The Berlin
Cit itiz ize en
Volume 15, Number 26
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Council okays $2M for police station site purchase and clean-up By Daniel Jackson Special to The Citizen In a few months, the former Kensington Furniture storefront and warehouse, which sits along the Farmington Avenue, will be no more. At its June 21 meeting, the Town Council took the next step in acquiring the property for the future police station. The council approved the move to prepare documents to eventually close on two properties that make up Kensington Furniture. The town will spend $2 million dollars on purchasing and preparing the sites. This move comes after years of planning. Police Chief Paul Fitzgerald said “My predecessor, even, demonstrated the need (for a
Patriot honored Sean Cass, a 2009 Berlin High School graduate, is an MS2 in the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Boston University. He recently received several awards at an ROTC Recognition Ceremony. Cass was the recipient of the Sojourner’s Award which recognizes a student with the highest attributes of Americanism and support of the United States as a member of ROTC, and a citation for the Superior Cadet Decoration Award for outstanding cadet in the class for the academic 2010-2011 year. Cass, 2010 Commander of Color Guard for the Charles River Battalion, was also elected to the National Scabbard and Blade joint service honor society recognizing military excellence, and was named to the National Society of Collegiate Scholars based in Washington D.C. Additionally, Cass received a Cultural Understanding Language & Proficiency Recognition scholarship to study Arabic and African culture. He is currently on assignment in Africa and is pursuing a degree in International Relations. Cass is the son of Michael and Rebecca Cass of Berlin.
new police station) back years ago.” Mayor Adam Salina said this development is exciting. After years of planning, the town is beginning to see something actually happening, he said. The new police station is part of a larger project to revitalize the area around the train station. At the June 7 council meeting, the panel was updated by Economic Development Director Jim Mahoney about four projects that will transform the train station area. After the projects are completed, a road will curve past the police station, behind businesses on Farmington Avenue, and to the renovated train station, which includes
See Council, page 4
She’s one Tough Mudder Local woman tests mind, body in rugged event By Nick Carroll The Berlin Citizen When you’re in your 40s, married for two-plus decades, and have grown kids, a good job, it’s easy to settle into a sedentary lifestyle. Kensington’s Deb Paradis doesn’t accept that fate. This past spring, the 46year-old married mother of two completed a grueling Tough Mudder competition at Vermont’s Mount Snow. Billed as “the toughest oneday event on the planet”, Tough Mudder participants encounter numerous British Special Forces-designed obstacles along a rugged 10 to 12-mile course. “I can honestly say this challenged me physically and mentally, and is one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life,” Paradis said. “It’s amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it.” Due to the physically and mentally-demanding nature of the event, the majority of
Kensington resident Deb Paradis, left, makes her way through an obstacle during a Tough Mudder competition at Mount Snow in Vermont. “It’s amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it,” said Paradis, 46. Tough Mudder participants — including Paradis — chose to join a team. Navigating the Tough Mudder course with Paradis were fellow Average Joe’s 24
Hour Fitness gym members Mark Brester, Craig Holland, Karen Shaw, Collin Sideranko, Kelly Gilchrist, Beth
See Tough, page 18