Saturday, October 01, 2016
Berlin News to Know May 31, 2016
BERLIN NEWS TO KNOW May 31, 2016
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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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For current news look for
"Berlin, Vermont" on facebook for a constant flow of information. You don't need to be a facebook user to
access it, but if you do use facebook, be sure to "Like" it:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Berlin-Vermont/205922199452224
For historical news look
for "Berlin, Vermont Memories" on facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BerlinVermontMemories
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NOTE:
The meeting tonight at
Berlin Elementary School at 7pm is leading toward a bond vote in November to
address “failing systems, building safety, energy efficiency and code
compliance issues” – find out more by attending and know that it’s first-come,
first-serve on the apple and strawberry rhubarb pies being served to those
attending.
Below you will find:
CHILDREN, TAXES, AND PIE
UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS
ANGORA WOOL FOR SALE
GETTING STARTED WITH GRAINS
OLIVE GARDEN RESTAURANT
HOPES A BUST
THE
VOICE?
MALL ACCESS ROAD MAY SOON
BE TOWN’S
FROM BERLIN FRONT PORCH FORUM
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CHILDREN, TAXES, AND PIE
Do you care about at least one of these
things? If so, I hope you will join us for a discussion about the Berlin
Elementary School renovation on Tuesday, May 31st at the school
at 7PM.
Our nearly 50 year old school is in need of
some updates because of failing systems, building safety, energy efficiency and
code compliance issues. We plan to go to the voters for a bond vote in November
before we proceed and we need your help to do this the right way.
Black River Design will present their
assessment of the building and we will start to decide what is necessary, what
is smart, and what the tax implications might be depending on our choices. We
need volunteers and would love to take advantage of community expertise in
making these hard decisions.
Plus…..pie!
See you there. If you can’t attend but want
to help, please contact Chris Winters at 223-8101 or wintersvermont@gmail.com.
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ANGORA WOOL FOR SALE
Beautiful angora wool for
sale! Fawn and light grey colors available. Great for spinning and felting.
Please call or e-mail with questions, interest, or for pictures. – Lora
Stridsberg golden_arrow17@yahoo.com
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GETTING STARTED WITH GRAINS
Tuesday June 21st
1-3pm After several years looking for a farm, Nathan and Jessie Rogers
established their family farm in Dog River Valley in 2012. Using sustainable
and organic agriculture practices, they are improving the health of the land
and the infrastructure as the farm grows. Join us for this field day as Nate
and Jessie discuss starting a farm business, sourcing equipment, and small
grain production and processing. You will also receive up-to-date research
information from Dr. Heather Darby and the Northwest Crops and Soils Program.
This workshop will be followed by snacks cooked in the NOFA-VT pizza oven by
King Arthur Flour's baker showcasing local grains/wheat.
This workshop is in
partnership with King Arthur Flour, the Northeast Grain Growers Association,
and the UVM Extension Northwest Crops & Soils Program.
Please pre-register here
by June 17, 2016.
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UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS
June 2nd PTNA
(Parent Teacher Neighbor Assoc) meeting 6:30pm
June 3rd - deadline
to RSVP for Berlin Elementary picnic on June 9th
June 3rd –
Variety Show at U-32 7pm
June 6th - School
Board Meeting 6:15pm (CHANGE - held week early as graduation is on 13th)
June 6th –
Selectboard meeting 7pm Town office
June 7th – Tax
Sales 10am, contact Town Treasurer for details
June 7th –
Development Review Board meets 7pm Town office
June
9th - Berlin Elementary Schoolwide Picnic
June 9th –
Emergency Management Team meets 6:30pm at fire house
June 10th –
U-32 graduation
June 11th – Free Fishing
statewide www.vtfishandwildlife.com
June 11th – Free Vermont
History Museum admission www.vermonthistory.org
June 11th & 12th –
Free Day Use at Vermont State Parks www.vtstateparks.com
June 11th & 12th –
Free State Historic Site admission www.historicsites.vermont.gov
June 13th –
Berlin Elementary 6th Grade Graduation 6pm
June 14th – last
day of school, early dismissal
June 14th –
Berlin Historical Society meets 6:30pm at Town office.
June 18th & 19th
Vermont History Expo at Tunbridge Fairgrounds, Berlin Historical Society will
be among the many towns with displays and Banjo Dan will perform
www.vermonthistory.org/community/vermont-history-expo
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OLIVE GARDEN RESTAURANT HOPES A BUST
Pub 5/20/16 Times Argus by
David Delcore
BERLIN — Stick a fork in once-rampant rumors
that Olive Garden would open a restaurant where the Hooker family began selling
furniture on the Barre-Montpelier Road in 1889: The brick building now under
construction sure doesn’t resemble a restaurant and a third of it has already
been spoken for.
