This forum will be used to collect information from the public about the future of the downtown area, including the mill site and central business district.
Why is there no information regarding the tax incentive for downtown redevelopement on the city website. Perhaps the city can encourage “outside” investment by marketing the incentive. Yes we already have a partnership using the incentive and that is good news, but how does that look to “outsiders” like myself when the incentive is not marketed and the only persons utilizing this tax break is the Gentleman that works for the city and championed the tax break and the head of the Main Street program that lobbied for the tax break. At least make an effort to market this benefit to outside investors, it might have the effect it was intended to have when it was marketed to the citizenry.
Good to see our downtown tax incentive now listed on the city website.
When we look at redevelopement issues City Wide and the fact that redevelopement has been a wish but never a substancial reality for far too long. Berlin is even Steven for every property that is repaired another, or two, fall into disrepair. The fact is, is that Berlin properties are the least safe investment for banks and it is often banks that will not lend to citizens to reconstruct. Meaning that the property will never appraise high enough for a bank to loan monies for reconstruction, to a bank it is not worth the risk. The community must make radical and imaginative steps to break this cycle and syndrome. The city needs to have programs and incentives for people of “all” income brackets to relocate, reconstruct and breathe life into what could be one of Amricas finest citys. The city could match citizen, reconstruction investments dollar for dollar and as the taxing body be guaranteed the money back on her investment. What real imaginitive steps are we taking to encourage this type of investment, from persons of all income brackets, like new federal employees that will find their way to this Valley but probabley never consider Berlin?
In my opinion, the downtown area(from Catello`s and Son to the Bowling center).It`s time to broaden our view of the Berlin downtown with three features,lower,center,outer area. The ,”lower ” area could consist of starting from Catello`s and Son to the Berlin IGA plaza.The “center” area could begin from the Aubuchon hardware store to the City Hall. The “outer ” area could begin from the old JC Penney store to the Bowling center.If tourism is a facet for Berlin,the River can become an asset to draw customers to the new downtown area.One possible development can be a white rapids river run through the center of the downtown.A jewel in the making could be the Public Service Park an area to draw people for events etc.Another little jem could be the Moxie Alley area.( just a side note, I found it strange that the Corner stone project never took advantange of the water flow under the building to produce power for the businesses and new residence of that block?) Maybe it`s still possible??
The second public visioning session for the City of Berlin Master Plan revision project will be held Wednesday March 5, 2008 at 7PM. The location will be announced shortly.
This session will focus on the future of downtown and discuss the former pulp mill property currently owned by North American Dismantling Corporation.
We look forward to the community’s participation the night of the visioning session, but welcome anyone to start the conversation here on the community’s blog.
Any questions about the visioning session can be directed to me, Pam Laflamme, City Planner, 752-8587.
The public is invited by the City of Berlin to the second Master Plan visioning session on Wednesday March 5, 2008, 6:00PM at White Mountain Community College in the cafeteria. The second session will focus on potential future uses for the former pulp mill property as envisioned by the community. It was intended that this session would cover both downtown and the mill property, but we will be discussing the downtown at the third session to allow for adequate time to speak about both important issues.
Please feel free to start the conversation and good ideas by adding ideas to our Master Plan & Community Conversations website - http://www.berlinfuture.wordpress.com
I’d like to offer some insight of what my wife and I have experienced around the country. We’ve seen Foxwoods, Atlantic City, Vegas and countless other hotel/casinos around the country including Harrahs Casino in Council Bluffs Iowa…we’ve seen a bunch. But our best experience was last year’s trip to Deadwood, SD. This place is amazing! I can envision this type of transformation in Berlin. See the first link included below…
Deadwood is much like Berlin, surrounded by beautiful scenery with a long history. The original shops on main street are now small, intimate, casinos, the size of Hall of Greetings and Tea Bird’s. The previously vacant and dilapidated second floors of the main street buildings are now restaurants and small hotels, very well done, old charm and clean. Deadwood is truly a good model for Berlin. A percentage of gaming revenues go directly to Deadwood preservation and believe me, they’ve done a wonderful job. Brick streets, antique street lights and everything is clean.
