The Berlin
Cit itiz ize en
Volume 15, Number 2
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
Thursday, Januar y 13, 2011
Two candidates are in for DeFronzo’s senate seat
Flying high…
Special election set for Feb. 22 By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen
Photo by Lee Roski
This photo was taken at Timberlin Golf Course after the post-Christmas blizzard. Lee Roski said folks were out “enjoying the snow, wind and cold.” More of Roski’s photos can be found throughout this issue. Would you like to see your photo featured on the front page of The Citizen? Send your best Winter Wonderland shot of wildlife, storms, sports, sunsets or whatever you think best depicts the season to news@theberlincitizen.com. The best will be posted on our website or in the newspaper.
On Feb. 22, Berlin voters will have a chance to once again select a representative to the state senate. The 6th Senatorial District Berlin, New Britain and a portion of Farmington is currently without representation. Two local politicians have announced their intentions to run and Secretary of the State Denise Merrill scheduled the Feb. 22 date when voters statewide will cast ballots to fill nine empty seats in the state legislature. Many of the seats, such as that of former state Sen. Donald DeFronzo, belonged to Democratic lawmakers who resigned to accept jobs in the
Gerratana
Stewart
administration of new Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. Two local politicians have already announced their intention to run. Democrat Teresa (Terry) Bielinski Gerratana and Republican New Britain Mayor Timothy T. Stewart, announced their intentions last week. Gerratana, a former New Britain and Berlin legislator, served 10 years in that capacity. “With jobs disappearing
See Candidates, page 17
Status report on Berlin post offices page 15
Church built by candlelight gets ready to shine again Major restoration project gives St. Gabriel’s a fresh start By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen
St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church, 68 Main St. East Berlin, is in the midst of a massive restoration project to help save the 115 year-old structure from the serious, ongoing deterioration that it had been experiencing. S. Tanasi & Sons Builders are leading the project. Father and son, Sal and Nick Tanasi, brought in special equipment to excavate the foundation after the old floor was ripped up. In addition, walls will be shored up, insulated and refurbished and a new floor installed.
According to the Tanasis, the old floor was uneven — with significant humps and loose floorboards — and underneath, the old dirt crawlspace kept the place cold and damp. The bad floors led to problems with the walls and the place just wasn’t going to last under those conditions. Rector Audrey Scanlon said there were also “lots of issues with plaster — it’s horsehair plaster and wouldn’t hold paint…as well as some aesthetics and structural deficits that needed repairing.” She described a “faithful congregation that loves its building” a “charming” church with a shingled exterior and mellow, soft-lit spaces inside. The plan is to have the project, which began late See Church, page 17
The floor in St. Gabriel’s Church was removed during the restoration project.