The newest addition to the commercial strip that runs between Barre and Montpelier won’t be a restaurant or a retail establishment, according to a recently filed application for a couple of illuminated signs and a few awnings.
The first occupant of the 15,600-square-foot building that is still a work in progress will be Aspen Dental — a company that boasts more than 500 practices in 33 states. That includes two in Vermont — one in Rutland and the other in Williston.
Though it is unclear when it will open, the Berlin location will mark Aspen Dental’s third Vermont practice.
“So much for Olive Garden,” Zoning Administrator Tom Badowski joked this week, referring to a rumor that started circulating even before Patrick Malone razed the then-vacant building that was the long-time home of Hooker’s Wayside Furniture, and later Newhouse Furniture, last year.
The new building, which will accommodate Aspen Dental and eventually two other tenants, is the final piece of Malone’s $2.2 million redevelopment of the 2.9-acre parcel that sits between the Barre-Montpelier Road and the shopping center anchored by the Price Chopper supermarket.
Malone acquired the strategically located property, now called Cherry Hill Plaza, for $1.6 million two years ago and last year completed extensive exterior renovations to two shed-like structures. The work represented a significant aesthetic upgrade for both buildings, currently occupied by Barre Electric & Lighting Supply and the party supply store Rubber Bubbles.
Malone, whose company has been responsible for the redevelopment of several Barre-Montpelier Road properties over the years, recently finished one just up the road. The 5,000-square-foot structure, which was built after Malone leveled a tiny restaurant that housed Simply Subs 2, was quickly filled by AT&T, the Vermont Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired and beauty salon Bella Capelli.
david.delcore
The newest addition to the commercial strip that runs between Barre and Montpelier won’t be a restaurant or a retail establishment, according to a recently filed application for a couple of illuminated signs and a few awnings.
The first occupant of the 15,600-square-foot building that is still a work in progress will be Aspen Dental — a company that boasts more than 500 practices in 33 states. That includes two in Vermont — one in Rutland and the other in Williston.
Though it is unclear when it will open, the Berlin location will mark Aspen Dental’s third Vermont practice.
“So much for Olive Garden,” Zoning Administrator Tom Badowski joked this week, referring to a rumor that started circulating even before Patrick Malone razed the then-vacant building that was the long-time home of Hooker’s Wayside Furniture, and later Newhouse Furniture, last year.
The new building, which will accommodate Aspen Dental and eventually two other tenants, is the final piece of Malone’s $2.2 million redevelopment of the 2.9-acre parcel that sits between the Barre-Montpelier Road and the shopping center anchored by the Price Chopper supermarket.
Malone acquired the strategically located property, now called Cherry Hill Plaza, for $1.6 million two years ago and last year completed extensive exterior renovations to two shed-like structures. The work represented a significant aesthetic upgrade for both buildings, currently occupied by Barre Electric & Lighting Supply and the party supply store Rubber Bubbles.
Malone, whose company has been responsible for the redevelopment of several Barre-Montpelier Road properties over the years, recently finished one just up the road. The 5,000-square-foot structure, which was built after Malone leveled a tiny restaurant that housed Simply Subs 2, was quickly filled by AT&T, the Vermont Association of the Blind and Visually Impaired and beauty salon Bella Capelli.
david.delcore
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THE VOICE?
Pub
5/19/16 Times Argus
BERLIN — Town Treasurer Diane Isabelle took
some friendly ribbing from a Select Board that noted Barre City Clerk and
Treasurer Carol Dawes sure can carry a tune that makes it easy to remember when
property taxes are due.
Dawes' latest pre-recorded tax song prompted Town Administrator Dana Hadley to jokingly suggest Isabelle draft a ditty of her own that could hit the airwaves before the next tax installment is due in August.
“Need a motion?” Selectman Wayne Lamberton asked, even as Isabelle politely declined to get in on Dawes' act.
— Staff reports
Dawes' latest pre-recorded tax song prompted Town Administrator Dana Hadley to jokingly suggest Isabelle draft a ditty of her own that could hit the airwaves before the next tax installment is due in August.
“Need a motion?” Selectman Wayne Lamberton asked, even as Isabelle politely declined to get in on Dawes' act.
— Staff reports
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MALL ACCESS ROAD MAY SOON BE TOWN’S
Pub 5/18/16
By David Delcore
BERLIN — A once controversial access road
that has been pitched as a portion of a future “Main Street” for Berlin might
need to become a town road sooner than any of the current players anticipated.
In fact, a lawyer representing the Berlin Mall told the Select Board this week that a case could be made — and apparently is as part of a pending appeal — that the town should have taken over a portion of the mall’s access road off Route 62 when it was built 30 years ago.
A lot has changed since 1986. The mall has changed hands and expanded, the Select Board has turned over several times and town administrators have come and gone. However, the signalized entrance that required a controversial curb cut on a limited access highway has been treated as a “private drive” since the winding strip of asphalt was installed.
