Thursday, November 7, 2019
www.berlincitizen.com
Volume 22, Number 37
Study funded to look at softball field renovation By Devin Leith-Yessian The Citizen
Berlin Deputy Police Chief Christopher Ciuci opens a cell door in the department's lockup. The town approved a contract to replace the doors with metal and plastic to prevent inmates from attempting to use the doors in suicide attempts. File photo
Jail cell doors to be replaced By Devin Leith-Yessian The Citizen
The metal bars on the cells in the police department’s lockup will soon be replaced with plexiglass. The cells have been considered a hazard since a prisoner attempted to hang himself using the bars in 2016. The incident prompted a policy of stationing an officer outside when a cell is occupied. In a department with 42 sworn officers, having to station an officer outside the cell is a problem, Deputy Police Chief Christopher Ciuci said.
“They’re not on the street, so that’s taking away from our patrol force and our ability to protect the town,” he said. The work, which cost $251,165, should start soon and be completed before the end of the year. Police Chief John Klett said he arranged for prisoners to be held at the New Britain Police Department while the holding cells are offline. Some delays in the fabrication of the plexiglass doors led to work beginning later than expected, said town Facilities Director Doug Solek.
“It’s a specialty product so it has a long lead time,” he said. Solek and Klett are working with another department interested in acquiring the cell doors for their police museum, which could lower disposal costs. Ciuci said the department will be excited to have the new doors in place. “We had hoped sooner, but we’re happy to have it done by the end of the year,” he said. dleithyessian@ record-journal.com 203-317-2317 Twitter: @leith_yessian
infill in the infield for around $556,000. A more permanent solution After hearing testimony of would be to replace the unsafe conditions, and the grass and infill with artifimention of unequal facili- cial turf, which comes ties between Berlin High with a higher price tag — School boys and girls nearly $1.4 million — but teams at its previous allows a significantly meeting, the Town Coun- greater amount of play cil decided to fund a study without being damaged. on renovating the softball Parks and Recreation field at Sage Park. Commission Chairperson Around 10 teams that reDonna Bovee said if the quire lighting for night field were to be resoded games play at the field, without making it excluSage 1, far beyond what sive to the softball team, was intended for a field the field would quickly meant to be used just for degrade again and the desoftball. Jen Ochoa, direc- partment would have to tor of Social and Youth return to the council withServices, said it has led to in a few years to replace it the grass degrading and again. the soil becoming uneven, which players and coach- “My opinion is with sod, es said could constitute a we're going to be back here looking for a few hazard for outfielders. hundred thousand dollars Parks and Grounds Foreevery few years just to man Steve Wood and keep it going and it's realOchoa presented the ly not going to be a good council with two options field to play on, just like to alleviate the field’s dewe have now," she said. terioration. The cheapest would be to simply resod the grass and install new See Field, A14
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