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.

Please share this with your Berlin friends and neighbors.  If you're not already receiving this news directly 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 facebook to find bits of current news, some not included here:https://www.facebook.com/pages/Berlin-Vermont/205922199452224

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EMAIL CHANGE, TOWN REPORTS, MEETING TIMES, DEADLINE

CROSSTOWN TOWING SERVICE

BERLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GARDEN

CONSERVATION CAMP APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE 
MONTPELIER PARKING FEES INCREASED

CCV OFFERS FREE ONLINE MONEY COURSE

REVENUE SAID TO BALANCE SHORTFALLS IN BERLIN AUDIT

LONGTIME VT STATE EMPLOYEE CALLS IT A CAREER

WILL VERMONT'S GREEN UP DAY TRADITION BE TRASHED?

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EMAIL CHANGE, TOWN REPORTS, MEETING TIMES, DEADLINE

Please note that because of a computer issue, the email address for the Town Clerk has been changed to BerlinTownClerk@berlinvt.org. Town Reports are back from the printers and can be picked up at the Town Office. Berlin Elem. students will also be asked to bring home a copy to their family. Please bring the book with you (or if you still need one you can pick one up) at Pre Town Meeting Monday, March 3rd at 6pm at Berlin Elem. and also at Town Meeting, Tuesday, March 4th at 10am. The polls will be open March 4th for voting 10am-7pm. Last day to become a registered voter is Wed., Feb 26th. Absentee Ballots are now available.

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CROSSTOWN TOWING SERVICE

Did you know there is a new towing service in town? Ian Lacasse's Crosstown Towing is always open and can be reached by calling 802-839-0189. Ian now has two flat bed trucks and will get your vehicle where it needs to go. If you have AAA you can call them and request Crosstown Towing. Check them out on facebook.

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BERLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GARDEN

Already thinking of outdoor projects?  If you can help construct a garden shed at Berlin Elementary School April April 23rd please be in touch with Cindy Gauthier at cgauthier@u32.org.

The school is also looking for folks who can volunteer some time and/or expertise in finding and applying for grants to help make the school garden sustainable.  The garden supports both the education of students and their foodservice program.  Again, please be in touch with Cindy Gauthier.

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CONSERVATION CAMP APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE 
For 12- to 14-year-olds interested in learning about wildlife and conservation, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department’s Green Mountain Conservation Camps applications are available.
The camps have two locations: Buck Lake in Woodbury and Lake Bomoseen in Castleton. Each camp program lasts one week. 
The camps start June 22 and run until Aug. 22. The fee is $250 for a week. For more information visit the Fish and Wildlife Department website, www.vtfishandwildlife.com.

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MONTPELIER PARKING FEES INCREASED

Parking Fees Go into Effect pub. 1/30/14 Times Argus
MONTPELIER — Officials in the Capital City are reminding residents that effective Feb. 1, new parking fees will go into effect.
The changes were recommended by the Montpelier Parking Committee and approved by the City Council in November.
Rates for parking meters will go from $0.75 per hour to $1 per hour.
For permits, the 60 State St. lot and the Blanchard Court lot will see increases in permits from $50 to $100 per month, and short-term vending permits will increase from $0.35 per hour to $0.75 per hour. Permits for the North Branch, or Jacobs Lot, will increase from $70 per month to $100 per month.
The old Vermont League of Cities and Towns lot next to Shaw’s will see an increase in permits of $40 to $70 per month.
The Pitkin Circle lot will see an increase in the seasonal rate, from April 1 to Nov. 15, from $262 to $325 per year.
Permits for Stone Cutters Way will increase from $41.67 to $60 for 21 permits. The increase does not include 26 spaces still covered by a temporary contract with Co

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CCV OFFERS FREE ONLINE MONEY COURSE

Community College of Vermont is offering a free noncredit online money course called Money Smarts that is based on the open online course concept.  Money Smarts, which starts March 3 and runs through April 7, will educate students on a multitude of topics regarding money, with the goal of increasing financial literacy and getting control of personal finances. Some of the topics that will be discussed weekly include budgets and goal setting, understanding credit, mastering credit cards, borrowing basics, and services provided by banks and credit unions.  High-speed (cable or DSL) Internet access is recommended for the course. To enroll visit http://looc.ccv.edu.

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REVENUE SAID TO BALANCE SHORTFALLS IN BERLIN AUDIT

Pub 2/19/14 Times Argus by David Delcore

  BERLIN — The town report is hot off the presses, but Berlin residents interested in their town’s financial performance in the most recent audit won’t find those results in its pages.
  The audit for the fiscal year that ended June 30 arrived a few days too late to make it to the printer by the Feb. 10 deadline. The delay is being attributed to turnover in the town treasurer’s office and a change in accounting firms. 
  “It was a combination of those two things,” Town Administrator Jeff Schulz said Tuesday, noting the audit, which was presented to the Select Board this week, is available for inspection at the town offices.
  The town took in $26,000 more revenue than the $2.45 million that was originally estimated, while spending just over $70,000 more than the $2.65 million that was budgeted.
  Two areas — the Police Department and the Water Supply Commission — were significantly over budget, according to the audit, which indicated there was a reason for both.
  Though the $851,628 the town spent on its Police Department was $34,114 over budget, most of that was offset by additional revenue — primarily a $26,136 public safety grant.
  The water commission, which has been working on plans to launch a municipal water system serving the Berlin Four Corners area, was $54,567 over its $10,000 budget. However, Schulz said that figure is misleading because the town expects to be reimbursed for the water project-related expenses it incurred. That money should be booked this fiscal year, he said.
  The audit reflects the Select Board’s decision to use $150,000 in surplus funds to reduce the amount of property taxes needed to finance last year’s budget. That contributed to a $249,058 depletion of the general fund balance, which stood at $588,195 at the close of the fiscal year. About half of that money — $292,865 — remained for unrestricted use at the start of the current fiscal year.

