By Doug La Rocque
With the approval of Berlin Highway Superintendent Jim Winn, the Berlin Town Board voted on Thursday, July 27 to officially abandon Raymer Lane, turning the ownership of the road back over to the residents who live there. The road is in the northern section of Berlin off Satterlee Hollow Road. In other action, the Board voted to appoint Denis Farina to a vacancy on the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Shared services with other towns and Rensselaer County continue to be a matter of discussion between town supervisors and county officials. One area Berlin is taking a hard look at is joining forces with neighboring towns to enhance their youth program. Town Supervisor Rob Jaeger said it is one of several proposals under consideration. The Town and the Rensselaer County Highway Department have had a successful shared services agreement for many years. The Town’s current Youth Commission Chairwoman, Tammy Osterhout tells The Eastwick Press it was tried previously with the Town of Petersburgh without much success. She makes it clear that she is not opposed to the idea, but points out that each town program involves different age groups and varying levels of funding, something she feels needs to be worked out before a shared program could succeed.
The Town Board next meets in regular session on Thursday, August 10.