If gaming comes to Berlin, please look the Deadwood model rather than Foxwoods for ideas.
The people of Berlin have NOT been educated on the process the Laidlaw company will need to begin in order to produce energy two to ten years from now. Most people are not aware that even after a potential purchase, Laidlaw’s permitting process will take 24 months before they could produce energy.
Berlin people are unaware of the fact that we are placing a great deal of hope in a 200 million dollar grid upgrade to improve Laidlaw’s odds of energy production from a 0% chance with the State laws as they currently are written.
Many people would never give any credence to the notion that our north country wood basket of biomass grade wood might play a huge role in the sustainability of the Laidlaw company due to lack of demand for “good wood”. Loggers can’t provide “biomass grade” wood if no demand is there for the “good wood” and the biomass company won’t pay the going rate for the “good wood”.
Most Berlin citizens don’t realize that this energy process involves a system known as the queue, and that in order to play ball in the system you pay $10k to reserve your spot in line. Most citizens don’t know Laidlaw failed to enter this system until they were seventh in line behind some impressive energy producing companies. Effectively this late entry onto the queue has put Laidlaw as the low man on the totem pole, while Berlin is inaccurately thinking this company will come to town, fire that boiler up, bring jobs, and return the loggers to the forest.
Laidlaw’s ability to start the boiler would only happen with significant changes to energy policy at the State level that would impact huge energy producers, some of whom have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to maintain their places on the queue as prescribed by law. Any change to the procedure that would jeopardize the placement of one of these energy producers on the queue would surely be grounds for appeals and/or lawsuits by these companies thereby creating further delays in Laidlaw’s ability to produce power.
It would be my hope that Jeff Taylor and Associates would spend some time educating the public at the March 5 meeting prior to breaking the community into any work sessions so that the citizens could be more informed and less apt to make uneducated knee jerk decisions and/or comments that will be counterproductive to what could be a very informative and enlightening meeting.
A caustic reaction would result if you were wrong to label a statement ___out __of Governor John Lynch office if it were not true. This sign of what____this work is gave me the right. It is___out __of Governor John Lynch office word for word. (I say) The man’s name who has this work on his voice mail word for word. Hand to Jeff Taylor, he has. The competitive system which NH has elected to affirmatively use for any utilities to have to fall under, the renewable energy in the queue did not take an aggressive enough submission of material to prove to honor it. I was going to say ethics by rights says the likelihood is only one will pass. The________optimism supporting the production of electricity for reasons that the plants, in ISO New England queue set out to convince us the value of ___has _____faded. Lacking in elements that could have resulted in alot different opinion, therefore, from the original list of Pro, have failed to prove to NH. That became the force that drove the real consequences, from which we see owr immediate priorities, Would be benefits are requirements they did not serve. Requirements the state has elected are. OWRS. I decided no details were essential, though jobs is one, to list at a lack __of level the process had force ____went right through the State Of NH. The right I’ve got to do it is, as NH is being watched to see what it does in this field, it is as I say, benefits they are required to have along with the economic benefit to perhaps selling to New England as the following ____laws __in ___the _____state ___are ______really ___the ______events, and really the companies are ___not _________practical.
The period of, tell me what’s going on, if you do I’ll tell you is over. We could not be in more disregard for what the real authority regulating the experience is. Unless we believe it is the State Of NH.
La Force Majeur is those who had spoken out against having one would be on it, the task force. The Berlin Daily Sun Tuesday, February 26, 2008 Front page. Article Small power plants might be better than big ones see POWER PLANTS page6.
Absolutely nothing was mentioned at the second visioning session as regards the obstacles Berlin faces in its decision to allow the Burgess mill site to be transformed in part as a biomass facility. Perhaps that was good to provide the population with an opportunity to dream. but now, I think, its time to face reality through educating our population.
