Monday, September 01, 2014

 

News to Know August 23, 2014

BERLIN NEWS TO KNOW  August 23, 2014
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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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Notes:

PLEASE BE SURE TO VOTE ON TUESDAY, AUGUST 26 8AM - 7PM AT THE TOWN OFFICE

Today (Saturday 8/23) is the Musical Instrument Sale down at the Bethany Church 115 Main St. Montpelier 9am - 2pm http://sharethemusicvt.org/sale.htm

It's also the last day of the 50% off sale at Sally's just off Exit 9 in Middlesex:
Sally's Second Act Thrift Shop is having a huge summer sale! Monday, August 18 - Saturday, August 23. 50% off everything (except Sun's Eye Essential Oils, Duckworth T-Shirts, painted sap buckets and furniture). We need to make room for our fall and winter inventory so come on down and get some great deals! For more info call 802-585-6215.

If you have a home, or are aware of one, that is going to be going on to the market here in Berlin, I know several people looking - especially in the under $200,000  price range.  I'm always glad to include a listing in this News to Know also.

Below you will find:
CAR WASH AT BERLIN FIRE STATION SATURDAY
SCHOOL PHOTOS SAVINGS CODES
THE WHOLLY KALE!
TOWN NEWS UPDATES
HIGHEST RATE IN THE STATE, BERLIN PUBLIC SAFETY
READY TO SERVE?
RECALCULATING ROUTE
BERLIN'S SURPLUS WON'T GO TO LOWER TAX BILLS
WONDER CARDS & COMICS AT THE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY FAIR!
PICK YOUR OWN POTATOES IN SEPTEMBER
FROM BERLIN FRONT PORCH FORUM
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CAR WASH AT BERLIN FIRE STATION SATURDAY
The Berlin Volunteer Fire Department will hold a car wash at the "Four Corners" station starting at 8am and going until about 1pm on Saturday, August 23.  This is a fundraiser for the department and is by donation. 
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SCHOOL PHOTOS SAVINGS CODES
Just got a good tip regarding school photos: "a google search can net various discounts from Lifetouch. I'm not sure the codes work if you fill out the paper version of the order form but it works with the online version. I only get the 18 count "exchange" school photo sheet but googled and found a 10 percent discount if you put in 10forany at the discount box online. It only saved me a total of 2 bucks but for those with larger orders or more kids, it adds up. There might be better coupons online for those getting packages. This is the first year I thought to look for discount codes!"
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THE WHOLLY KALE!
"The Wholly Kale!" raw juice bar's official ongoing hours to end of season (prob. end of Oct.) are Tues-F: 9am to 7pm, Sat: 11am-7pm, and Sun & M closed. Also, bulk orders (half & whole gallons) are accepted and can be delivered within a 15 mile area.
"The Wholly Kale!" raw juice bar is opening at 67 Slayton Ave off Route 12 (next to GMTA), operating out of a food trailer. Owned and operated by Lisa Lamoreaux and family. They are serving fresh, cold pressed raw juice. All of the ingredients are grown either on-site or bought locally and therefore are subject to change daily due to season / availability. Initially hours will be 11am to 7pm. Find more details athttp://thewhollykale.wix.com/thewhollykale or call 802-249-5942
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TOWN NEWS UPDATES
Make it a habit to call the Berlin Resource Line weekly to get updated information on meetings, events, and deadlines.  The number is 552-8805 and a new recording is made each Friday.
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Tax bills went out in the mail on August 21st.  The first payment is due September 22nd and the following three quarterly payments are still do on the 15th of November, February, and May.
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The Sewer Commission meets on Monday, August 25th
The Planning Commission next meets August 27th
Note the Selectboard will meet on Wednesday, September 3rd instead of on Monday the 1stwhich is Labor Day. 
The Development Review Board will meet Tuesday, September 2nd
These meetings are at the Town Office at 7pm.  Agendas are posted at the Town Office and can be found on the town website www.berlinvt.org
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The primary election will be on Tuesday, August 26th with polls open 8am to 7pm at the town office.
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In response to a petition received, after months of deliberation the Vermont Department of Environment Conservation has announced that they will NOT ban fishermen, paddlers, and swimmers from using Berlin Pond.
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HIGHEST RATE IN THE STATE, BERLIN PUBLIC SAFETY
The two quotes below are from Bill Fraser, Montpelier’s City Manager; you can find the whole story at:
www.montpelier-vt.org/page/350/Taxes-Fees.html

“If we look at communities around the state with high tax rates we start seeing some interesting parallels. There’s our Central Vermont counterpart, Barre City claiming the top municipal (non-school) tax rate in Vermont.”  

