THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2012
VOL. 20 NO. 180
BERLIN, N.H.
752-5858
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Berlin council discusses pay-as-you-throw system BY BARBARA TETREAULT THE BERLIN DAILY SUN
BERLIN – The city council Monday night listened to a presentation on instituting a pay-as-youthrow program for residential solid waste but the body expressed reservations about moving to such a system in Berlin. Charged with looking at ways to increase the city’s dismal 10 percent recycling rate, Public Works Director Michael Perreault invited Sarah Nichols, a solid waste management specialist with ReCap Solutions to describe the pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) system. ReCap is a non-profit community development corporation based in Gardner, Mass. Nichols explained that PAYT charges residents a
small fee for each trash bag of solid waste they generate. Usually, that is accomplished by charging a fee for the bags themselves and requiring residents to use the bags. The goal is to provide a financial inventive for households to generate less waste and recycle more. Those households who generate less waste, pay less. It is also viewed, she said, as a more fair way to distribute the costs of solid waste management. Nichols noted there is a financial motive for the city to increase recycling. Berlin currently pays $67 a ton to dispose of solid waste at the Mount Carberry landfill. In 2010, the city generated 4,000 tons of solid waste, which cost $268,000 in tipping fees. In addition, residents generated 465 tons of recyclables
that otherwise would have cost the city $31,155 in tipping fees. Nichols said the city’s ten percent recycling rate compares to 34 percent countywide and 22 percent for the entire state. She reported that communities that implement a PAYT system generally see an approximately 40 percent reduction in solid waste in the first year. If Berlin were able to achieve that level, Nichols said it would save $119,662 in tipping fees. At the same time the city would realize a $414,027 profit from the sale of the bags. The result would be a reduction from $898,980 to $365,291, in the city’s total solid waste budget, which includes salaries and benefits see COUNCIL page 3
Work on Berlin kiosk set to begin in March
Mark Belanger and JoAnn Roy, members of the Androscoggin Valley Chamber of Commerce, built the 3-D model of the proposed New Hampshire Grand kiosks to be located throughout Coos County.
BERLIN - Construction of the first New Hampshire Grand kiosk, to be placed in downtown Berlin, is scheduled to begin in March. Under the streetscape design developed by the Moving Downtown Forward action plan, the kiosk will be placed at the entrance of the downtown on land owned by Public Service of N.H, just north of Kelley's Auto Parts. The kiosk will contain information on the city and its history. Androscoggin Valley Chamber of Commerce officials have built a 3-D model of the proposed kiosk that will be on display at the chamber's annual dinner on Feb. 24. New Hampshire Grand received a $200,000 grant from the Northern Border Regional Commission last October to construct visitor kiosks and wayfinding signage through-
out Coos County. NH Grand officials have also met with Groveton and Twin Mountain to determine key locations there and have plans to meet with other chambers and development groups throughout the region in the coming months. “These kiosks will help bring more visitors to Coos County and continue to help us tap into the economic benefits of tourism in this region. We also believe it will help support job creation and retention,” said Cathy Conway, vice president of economic cevelopment for NCIC. “Tourism is one of the region’s leading economic drivers, and these signs and kiosks will help tell the visitor how to move around the county and discover all that it has to offer. It will benefit the local communities in beautification see KIOSK page 7
Selectmen vote to take Currier property City agrees to donate to purchase towns should help them to become profitB M G of emergency response vehicle able and pay taxes, said Town Manager Y
ELISSA
RIMA
THE BERLIN DAILY SUN
GORHAM — At last week’s meeting of the Gorham selectmen, the board voted 2-1 to take property owned by Currier Sales and Service Corp., for taxes owed. The vote was taken at the Jan. 17 meeting of the board of selectmen. Board chairman Terry Oliver and member David Graham voted to take the property with Paul Robitaille voting against. Robitaille said he wanted to go on record noting a new business had recently started at that property and he felt the
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Robin Frost. The North Main Street property consisting of two side by side lots totaling more than 6 acres and a 21,000 square foot building have been subject to lien by the town since 2008 for unpaid taxes dating back to 2007. According to documents provided by the town, as of Jan. 18, the unpaid taxes, interest and penalties on the property totaled more than a quarter of a million dollars at $254,762. see SELECTMEN page 3
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BY BARBARA TETREAULT THE BERLIN DAILY SUN
BERLIN - The city council agreed to contribute $1,500 to a local snowmobile club’s efforts to raise almost $40,000 for an emergency response vehicle to rescue injured snowmobile and ATV riders from remote trail locations. In this first meeting since last week’s inaugural, the council
Monday night also reviewed policies and made committee appointments. Larry Gomes, assistant trail master for the White Mountains Ridge Runners Club, discussed the club’s request for $2,000. Gomes explained that the club wants to purchase an emergency response vehicle as a regional see DONATE page 6
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