BERLIN—The Town Council voted to approve an expansion of the container ban boundary zone to include a broader swath of town businesses beyond those directly on Main Street, at the request of Economic Development Director Michael Day on Jan. 27.
During special town events, physical barriers are placed at the north end of Main Street at Stevenson Lane, and south end of Main Street at Jefferson Street, along with entrances to Main Street from Broad, Commerce and Pitts streets. With the addition of three new businesses, whose owners Day said had expressed interest in participating in the events, opening outside the current boundary zone, the council was asked to consider expanding the boundary lines.
Within the boundary zone the town’s prohibition against open containers of alcohol or public consumption of alcohol is suspended through the duration of the special event (Town Code Sec. 20-19. Possession and consumption in certain places prohibited).
Under the expanded boundary zone the council approved, businesses including Baked Dessert Café & Gallery, Blacksmith, Burley Tavern Inn, Uptown Antiques and the Visitor Center, will be within the pedestrian area where the open container ban will be lifted.
The council then approved Day’s request for the container ban ordinance to be suspended for five upcoming events this year, to allow permitted alcohol sales during the Jazz & Blues Bash on May 3, May Day Play Day on May 10, Fiddler’s Convention on Sept. 19-20, OctoberFest on Oct. 18, a yet-unnamed and unscheduled event that will replace the International Festival, and the New Year’s Eve Celebration on Dec. 31.
A schedule to allow the Berlin Chamber of Commerce to host an outdoor beer garden during those events, with the exception of New Year’s Eve, was presented by Chamber President Tom Sholtis, of Ocean 98.1 FM. The proposed schedule was approved by the council.
According to the Code: “The drinking of alcoholic beverages in non-glass containers shall be permitted on public streets, avenues, alleys or sidewalks, if the drinking of such alcoholic beverages is done as part of a special event, in a designated area, and during a designated time as set forth in a permit granted to the organizers of the special event or to their designees by the Mayor and Council, which may set forth such other conditions of the permit as it deems appropriate under the circumstances.”
Human Resources Director Jeffrey Fleetwood made a presentation to Mayor Gee Williams and the town council on a proposed new vacation time buyback program (Sec. 6.12 of the Employee Handbook, entitled “Vacation Buy Back”) that would allow town employees to sell a certain amount of their accrued vacation hours back to the town at 80 percent of its cash value. Under the proposal, town employees who have taken 40 hours of vacation time prior to an April 30 deadline in a given year would be allowed to request the opportunity to sell back their remaining vacation hours to the town up to 60 hours and meet other criteria.
Fleetwood stressed that the buyback program would be a voluntary election by the employee and that it was to be understood by employees that the payout the employee would receive, in the first pay period (July) of the new fiscal year, would total only 80 percent of the value of the hours sold.
The concept of the proposal, Fleetwood said, was to reduce the financial liability to the town of the outstanding vacation hours employees have accrued, which can total up to 240 hours per employee.
Steve Taylor and Cindy Ilardi of Worcester Youth and Family Counseling Services made a presentation to the council to introduce Taylor as the organization’s incoming executive director and to provide the quarterly report. (See related article.)
During special town events, physical barriers are placed at the north end of Main Street at Stevenson Lane, and south end of Main Street at Jefferson Street, along with entrances to Main Street from Broad, Commerce and Pitts streets. With the addition of three new businesses, whose owners Day said had expressed interest in participating in the events, opening outside the current boundary zone, the council was asked to consider expanding the boundary lines.
Within the boundary zone the town’s prohibition against open containers of alcohol or public consumption of alcohol is suspended through the duration of the special event (Town Code Sec. 20-19. Possession and consumption in certain places prohibited).
Under the expanded boundary zone the council approved, businesses including Baked Dessert Café & Gallery, Blacksmith, Burley Tavern Inn, Uptown Antiques and the Visitor Center, will be within the pedestrian area where the open container ban will be lifted.
The council then approved Day’s request for the container ban ordinance to be suspended for five upcoming events this year, to allow permitted alcohol sales during the Jazz & Blues Bash on May 3, May Day Play Day on May 10, Fiddler’s Convention on Sept. 19-20, OctoberFest on Oct. 18, a yet-unnamed and unscheduled event that will replace the International Festival, and the New Year’s Eve Celebration on Dec. 31.
A schedule to allow the Berlin Chamber of Commerce to host an outdoor beer garden during those events, with the exception of New Year’s Eve, was presented by Chamber President Tom Sholtis, of Ocean 98.1 FM. The proposed schedule was approved by the council.
According to the Code: “The drinking of alcoholic beverages in non-glass containers shall be permitted on public streets, avenues, alleys or sidewalks, if the drinking of such alcoholic beverages is done as part of a special event, in a designated area, and during a designated time as set forth in a permit granted to the organizers of the special event or to their designees by the Mayor and Council, which may set forth such other conditions of the permit as it deems appropriate under the circumstances.”
Human Resources Director Jeffrey Fleetwood made a presentation to Mayor Gee Williams and the town council on a proposed new vacation time buyback program (Sec. 6.12 of the Employee Handbook, entitled “Vacation Buy Back”) that would allow town employees to sell a certain amount of their accrued vacation hours back to the town at 80 percent of its cash value. Under the proposal, town employees who have taken 40 hours of vacation time prior to an April 30 deadline in a given year would be allowed to request the opportunity to sell back their remaining vacation hours to the town up to 60 hours and meet other criteria.
Fleetwood stressed that the buyback program would be a voluntary election by the employee and that it was to be understood by employees that the payout the employee would receive, in the first pay period (July) of the new fiscal year, would total only 80 percent of the value of the hours sold.
The concept of the proposal, Fleetwood said, was to reduce the financial liability to the town of the outstanding vacation hours employees have accrued, which can total up to 240 hours per employee.
Steve Taylor and Cindy Ilardi of Worcester Youth and Family Counseling Services made a presentation to the council to introduce Taylor as the organization’s incoming executive director and to provide the quarterly report. (See related article.)