March – UPS & DOWNS…around our “growing Green” Town!
A visit to the Home, Garden & Condo show at the Convention Center in Ocean City this past weekend turned up a very nice surprise. While examining a bucket of live algae (very interesting stuff) at the Maryland Coastal Bays booth, Kate Patton, Director of the Lower Shore Land Trust, strolled over and asked if I had visited our “Berlin” booth yet. Being ever curious I turned the corner and there it was – a wonderful display (predominantly GREEN in color and thought) of Berlin in photos, manned by two very pleasant volunteers standing beside a rain barrel and one of our old street corner signs 
(Graham & William). There were take-away goodies here too – some candy and a nifty little attachment for a spigot – to aerate while reducing overall flow – saving our water! With the current impetus by all on those three very important “E’s” – energy, environment = economy, Berlin MD with the overall enthusiasm of many local groups may become a leader in both learning and action in the new millennium! For more on these fine efforts – keep watching for word from the newest group –“Grow Berlin Green”. A website should be up soon at this address http://growberlingreen.org.
Alas, there is a down – rumor has it that we’ve finally hired a utilities director but as of this writing the Berlin Utility Commission hasn’t been notified. The other day, out of frustration I perused ten months worth of approved “meeting” minutes and identified a large number of unresolved issues – including questions and requests for updated information – made by the BUC to the Town. Sharing a home with an interested BUC member, attending public meetings and being Berlin ratepayers has led to many lively conversations often ending in the mutually frustrating question as to why the Town is not responsive – not keeping the Berlin Utility Commission informed of the frequent actions often taken by Town – even without informing the public. Certainly too, anything to do with Water, Wastewater and Electric qualify as subjects for BUC oversight under our Town Charter, why then is this happening? These days with everyone faced with rising costs and husbanding their checkbooks we need the positive participation of every interested citizen.
One further question – if Berlin has enough funds to consider a new Town Park can we find the same money for purchase and installation of an AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) water/electric system for Town ratepayers? These do work and encompass those all-important “3 E’s” – ENERGY CONSERVATION thus ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION thus ECONOMIC CONSERVATION – SAVING OUR DOLLARS! HOW MUCH MORE “GREEN” CAN ONE GET???
Note: To enlarge any photo, just “click”!