While the city is looking for that quick bandage to fix its economic woes and many are turning to the idea of biomass to do just that, no one is first being educated about a vision of reality in the north country regarding these huge obstacles and/or issues;
1.Wood basket depletion.
2. Grid incompatibility.
3. Burgess mill site biomass timing (several years if ever before producing power.)
4.Failure of the buyer to apply in time to ISO NE producing a huge risk to the start up of any operation on the Burgess mill site.
5.Alternative fuel sources of biomass plants when/if wood supply issues surface. (turkey manure as an example is readily available in NH)
6. The effects on the tourism market.
7. The effects on perception
8. Alternatives to build a brighter outlook, perception and reality.
The value of the former mill site as a catalyst for Berlin’s revitalization cannot be overstated. Thousands of similar “brownfields” have been successfully re-developed in communities across the country.
I believe that the keys to successful utilization of this property are to plan for a variety of uses and to find a balance between job creation and other needs. I am convinced that this site could once again support more than a thousand jobs while also providing opportunities for recreation, social and educational activities, and housing. The site is ideally suited for light manufacturing, office space and commercial and retail operations. Health and Human Services and the Berlin District Court could find a home on this property, within walking distance of the downtown. A new community center next to Community Field would provide a much needed meeting place for recreational, social and educational activities. A riverfront walking trail could provide an unsurpassed connection between Community Field and Bridge Street. Finally, I believe that this site provides opportunities to expand the available housing in Berlin and enhance existing neighborhoods like Napert Village.
I believe that a mixed-use re-development of the former pulp mill site is an achievable means of significantly increasing Berlin’s tax base. I also believe that a terrific opportunity exists to substantially enhance traffic flow with a re-alignment of the East Side Arterial and to remove the physical barriers preventing access to the river (like the fence surrounding the property).
For a birds-eye view of one possible plan for accomplishing all of this, follow this web link to my vision (requires Acrobat Reader).
Just as this property could support a variety of uses, I believe that financing of this plan could come from a variety of sources. Grants, private investment monies and tax-increment financing could be leveraged to our advantage before dipping into the existing City budgets.
The first step is to believe that this site is suitable for something other than heavy industry. There is no doubt in my mind that it is ultimately destined to create a better quality of life for all of us here.
Respectfully submitted,
Terry Block
2201 Riverside Drive, Berlin
I lived in Berlin most of my life. I moved away over 19 years ago and visit every year. Berlin will always be my home. I would like Berlin to succeed in this big decision that must be made very carefully.
A golf course is a good idea but would not produce enough jobs for the people of Berlin.
Please think of the following:
1. How many jobs could be created on this site
2. If you build it will they come.
3. How much revenue will be created for the city
4. Will this be a burden to the community after sometime ( crime ect…..)
And on and on……..
A mixed use development sounds pretty good, but with no housing above ( there are enough apartment buildings and home in the city that need some TLC)
Also a couple of hotels would create jobs and bring people to Berlin who in turn will spend in Berlin.
Please don’t forget if the people in Berlin cannot survive in Berlin they will move away and the ever lurking ghost town from bad decisions will linger!
I feel it is important to develope some new forms of tourism or incentives for visitors that would result in revenue. I am not sure I would agree with a casino because of the increase crime that would result. We would have to expand our police,rescue, and fire personnel, hopefully at the cost to the casino.
I moved to Berlin in 2006 .I have been coming to this city since 1976 , I fell in love with the old charm of the city .I waited till retired and moved up to Berlin .I’m sorry about the jobs that were lost because of the mills that shut down, but I’m just wondering if the mill property could be used for a place like cabala’s sporting store I think a place like that would be great it would help the economy plus bring jobs to the area they built one in the middle of nowhere now there hotels and restaurants a lot of people are working be cause of the place. I think if we can find a business like that it would help. Maybe lower our taxes
Why is there no information regarding the tax incentive for downtown redevelopement on the city website. Perhaps the city can encourage “outside” investment by marketing the incentive. Yes we already have a partnership using the incentive and that is good news, but how does that look to “outsiders” like myself when the incentive is not marketed and the only persons utilizing this tax break is the Gentleman that works for the city and championed the tax break and the head of the Main Street program that lobbied for the tax break. At least make an effort to market this benefit to outside investors, it might have the effect it was intended to have when it was marketed to the citizenry.
