The Berlin
Cit itiz ize en
Volume 14 Number 2
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
Thursday, Januar y 14, 2010
‘Pocket park’ plan underway By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen
The Town Council breezed through its Jan. 5 meeting in short order. The brief agenda included discussion of a new “pocket park” for Farmington Avenue and refining a plan to televise future council meetings. The council approved two easements on what is being called a “pocket park.” The small green space is located just off Farmington Avenue on the front portion of the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department. The easements between the town and those two entities will now be forwarded to the Planning and Zoning Commission for review. Construction of the park requires an easement from the KVFD and also from Depot Crossing LLC, a commercial complex located between the fire house and the railroad line. Officials said the project will be funded through state grants that have already been specifically allocated for this purpose as part of the Streetscape Improvement Plan that has been underway throughout town for the past several years.
Town Manager Denise McNair called the parcel a “pocket park or a mini park.” Economic Development Director Jim Mahoney said the area will encompass a portion of the fire house grounds, near the street, that currently features a flagpole and a couple of pieces of fire equipment. The area will be embellished with benches and pavers that connect the park to the sidewalk and Farmington Avenue. McNair also reported that the council’s move towards televising its meetings was on track to begin possibly by the next meeting Jan. 19. The town manager said representatives of the cable broadcaster, Nutmeg Television, were coming in last week to conduct a site review of council chambers and the upstairs of town hall. She said it appeared that enough money could be found to fund the telecasts for the next 10 meetings, approximately through July. McNair said she is also exploring the possibility of streaming web casts which could be a less expensive option or that could be used in addition to the Nutmeg telecasts.
Showing his mettle Lee Soucie is a welder who always wanted to build a tin man along the lines of the famous character from The Wizard of Oz. On a recent hiatus from his job, Soucie finally got the chance. The six-foot tall metallic chap is meticulously detailed from his kneecaps to eyebrows and the buttons in between. For now Soucie’s creation is in the back yard at his house, at 373 Lower Lane, but in the spring the tin man will be moved out to the street to serve as a mailbox. Soucie, who returned to work this week, said he welcomes inquiries from anyone interested in commissioning a metal sculpture or other metal work. Citizen Photo by Olivia L. Lawrence
Moore family art stars in museum exhibit By Lorraine Stub Special to the Citizen The Berlin Historical Society Museum is officially closed for the season but will re-open for a special winter afternoon program on Sunday, Jan. 17, from 2 to 4 p.m. A snow date is reserved for Sunday, Jan. 24. . We hope this will start a new tradition where we host lectures and activities during a quieter time of year. The society envisions fireside programs where hot cocoa and cookies are served and visitors can learn more about town history in a cozy, congenial atmosphere.
During 2009, we showcased an exhibit of original art by noted Berlin artists from the past and present. Of all those artists, Nelson Augustus Moore and his son, Edwin Moore, are regarded as having the greatest stature. With permission of the Moore Family Trust, we were able to reprint copies of paintings from the collection. Now we are fortunate to have local artist, art and antiques dealer, Derik Pulito, share original paintings from his collection of Moore family art and memorabilia for this See Art, page 7