Volume 18, Number 6
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
www.berlincitizen.com
On this day, libraries were a bit noisy By Charles Kreutzkamp The Berlin Citizen
More than 200 people attended Take Your Child to the Library Day at Berlin-Peck Memorial Library Feb. 1. “Forty-five children completed the scavenger hunt, 60 children had their faces painted and 75 children got balloon sculptures,” Emily Gontarz, the new children’s librarian, pointed out. The 45 children who completed the scavenger hunt were awarded with a bookmark photo of themselves. The five children with the most correct answers on the staff photo match earned a free one-year subscription to Book Board, an e-book service for children. Gontarz planned and designed the activities at the event, including a library-wide scavenger hunt. “It was great to see so many kids and families at the library,” Katherine Plater, digital services librarian, said. The scavenger hunt brought kids Emily Gontarz, children’s librarian at Berlin-Peck Memorial Library, is pictured at Take Your Child to the Library Day. The Feb. 1 event drew a See Libraries / Page 7 large crowd. (Charles Kreutzkamp / The Berlin Citizen)
BHS renovation ‘moving along very well’ By Charles Kreutzkamp The Berlin Citizen
The high school renovation continues. The Town Council heard a report from Gilbane Construction representative Tom Smith at the Town Council Meeting Jan. 28. “It’s moving along very well,” Tom Smith from Gilbane Construction said. The masonry has been completed, the dry wall process has been started, and fireproofing has been finished. Roofing has been dicey throughout the project, Smith said. Some of the adhesives used only work at a cerSee Renovation / Page 11
Tom Smith from Gilbane Construction explains the high school renovation status to the Town Council. (Charles Kreutzkamp / The Berlin Citizen)
Thursday, Februar y 6, 2014
Depot Crossing purchase finalized By Charles Kreutzkamp The Berlin Citizen
Mayor Rachel Rochette announced that non-profit housing developer, the Corporation for Independent Living, has purchased the Depot Crossing property at 848 Farmington Ave., across from the Berlin train station. CIL’s plan for the building includes commercial space on the first floor with 16 apartments above, four designated as affordable to households at 60 percent of the median income. CIL is a non-profit 501(c)3 dedicated to affordable housing, offices for not-for-profits, and reclamations. The organization has handled thousands of projects to modify buildings for people with physical disabilities since it was founded in 1979. Depot Crossing Inc. is to be a for-profit venture, but all of the stock in the company is held by CIL, which will receive 100 percent of the income generated by Depot Crossing after taxes. Depot Crossing will be Berlin’s first new mixed use, transit-oriented project. Depot Crossing will be conveniently located to the new commuter rail service on the New Haven Springfield line. “I thank Governor Malloy and the State of Connecticut for their assistance,” Rochette said. “When town staff started working with CIL to assist on financing for the project, we met with a group of state agencies that is encouraging TOD projects. Out of that meeting we started to work with Connecticut Housing Finance Authority. CHFA provided $1 million in funding to the Connecticut Housing Investment Fund that was lent to CIL on a subordinated See Finalized / Page 5