Good to see our downtown tax incentive now listed on the city website.
When we look at redevelopement issues City Wide and the fact that redevelopement has been a wish but never a substancial reality for far too long. Berlin is even Steven for every property that is repaired another, or two, fall into disrepair. The fact is, is that Berlin properties are the least safe investment for banks and it is often banks that will not lend to citizens to reconstruct. Meaning that the property will never appraise high enough for a bank to loan monies for reconstruction, to a bank it is not worth the risk. The community must make radical and imaginative steps to break this cycle and syndrome. The city needs to have programs and incentives for people of “all” income brackets to relocate, reconstruct and breathe life into what could be one of Amricas finest citys. The city could match citizen, reconstruction investments dollar for dollar and as the taxing body be guaranteed the money back on her investment. What real imaginitive steps are we taking to encourage this type of investment, from persons of all income brackets, like new federal employees that will find their way to this Valley but probabley never consider Berlin?
In my opinion, the downtown area(from Catello`s and Son to the Bowling center).It`s time to broaden our view of the Berlin downtown with three features,lower,center,outer area. The ,”lower ” area could consist of starting from Catello`s and Son to the Berlin IGA plaza.The “center” area could begin from the Aubuchon hardware store to the City Hall. The “outer ” area could begin from the old JC Penney store to the Bowling center.If tourism is a facet for Berlin,the River can become an asset to draw customers to the new downtown area.One possible development can be a white rapids river run through the center of the downtown.A jewel in the making could be the Public Service Park an area to draw people for events etc.Another little jem could be the Moxie Alley area.( just a side note, I found it strange that the Corner stone project never took advantange of the water flow under the building to produce power for the businesses and new residence of that block?) Maybe it`s still possible??
A downtown parking garage.
The second public visioning session for the City of Berlin Master Plan revision project will be held Wednesday March 5, 2008 at 7PM. The location will be announced shortly.
This session will focus on the future of downtown and discuss the former pulp mill property currently owned by North American Dismantling Corporation.
We look forward to the community’s participation the night of the visioning session, but welcome anyone to start the conversation here on the community’s blog.
Any questions about the visioning session can be directed to me, Pam Laflamme, City Planner, 752-8587.
The public is invited by the City of Berlin to the second Master Plan visioning session on Wednesday March 5, 2008, 6:00PM at White Mountain Community College in the cafeteria. The second session will focus on potential future uses for the former pulp mill property as envisioned by the community. It was intended that this session would cover both downtown and the mill property, but we will be discussing the downtown at the third session to allow for adequate time to speak about both important issues.
Please feel free to start the conversation and good ideas by adding ideas to our Master Plan & Community Conversations website - http://www.berlinfuture.wordpress.com
Any questions, please call 752-8587
I’d like to offer some insight of what my wife and I have experienced around the country. We’ve seen Foxwoods, Atlantic City, Vegas and countless other hotel/casinos around the country including Harrahs Casino in Council Bluffs Iowa…we’ve seen a bunch. But our best experience was last year’s trip to Deadwood, SD. This place is amazing! I can envision this type of transformation in Berlin. See the first link included below…
Deadwood is much like Berlin, surrounded by beautiful scenery with a long history. The original shops on main street are now small, intimate, casinos, the size of Hall of Greetings and Tea Bird’s. The previously vacant and dilapidated second floors of the main street buildings are now restaurants and small hotels, very well done, old charm and clean. Deadwood is truly a good model for Berlin. A percentage of gaming revenues go directly to Deadwood preservation and believe me, they’ve done a wonderful job. Brick streets, antique street lights and everything is clean.
