The Berlin
Cit itiz ize en
Volume 14, Number 39
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
Thursday, September 30, 2010
After council debates nurses’ salary, increase approved By Maura Gaffney Special to The Citizen
The roof at McGee Middle School and a new contract with town nurses were among new business items on the agenda at the Sept. 21 Town Council meeting. The council approved a three year contract between the Town of Berlin and the nurses union. Mayor Adam Salina and Councilor Robert Dacey and Deputy Mayor Steve Morelli voted to ap-
prove the contract. Councilors Kari Drost and David Evans voted against it. Councilors Rachel Rochette and William Rasmussen were absent. The contract between the town and its nurses (school nurses/aides and home health nurses/aides) includes a “two percent salary increase plus step movement” for the 2010 fiscal year, a “zero percent salary increase plus step movement and $.80/hour applied to the
school nurse schedule” for 2011, and a “two percent salary increase plus step movement” for 2012. These percentages represent an increase of approximately $22,000 in 2010, $6,000 in 2011 and $24,000 in 2012. Medical
Citizen photo by Olivia L. Lawrence
aides. Dacey strongly supported the agreement. He said it’s an “excellent contract” that benefits the town as well as
See Council, page 34
Fair factor: What will make the 62nd a great fair? The Berlin Fair opens Oct. 1 for three days of fun By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen
Terry Kramer, of Canton Raptor Care, with a redtail hawk.
benefits were moved out of this contract and were agreed upon separately. The dollar amounts are for the whole department, which includes four home health nurses and seven or eight school nurses and
The 62nd Annual Berlin Fair is ready to roll starting Friday, Oct. 1 at 11 a.m. and runs through Sunday, Oct. 3. A special section in today’s Citizen details the schedule, parking and shuttle bus information, and other pertinent information — in addition to stories on the people and pageantry that makes the magic happen. Several big factors go into
creating a fair that returns season after season. Here’s the scoop on the Top Five. Factor: The weather Every fair president says it and everyone knows it’s true. Great weather means a great turnout and a good time. But over the years, the fair has managed to overcome this greatest obstacle and even when the skies don’t cooperate, people still turn out for Berlin’s big event. This year, we’re in luck. This week’s rain will give way to close to perfect weather according to Weather.com. Here’s the outlook. Friday: a 71 degree
high, a 49 degree low, partly cloudy with a 10 percent chance of rain. Saturday: 63 degrees during the day under sunny skies, 44 is the night time low. No chance of rain. Sunday, another win-
See Fair, page 8
The Berlin Fair Oct. 1-3
Raptor expert thrills and educates with live bird show By Olivia L. Lawrence The Berlin Citizen Terry Kramer, a raptor expert from Canton Raptor Care Inc., was at the Senior Center last week for a special presentation arranged by Berlin AARP. An audience of more than 60 seniors was treated to an extensive exploration of the habits and habitat of hawks, owls and kestrels. Kramer brought several rescued birds with her giving the audience a rare up-close look at sever-
al spectacular specimens. For example, the audience learned that most red-tailed hawks do not make it to adulthood. But those that do can live for 30 years. Chris, a rescued red-tail, perched on Kramer’s arm and occasionally spread its wings as if to demonstrate its true size and a bit of its power. Raptors are “solitary, aggressive hunters. They are not pets,” Kramer said. See Raptor, page 30
Photo courtesy of Madeline Bodley
Kids and cows are just a few of the many reasons the Berlin Fair is a favorite fall tradition.
See special fair section inside on pages 15-26.