A city claiming to have the highest tax rate in the state is not one we want to lock ourselves into a cost sharing partnership with. I sat next to Thom Lauzon, mayor of Barre at a public safety committee meeting a few years ago, after the meeting, which he was quite skeptical about, he looked me right in the eye and said, “If anyone wants to help Barre pay our bills, we’ll let them” and then he laughed. The Berlin select board respectfully declines to help Barre pay their bills.

Montpelier handles over 18,000 to 20,000 police incidents (large and small) annually. At more than two calls for service per capita, this is the highest police activity rates in Vermont except for Barre City. By comparison, Burlington - even with the colleges and being the center of the metro area - only handles about one police incident per capita.”  

Barre city wins another “highest” in the state for police activity followed by Montpelier coming in with a close second. These two facts alone should be enough to convince anybody that entering into a cost sharing agreement with Barre and Montpelier is not in Berlins best interest. Pat McDonald is the special projects manager in Barre City (Times Argus, April 25, 2014) and apparently getting Berlin onboard with the Regional Public Safety Authority to help Barre “pay their bills” is one of her special projects.

Pete Kelley
Berlin Selectboard
Berlin, Vermont 05641
pkselectboard@yahoo.com
(802) 476 7391
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READY TO SERVE?
Pub 8/21/14 Times Argus Talk of the Town
   BERLIN — Town officials say they’ve tried everything except going door to door, but they can’t seem to find anyone interested in serving on the local sewer and cemetery commissions.
   Perhaps we can help.
   No there’s nothing glitzy or glamorous about sewers and cemeteries and the fact that both five-member commissions are currently short-handed could be a reflection of that.
   However, the under-the-radar work those folks do is important and in small-town Vermont it relies on volunteers willing to give up some of their time and a bit of their brainpower for the greater good.
   Just ask Norb Rhinerson.
   Rhinerson created two of the vacancies we’re talking about when he recently moved from his longtime home in
Berlin to the Gardens in Williamstown.
   Rhinerson’s change of address forced him to surrender his seats on
Berlin’s cemetery and sewer commissions, leaving both panels down multiple members.
   The five-member cemetery commission, which meets seasonally, is now down three members, making a quorum a mathematical impossibility. The sewer commission, which meets monthly, is short two members. That isn’t a show-stopper, but it makes a quorum a challenge and means the commission is one member’s conflict of interest from being unable to make important decisions. (This is
Vermont and that isn’t a reach because one of the members is developer Henry LaGue.)
   It’s why regular folks like Rhinerson, people who pitch in, are the backbone of a community and why, if you live in Berlin, you might consider dropping a letter of interest off at the town offices on Shed Road, or giving Interim Town Administrator Tom Badowski a call (223-4405 ext. 4).
   It can’t be all that time-consuming because Rhinerson, who served on the sewer commission since 1998, had been pulling double-duty since joining the cemetery commission in 2003. Sure, he was retired, but he still managed to serve as president of the Berlin Historical Society and as the town’s webmaster.
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RECALCULATING ROUTE
Pub 8/21/14 Times Argus Talk of the Town
   BERLIN — Plans to rename a Berlin street that apparently confuses the heck out of
GPS systems hit a speed bump this week when the man who lives on the corner of Hersey Road and the road soon-to-be-formerly-known as Green Mountain Drive urged the Select Board to rethink their position.
   The board, for lack of a better suggestion, proposed renaming the road
Caledonia Drive.
   Why?
   Well, it runs past
Addison Drive and turns into Bennington Drive and in the interest of keeping the whole county theme going they settled on Caledonia Drive.
   Enter Tom Atkins, who didn’t quibble with the board’s county logic, but argued they should have picked one closer to home.
   “Why don’t we name it ‘
Washington Drive?’” he asked. “It’s a nice county with a good name.”
