Volume 17, Number 32
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
www.berlincitizen.com
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Police department Drilling for new Elton purchases license Road water well begins plate scanner By Monica Szakacs The Berlin Citizen
By Monica Szakacs
The Berlin Citizen
Local officers will no longer have to rely on the New Britain Police Department’s license plate reader during DUI spot checks. The Town Council recently approved the Berlin PD to purchase one MPH-900 License Plate Reader from ELSAG North America for $16,000. The new equipment will provide an automated means
to check motor-vehicle license plates, according to police Chief Paul Fitzgerald. “Electronically it will scan a license plate and compare it to the Department of Motor Vehicle files so we can determine if the vehicle is unregistered,” Fitzgerald said. “It also will compare it to wanted persons files that are in the criminal justice system and that can be anywhere from felony See License / Page 4
Town will offer prescription discounts to residents By Monica Szakacs
During a recent Town Council meeting, members voted unanimously in favor The C o n n e c t i c u t of participating in CCM’s Conference of Municipalities Discount Prescription Drug is offering a new, no cost Card program. The proprogram to provide unin- gram, McNair said, is adsured and underinsured ministered by ProAct, Inc., residents discounts on pre- a full-service pharmacy benscription medicines, accord- efit management company, ing to Town Manager Denise McNair. See Discounts / Page 8 The Berlin Citizen
| Photo courtesy newportacademy.com
After multiple failed attempts, over the past 10 years, to redevelop and purge a well on Elton Road, the town has decided it will be in the best interest to drill a new production well, according to Town Manager Denise McNair. T h e Wa t e r C o n t r o l Commission has two wells on Elton Road, 1A and 2A, which are utilized to generate water to approximately 2,800 customers. Well 1A has been producing less water than what it normally should produce, according to Water Control Commission interim Director Anthony Ferraro. Over a period of years, he said “it has not being consistent with what it once produced.” “That level has been cut down to 40 percent,” Ferraro said. “That being the case, it’s time that we replace this well with one that will give us a greater productivity in water flow.” The town has hired Stephen B. Church Company, of Oxford, as the contractor for this project. SB Church is currently in the process of drilling a 100-foot-deep exploratory well near the current well sites on Elton Road. “All that does is analyze the area’s water flow,” Ferraro said. “We pick a location where we think there is an ample supply of water and we will drill down and test it out to see what the capacity of the site is.” At a recent meeting, the Town Council awarded SB Church a contract up to $36,400 for four pilot-monitoring test wells. At this time, there is only one pilot test taking place. According
to Ferraro, the quote for the first well is “a little under $10,000.” It will be paid through the Water Control funds that have been retained over the years, he said. If this pilot test turns out to be consistent with the Water Control Commission’s expec-
tations, then the town will begin the process of acquiring permits from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and local authorities to drill and install a permanent well See Drilling / Page 19
Stephen B. Church Company has drilled a 100-footdeep pilot test pump off of Elton Road, with its rig, to test the water flow and quality in the area for a new well. | (Citizen photo by Monica Szakacs)