That’s a problem, said Montpelier attorney Charles Storrow, who represents Berlin Mall LLC and discussed his client’s conundrum with the Select Board during its Monday night meeting.
At issue, Storrow said, are promises the town made during a bitter battle involving a curb cut that was adamantly opposed by the state Agency of Transportation, but ultimately granted by the state Transportation Board in 1982.
Documents filed on behalf of the town as part of that process clearly state that intent, which was reflected in the Transportation Board’s order and subsequently referenced in the state land-use permit for the mall. The latter permit was granted by the state Environmental Board in 1985 — capping a protracted and contested Act 250 review process.
“It’s clear from the findings that the (Environmental) Board made that there were some representations made that it (the access) would be a town road,” Storrow said, noting there is “no record” the town ever followed through with its stated plan.
Storrow said the apparent oversight was raised recently by a lawyer for the state Natural Resources Board, which replaced the Environmental Board several years ago. The issue surfaced in connection with a pending appeal involving the mall owner’s desire to replace the signs that are located at its entrances on Route 62 and Fisher Road.
Storrow said the town’s failure to take over a 625-foot stretch of the Route 62 access road arguably represents a “violation” of the mall’s land-use permit — one state officials have indicated has continued for three decades and they would like to see resolved.
The solution could involve simply dedicating the strip of road to the town for public use, or following the more formal process — complete with findings, public hearings and a survey — associated with laying out town highways. Storrow said his client doesn’t have a preference, but is eager to head off any potential enforcement action associated with the mall’s permit.
For its part, the board is proceeding with caution. Chairman Ture Nelson said there are questions that need to be answered before any decisions are made and Town Attorney Rob Halpert, who represented the town in the state’s permitting of the mall, should be consulted to see if his records square with the documents supplied by Storrow. Some of those documents are signed by Selectman Brad Towne’s now-deceased father, Roderick Towne, during his tenure as chairman of the board.
One key question involves the current condition of the road, which records suggest town officials wanted built to Class 3 specifications as a prerequisite to being taken over by the town. Another involves some clarification of who actually owns the portion of the road, which was partly constructed on a state right-of-way and mostly on property owned by the mall.
Selectman Pete Kelley said the board would need time to answer those questions.
“You’re looking for us to take the road over and we’re not even sure who owns what,” he told Storrow.
That said, Kelley noted, the mall’s request isn’t unprecedented.
“Normally if the road is up to par, or brought up to par the town (will) take it over,” he said, suggesting that is what happened in 2012 with Berlin Heights.
Notwithstanding the documents signed by his father, Towne suggested the current situation — if only because of the passage of time — was considerably more muddled.
“When Berlin Heights was developed there was a clear agreement for the town to take it over,” he said.
Although a similar arrangement was clearly contemplated with respect to the mall’s entrance off Route 62 it was never consummated.
As a result Towne suggested the board must weigh the public’s need for the road against the cost of maintaining it — something it has never done, but would have to if it became part of the local highway network.
While the road’s status is of immediate concern to the mall’s owner, Storrow noted plans to convey it to the town are consistent with the long-range vision reflected in the town’s recent application for a state-designated town center that would be anchored by the mall property.
A key feature of that conceptual plan involves developing the road that runs in front of the mall and out to Route 62 into Berlin’s equivalent of Main Street by constructing a series of multi-story mixed-use buildings facing the mall and flanking the access road off Route 62.
The plan envisions a mix of commercial, housing and public space that would be constructed by a variety of independent developers on property owned by the mall.
“It would be like a village,” Storrow said.
The plan hinges on the town obtaining a state designation on which a consultant retained by the mall is working.
david.delcore @timesargus.com
In fact, a lawyer representing the Berlin Mall told the Select Board this week that a case could be made — and apparently is as part of a pending appeal — that the town should have taken over a portion of the mall’s access road off Route 62 when it was built 30 years ago.
A lot has changed since 1986. The mall has changed hands and expanded, the Select Board has turned over several times and town administrators have come and gone. However, the signalized entrance that required a controversial curb cut on a limited access highway has been treated as a “private drive” since the winding strip of asphalt was installed.
That’s a problem, said Montpelier attorney Charles Storrow, who represents Berlin Mall LLC and discussed his client’s conundrum with the Select Board during its Monday night meeting.
At issue, Storrow said, are promises the town made during a bitter battle involving a curb cut that was adamantly opposed by the state Agency of Transportation, but ultimately granted by the state Transportation Board in 1982.
Documents filed on behalf of the town as part of that process clearly state that intent, which was reflected in the Transportation Board’s order and subsequently referenced in the state land-use permit for the mall. The latter permit was granted by the state Environmental Board in 1985 — capping a protracted and contested Act 250 review process.
