Berlin Community News

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This communication is put together and distributed on a volunteer basis by resident Corinne Stridsberg simply in an effort to share information and build community, it is not from the town of Berlin.

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Check out the Berlin, Vermont Community News page on facebook to find bits of current news:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Berlin-Vermont/205922199452224

Included below please find:

KID/FAMILY  ACTIVITIES
BERLIN BOARD TAPS MORETOWN MAN AS AIDE TO ADMINISTRATOR
U-32 PARENT GROUP MEETING
PROTECT YOUR COMPUTER DOCUMENTS AND DIGITAL PHOTOS
NORTHFIELD SAVINGS BANK PLANS MOVE TO BERLIN

KID/FAMILY  ACTIVITIES
Don't forget there are two great resources for finding activities for kids / families:
http://www.kidsvt.com
http://www.findandgoseek.net

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BERLIN BOARD TAPS MORETOWN MAN AS AIDE TO ADMINISTRATOR
pub. 9/25/13 Times Argus by David Delcore
   BERLIN — The Select Board filled another vacancy at the municipal office building this week when they agreed to hire a Moretown man to serve as the part-time assistant to Town Administrator Jeff Schulz.
   Following a brief executive session late Monday afternoon, board members agreed to offer the job to Tom Badowski.
   Badowski has worked in the solid waste field, including serving as general manager of the Moretown Landfill.
   Badowski’s hiring comes on the heels of the board’s recent decision to appoint Berlin resident Diane Isabelle to fill the vacant town treasurer’s position.
   Schulz has been working without an assistant for several months and the treasurer’s position had been vacant since July.

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U-32 PARENT GROUP MEETING
Parents and guardians of both middle school and high school students are invited to the first Parent Group meeting of this school year. Please join us for an informal meeting from 6:30—7:30 p.m. on October 10 in the U-32 library reference room to meet and chat with Principal, Keith Gerritt, and Assistant Principals, Kevin Downey and Jody
Emerson.   Great opportunity to meet Kevin who joined the U-32 Community last year and Jody who just joined this year along with parents from the other towns.
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PROTECT YOUR COMPUTER DOCUMENTS AND DIGITAL PHOTOS
To protect your computer files, documents, digital photos, music, etc. consider backing them up to "the cloud".  One company that offers this service is "Carbonite" (http://www.carbonite.com).  For $59.99 per year you can get their basic service for one computer which after an initial back-up, continues to back-up your system on a daily basis.  Note that for a business it costs at least $229.99 but does include unlimited computers.  I'm told that "Mozy" is a popular company that offers this same service and there are other good ones such as "SOS Online" and I-Drive".  I believe they all cost about the same amount.

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NORTHFIELD SAVINGS BANK PLANS MOVE TO BERLIN
Pub. 10/7/13 Times Argus by David Delcore
   BERLIN — Northfield Savings Bank has claimed credit for plans to construct a 20,000-square-foot office building across Stewart Road from the Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce.
   According to bank officials, the proposed two-story facility, which was recently discussed by sewer commissioners in Berlin, would house the bank’s administrative and support personnel — a headquarters that, for the first time since the bank was founded in 1867, would not be in Northfield.
   The decision to build a new operations center at the four-way intersection of Paine Turnpike North and Stewart and Fisher roads in Berlin capped an “extensive study” that bank officials said evaluated the potential for an extensive renovation of the buildings that have housed its Northfield headquarters since 1883.
   Based on the results of a needs assessment and an engineering and architectural analysis of the Northfield facility, officials concluded that the cost of major renovations would exceed that of new construction. They also said that even an upgraded building could not accommodate potential future expansion.
   Unable to find a cost-effective location for a new operations center in Northfield, bank officials settled on the Berlin site after a search that evaluated property as far away as Waterbury.
   The Berlin site’s proximity to Interstate 89 as well as the main bank in Northfield and branches in Barre and Montpelier, factored into the decision. Currently, the bank’s information technology operations are divided between Northfield and Barre and would be united under one roof when the operations center is built.
   According to bank officials, 55 to 60 employees will be relocated from Northfield to Berlin once the project is complete, though they said construction of the center will not result in any personnel changes. The bank also plans to “maintain a significant banking presence in downtown Northfield,” they said.
   Berlin’s Development Review Board will soon be asked to consider NSB’s permit request. Barring any unanticipated problems, construction of the building and 85-space parking area will begin next spring.
   The building, which will require the demolition of an existing structure, extensive site work and a sewer upgrade, should be ready for occupancy in early 2015.
   Banking services at the proposed operations center would be limited to a drive-up automatic teller machine. The facility would house administrative staff and support personnel for the locally owned bank that got its start — not to mention its name — in Northfield nearly 150 years ago and now has 13 branches statewide.
   According to officials, targeted improvements — most aimed at enhancing customer access and service — to the main bank in Northfield will begin in mid-2015 after the move to the operations center is complete. The interior and mechanical systems of the bank in Northfield will be renovated and modernized, the parking area will be improved, and new landscaping is planned.
david.delcore @timesargus.com