www.berlincitizen.com
Volume 22, Number 46
Thursday, January 3, 2019
Facing rate increase, golf commission seeks Timberlin ordinance change By Devin Leith-Yessian The Citizen
professional. Based on conversations with other courses in the state, he estimated that turnout across the region was down 10 to 15 percent due to a cold spring and winter, while the summer was hot and humid.
The Berlin Golf Commission is seeking an ordinance change to reduce the pressure on Timberlin Golf Course to generate a profit after a season of bad weather kept many golfers off the In order to comply with an ordinance which was creatcourse. ed alongside the Golf Com“I've been in the golf busimission in late 2017, the ness for 16 years now and course takes a three-year this has been the worst golf average of its attendance season I’ve seen,” said Marc and must aim to generate a Bayram, the course’s golf profit when revising
its rates. To break even under that average, Timberlin would need to raise rates by 4 percent, which commission members fear would be too high compared to other courses. “The 4 percent option may push people away … we may get less rounds and not meet our projection,” Bayram said. “One thing we don’t want to do is price ourselves out of the market.”
The other option Timberlin would have is to keep rates low for certain groups, such as seniors, while raising rates beyond a 4 percent increase for others. “We’re trying to make it revenue positive and we’re heading in that direction, but it’s a unique department in town,” said Mayor Mark Kaczynski. He said the ordinance committee will be meeting in January, See Golf, A12
Buildings, new road planned near train station By Devin Leith-Yessian The Citizen
The Town Council is considering plans for townowned land adjacent to the new train station, including the possibility of a new road and five residential/commercial buildings. “We’ve got a chance to do a really nice thing here, so we want to get it right,” said Mayor Mark Kaczynski. “Right now it looks like we’re going in the right direction.” The town purchased the land between 2009 and 2011 and originally considered building a new police station on the plots until a 2016 study determined relocating the station there didn’t meet the town’s goals for the area. In July 2018, the town selected Newport Realty Group to design and build a development to complement the train station, including a new road. “There's a lot of very posi-
tive things all pointing in the right direction for us and for the town,” said Tony Valenti, of Newport Realty, a joint venture between Valenti and Mark Lovley, who owns Lovley Development in Southington. The plan calls for five buildings with a total of 80,000 square feet. A total of 61,000 square feet would be residential and the remainder commercial. The two largest buildings, at two to four stories, would have 30 residential units each, according to documents presented to the Town Council. A third building would have commercial space on the first floor and an additional 16 residential units. All the housing would be market rate. Valenti envisions a small 1,600 square foot building nestled halfway down the road as the potential home to a coffee shop or café, while a See Station, A12
DEMOCRATS LOOK BACK ON 2018
Message resonated with voters By Mike Savino Record-Journal staff
Democrats saw Republicans chip away at their state legislative majorities for the better part of a decade, going from a veto-proof majority in each chamber in 2008 to a tied Senate and slim seven-seat lead in the House in 2016. This past November saw a significant reversal, with Democrats now holding a 23-13 lead in the Senate and 92-59 lead in the House beginning in January. Rep. Cathy Abercrombie and Senator-elect Mary Daugherty Abrams, both Meriden Democrats, said the results show voters were attracted to the party’s message.
Berlin is partnering with Newport Realty Group LLC to construct a new road connecting to the train station, with five mixed-use buildings along it. The road will be constructed at 889 Farmington Ave., photographed on July 24. | Devin Leith-Yessian, The Citizen
“I think that, as Democrats, we were focused on how do we move Connecticut forward,” Abercrombie said during a recent interview for the “Morning Record” podcast. Abrams was part of a big night for Senate Democrats, with several newcomers helping the party pick up five seats and regain control of the chamber. “I think when you look at the different races and who won, I think we were all pretty much on the same message with things,” Abrams said. See Democrats, A12