SNOWSHOEING ON U-32'S CAMPUS
SOME SAY LOCAL RULES COULD SLOW BARRE-MPLR ROAD GROWTH
COULD VERMONT BECOME A MAJOR PLAYER IN VIDEO GAMES?
BROOKFIELD BRIDGE ON ROAD TO REOPENING
ANNUAL COMMUNITY SPAGHETTI DINNER AT U-32 MARCH 22ND

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BERLIN ELEMENTARY 2013-2014 SCHOOL BUDGET PRESENTATION ON-LINE
The following link is to a summary of the proposed school budget and tax impact by Mike Stridsberg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CA6T9-gKVI


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SAFETY AND SECURITY AT U-32
Share your thoughts on safety and security at U-32. Please join parents and administrators at the next Parent Group meeting on February 21 from 6:30—7:30 p.m. in the library reference room. This will be an open discussion to share ideas about how to make U-32 safe for our entire learning community.

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FINAL PUBLIC INFOMEETING REGARDING WATER PROJECT FEB 6, 6:30PM
Meeting will be held at Berlin Elementary School. Good presentation and chance to ask the questions you may have. Vote will be on February 13th. Details on the project can be found on the town websitehttp://www.berlinvt.org

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BERLIN SETS SPECIAL VOTE ON WATER PROJECT
Pub 1/23/13 Times Argus by David Delcore
BERLIN — The fate of a long-discussed water system that would serve the Berlin Four Corners area will be decided during a special election in mid-February.
The Feb. 13 bond vote represents the latest make-or-break moment for a $5.5 million project that has been the subject of on-again off-again discussions for the past 20 years.
Those discussions have been on again since 2007 as town officials have pressed ahead with a plan they say could create a reliable, cost-effective, municipally owned water supply in a strategically located area of their community.
In order to pursue favorable federal financing for the project that they say will be paid for exclusively by those who voluntarily agree to hook on to the proposed system, town officials first need a head nod from local voters. Approval of the proposed bond issue would satisfy that need and free the town to explore financing options with an eye toward constructing a water system that would be fed by three wells that they have already drilled, tested and acquired on Scott Hill Road.
Polls for the town-wide vote will be open on Wednesday, Feb. 13, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the municipal office building on Shed Road. The project will be the subject of a public informational meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 6 at Berlin Elementary School.
The school, the town offices, and the local volunteer fire station are all in the area that would be served by the proposed water system that would serve portions of Airport, Crosstown, Comstock, Fisher, Granger, Scott Hill, and Shed roads, as well as the full length of Industrial Lane and a short section of Paine Turnpike in the vicinity of the Route 62 intersection.
Among other things, the system would involve the installation of an estimated 31,500 linear feet of water line, and a 400,000-gallon water storage tank and pump station that would be located near the three town-owned wells on Scott Hill Road.
In the run-up to next month’s bond vote town officials are assuring voters that while their approval is a necessary step in what has been a protracted process, it does not necessarily mean the water system will ever be built. First, they say, they have to secure financing that would make the system affordable to prospective users, and then they would have to obtain commitments from those users before proceeding with construction.
Officials have described the bond vote as something of a formality — repeatedly stressing that all costs will eventually be born by users of the proposed system — including those that have already been incurred. However, the looming decision isn’t completely without risk, especially if the town invests in the final design of the proposed system, but is then unable to lock down financing or enough users to pursue the project. If that were to happen, taxpayers would be required to cover the pre-construction costs.
Officials believe that limited risk is outweighed by the water system’s potential to unleash commercial and industrial development in an area where groundwater contamination has been a longstanding problem.
The Select Board chose not to wait until Town Meeting Day to seek voter approval of the bond issue. Instead, they opted for a special election they agreed would give voters the opportunity to focus on the single issue.
david.delcore@timesargus.com

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OFFICE SUPPORT PART-TIME POSITION
Town of Berlin Office Support Staff Position, part-time 10-15 hours per week. Combination of education and job experience to fulfill the minimum requirements of the job. Background in bookkeeping, municipal finance and experience with NERMC software along with knowledge and experience with various computer programs including Excel, Word and Outlook. Details on the town website. Resume, cover letter and list of three reference by February 8, 2013.

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SLEDDING, SKIING, SNOWSHOEING ON U-32'S CAMPUS
We are always excited to see community members taking advantage of the resources U‐32 has to offer. Please also feel free to use the nordic ski trails, running trails, track and tennis courts! We just ask visitors to help us with the following:

• please don't bring your pets,
• snowshoe to the side of the groomed ski trails
• when sledding, please sled and walk next to the groomed path for skiing. If you walk or sled on that section it damages it for the skiers.

Thank you for your consideration!

