(March 1, 2018) The Berlin mayor and council discussed the following items during a public meeting at Town Hall on Monday:

Shriners to honor Turner

Economic and Community Development Director Ivy Wells said shoe donations brought to the bathtub race car that honors the late Jesse Turner were overwhelming — three 32-gallon trash bags worth given to Diakonia.

The racer is kept inside the Berlin Welcome Center on Main Street and memorializes Turner, former owner of the Berlin Shoe Box, and a bathtub race champion.

The Shriners will make a public donation at the center on Saturday at noon, and the Lady Shriners will make a public donation on Tuesday at 4 p.m., Wells said.

Bathroom break

Planning Director Dave Engelhart said both faucets froze at the newly installed restrooms at Dr. William Henry Park.

He said the faucets were tested at the factory, but likely froze at some point while in storage. Engelhart said new plumbing would be installed and inspected by the county this week.

Public Works/Water Resources Director Jane Kreiter said the bathrooms would “hopefully be ready to roll in a week or two.”

More water, more beer

The council voted 4-0 to allow Burley Oak Brewing Company to purchase and finance five EDUs, or equivalent dwelling units used to measure water consumption. One councilmember, Troy Purnell, was absent during the meeting.

As an incentive for growth, town policy allows new and existing businesses to finance up to five EDUs over five years.

Brewery owner Bryan Brushmiller said the added capacity was needed because, “as we make more beer, we use more water.”

Grant policy

The council unanimously adopted a resolution establishing a nonprofit grant process, although four organizations were exempted: Atlantic General Hospital, the Berlin Fire Company, Town of Berlin Energy Assistance Program, and Worcester Youth and Family Counseling Services.

Mayor Gee Williams said “a separate pot of grant money” would be available to all other organizations.

“Those are unique services and they’re all, quite frankly, one of a kind,” Williams said. “We’re doing more nonprofit granting now than any time in the town’s history, but we’re also trying to be responsible.”

Williams added the policy “memorializes the fact that this town does do grants to nonprofits that serve the Town of Berlin and the greater good.”

Under the new policy, organizations can apply for funding after a fiscal year budget is passed. Any organization entering into an agreement with the town would have to provide a grant report within 90 days, both written and as a presentation during a Town Council meeting.

Representatives from several nonprofit groups were present during the meeting. Offered the chance to comment, none did so.

Full text of the policy can be viewed in the meeting packet, available at www.berlinmd.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/02.26.18.pdf.