“It’s clear from the findings that the (Environmental) Board made that there were some representations made that it (the access) would be a town road,” Storrow said, noting there is “no record” the town ever followed through with its stated plan.
Storrow said the apparent oversight was raised recently by a lawyer for the state Natural Resources Board, which replaced the Environmental Board several years ago. The issue surfaced in connection with a pending appeal involving the mall owner’s desire to replace the signs that are located at its entrances on Route 62 and Fisher Road.
Storrow said the town’s failure to take over a 625-foot stretch of the Route 62 access road arguably represents a “violation” of the mall’s land-use permit — one state officials have indicated has continued for three decades and they would like to see resolved.
The solution could involve simply dedicating the strip of road to the town for public use, or following the more formal process — complete with findings, public hearings and a survey — associated with laying out town highways. Storrow said his client doesn’t have a preference, but is eager to head off any potential enforcement action associated with the mall’s permit.
For its part, the board is proceeding with caution. Chairman Ture Nelson said there are questions that need to be answered before any decisions are made and Town Attorney Rob Halpert, who represented the town in the state’s permitting of the mall, should be consulted to see if his records square with the documents supplied by Storrow. Some of those documents are signed by Selectman Brad Towne’s now-deceased father, Roderick Towne, during his tenure as chairman of the board.
One key question involves the current condition of the road, which records suggest town officials wanted built to Class 3 specifications as a prerequisite to being taken over by the town. Another involves some clarification of who actually owns the portion of the road, which was partly constructed on a state right-of-way and mostly on property owned by the mall.
Selectman Pete Kelley said the board would need time to answer those questions.
“You’re looking for us to take the road over and we’re not even sure who owns what,” he told Storrow.
That said, Kelley noted, the mall’s request isn’t unprecedented.
“Normally if the road is up to par, or brought up to par the town (will) take it over,” he said, suggesting that is what happened in 2012 with Berlin Heights.
Notwithstanding the documents signed by his father, Towne suggested the current situation — if only because of the passage of time — was considerably more muddled.
“When Berlin Heights was developed there was a clear agreement for the town to take it over,” he said.
Although a similar arrangement was clearly contemplated with respect to the mall’s entrance off Route 62 it was never consummated.
As a result Towne suggested the board must weigh the public’s need for the road against the cost of maintaining it — something it has never done, but would have to if it became part of the local highway network.
While the road’s status is of immediate concern to the mall’s owner, Storrow noted plans to convey it to the town are consistent with the long-range vision reflected in the town’s recent application for a state-designated town center that would be anchored by the mall property.
A key feature of that conceptual plan involves developing the road that runs in front of the mall and out to Route 62 into Berlin’s equivalent of Main Street by constructing a series of multi-story mixed-use buildings facing the mall and flanking the access road off Route 62.
The plan envisions a mix of commercial, housing and public space that would be constructed by a variety of independent developers on property owned by the mall.
“It would be like a village,” Storrow said.
The plan hinges on the town obtaining a state designation on which a consultant retained by the mall is working.
david.delcore @timesargus.com
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FROM BERLIN FRONT PORCH FORUM
Below are a couple recent
postings .... 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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Master Gardener's Annual Plant Sale Saturday, June 4 FPF#933 5/30/16
MICHELLE CHAMPOUX,
CROSSTOWN ROAD, BERLIN
Central Vermont’s UVM
Extension Master Gardeners’ Annual Plant Sale will be held Saturday, June
4th from 9am to Noon at the North Branch Nature Center at 713
Elm Street in Montpelier. Perennials, shrubs, veggie starts and herbs selected
from Master Gardeners’ and Master Composters’ gardens to thrive in your garden.
There will be a gardening table for kids to learn how to plant seeds and seeds
for them to take home. Bring your gardening and composting questions too!
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Book Sale FPF #930 5/26/16
ROBERT FORREND, PAINE TRPK
SOUTH, BERLIN
Beginning to get ready for
our annual Yankee Paperback yard sale.
Right now we have a large
selection of paperback
romances 10/ $1.00 ; historicals
5 / $1.00 ; adventure 25 cents each ; mysteries 25 cents each ; novels 25 cents
each ; sci - fi 25 cents each; Stephen King hardbacks $ 1.00 each ; Danielle
Steel hardbacks $ 1.00 each ; all other hardback novels 50 cents each; woodworking
magazines 25 cents each ; Vt Life magazines 25 cents each; Cook Books $1.00
each ;gardening books $1.00 each ; tole painting books $1.00 each ;Hardy Boys
$1.00 each ;Nancy Drew $1.00 each ;Left Behind series $1.00 each ; Dictionaries
$1.00 each ;Chicken Soup for the soul $1.00 each ; Books for dummies $1.00
each. Please call to make sure we are home. 229-0478 620 Paine trpk south in Berlin.
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# posted by Corinne's blog of Berlin and area happenings @ 6:54 PM 