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SOME SAY LOCAL RULES COULD SLOW BARRE-MPLR ROAD GROWTH
Pub 1/29/13 Times Argus by David Delcore
BERLIN — The recent rebirth of a commercial strip once dubbed Berlin’s “Million-Dollar Mile” could be hampered by local flood-related restrictions that exceed federal standards.
So say some who own property along the Barre-Montpelier Road — a group that has urged the Select Board to nudge the Planning Commission to revisit an ordinance approved by voters in March.
Although the ordinance allows for“redevelopment” in the flood plain, it essentially prohibits “new development” — a change that almost scuttled plans to construct Panera Bread at the Central Vermont Shopping Center and may have stalled a proposal to build a CVSPharmacy near the intersection at the base of the Berlin State Highway.
Both the restaurant that is under construction and the pharmacy that isn’t are located in the town’s highway commercial district. Most, if not all, of that district, which runs along the Stevens Branch of the Winooski River, is in the flood plain.
If not for a 13-year-old permit that was issued for a bank that was never built, Pomerleau Real Estate’s plans to lure Panera Bread to the shopping plaza would have been barred by an ordinance that some property owners and their representatives have claimed was adopted without their knowledge or input.
The ordinance, they say, is excessive and unnecessary and should be modified, at least with respect to the Barre-Montpelier Road, where many of the more than 200 affected parcels are located.
The change also affected the Route 12 corridor between Montpelier and Northfield, a short section of Route 2 and the Montpelier Junction area.
Ron Lyon, a local resident who was the engineer Pomerleau hired for the Panera Bread project, was among those who spoke last week in favor of a compromise that would make new development a conditional use in the highway commercial district.
“It would address the main corridor that has been used for development historically,” Lyon said, suggesting there is room for additional development on the Central Vermont Shopping Center property.
The shopping center — which is anchored by Big Lots and is preparing to welcome Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft as its newest tenant — flooded during a May 2011 storm. Lyon stressed that any new development, Panera included, still must be flood-proofed in accordance with Federal Emergency Management Agency standards even if the ordinance is relaxed.
Lyon said the more rigid regulations that voters agreed to went further than is necessary to ensure the town can continue to participate in the federal flood insurance program.
“It is a very restrictive ordinance,”he said.
According to Lyon, recent activity along the Barre-Montpelier Road — including the construction of Auto Zone, the relocation of Staples and the Panera project— has created momentum that could be stymied if the regulations aren’t relaxed.
“This (ordinance) has the potential for shutting that (interest) back down,” he said.
Randy Rouleau, who owns property along the Barre-Montpelier Road, agreed.
“This could be a huge loss to the town,” he said. “There’s a lot of land in the flood plain.”
Rouleau initially challenged the Panera permit but dropped his appeal when Pomerleau agreed to join him in calling for a change to the flood plain regulations.
According to Rouleau, the new regulations were the product of an under-the-radar process.
“The Planning Commission struggled through and adopted these regulations without any input from the landowners,”he said. “Shame on us, we didn’t know.”
According to Town Administrator Jeff Schulz, state officials initially indicated that allowing new development in the flood plain would be unacceptable. The state has since “softened its position” and now appears willing to allow new structures to be built in already developed areas like the Barre-Montpelier Road, as long as they meet FEMA standards.
The town’s Planning Commission has looked for direction from the Select Board. Board members generally agreed the revision would be acceptable though it won’t happen overnight and will require voter approval.
The commission briefly discussed the proposed change last week and is expected to warn a public hearing before making a recommendation to the Select Board. Once that happens the board must hold a public hearing of its own and decide whether to schedule a vote. Given the warning requirements for public hearings and special elections, that process could take months, Schulz said.
david.delcore @timesargus.com

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COULD VERMONT BECOME A MAJOR PLAYER IN VIDEO GAMES?
WCAX http://www.wcax.com/story/20876521/could-vermont-become-a-major-player-in-video-games Posted: 1/30/13 by Alexei Rubenstein
MONTPELIER, Vt. - Montpelier's Chris Hancock is a 20-year veteran video game developer. Unlike the shoot 'em up, first-person games that many associate with video games, the MIT-educated programmer's passion lies in children's education. Like a rhyming game he's working on for the toddler set.
"There is an aha moment when you think of a concept that's really simple but really powerful that's going to work," Hancock said.
Hancock and six other programmers share space in Local 64, a co-working space that opened on State Street just last year. He says the incubator space and others like it are prime examples of a growing industry in Vermont.
"I think that Vermont has a tremendous ability to attract or potential to attract more people who develop games because they're looking for the great quality of place that we have here," Hancock said.
Up the street at the Statehouse Tuesday, Hancock and a dozen other game developers were showing off their labors to lawmakers. It's all part of an effort by Vermont Game Developers and a group of lawmakers to secure $75,000 in state funding to help market the industry here and lure some of the talent from places like Montreal, which has captured a sizable chunk of the $52 billion worldwide industry.
"We're at a moment when marketing Vermont as a great place for entrepreneurs to build small game development studios and to encourage our students to remain in Vermont and pursue their own entrepreneurial dreams can make a big difference," said Jackie Weyrauch, a game developer.
Lawmakers said that just like the ski industry, which receives promotional funding from the state, nurturing the developing video game industry could pay huge economic dividends.
"This is one that is actually a small footprint, it brings a lot of jobs and it's sustainable," said Sen. John Campbell, D-Vt. President Pro Tem.
"We can get out in front as the place to bring your game business or the place to start your game business and that what I'm hoping we'll do," Hancock said.
Efforts to make Vermont a winner in the gaming game.
Game developers say Champlain College plays a vital role in attracting the industry to Vermont. The school has gaming and emergent media programs.