   Sure there is a “
Washington Street” in Barre, but Atkins noted that’s in an entirely different zip code and shouldn’t cause the GPS confusion that has motorists bound for Green Mountain Drive in Montpelier mistakenly driving past his home in Berlin.
   It isn’t like anyone else really cared. Atkins sat through a good bit of the board meeting waiting to speak his piece during a public hearing where he was the only “public.”
   Though it meant re-warning the hearing and trying yet again, board members agreed to see what the public thinks about Atkins’ suggestion on Sept. 15.
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BERLIN'S SURPLUS WON'T GO TO LOWER TAX BILLS
Pub 8/20/14 Times Argus by David Delcore
   BERLIN — The Select Board this week balked at a plan to use a portion of a $330,000 surplus to take some of the sting out of the double-digit rate hike used to calculate property tax bills that will finally be mailed in the next couple of days.
   Board members quickly dismissed a proposal to use $50,000 of the undesignated fund balance that the town carried into the fiscal year that ended June 30 as a source of budget revenue this year. Instead, they agreed to squirrel the money away in case of a municipal emergency.
   According to board members, the savings to homeowners would have been minimal — $30 on a house assessed at $200,000. Had the board supported the proposal to offset the tax increase, it would have trimmed the municipal rate by about 1.5 cents — from roughly 47.5 cents to a little over 46 cents per $100 of assessed property value.
   The rate that the board belatedly set — 47.49 cents — reflects an increase of 4.52 cents from the previous year and will add roughly $90 to the tax bill for a home assessed at $200,000.
   That rate tells a little less than half the story in Berlin, where the town tax rate — including the figure set by the state to pay for operating Berlin Elementary School and the town’s share of the budget for U-32 Junior-Senior High School — just went up more than 11 cents for residential properties and just over 8 cents for commercial properties.
   Those increases will be reflected in the bills that will be mailed out more than a month behind schedule later this week.
   For homeowners the new combined residential rate translates into roughly a $225 increase in the tax bill for a $200,000 home, with $90 of the increase attributable to the town and the balance tied to the schools. While the rate increase for commercial properties is slightly less, it will add roughly $80 in taxes for every $100,000 in assessed value.
   The rate-setting process typically occurs in early July, but a lengthy delay in lodging this year’s grand list forced the board to wait until Monday to take care of that piece of business. By law, property owners must be given 30 days from the date tax bills are mailed to pay the first installment, which in a normal year would have already been due. Instead of Aug. 15, officials expect the first installment will be due Sept. 20 or 21. The remaining three quarterly installments will not be affected.
   @Tagline:david.delcore @timesargus.com
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WONDER CARDS & COMICS AT THE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY FAIR!
"I will have a HUGE BOOTH at the BIG Champlain Valley Fair in Essex Jct., underneath the grandstands. Aug 22- 31. Offering for sale a huge comic collection of mostly $1, $2, and $5 comics. These are great for filling in your collection cheaply. Also new graphic novels at 30% OFF and HALF PRICE, MTG cards, Pokemon, cool toys, and sports cards."
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NORTHFIELD
Celebrating Northfield Artists also: Northfield's One-Room Schools, NOrthfield Tourist Souvenirs, Richardson Cemetery Restoration Project, and other displays about Northfield's History.
2014 Exhibit and Labor Day Book and Ephemera Sale - the Northfield Historical Society is cleaning house.
More details at: http://www.nhsvt.org/home/exhibit-information
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PICK YOUR OWN POTATOES IN SEPTEMBER
Reminder that Pick Your Own Potatoes is in September!!  One Sunday only - date isn't set yet but likely to be the same Sunday as Tunbridge Fair (9/14) or the following Sunday (9/21).  It is a bit weather dependent in order for the digger to get through the field.

