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Berlin briefs Flower Street residents on stormwater projects

(Aug. 18, 2016) To increase public interest in an Aug. 9 public meeting on stormwater in Berlin, the town hand-delivered flyers to residents on Maple Avenue and Flower Street and spoke with property owners in the area of Ennis Lane in advance.
In addition, Town Administrator Laura Allen handed out dozens more flyers to residents during the recent National Night Out event at Henry Park.
Still, outside of town employees, about 10 people turned out for the meeting at the multipurpose building on Flower Street, where officials provided an update of several major stormwater projects scheduled for the immediate area.
Consultant Darl Kolar, from EA Engineering, Science and Technology Inc., led the 45-minute discussion. Also in attendance, along with Allen, was Mayor Gee Williams, Councilman Dean Burrell, Public Works/Water Resources Director Jane Kreiter, Planning Director Dave Engelhart and Jack Orris, a candidate for the District 2 council seat currently occupied by Lisa Hall.
Williams, at the start of the meeting, noted the rainbow that formed just before the meeting and was visible over the building.
“I’m not superstitious, but I do like to think that nature sometimes [gives us a sign],” Williams said. This meeting has been a long time coming.”
He admitted improvements had taken longer and become more complicated than expected, but said they were “the beginning of something that will never go away” and the first step in a multi-year project.
“Sorry it took so long to get started, but, at the same time, we’re starting in the right place,” Williams said. “Because you told us what was what … this whole stormwater utility project process started right here in ‘East’ Berlin [and] it makes perfectly good sense.”
When the town started having discussions about creating a stormwater utility several years ago, he said public meetings to gauge interest began inside the multipurpose building.
“By the time those sessions were completed over a year later, people were saying this needs to be done, and it needs to start right here,” he said. “This is a great precedent. It may not be the showiest project you’ll ever see, because quite frankly it was meant to compliment nature to look like it’s always been there and created by the good lord.
“I just want to encourage that, if other challenges and other opportunities may come, please turnout, be involved, ask questions,” Williams added. “Sitting at home and worrying and fuming will not get us where we need to be.”
Kolar said the improvements, largely paid for by state and federal grants, would begin behind the multipurpose building with the Hudson Branch and Flower Street Off-Land Wetlands Project.
That could start as soon as next week, as the contractor goes on the clock with a 60 calendar-day window for completion. A temporary safety fence will be put up to keep children, who frequent the playground behind the building, away from construction materials.
Once the project is completed, a permanent five-foot chain link fence will go around the area.
Following that, another contractor will start work on replacing a box culvert on Flower Street, which will require a temporary road closure. No timeline or duration was given for that, but Kolar and others in the room assured residents that a plan was in place, developed and coordinated with Berlin Police and the Worcester County Board of Education.
Williams asked that Kolar work with town staff to provide “as much advanced notice to folks” as possible about the road closure.
The last part of “phase one,” before Berlin moved to address stormwater concerns in other areas of town, would be improvements in the area of Branch Street. Once each portion of work is done, the contractors would have to restore the streets “at or better” the quality in which they found it, Allen said.
Williams said any questions on the town’s stormwater work should be addressed to the town administrator.
“For so long we have put Band-Aids on this flooding concern all over town,” Burrell said. “This is a comprehensive upgrade and comprehensive plan that is going to take into consideration the entire stormwater management plan for the town of Berlin. That’s why it’s being done in phases.
“The benefit is not just going to be ‘East’ Berlin, ‘West’ Berlin, ‘North’ Berlin or wherever – the benefit is going to be the entire town of Berlin,” he added. “The effort is put in addressing this flooding concern throughout the town.