Volume 18, Number 23
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
www.berlincitizen.com
Thursday, July 10, 2014
A busy night for the council By Charles Kreutzkamp The Berlin Citizen
It was a busy meeting July 1 when the Town Council approved a lease on a new snowplow truck, heard a presentation regarding Berlin’s new membership in the Capitol Region Council of Governments, and discussed the status of tax sales before referring properties to Planning and Zoning for a recommendation as to whether they would be good purchases for Open Space. Following a public hearing on the truck, the council approved the lease of a 2015 International 7400 series truck with a stainless steel four-season dump body and Monroe plow. The lease is costing no more than $56,446.63 per year. Councilor David Evans raised concerns that it would be cheaper to buy a truck outright rather than leasing. Deputy Mayor Rasmussen responded that the reason the truck was leased
rather than purchased was to keep the mill rate as low as possible, and that interest rates are currently very low. Director of Finance Jim Wren said that costs are being kept down by paying on the interest up front. “Unfortunately, we need the truck now … I am not a fan of spending money on interest but I think, unfortunately, we are in between a rock and a hard place,” said Councilor Charles Paonessa, who stated that he is experienced with trucks (Paonessa works in the contracting industry) and that it can be difficult to predict what is going to break. A breakdown could set the town back far more than what it is paying in interest, Paonessa said. As of July 1, Berlin is an official member of the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG). CRCOG Executive Director Lyle Wray gave a presentation to the council regarding some of the benefits of joining CRCOG. See Council / Page 6
The demolition of Kensington Grammar School is in progress. | Vincent LaPollo / Submitted
‘Dangerous eyesore’ demolished By Charles Kreutzkamp
the school was purchased by the adjacent St. Paul Catholic Church, which plans to turn After more than 100 years the site into a Parish Green standing, the demolition of for church and community Kensington Grammar School events, as well as additional has officially begun. As The church parking. For Vincent LaPollo, the Citizen reported last year, The Berlin Citizen
destruction of the extensively deteriorated building brings back a lot of memories. LaPollo attended Kensington Grammar School as a first grader in 1958, and reSee Demolished / Page 6
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