The Berlin
Cit itiz ize en
Volume 15, Number 27
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Kennedy is committed to principal challenges at BHS By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen Fran Kennedy will take over the top job at Berlin High School this summer after 15 years at the helm of Stafford High School. “My experience will translate well to Berlin,” Kennedy Kennedy said. Berlin High is a little more than
Citizen photo by Olivia L. Lawrence
Construction is underway for workforce housing on Deming Road.
New workforce housing project fills niche need Names being taken for applications By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen Within the next two years, Berlin will provide new opportunities for modern, affordable housing to an underserved segment of the population. Metro Realty Group Limited is in the construction phase of an 88unit project on Deming Road — rental housing built in a newly created “workforce zone.” The project fills “a missing niche,” said Hellyn Riggins, director of the town’s planning department. People who have a new job, or not enough equity to buy a home yet, may find this suits their housing needs without breaking the budget. “There are people raised in Berlin who would like to stay here and can’t afford a house. If qualified, this gives them a chance to live here,” she said. Workforce housing zoning was adopted by the Planning and Zoning
Commission in 2010. The zone is described as a multi-family development and is planned on a cooperative basis between the town and a developer experienced in mixed-income multi-family workforce housing. The design standards are set to ensure a high-quality residential environment that is compatible with neighboring properties. The project will help Berlin meet the 10 percent affordable housing goal set by state statutes, Riggins said. “It’s 100 percent affordable housing,” said Chris Nassau, marketing and leasing director at Metro. There are two phases to the project: Rivers Edge, on Bacon Lane (off the east side of Deming Road), which will have 16 units and be completed by the end of the year; and Fieldstone Crossing, on Deming Road to the west, which will have 72 units and be completed sometime in 2012. Of the total units, 60 will be two bedrooms and 14 will be handicap accessible See Workforce, page 7
twice the size of Stafford High and, while that will be different in a lot of ways, there are many similarities, he said, adding that as a member of the New England Schools and Colleges accredidation team, he’s familiar with school systems of all sizes. “The kids are the same, they are eager to learn,” Kennedy said. Furthermore, Berlin has a committed faculty and parent base, as did
See Kennedy, page 9
Reality star Countess LuAnn began life in Berlin By Daniel Jackson Special to The Citizen The glamourous life of one of the stars of The Real Housewives of New York City, a Bravo channel reality show, began humbly enough right here in Berlin. In an interview with The Citizen, Countess LuAnn de Lesseps, 46, recalled her life growing up in a small town before she lived in Europe and married a count. The former LuAnn Nadeau said, “It was a good, healthy way to grow up.” She remembered ice-skating on the ponds, playing tag football with her four brothers, snowmobiling during the winter and swimming in the East Berlin pool during the summer. “I was a tomboy.” After graduating from Berlin High School, Countess LuAnn went on to study nursing at Goodwin College. She developed a passion for service while helping at the Ridgeview Health Care CenSee Reality, page 5 Countess LuAnn