If gaming comes to Berlin, please look the Deadwood model rather than Foxwoods for ideas.
http://www.sturgisrallydaily.com/news_viewer.php?id=458&category=104
http://www.deadwood.org/OfficialGuide/GamingHalls/
http://legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2008/Bills/HB1166P.htm
Jeff and Associates,
The people of Berlin have NOT been educated on the process the Laidlaw company will need to begin in order to produce energy two to ten years from now. Most people are not aware that even after a potential purchase, Laidlaw’s permitting process will take 24 months before they could produce energy.
Berlin people are unaware of the fact that we are placing a great deal of hope in a 200 million dollar grid upgrade to improve Laidlaw’s odds of energy production from a 0% chance with the State laws as they currently are written.
Many people would never give any credence to the notion that our north country wood basket of biomass grade wood might play a huge role in the sustainability of the Laidlaw company due to lack of demand for “good wood”. Loggers can’t provide “biomass grade” wood if no demand is there for the “good wood” and the biomass company won’t pay the going rate for the “good wood”.
Most Berlin citizens don’t realize that this energy process involves a system known as the queue, and that in order to play ball in the system you pay $10k to reserve your spot in line. Most citizens don’t know Laidlaw failed to enter this system until they were seventh in line behind some impressive energy producing companies. Effectively this late entry onto the queue has put Laidlaw as the low man on the totem pole, while Berlin is inaccurately thinking this company will come to town, fire that boiler up, bring jobs, and return the loggers to the forest.
Laidlaw’s ability to start the boiler would only happen with significant changes to energy policy at the State level that would impact huge energy producers, some of whom have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to maintain their places on the queue as prescribed by law. Any change to the procedure that would jeopardize the placement of one of these energy producers on the queue would surely be grounds for appeals and/or lawsuits by these companies thereby creating further delays in Laidlaw’s ability to produce power.
It would be my hope that Jeff Taylor and Associates would spend some time educating the public at the March 5 meeting prior to breaking the community into any work sessions so that the citizens could be more informed and less apt to make uneducated knee jerk decisions and/or comments that will be counterproductive to what could be a very informative and enlightening meeting.
A caustic reaction would result if you were wrong to label a statement ___out __of Governor John Lynch office if it were not true. This sign of what____this work is gave me the right. It is___out __of Governor John Lynch office word for word. (I say) The man’s name who has this work on his voice mail word for word. Hand to Jeff Taylor, he has. The competitive system which NH has elected to affirmatively use for any utilities to have to fall under, the renewable energy in the queue did not take an aggressive enough submission of material to prove to honor it. I was going to say ethics by rights says the likelihood is only one will pass. The________optimism supporting the production of electricity for reasons that the plants, in ISO New England queue set out to convince us the value of ___has _____faded. Lacking in elements that could have resulted in alot different opinion, therefore, from the original list of Pro, have failed to prove to NH. That became the force that drove the real consequences, from which we see owr immediate priorities, Would be benefits are requirements they did not serve. Requirements the state has elected are. OWRS. I decided no details were essential, though jobs is one, to list at a lack __of level the process had force ____went right through the State Of NH. The right I’ve got to do it is, as NH is being watched to see what it does in this field, it is as I say, benefits they are required to have along with the economic benefit to perhaps selling to New England as the following ____laws __in ___the _____state ___are ______really ___the ______events, and really the companies are ___not _________practical.
The period of, tell me what’s going on, if you do I’ll tell you is over. We could not be in more disregard for what the real authority regulating the experience is. Unless we believe it is the State Of NH.
La Force Majeur is those who had spoken out against having one would be on it, the task force. The Berlin Daily Sun Tuesday, February 26, 2008 Front page. Article Small power plants might be better than big ones see POWER PLANTS page6.
