Berlin Community News

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Sent by Corinne Stridsberg and also posted at: http://socialenergy.blogspot.com
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If you're not already receiving this news by email, send an email to request this to corinnestridsberg@gmail.com
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Check out the Berlin, Vermont Community News page on facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Berlin-Vermont/205922199452224
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NOTE:  On a personal note, our son, Clark Stridsberg, has been submitting lots of applications / résumés for summer employment but hasn't landed anything yet. If you know of any opportunities please let us know. He's almost done his first year at Ithaca College.
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Included below please find:

GIRLS ON THE RUN COMMUNITY 5K IN ESSEX JUNCTION
VERMONT FREE FISHING DAY
VERMONT STATE PARKS
VOLUNTEER HELP WITH LOON LOCATING ON BERLIN POND
YOUTH CHESS CLUB
MUSEUM & PARK PASSES AVAILABLE AT KELLOGG-HUBBARD LIBRARY
FROM BERLIN FRONT PORCH FORUM
COMPLAINTS MERGE OVER TROUBLED 'YIELD'

FREE KIDS TRACK MEET
Kids Track Meet, Montpelier Friday, May 31, 6 pm at the Montpelier High School Track
FREE. For kids pre-school through 6th grade. Registration begins at 3:45 pm. Events include softball throw and long jump (all ages), quarter mile and 100 yard dash (all ages), half mile (1st & 2nd grade) and mile (3rd - 6th grade). Contact: Tim Noonan at 802 223-6216 or Norm Robinson at 802 223-7351.  http://www.cvrunners.org/cvrraces.html

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GIRLS ON THE RUN COMMUNITY 5K IN ESSEX JUNCTION
   We have an awesome Girls on the Run community 5K event planned once again this year and we need your help! 
   Well over 3000 participants are expected at this year’s Girls on the Run 5K! The 5K is on Saturday, June 8th and help is needed from 7:00am-12pm at the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex Junction. If you would like to help with pre-race preparation, race bag stuffing will be held the day before, on Friday, June 8th from 11am-1pm.
   If you are interested, please contact me at this email address: jcubino@harmonyatlast.com. See details below for the info I'll need from you.
   Please feel free to send this email to others who may be interested. Thanks in advance for making this an awesome experience for the girls and the community!
   All the best, Julie
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If you are interested, please include the following information when you contact me:
*Name 
*Email
*Interested in helping on race day (June 8th) or bag stuffing (June 7th)?
*Time Constraints: Do you need to start/end your participation at a specific time? 
*Volunteer Position Desired (for 5K run): Flexible or specific post requested?
*Are you a High School Student?: Let me know if you are a student and the school you attend so that I can place you with others from your school.
*Are you a Volunteer who will be accompanied by a child?: Let me know so that I can place you at an appropriate volunteer station.
*Do you have medical training?: The Expo will have EMTs at our 5K and we also like to have individuals with medical training at various spots along the course and at the finish line.
*Do you want to participate with others colleagues/friends/teammates as a group? Let me know and I'll find an appropriate spot for you.
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Note for all volunteers: The safety of all Girls on the Run program participants is of highest importance.  In order to maximize and ensure these standards of safety, it is mandatory that national criminal and sex offender background checks be performed on all 5k volunteers over the age of 18.  When you respond to this volunteer request, I will send you instructions on how to sign into the SECURE server and complete the required fields.  Notification of results will be e-mailed to the Girls on the Run office within 24 hours.  The Girls on the Run office will sign into the secure server to obtain the report.  The fee for background checks will be paid by Girls on the Run Vermont. Background checks are good for 2 years. If you did this last year, you won't need to do it again this year.


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VERMONT FREE FISHING DAY
Saturday, June 8, Vermont Free Fishing Day - anyone, resident or nonresident, may fish without a license.  All legal fishing methods and limits still apply.
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Daily activity fees - $3 for 14 year olds and older; $2 four years - 13 yrs; 3 yrs old and younger is free
Vehicle pass -$80 per season (additional vehicles registered to same person $40)
Individual pass $25 per season.
Punch cards - $20 for 10 day use visits, never expires
Local library pass - that's right, your local library offers a pass that will permit up to 8 people in one vehicle entry into any Vermont State Park Day Use area.
Lots more information can be found at: http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/fees.htm
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Check out the VT State Parks job openings:
http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/employment_jobs.htm
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VOLUNTEER HELP WITH LOON LOCATING ON BERLIN POND
I'm looking for some volunteers to help watch the loon pair on Berlin Pond, especially mid May to mid June to help locate nest location, if they nest.  I'll also be looking for someone to help with nest warning signs once the nest is found (putting signs out and taking in when done nesting).   The pair has usually nested in visible location from the road at north end but occasionally the pair has nested in an unknown location.  By paddling, we might be able to find this site or sites.  The best way to figure this out is when the consistent 2 loon sightings changes to 1 and no nest is observed from the road.  Then it would be time to paddle and search.  I'll be doing all of this until I can train someone in.
Timing:  Weekly checks from May 15-June 20 (or until nest is found)
Post hatching:  I usually check monthly.
Annual Loonwatch Count: 3rd Sat. of July. 8-9 a.m.
Two years ago, there were several sightings of 2 additional loons on the pond, thus someday we might see a 2nd pair form at the south end.  In mid May, I could host an outing either from shore or paddling for those who have interest.

