Sunday, November 09, 2014
News To Know November 7, 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
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Check out the "Berlin , Vermont
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NOTES:
Glad to see people turn out to vote on Tuesday,
although more could have!
Just as important as voting is weighing in with
any questions, suggestions, or concerns regarding the budgets while they're
being developed by both the Town and School since at Town Meeting we only have
the ability to vote for them or against them (since they're on Australian
ballot) and we are not able to discuss them and potentially make increases or
decreases as we could when they were on the floor.
Listening to the Mark Johnson Show on WDEV this
morning, just heard the Speaker of the House, Shap Smith, say that he thinks
voting should become mandatory with a fine if you don't vote. Mark Johnson stated he thought that voting
should be something you're honored to do.
Of course it's best when people are educated about what they're voting
on and a caller pointed out that there are young folks new to voting who may
notvote if they're not well versed on the candidates or topics. Why do
you think we don't see higher turnouts?
Any suggestions to increase the turnout?
The Berlin Elementary School Board meets at 6:30pm on Monday, Nov. 10th at the school. This meeting starts the budget
discussion. The board members truly
appreciate folks taking the time to attend their meetings. See more below on this.
Below you will find:
UPCOMING MEETINGS
VETERANS DAY - OFFICE CLOSED,
THANKS, AND PARADES
PARK & RIDE CLOSED FOR ONE DAY
ELECTION RESULTS
YOUR THOUGHTS PLEASE!
LOCAL TALENT
FUNDRAISER FOR DC TRIP
TAXES DUE
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UPCOMING
MEETINGS
The following meetings will take place at the
Town Office - Sewer Commission Monday, November 10th, Planning
Commission Wednesday, Nov. 12th, Selectboard Monday, Nov 17th,
and Development Review Board Tuesday, Nov 18th. All meet at 7pm .
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VETERANS DAY - OFFICE
CLOSED, THANKS, AND PARADES
Note the Berlin Town Office will be closed on
Tuesday, Nov. 11th for Veterans Day.
Many thanks to all the Veterans and their
families for the sacrifices they have and do make.
In Montpelier 10am down Main Street State Street 9:30am at the roundabout veterans, family, and
friends are encouraged to join in the march to honor veterans of all wars.
In Barre there is also a parade on Nov. 11 which
will start at 10:30am , forming at the Barre
Auditorium parking lot at 10am . Ceremony at Barre City Park 11am .
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PARK
& RIDE CLOSED FOR ONE DAY
Please note the Park & Ride off Exit 7 will
be closed all day on Wednesday, Nov. 12th.
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ELECTION
RESULTS
889 registered voters cast their ballot on
November 4th, this includes 163 absentee ballots. With 1,916 people on the checklist,
46% who could vote in Berlin Berlin Berlin
Our new Justice of the Peace is Margaret
"Peg" Monley, her term will start Feb. 1st. In addition the other Justices of the Peace
continue to be: Wanda Baril, Elizabeth Fitzhugh, John Fitzhugh, Cathy Lamberton,
Matthew Levin, Muriel Morse, Charles Pelletier, Kathy Pelletier, and Susan
Rich.
Find more results at:
http://az357346.vo.msecnd.net
Specific Berlin Berlin , Vermont
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YOUR
THOUGHTS PLEASE!
Hello Berlin
The next Berlin Elementary School Board meeting is this Monday night at 6:30 at the
school. I would like to invite you once again to attend and share your
thoughts about the school and our educational priorities. What are our
desired student outcomes? What are our community values? How can
the board honor those while remaining fiscally responsible as we start the
budget building process? The board will take its first look at the budget
for next year at this meeting. We want your input.
In addition to the budget, the board will also be discussing and working
on issues around: the water system, school climate, an annual work plan, a
communication plan, and a policy on board member conflicts of interest.
At every meeting, the board hears a report from the Superintendent and from the
Principal. You can take a look at the full agenda as well as all of the
past minutes of board meetings on the BES website at www.berlinschool.org
If you can’t attend, please feel free to reach out to me or any other
school board member with your thoughts about the budget or any other
school-related issue. Making your voice heard now means the board has the
time to take your opinions into account when making crucial decisions about OUR
school. Thank you!
