The Berlin
Cit itiz ize en Volume 13, Number 37
Send us your Berlin Fair Memories The Annual Berlin Fair — year 61 — is just around the corner. The fair, sponsored by the Berlin Lions Club, is the focus of local activity all during September through to the big weekend. This year the fair takes place Oct. 2 to Oct. 4. We invite our readers to share their recollections of the fair for publication in The Citizen. What is your favorite memory of the fair? What does The Berlin Fair mean to you? Perhaps you won a big blue ribbon in the jellies and jams division. Or you may have visited the fair on a first date with your future spouse. Outings with grandchildren, eating too many fried Oreo cookies or watching a chick hatch from its shell — all these moments create that intangible experience that makes the fair such a special time for Berlin. It’s not just the tents, the crowds, the shows and the food (but it is all that, too.) It’s See Fair, page 9
Countdown to the Fair
3 Weeks
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Horse haven at Pistol Creek
Citizen photo by Robert Mayer
Three horses find their way on the trails at the former site of the Pistol Creek golf course on Labor Day.
Council approves school projects By Olivia L. Lawrence Associate Editor The Town Council approved three projects to improve conditions at the town’s public schools at its Sept. 1 meeting. Several members of the council emphasized that these “remedial measures” weren’t the best approach to maintaining the district’s facilities. “Clearly, we need more people in Berlin aware of the conditions of our schools,” said Deputy Mayor Steve Morelli, adding that “a shocking number of people” aren’t well-informed on the school facilities issues. “We’ve put band-aids on these problems for too long,” said Mayor Adam Salina. On the council agenda were items to: improve the air quality at McGee Middle School through a new HVAC system; add relocatable classrooms at Griswold Elementary School to ease
space needs; and to address certain code violations and accessibility issues at Berlin High School. Morelli and Salina both spoke of the need to better inform the community and, as Morelli put it, “get people behind us to deal the problems.” To that end, the council discussed the possibility of cable broadcasts of meetings and also of holding a public informational meeting in the near future in regards to facilities issues at the schools. The council awarded a contract for the design of a heating-ventilation-air conditioning system for McGee Middle School to BVH Integrated Services Inc. for $29,500 for the Phase I preliminary design costs. The preliminary design primarily will be to address air quality problems which are most prevalent in one wing (an addition to the building). However, “all classroom (HVAC) units showed is-
sues,” said Roman Czuchta, director of business operations. “We will look at the entire building.” The tentative schedule to complete Phase I is Nov. 12 at which time the project will be brought back to the council for the construction phase of funding. The intent is to minimize the impact on classrooms as the project is phased in over the next year, with interior work scheduled for summer months. However, students may be relocated “if we have to,” Simonian said. The council approved awarding a construction bid for relocatable classrooms at Griswold to ModSpace Corporation of Bristol for $725,775. The entire project cost is $1,061,500. Approximately 48 percent of the cost will be reimbursed by the state. Simonian said the contract calls for the work to be completed in 93 days from the time the conSee Council, page 8