YOUTH CHESS CLUB
A youth chess club continues to take place at Kellogg-Hubbard Library Wednesdays 5:30-7pm.  Call Robert Nichols for info, 229-1207

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MUSEUM & PARK PASSES AVAILABLE AT KELLOGG-HUBBARD LIBRARY
The Kellogg-Hubbard Children's Library (CL) offers passes to great Vermont museums, parks, and historical sites! Sign out a pass at the CL desk and make your next family outing cheaper, smarter, and more fun. Sign up at the CL desk for a three-day pass to these great Vermont points-of-interest! Please check for availability before planning your trip. Be sure to double check the details, including the days/hours they’re open:
• ECHO Aquarium & Science Center http://www.echovermont.org this pass gives you $2 admission per family member (regular admission $12.50 adults, $9.50 kids, $10.50 seniors & college students with ID although Vermonters receive a $2 from those prices with valid VT ID).
• Shelburne Farms http://www.shelburnefarms.org free admission to the children’s farmyard and walking trails (regular admission adults $8, $5 kids, $6 seniors).
• Vermont History Museum in downtown Montpelier by Statehouse http://www.vermonthistory.org – free family pass (regular admission $5 adults, $3 students & seniors, or $12 families) Open Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 4pm
• Vermont State Parks – free day pass for groups up to 8 http://www.vtstateparks.com (regular admission per day is $3 per person 14 yrs & older, $2 for 4 yr–13 yr olds)
• Vermont Historic Sites http://www.historicsites.vermont.gov/– free entry to the site for one family of groups up to 8
• Fairbanks Museum http://www.fairbanksmuseum.org – free admission for 2 adults and all children in household. Open Monday – Sat 9am – 5pm and Sunday 1pm-5pm. (Regular admission adults $8, kids under 17 $6, under 5 free, or family of up to 2 adults and their children under 17 $36) . The museum is closed Mondays Nov-March and also on the major holidays. The planetarium presentation is NOT included in the pass and costs $5 per person for a 50 minute presentation.

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COMPLAINTS MERGE OVER TROUBLED 'YIELD'
Pub. 4/26/13 Times Argus by David Delcore
   BERLIN — Some people love the sticklike white pylons that have created a dedicated lane for fast-moving traffic heading up the Berlin State Highway to Route 62 from the Barre-Montpelier Road; others, not so much.
   Love them or hate them, state officials say the pylons won't be around much longer and the “Yield” sign they replaced will be making a comeback while the state refines plans to reconfigure the troublesome junction that feeds one of the most studied intersections in central Vermont.
   An interim fix for the signalized intersection where Airport and Fisher roads meet Route 62 has been postponed until next year. That, officials say, is when they hope to construct a permanent solution for the poorly designed junction nearby.
   The answer — a “chicane” — may have a familiar ring to race fans, but Josh Schultz, who is managing the entire intersection upgrade for the state Agency of Transportation, said it's technically not an engineering term.
   Though Schultz said the agency has produced only the roughest of sketches so far, the concept — forcing traffic heading up the Berlin State Highway to curve slightly to the left and then swing back to the right before merging with Route 62 — has promise.
   “We're evaluating it right now, but we think it could work,” he said.
   Nothing else has.
   According to Schultz, that includes the soon-to-be-abandoned experiment that relied on a string of plastic pylons to create a dedicated lane for Route 62-bound motorists who frequently ignored the “Yield” sign that was once posted at the top of the Berlin State Highway.
   Thanks to mixed reviews and a number of reported near misses, Schultz said the pylons will be removed in the next several weeks, the road restriped and the “Yield” sign returned.
   “We figured the old situation (with the 'Yield' sign) will be better to get us through this summer and winter,” he said, quickly conceding it is far from optimal.
   “It's an awkward yield condition for both parties,” he said. “It kind of puts both drivers — on Route 62 and Berlin State Highway — in each others' blind spots.”

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FROM BERLIN FRONT PORCH FORUM
Below is just one posting... there have been many more
Membership is free - to join go to visit http://frontporchforum.com
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Festive Benefit for Central Vermont Humane Society April 27
Michelle Champoux - CROSSTOWN ROAD
Ready to let loose and enjoy a night out? Join us at Lucky Dog Catsino Night, our First Annual casino fundraiser, this Saturday, April 27th! Players gamble with tokens for a chance to win raffle prizes, and everyone who joins in is a winner for the animals.
The event is at 7pm, at the Montpelier Elks. $20 in advance, or $25 at the door, gets you your first $100 worth of chips. Roulette, craps, and blackjack tables give you many opportunities to earn tickets for the prize raffle. We have many wonderful gifts and services donated by local businesses, all for the raffle or silent auction. Many local businesses are also generous sponsors of the event, so come out and see your neighbors!
If you'd like to purchase your tickets in advance, visit our website to purchase online. You can also see our sponsors and prize donors at our website: www.cvhumane.com
There will be finger foods, cash bar, and dancing -- something for everyone -- even if you don't want to play the games!
Hope to see you there!