Letter To The Editor – Berlin’s Growth?

To the Editor:
What’s with this philosophical growth in Berlin? “Am I crazy? What a great deal, and we have money in the bank to pay for it!”
Do we really need to replace 7,700 sq. feet of existing government buildings with 35,800 sq. ft. of complex space? More soccer fields to add to our school fields? Should we have a Town park on a State highway? How can we afford to maintain all of this? These are just some questions that come to mind; there will be many more to come.
Berlin has been disappearing the past 35 years. We have a declining population, lost mercantile businesses such as groceries stores, gas stations, hardware stores, restaurants, a liquor store and a florist shop. We also have a disintegrating commercial trend. Seagroatt Floral Co. has closed as well as Berlin Lumber Co. W. J. Cowee, our largest employer in town is but a shadow of what it was in the past. Agriculture is almost non- existent, a few family strongholds trying to survive in a statewide declining dairy industry. Is this the time to enlarge our local government housing needs?
This may be an opportunity we as a community will never see again or it might be a ball and chain we wished we never put on. Are we trying to create a false facade of what the village is, or trying to dictate what some envision we should look like? Travelers that drive through, will they stop by to see what our village looks like because we have a “complex” or will they continue on to their destination? How much will it cost to bring these structures to where they have to be to accommodate our needs?
Will we need to have more employees to maintain the facilities? How much is it going to cost to heat? There is a lot that has to be answered. We as a community must come together and research this proposed purchase with the utmost scrutiny. It will no doubt have a major impact on the future of the community.
Richard von Schilgen.
Berlin