Here is a news story on potato picking last year (yes, that's one of our daughters and our grandson in the story!):
http://www.wcax.com/story/23496106/families-gear-up-for-potato-picking

As my friends and followers know, this is my FAVORITE day of the year.  On just one Sunday in September you can go down to the Chappelle's potato fields in Williamstown and pick your own potatoes behind the digger.   Wear your sneakers (or boots) and you might want a pair of gloves.   You don't do the digging, the equipment does.  You walk along and pick whatever size and quantity of potatoes you care to.  We usually bring 5-gallon buckets to put the potatoes into (or bring milk crates or bags) and then if picking a large quantity transfer them into some burlap bags (coffee bean or grain bags) on the side of the field near where the scales are. 
If you want to go check it out but want them to do all the work, you can buy a 50 lb sack of pre picked potatoes with the price varying depending on the type (chefs, bakers, or unclassifieds). 
The prices are extremely reasonable - I think it was 35 cents a pound last year. 
It's been "Reba" round white potatoes they usually have for picking although they grow some other types you can buy in the 50 lb bags.
The pre picked 50 lb bags of potatoes are available no only on the pick-your-own day but also at the Chappell warehouse throughout the season.
Barb & Bob Chappelle 3242 South Hill Road, Williamstown 802-433-5930
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FROM BERLIN FRONT PORCH FORUM
Below are some recent posts .... there have been many more about a variety of topics, looking for services, garage sales, meeting announcements, events, etc.  Membership is free - to join go to: http://frontporchforum.com

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U-32 School Board Update (FPF #411 8/22/14)

BILL KIMBALL, BKIMBALL@U32.ORG, SUPERINTENDENT, WASHINGTON CENTRAL SUPERVISORY UNION
Greetings from your U-32 School Board of Directors! We are very excited for the start of a new school year and the return of our students and staff. We are especially looking forward to working with our new principal Steven Dellinger-Pate, whom we hope you get a chance to meet at the school or through one of his visits throughout our community. The Board has committed to posting updates each month to inform people about our work.
Over the past month, the Board has been working to finalize our own goals for the year which include defining the learning outcomes we all want for our students and improving our communication with the community especially during the budgeting process. The Board will be hosting a community forum on these topics on October 1st from 6:00-7:00pm in Room 131 at U-32. We hope you can come, learn more about our work and share your ideas. You can always communicate with the Board by attending one of our regular meetings (generally first and third Wednesday of the month at 6:00pm) or contacting us individually http://www.u32.org/grades9-12/administration/school-board/board-of-directors. We value your input on ways to improve our school for the benefit of our community and our students.
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Primary Election Tuesday (FPF #411 8/22/14)

ANNE DONAHUE, COUNTERP@TDS.NET, STATE REPRESENTATIVE, WASHINGTON-1
It is a pretty low profile election, so this is a reminder that next Tuesday is primary election day in Vermont, and there are a few primaries that do have contested slots. It may seem not worthwhile to vote in this one, but here are two suggestions for reasons to go to the polls: 
1. Because you can! Let's not lose sight of this privilege that we have, missing in so many other places in the world. Put your name down as someone who cares enough to exercise your rights. 
2. Minor, special-interest candidates can get elected when there is a very low turnout, so though you may assume the leading person, whom you prefer, doesn't need the help of your vote, this is how surprise upsets can occur. 
Anne
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Multi-Family Garage & Tool Sale (FPF #410 8/21/14)

Penny Miller Vermont Route 12 
Posted to: Berlin
Event: Aug 23, 2014 to Aug 24, 2014
Household goods, kids clothing, Lacross equipment, crafts.
Carpentry tools including Brad nailer, Edge Bander, sanders, painting supplies, sheet rocking equipment, hardware, router & much, much more. Sat & Sun 8/23 &24 from 9-3 route 12 in Riverton.
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Huge Yard Sale This Weekend! (FPF #410 8/21/14)