  The audit shows the town still has a comfortable cushion, according to Schulz, who said the 40-page document arrived too late to be included in this year’s town report.
  Part of that had to do with the fact the town quickly burned through two appointed treasurers before settling on the current one, Diane Isabelle. She came on board after the close of the fiscal year, essentially inheriting books that were kept by a patchwork of predecessors.
  That challenge was compounded by a switch to new accountants. Though the Montpelier firm Mudgett, Jennett & Krogh-Wisner had audited the town’s books in the past, that was at least three years and four treasurers ago.
  david.delcore @timesargus.com

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LONGTIME VT STATE EMPLOYEE CALLS IT A CAREER

Pub Feb 19 WCAX by Joe Carroll

(Be sure to check out the video of the story!! at http://www.wcax.com/story/24769571/longtime-vt-state-employee-calls-it-a-career )

   BERLIN, Vt. - It was a special day at the Vermont Lottery headquarters, not because there was a jackpot winner, but another treasure-- the retirement of a longtime employee.

   A card designed to look like a giant check read, "Carole Lacasse, 52 years, thank you for over 108,000 hours served."

   It was hugs and gifts for Lacasse. The longtime state employee has spent the last three decades working for the lottery. When she first started sales were around $4 million, today it's over $100 million.

   "Each and every one of you have made this wonderful for me," Lacasse told co-workers.

   Twenty-one people work for the lottery. Just about all the staff members and former employees came to wish 71-year-old Lacasse luck.

   "She's the perfect mother. She watches out for everybody, kind of boost your morale when you need it, tells you funny stories or gives you the lay of the land when you need it," said Greg Smith, the executive director of the Vermont Lottery.

   Her job was secretary to the Tri-State Lottery Board. And for a woman who knows just about everything that goes on in the office, the party was a surprise.

   She and her husband, Andy, are longtime motorcycle enthusiasts. They traveled all over Canada and the United States. But their first trip will be to Florida without the bikes.

   "We're family. A lot of us have been here 27, 28, 29 years. We've seen our kids grow up; we don't hire baby-sitters anymore, you know," Lacasse said.

   She plans to volunteer on various boards in the area. She's also active in her church. And as the poster at her party said, It's been a great ride.

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WILL VERMONT'S GREEN UP DAY TRADITION BE TRASHED?

Posted Feb 19 WCAX by Alexei Rubenstein

video of story: http://www.wcax.com/story/24768643/will-vermonts-green-up-day-tradition-be-trashed

   MONTPELIER, Vt. -  From the very first Green Up Day back in April 1970 when it took an act of Congress to close down the interstate, to today's iconic images of volunteers with green bags collecting liter, Green Up Day has become a true Vermont tradition. But the nonprofit that runs the whole operation is facing a budget crunch.

   "Our situation is as such that we do not have enough support to continue past 2015," said Melinda Vieux of Green Up Vermont.

   First, major sponsor Ben & Jerry's pulled out in 2012. Then late last year Green Mountain Coffee Roasters said it will also not continue to support the effort. For an organization with just a $120,000 budget and two part-time staffers, it made an immediate impact.

   "It doesn't happen for free. It takes a couple of human beings to make Green up Day happen," Vieux said. "We're experiencing a pattern with corporations, including that a number of them in Vermont have become so successful they have national and international focus and are not as interested in the local Vermont support."

   Green Mountain Coffee and Seventh Generation say they have changed their criteria for charitable giving, supporting year-round efforts instead.

   Ben & Jerry's issued a statement saying, "we continually reassess and adapt our partnerships on an annual basis."

   Green Up Vermont gets 66 percent of its budget from about 15 corporate sponsors. Cities and towns kick in about 17 percent of contributions approved by voters on Town Meeting Day. And the state provides another 14 percent.

   Vieux says despite waning volunteer enthusiasm at times in the past, the Green Up tradition remains strong today. She says unlike "adopt a highway" and similar programs, Green Up inspires action on one day across the state.

   "I don't know any other state in the country that has such an endeavor that engages people from all walks of life and raises community spirit like Green Up Day does," Vieux said.

   Lawmakers might have a fix in the works. A bill in the House calls for adding a voluntary Green Up Day checkoff contribution box to state tax forms.

   "It's an opportunity for kids in school to learn about littering and cleaning up their environment. It's a way for communities to come together and I think that Vermonters will want to support it when they're given an opportunity to, so I was really happy to put the legislation in," said Rep. Janet Ancel, D-Calais.

   And the governor says he'd like Green Up to keep going.

   "You know Green Up Day is important to Vermont and it's an extraordinary tradition started by Dean Davis," said Gov. Peter Shumlin, D-Vermont.

   If approved, Ancel says the checkoff box could generate upward of $50,000-- enough green to help keep Green Up Vermont humming along for another half a century.

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