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BERLIN BRIEFS

(Jan. 28, 2016) The Berlin Mayor and Council discussed the following items during its public meeting at Town Hall on Monday.
Events
The council approved special event exceptions for Spring Celebration, hosted by the Berlin Chamber of Commerce on April 9 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in downtown Berlin, and the “5K for the Arts” membership drive hosted by the Worcester County Arts Council on May 21, from 8-10 a.m.
Larnet St. Amant, executive director of the Berlin Chamber, said Spring Celebration would feature activities and events geared towards families.
Record retention
The council unanimously approved a policy for record retention and disposal. Administrative Services Director Mary Bohlen said the policy simply established consistency across all departments. No previous formal policy had been in place.
Legal council
A revised agreement with Betts and Holt was approved by the council. The firm represents the town in legal matters pertaining to its electric utility.
Town Administrator Laura Allen said attorney rates at the firm had gone up, but legal assistant and other fees there had dropped. She said she did not anticipate the changes to cause a big impact on the town’s budget.
Formal objection
The council unanimously backed an objection to offshore seismic testing for exploration of oil and gas. Allen said Berlin was following suit with a number of other cities in an area that ranges from Florida to Maine.
The town was the 102nd to approve such an objection.
Planning update
Last week, the planning commission signed off on the final site plan for the new police station, which will be built near the intersection of Flower Street and Route 376.
Planning Director Dave Engelhart said the permit process for the station could be completed by March, with construction starting as soon as summer.
A site plan for a new Dollar General store, located adjacent to the police station, was also approved during the commission meeting.
Budget update
Finance Director Natalie Saleh said, based on an evaluation of the previous six months, the town had a $1.5 million excess in revenues over expenses. The enterprise portion of the budget was approximately $900,000 ahead, and the general fund was positive by roughly $600,000.
Saleh said the town would start work on its fiscal year 2017 budget in March.
Clean up time
In a 4-0 vote, with Councilmember Troy Purnell abstaining, the council approved a $63,896.55 contact with EA Engineering Science & Tech to help convert the former Tyson’s Chicken plant to a public park. Purnell was part of a company that sold the plant to the town.
Allen said the contract would pay for additional testing and a “refresh” of the phase one environmental study conducted last year, which is necessary to rezone the property from industrial to recreation use.
“This is the first of many first steps in turning the property into something that will be accessible and safe for the public for generations,” Berlin Mayor Gee Williams said. “It’s a very small down payment for a very important first step.”