The Berlin
Cit itiz ize en
Volume 15, Number 9
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Activity intensifies as high school referendum nears Charging ahead Photo by Matt Leidemer
Alyssa Barrett, pictured, scored 13 points to help lead the Berlin High School girls basketball team past visiting Lyman Hall, 56-40, Monday night in the opening round of the CIAC Class L state tournament. The Lady Redcoats will face Daniel HandMadison in Round 2. See page 23 for more.
By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen March 15, known in the classics as the Ides of March, is a day of reckoning, which shouldn’t be ignored. That’s the day a seer foretold that Julius Caesar would meet his death. The emperor, misjudging his enemies, wasn’t overly concerned; a big mistake. Before he met his doom, the ides were just another midmonth day on the calendar, but after Caesar’s assassination, philosopher Cicero said, “This changes everything.” In Berlin, people are paying a lot of attention to the date and taking no chances. March 15 is referendum day for Berlin High School, when
voters will have a chance to decide whether or not to approve a $69,950,000 million bond for a renovate-as-new project. State reimbursements are expected to reduce taxpayers’ burden to about $47 million. Many in town would agree with Cicero — that what happens on that day will, some respects, “change everything.” Consequently, over the last few weeks, activity related to the referendum has heated up with a number of initiatives designed to sway the vote one way or the other. Mailings, ads, advocacy groups, Letters to the Editor, tours, and a proposed debate are among the ways
See Referendum, page 4
Welcoming wildlife at the community garden By Robin Veronesi Special to The Citizen
With a core of 34 plots, the Hatchery Brook Community Garden, on Orchard Road, is ripe with opportunity. And not just for growing vegetables. It might earn Berlin certification as a Community Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation, but only if more residents are willing to get their hands dirty. “The goal is to involve any interested resident in creating wildlife habitats to surround our existing garden and other open space areas,” said Pat Bigelow, HBCG coordinator and a member of the Berlin Conservation Commission. Kids are welcome,
as are clubs and organizations such as the boy and girl Scouts, Berlin Upbeat, church groups, schools and even individual classrooms. “Our existing gardeners do a good job taking care of their plots,” Bigelow said. It requires a lot of time and effort, so most are not able to extend their care to the borders and beyond. However, “that area is rich with wildlife,” Bigelow said, explaining that wild turkey, birds, deer, smaller animals and beneficial insects already call the area home. Already, there is one volunteer who builds bluebird houses to make the area more hospitable for that species.
Hatchery Brook Community Garden is set to expand its purpose. The hardy purple catmint plant, just visible in the photo, attracts a large number of bees, is easy to grow, and is deer resistant. It is a good example of a plant that would work well in See Garden, page 9 a wildlife habitat.