Thursday, December 14, 2017
www.berlincitizen.com
Volume 21, Number 43
Residents express concern, frustration following oil leak By Ashley Kus The Citizen
A local family says Eversource is not being responsive enough to their concerns after testing found PCB contamination of their property following an oil leak in September.
Photo courtesy of Donelle Daigle
Holiday spirit races to the finish in 33rd annual Tinsel Fun Run By Ashley Kus The Citizen
Dec. 2 at Berlin High School.
Nearly 200 people participated in the 33rd annual Tinsel Fun Run Saturday,
“It was a lot more than last year,” said Donelle Daigle, youth and family director
at the Berlin-New Britain YMCA. “It was all around a great event.” See Fun run, A6
Santa Express rolls through town By Ashley Kus The Citizen
“A lot people are doing bigger things this year at the houses,” said Amy Pajor, Santa came to town early as coordinator of the program. part of the 11th annual “Lots of families are getting Santa Express, run by Kens- together, one house had 15 ington Fire-Rescue. to 20 kids.”
On Tuesday night, Dec. 5, Santa rolled down Cedarwood Road in a fire truck covered in Christmas lights with Christmas music blaring through the speakers. It See Santa, A7
“Our main concern is safety,” said Adam Leonard, adding he and his wife no longer allow their children to play in their yard. The PCBs were found after oil leaked from a puncture in an abandoned gas line into Belcher Brook. Eversource Energy, which owns the line, claimed responsibility for the leak. The brook, which runs into Silver Lake in Meriden, is next to Leonard’s home, where he lives with his wife, Michelle, and their two young children. Leonard reported the leak on Sept. 29. The federal Environmental Protection Agency, Eversource, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protec-
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DEEP’s Emergency Response Coordinator Matthew Williamson said last week the emergency team was at the scene during the first weekend of the leak. He said his job, as supervisor, was to determine the source and remove it. “We made sure there was no immediate risk,” he said. The process was handed over to DEEP’s PCB division. Leonard said DEEP’s Lori Saliby had come to the home recently and said she would contact Eversource. Saliby did not immediately return requests for comment. Leonard said he feels there has been a lack of communication from Eversource. A spokesperson for Eversource said the company has maintained “constant communication” with the See Oil leak, A4
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The 33rd Tinsel Fun Run was held Saturday, Dec. 2 at Berlin High School.
tion, and Environmental Services, a state contractor, all responded.
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