Nicole Didomenico Highland Ave 
Posted to: Berlin
Everything must go! Furniture, kitchen ware (including some cast iron pieces!), home decor, books, CD's, jewelry, men's clothes, women's clothes, some children's items, etc.! Everything will be priced to sell, or can be negotiated! There will even be an adorable child selling lemonade, and a petting zoo (our own pets, actually) on the premises for your amusement : )
Come check it out Saturday and Sunday, from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. at 148 Highland Avenue in Berlin (the road just across from Mattress Land on the Barre-Montpelier Road). 7th house on the right up Highland...we've got a gray house with white trim, and a Goat Crossing sign at the foot of the driveway! Hope to see you this weekend!
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Sellers Wanted for Tailgate Style Community Yard Sale (FPF #409 8/20/14)

Martha Clelia • Paine Turnpike South 
Posted to: Berlin
Interested in participating in a community yard sale? Saturday, September 13th at the VSECU parking lot on Rt 302 in Berlin, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. $15.00 to reserve a two-spot space. Space is limited so please reserve early - call 522-0613 or email FriendsofVermontDogs@gmail.com. This is a fund-raising event for an all-volunteer non-profit dedicated to building fences and dog houses for dogs that live outside 24/7/365. For more information visit us on Facebook.
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Aug. 4 Selectboard Meeting Notes & Aug. 18 Agenda (FPF #408 8/18/14)

Jeremy Hansen Selectboard Member, Berlin 
Posted to: Berlin
Event: Aug 18, 2014, 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
Sorry for the lateness of this posting - I'm including both my notes from the last meeting and Monday's agenda:
1) Bike lane study
The Barre-Montpelier Road bike lane/pedestrian study has produced some interesting results, and in particular is looking at slimming down the portion with 4 lanes to be 2 lanes with a bike lane on either side. Here's the draft "alternatives" document:
http://bit.ly/Draft-302-Alternatives
If you're interested in being kept in the loop about the ongoing study, please contact Bob Wernecke (rwernecke@hotmail.com).
2) New store at Berlin Mall?
It looks like there might be a Kohl's near Berlin Mall in the next few years. Thoughts?
3) Vacancies
I know you're tired of hearing about these, but it's really important that we get at least one more person on the Sewer (and soon to be Water) Commission. You'd play a crucial part in the functioning of this valuable service, and it's not a huge time commitment. Please consider taking the role of Commissioner!
(And we also have vacancies on the Emergency Management Team, Planning Commission, and Cemetery Commission!)
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Seeking Candidates for Geriatric Assistant to LNA Program (FPF Middlesex #1393 8/22/14)

HJONIS HANSON, CENTRAL VERMONT MEDICAL CENTER, HJONIS.HANSON@CVMC.ORG, FISHER RD
Woodridge Rehabilitation and Nursing is looking for candidates for the Geriatric Assistant to LNA Program startingSeptember 8th. There are 8 openings in the program for this term. Participants will earn a wage working as a Geriatric Assistant while enrolled in the LNA training program. The cost of the training program is covered by CVMC. If you're interested in starting a career in healthcare and would like to learn more, visit our website:
http://www.cvmc.org/hospital/about-us/employment/woodridge-GAtoLNA
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Bottle Drive for U32 Fringe Festival (FPF Middlesex #1390 8/19/14)

MELISSA WILLIAMS, MELISSAWILLIAMS500@GMAIL.COM, PORTAL RD
Hi, my name is Aven Williams. I am a member of U-32 high school's amazing theater department. Next summer, I, along with a handful of students and adults who make up the theater community here at U-32, are planning an ambitious and exciting trip to Scotland's world theater festival, The Fringe! The Fringe is a great opportunity for emerging artists from around the world to get a whole new perspective and learn more about doing what they love and do best in the performing arts. For a group of ambitious high school students it will be one amazing adventure, and with your help we will be able to raise the money in no time. One of our first fundraisers is bottle drive for the of the month of August. We have an account with the Montpelier Discount Beverage (next to Shaw's) and it would be greatly appreciated if you could drop them by for "U-32 Theater-Fringe." One of my parents and I can also come by and pick them up at your house, just let us know through this email. Thank you for supporting and encouraging the young artists in your community!
For more information about our trip and updates on other fundraisers please check out the U-32 goes to the Fringe Festival Facebook page.
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