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Pub 1/23/13 Times Argus by Eric Blaisdell
BROOKFIELD— What some say is the only one of its kind in the country, Brookfield’s floating bridge, may be reconstructed and open by the end of 2014.
At an information session in the town’s elementary school Monday night, the Department of Transportation’s Jennifer Fitch explained what is going to happen next with the one-lane bridge, which is a part of Route 65 and therefore a state highway. Fitch, the project manager, said the department has put the bridge into its budget and is going forward with its replacement.
The bridge was closed in 2008 to traffic and pedestrians because of safety concerns. Fitch said winter ice had punctured some of the floats used to hold the bridge up, causing the roadway to sink.
Fitch said her timeline is for the design to be completed in December. From there, the project will go out to bid and construction will begin in the spring of 2014. Fitch said the hope is to have the new bridge open by fall 2014.
The bridge was built in 1936 and reconstructed in 1978. The Brookfield Historical Society says there has been a floating bridge in the town’s Pond Village since the 1800s. Fitch said this new bridge should have a life of 100 years.
The new bridge, 318 feet long and 22 feet wide, will be composed of five to seven modules, Fitch said. If one of the pieces is damaged, it can be unhooked from the bridge and brought on shore to be repaired, something not possible with the current bridge. Each module will have two pontoons, side by side, made up of a 1-inch-thick fiber-reinforced polymer and filled with a “closed cell” foam that will keep water out even if the pontoon is punctured.
The new one-lane bridge will have sidewalks on each side that are 5 feet wide, instead of the current 3 feet, to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Fitch said the latest estimate of the cost is $4.7 million. Of that, 80 percent will be covered by the federal government, and the remaining 20 percent, or $940,000, would be the responsibility of the state. The cost had originally been estimated at about $2 million by the department, but Fitch said that was more of a target than an actual analysis of the price.
Since the proposed budget for fiscal year 2014 has not been released yet, it is unclear if the Department of Transportation is seeking funding of the state’s full share this year or spreading the cost over two years since the bridge is not expected to be completed until fiscal year 2015.
The project “is one that has been in planning for quite some time and is supported by the Vermont Agency of Transportation and will likely get some funding in the near future,”said Secretary of Transportation Brian Searles in a statement. “This scenario could be complicated by the current state transportation fund shortfall, but the Legislature will be working on this problem over the next few months and the fate of the entire transportation capital program will be clearer after the Legislature completes its work.”
Searles added it was good news the “iconic” bridge is on track to being rebuilt.
Select Board Chairman John Benson said he’s concerned about funding for the bridge since it has to go through the Legislature.
“There is always a competition for dollars,” he said.
Benson said a majority of townspeople see the bridge as an “essential element” of Pond Village and repairing it is important to maintaining the cultural aspects of the village.
Perry Kacik is on the board of directors for the Brookfield Historical Society. He said that because the bridge is a historical landmark, the replacement is required to look like the old bridge. The new bridge will also be able to take larger vehicles, as Kacik said the load limit has been doubled to 12 tons. He said this will allow ambulances to use the bridge.
Kacik said the floating bridge is not only the east-west connector for Pond Village but also a popular tourism destination, being the only one of its kind in the country. Kacik said there are two other floating bridges in the United States, but they are on the West Coast and have multiple lanes of traffic as part of Washington state’s interstate system.
He is glad the bridge will be rebuilt because in the summer, a trip that would take a couple of minutes over the bridge instead takes 20 minutes to go around the pond. The bridge is closed in the winter because the wooden roadway cannot be plowed.
eric.blaisdell@timesargus.com

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ANNUAL COMMUNITY SPAGHETTI DINNER AT U-32 MARCH 22ND
Mark your calendar now for the annual U-32 8th grade spaghetti dinner on Friday, March 22nd. There will be seatings at 5:30pm and 7pm. The menu includes meat or vegetarian pasta, tossed salad, homemade garlic breads, drinks and dessert. The evening includes the DC Raffle, Silent Auction and Live Music! Tickets available in advance from any 8th grader or at the door. Adults $10, families $30, Students / Seniors (62+) $5. Take-Out orders available for $10 each. Proceeds to benefit the annual U-32 8th grade trip to Washington, DC in June.