The Berlin
Cit itiz ize en Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
Volume 14, Number 4
Thursday, Januar y 28, 2010
Citizen of the Year 2009
Bigelow helped Berlin’s community garden take root By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen
Pat Bigelow is our Citizen of the Year for 2009. She is recognized by The Berlin Citizen for being the driving force behind the creation of Berlin’s new Hatchery Brook Community Garden which is part of the town’s open space at the former Scheer Farm on Orchard Road. While many people are involved, Bigelow is a principal organizer and her contributions to this project have numerous notable aspects. She provided leadership; educating the public and officials about the purpose and value of a community garden. She procured grant money and other resources; working tirelessly to see the garden come to fruition. “My overall belief is there should be a community garden in every town,” Bigelow said. She’d worked on developing a community garden in Mansfield in 2005 when she was a student at the University of Connecticut. When Berlin purchased the Pistol Creek property, the idea began to take shape that perhaps something similar could be developed on that property.
“I didn’t know where to start, I just plunged in and called Jim Mahoney,” she said, referring to the director of economic development. From there, Bigelow got in contact with Michael DeLorenzo of the Conservation Commission. That group was already beginning to look at plans for the Hatchery Brook open space area — perhaps a community garden. But someone would need to take the lead on it. At a 2008 conservation commission meeting, Bigelow “laid out a plan that was in my head and they seemed to respond well to it …they had the idea and asked me to get it going. I said, ‘sure I’ll help out.’” Helping out was more like a full time job. There was the planning, but just as important, was communicating the concept to a wide range of people and to rally support. “A community garden has to be built by the people who are going to use it. They need to put in the time and sweat equity and make it theirs in order for them to stick with it,” Bigelow said. She’d seen other community gardens that had not used this approach and people quickly abandoned their plots if prob-
Honoring Casner: DUI enforcement a top priority
Pat Bigelow, center, clears rocks and weeds from a flower bed, last June, with the help of Cathy O’Neill See Bigelow, page 4 (left) and Cindy Hoag.
Pro wrestling legend draws big crowd in town
By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen
By Nick Carroll The Berlin Citizen
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Officer Jeffery Casner. He was killed on Feb. 2, 1985, by a drunk driver while working at a motor vehicle accident on the Berlin Turnpike. An impaired driver came from behind a box truck and struck him. “He was a good kid; he was a first responder,” said Lt. James Gosselin. “It was a tragic event that took the hearts and souls out of many of our officers. It made an indelible im-
Brash, arrogant, self-centered. The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase was all those things during his highly-successful run in the World Wrestling Federation — and those were some of his better qualities. Decked out in a dollarsign-covered suit, and demanding that, for the right price, anyone can be bought, The Million Dollar Man was one of the WWF’s great heels from 1987 to 1996. “The Million Dollar Man character, basically, his God
Casner print.” That is likely one reason the BPD takes an aggressive approach to DUI enSee Casner, page 16
was money. His values were totally materialistic,” said DiBiase, in town Saturday for a meet and greet at Ken’s Cards & Collectibles. “The character, The Million Dollar Man, was all about money, and that money could buy everything, and everybody. The more of it you had, the more power you had.” The guy fans loved to hate was the WWF’s first North American Heavyweight Champion. Years later, The Million Dollar Man teamed with another money-obsessed “bad guy”, Irwin R. See Legend, page 22
DiBaise