Home Commentary Heard on the Street, March 9, 2022

Heard on the Street, March 9, 2022

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Public Locker Permit Approved

If you have no home, but do have possessions, you have to either lug stuff around or stash it somewhere and risk it getting stolen. To solve at least the storage part of the problem, the Montpelier Design Review Committee unanimously approved during its Feb. 22 meeting a permit application for a locker site-plan for the back exterior of 55 Barre Street (the recreation center). The application seeks to install two sets of lockers, 36 inches wide by 18 inches deep by 72 inches high, plus a sign showing rules for use. Both the applicant (submitted by Assistant City Manager Cameron Niedermayer) and the property owner are the city of Montpelier. The lockers project will be presented to the city council during its March 23 meeting.

Phone Access for Homeless Citizens Pondered

You are in a tough position if you need to use the MyRide public transportation system, but don’t have access to a phone or computer. The only way to get a ride on that system is by phone or an internet-based app. During its Feb. 16 meeting, the Homelessness Task Force bandied about solutions to this problem. One possibility would be to have phones at certain hub locations dedicated to this purpose. For example, MyRide phones could be stationed at places such as Another Way, Shaw’s supermarkets (Montpelier and Berlin), the transit center, Pioneer Apartments, and the Lane Shops, meeting minutes state.

Berlin Discusses a New Public Works Director Position

Interviews for a newly created public works director position could start this month (March 2022) in the town of Berlin. According to the Feb. 7 minutes of the board of selectmen, those job responsibilities are currently handled by two on-call consultants who cost upward of $88,000 per year. The salary for the new director would also be in that range, according to the minutes. Duties include meter readings and after-hour and on-call repairs to the town’s infrastructure. The position will ultimately report to Town Administrator Vince Conti.

Berlin Pond Parking Problems Continue

It seems people are continuing to park beside the ‘No Parking’ signs on Brookfield Road at Berlin Pond. Selectman John Quinn brought it up at a recent meeting of the board of selectmen. Quinn noted he does not want to ticket people, but sought input from others if the situation could be resolved, according to meeting minutes. Parking seems to be by skiers and walkers, it was noted.

—Compiled by Carla Occaso 

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