I am only one member of the board and am not authorized to speak for the
entire board, school, or supervisory union. This is just me wanting you
to know what's going on in our town. I hope to hear from you or see you
at the next meeting.
- Chris Winters
wintersvermont@gmail.com
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LOCAL TALENT
LOCAL TALENT
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Sample local
foods and meet wellness practitioners.
Receive $5 coupon if you bring a non-perishable donation. Montpelier City Hall FREE 10:30am - 3pm
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FUNDRAISER FOR DC
TRIP
A group of U-32
8th graders are having a yard sale - bake sale - 50/50 raffle - concessions -
arts & crafts - face painting for kids on Nov 22nd 8am-4pm at Montpelier
Elks to raise money for their trip to Washington DC
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TAXES
DUE
The second installment of property taxes are
due by Saturday,
Nov. 15, 2014 . In order to meet the deadline,
payments should be brought to the Treasurer at the town office by Friday November 14, 2014 by 4:30 p.m. , or they can be
left in the deposit box outside the front door (which will be checked Sunday
morning). Payments can also be postmarked (not an office meter but postmarked
by the post office) by November 15, 2014 .
Payments not made will incur a late fee of 8% penalty and 1% interest.
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Note there are some
drawings of what we see currently on the Barre-Montpelier Road
Pub. 11/6/14 Times Argus
by David Delcore
The proposal, which was the subject of a public meeting this week, is the product of a process that started in April and involved a summerlong analysis of the road and a subsequent study of two alternatives designed to make the commercial corridor more bike- and pedestrian-friendly.
One of those alternatives would significantly narrow the traveled way and add “buffered bike lanes” on both sides of the section of state highway that runs between the Wayside Restaurant and the Price Chopper plaza.
It’s called a “road diet,” and the state Agency of Transportation is planning to test drive the idea as part of a massive repaving project next spring, according to agency engineer Jon Kaplan. He joined Lucy Gibson, an engineer with DuBois & King Inc., in presenting a plan that also calls for constructing nearly a mile of new sidewalk and installing crosswalks at three traffic signals in the study area.
The estimated cost of the project would be $1.16 million, and Gibson said the vast majority of that would go for sidewalks.
According to Gibson, sidewalks are nearly nonexistent on the
Gibson and Kaplan said the “road diet” proposal, coupled with plans for new sidewalks and other pedestrian amenities, was considered superior to an alternate proposal to construct an off-road shared-use path that would run between the Partridge Farms development and the VSECU mortgage closing center.
Though the second alternative would involve constructing significantly less sidewalk, Gibson said, the price of the path pushed the project costs up to an estimated $1.45 million.
The shared-use path wouldn’t require any reconfiguration to the traveled way of the
According to Kaplan, “reallocating existing space” by creating buffered bike lanes running in both directions was an economical way to create a desired enhancement, while making it safer for motor vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians and adding only 13 seconds to the average two-minute travel time through the study area.
According to Kaplan, a study conducted after comparable adjustments were made to a much busier road in Florida showed a 34 percent reduction in motor vehicle accidents and a nearly 70 percent reduction in accident-related injuries despite a slight uptick in traffic.
Kaplan said reducing the number of traveled lanes limits the number of conflicts between vehicles and lessens the likelihood of rear-end accidents, sideswipes and accidents involving left-turning vehicles. Those types of accidents account for 49 percent of the 208 accidents reported on the
According to Kaplan, a paving project planned for next year will provide the agency the opportunity to conduct what he hopes will be at least a 60-day trial between the time the preliminary paving is finished and the final layer of asphalt is applied. With the Barre-Montpelier Road, the Berlin State Highway and Route 62 all scheduled to be paved next year, Kaplan said, the hope is to create a significant window to analyze and potentially tweak the plans to reconfigure the highway.
Gibson said the concept has several advantages to the town. One of them is that the bike lanes — unlike a shared-use path — would be paved, plowed and maintained by the state.
The
Those who attended the public presentation were generally receptive to the proposal, and officials said feedback will be critical, particularly during the trial period next year.
@Tagline:david.delcore @timesargus.com
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# posted by Corinne's blog of Berlin and area happenings @ 7:37 PM 
