By Josh Davis, Associate Editor

(Dec. 21, 2017) The Berlin Mayor and Council discussed the following items during a public meeting at Town Hall last Monday:

Purchases

The council unanimously approved the purchase of a new Chevy Tahoe, $34,531 from Criswell Auto in Gaithersburg, for police use.

Also approved was a $20,152.70 contract with Dell for the purchase of computers for the new Berlin Police Station.

Williams out

Councilman Elroy Brittingham was in the mayor’s seat with Gee Williams out sick.

“You’re stuck with me,” Brittingham said, noting all other council members were present, along with Town Administrator Laura Allen, attorney David Gaskill and several department heads.

Stormwater project

The council approved funding for the latest town stormwater project, this time in the area of Cedar Avenue, Maple Drive and Pine Street.

Two bids were received for the project and the town selected the low bidder, Barkers Landing Excavation from Easton, for $434,111.91. Water and Public Works Director Jane Kreiter said that bid was about $100,000 less than the other, from David A. Bramble Inc.

New generator

AT&T will install a generator near a town water tower on Franklin Avenue, which will serve as a backup for cellular service in the area. A contractor representing the company said the generator would only run once a month, as a test, unless otherwise needed.

In exchange, the town will be able to use the generator as a backup to pump water in case of outages. No money will be exchanged under the agreement.

The town has and will continue an existing relationship with AT&T, allowing installation of some infrastructure in exchange for rent. The council, after some discussion, unanimously approved the lease agreement amendment.

Snow business

Finishing touches on Baker Street were delayed by weekend snowfalls, according to Water Resources/Public Works Director Jane Kreiter. Work there is expected to finish this week – if weather cooperates.

Kreiter said delays on a walking path on Flower Street were also caused by bad weather.

Police Chief Arnold Downing said there were no significant accidents in town during the snow, but said police assisted with at least seven accidents outside town limits, including handling several for Maryland State Police.

Permits up significantly

Planning Director Dave Engelhart said total permits were up 16 percent this year, from 199 during the previous year to 230 in 2017, with about two weeks to go.

He said permit fees, which are based on estimated construction costs, were up 60 percent, from about $12.8 million to $21.1 million.

“A lot of that I attribute to the larger projects we’ve had … like the cancer center at the hospital, the library, the police station,” Engelhart said. “But it’s still quite a jump. We keep getting busier and we’re more active all the time.”

He estimated another 10 permits could come in before the end of the year.