City Manager's Report 06/02/2008

Green Street Bridge

The underground work under the Green Street Bridge is now complete, and the Bridge is again open to traffic. Hopefully it will remain so from here on in. The crews are shifting over to the remaining work on Mt. Forist Street.  Final paving won't occur until later on in the summer when all the curbing and finish work is complete but it should be possible to keep the bridge open through that process.

Western Avenue Paving Project

Public Works has been in the process of preparing Western Avenue for grinding and repaving. It had started leveling manholes and checking lines to be sure that everything was ready for the project. It has already corrected the drainage problem between Ash and Coach Street.

Last week PWD learned from BWW that BWW didn't finish its waterline work on Western Avenue in order to undertake the water line to the BOP project. This has left about 270' of water line still to be installed on Western Avenue from Mink Street south 270'. BWW says that it is about to jump back on that project but the problem is that you typically need to wait at least 90 days to get full settlement of an excavation before you complete a paving project. Waiting 90 days at this point will put us right up against the end of the paving season. Public Works will be weighing the options for this and trying to develop the best method for dealing with it.

Goebel Street Demolition

The burnt out property on Goebel Street owned by Heinrich Kandel and others has now been cleaned up and the lot filled in and loamed and seeded. This was the last major burnt out property we had in the City and those have now all been cleaned up. It is amazing what an eyesore a burnt out property can be but then when it is cleaned up it is like there was nothing ever there.

Balsams Conference

Mayor Bertrand. City Planner Pam Laflamme and Economic Development Director Norm Charest last week attended the Coos County Symposium put on by the Tillotson Foundation. This is the second annual conference and is an attempt to bring together people from the region to talk with funders and state officials about common problems and common solutions. The major items of attention are telecommunications (broadband), education, health care and tourism. Clear progress has been made by North Country Investment Corporation (NCIC) on the broadband with the large pilot project it is undertaking to try to develop broadband county-wide. NH DRED and NCIC have also hired consultant Roger Brooks to assist in developing a region-wide brand of the area that will promote the region from a tourist perspective.

Trustees of Trust Funds Workshop

Blandine Shallow and I both attended a workshop put on by the Division of Charitable Trusts of the NH Attorney General's office last week. The workshop covered the duties and responsibilities of the Cemetery Trustees, the Library Trustees and the Trustees of Trust Funds. Berlin has had Library Trustees and Cemetery Trustees but has never established Trustees of Trust Funds as it is required to under New Hampshire law. The function of the Trustees of Trust Funds is to manage and invest all of the trusts held by a town or city, including those given to the town for cemeteries or libraries. We have prepared an ordinance for consideration by the City Council which would establish Trustees of Trust Funds for Berlin. That ordinance is currently being reviewed by the AG's office. It will be coming to the City Council for first reading in the near future.

Sewer Preliminary Design Review

We have received the draft Preliminary Design Review from Wright-Pierce for the sewer pipeline and pump station to serve the BOP and also the improvement necessary to the WWTF. We have provided WP with our comments and concerns regarding the draft. The first report on the pipelines and pump station has been sent off to the BOP for their review. The second report on the WWTP improvements will go out in a week or so. The BOP's review of these Preliminary Design Reports will undoubtedly put us back into negotiations with the BOP over the amount the BOP needs to pay the City to provide sewer service to the BOP.

Legislation

Happily, the Committee of Conference voted on May 28, 2008 to pass the Senate version of HB 1573. This is the bill we initiated and have been fighting for, for several years. The full House and Senate will vote on it this week. We are told that it was a difficult session with Rep. Andy Peterson arguing hard to delete the section allowing a lien on insurance proceeds. It is odd that Peterson did not say a word about the insurance provision back several months ago when Chief Trull, Andre Caron and I testified on this bill before the House Committee. We expect that the bill will be adopted by the Houses and signed by the Governor. Even though it is still not a done deal, we certainly want to thank Rep. Theberge from Berlin for helping to shepherd this bill through a tricky path. Also, Cordell Johhston from the LGC was tremendous, both in keeping us alert to the various intricacies of the process and for assisting with amendment language when that was necessary.

HB 1436, the collective bargaining bill which requires an evergreen clause in collective bargaining agreements effective after the passage of the law has been amended in the Senate to say that the "continuation of the pay plan" will not include cost of living adjustments. The House has voted to concur with this amendment. Therefore, it seems likely that this bill will become law.

Even though the Committees of Conference were supposed to complete all their work by last Friday, as of this afternoon, the House and Senate conferees "stopped time" and were still in session trying to work something out on the omnibus retirement bill HB 1645.