Volume 18, Number 7
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
www.berlincitizen.com
Thursday, Februar y 13, 2014
Coaches allege ‘abuse of power’ from BOE head By Charles Kreutzkamp
The BICA’s mission and rationale for forming was laid out in a letter that was Alleging “consistent and recently sent to the Board constant abuse of power” of Education and the Town from Board of Education Council. The Board of Education President Gary Brochu, 75 coaches from Berlin High voted unanimously in execuSchool and McGee Middle tive session Monday night to School have formed the Berlin hire an attorney to investigate Interscholastic Coaches the accusations. Brochu reAssociation. The group aims cused himself when the board to “represent coaches’ con- went into executive session. Th e Ci t i ze n re a c h e d cerns and to support each Brochu by phone earlier this other in times of need.” The Berlin Citizen
week, in regards to the matter, and he declined to comment as he has, so far, to media outlets. BICA, formed in 2013, has already met more than 10 times. BICA spokesman Jim Day, the Berlin High School wrestling coach, explained that forming the organization was a five-month process. Founding members nominated and elected to the executive committee were
Fishermen break the ice at Silver Lake By Charles Kreutzkamp
Ice fishing on Silver Lake, which is located just off of the Berlin Turnpike’s south end, is popular every year. Silver City Bass Masters, a fishing club “It’s a nice experience, really. It’s a challenge that pits you against the elements,” based in Berlin, organizes an annual ice Berlin resident and ice fisherman Frank fishing contest at Silver Lake. The organization was founded in the mid 70s in Slogeris said. Meriden and has been based out of Berlin since the 80s. Unfortunately, this year, as in several past years, the Silver Lake Ice Derby was canceled. “The ice was only a b o ut t h re e i n c h e s thick in most places,” Silver City Bass Masters President Al Guite explained. Because hund re d s of f i s h e r m e n regularly attend the Silver Lake Ice Derby, the ice needs to be much thicker to support the crowd. One thing that draws fishermen is the handsome cash prize for the five anglers who catch the heaviest fish of One of the ice fishers in Gary Sala’s group checks a tip any species. “It’s unforup after a flag flipped up, only to find the fish had gotten away. |(Charles Kreutzkamp / The Berlin Citizen) See Fishermen / Page 4 The Berlin Citizen
carefully chosen to provide representation for high school and middle school athletics, for both boys and girls, and for coaches who do not work as teachers, Day explained. “It’s a fairly balanced council,” Day said. Volunteer coaches have joined as well. BICA’s official bylaws state that the organization’s purpose is to provide a unified professional organization for its members, to foster sound and equitable competitive experiences for Berlin’s student-athletes, and to maximize educational benefits that student-athletes gain from interscholastic athletics programs. BICA also strives to serve as public relations to represent coaches positively to the press, school admin-
istration, parents, Booster Club, and others. A primary concern of the organization is to create better lines of communication between parents, students, and coaches, according to the organization’s talking points, which state, “BICA wants to clarify the BHS Athletic Department Parental Communications Policy regarding complaints. BICA wants the Administration to follow the Chain of Command that has been in place for over a decade. This policy was submitted to HR for Board Approval in 2004.” One BICA member who preferred to remain anonymous said that the bullying allegations are not BICA’s See Allege / Page 15
Severe weather impedes salt deliveries By Charles Kreutzkamp The Berlin Citizen
Berlin saw two major snowstorms recently: Maximus on Feb. 3, and Nika on Feb. 12. Maximus delivered about six inches of very powdery snow, some of which melted in time for Nika’s near foot of snow followed by a layer of ice from a wintry mix at higher temperatures. B e rl i n P u b l i c Wo rk s Director Arthur Simonian confirmed that there is a general salt shortage across Connecticut. Part of the shortage has been caused by the increased demand of salt across the Midwest.
In Berlin, Simonian explained, the salt order was delayed due to a problem with the trains. The tracks got too cold, which caused rail switches to freeze up. “We still have salt in our inventory, so will not be in any danger of running out before we receive the next shipment,” Simonian said. “At this point we have been told the rail cars are running again and trucks are making deliveries.” The budget is faring well. “Our salt budget is down to less than half, which is not so bad for this time of year. See Salt / Page 4