3/8/08
Absolutely nothing was mentioned at the second visioning session as regards the obstacles Berlin faces in its decision to allow the Burgess mill site to be transformed in part as a biomass facility. Perhaps that was good to provide the population with an opportunity to dream. but now, I think, its time to face reality through educating our population.
While the city is looking for that quick bandage to fix its economic woes and many are turning to the idea of biomass to do just that, no one is first being educated about a vision of reality in the north country regarding these huge obstacles and/or issues;
1.Wood basket depletion.
2. Grid incompatibility.
3. Burgess mill site biomass timing (several years if ever before producing power.)
4.Failure of the buyer to apply in time to ISO NE producing a huge risk to the start up of any operation on the Burgess mill site.
5.Alternative fuel sources of biomass plants when/if wood supply issues surface. (turkey manure as an example is readily available in NH)
6. The effects on the tourism market.
7. The effects on perception
8. Alternatives to build a brighter outlook, perception and reality.
The value of the former mill site as a catalyst for Berlin’s revitalization cannot be overstated. Thousands of similar “brownfields” have been successfully re-developed in communities across the country.
I believe that the keys to successful utilization of this property are to plan for a variety of uses and to find a balance between job creation and other needs. I am convinced that this site could once again support more than a thousand jobs while also providing opportunities for recreation, social and educational activities, and housing. The site is ideally suited for light manufacturing, office space and commercial and retail operations. Health and Human Services and the Berlin District Court could find a home on this property, within walking distance of the downtown. A new community center next to Community Field would provide a much needed meeting place for recreational, social and educational activities. A riverfront walking trail could provide an unsurpassed connection between Community Field and Bridge Street. Finally, I believe that this site provides opportunities to expand the available housing in Berlin and enhance existing neighborhoods like Napert Village.
I believe that a mixed-use re-development of the former pulp mill site is an achievable means of significantly increasing Berlin’s tax base. I also believe that a terrific opportunity exists to substantially enhance traffic flow with a re-alignment of the East Side Arterial and to remove the physical barriers preventing access to the river (like the fence surrounding the property).
For a birds-eye view of one possible plan for accomplishing all of this, follow this web link to my vision (requires Acrobat Reader).
Just as this property could support a variety of uses, I believe that financing of this plan could come from a variety of sources. Grants, private investment monies and tax-increment financing could be leveraged to our advantage before dipping into the existing City budgets.
The first step is to believe that this site is suitable for something other than heavy industry. There is no doubt in my mind that it is ultimately destined to create a better quality of life for all of us here.
Respectfully submitted,
Terry Block
2201 Riverside Drive, Berlin
I lived in Berlin most of my life. I moved away over 19 years ago and visit every year. Berlin will always be my home. I would like Berlin to succeed in this big decision that must be made very carefully.
A golf course is a good idea but would not produce enough jobs for the people of Berlin.
Please think of the following:
1. How many jobs could be created on this site
2. If you build it will they come.
3. How much revenue will be created for the city
4. Will this be a burden to the community after sometime ( crime ect…..)
And on and on……..
A mixed use development sounds pretty good, but with no housing above ( there are enough apartment buildings and home in the city that need some TLC)
Also a couple of hotels would create jobs and bring people to Berlin who in turn will spend in Berlin.
Please don’t forget if the people in Berlin cannot survive in Berlin they will move away and the ever lurking ghost town from bad decisions will linger!
I feel it is important to develope some new forms of tourism or incentives for visitors that would result in revenue. I am not sure I would agree with a casino because of the increase crime that would result. We would have to expand our police,rescue, and fire personnel, hopefully at the cost to the casino.
I moved to Berlin in 2006 .I have been coming to this city since 1976 , I fell in love with the old charm of the city .I waited till retired and moved up to Berlin .I’m sorry about the jobs that were lost because of the mills that shut down, but I’m just wondering if the mill property could be used for a place like cabala’s sporting store I think a place like that would be great it would help the economy plus bring jobs to the area they built one in the middle of nowhere now there hotels and restaurants a lot of people are working be cause of the place. I think if we can find a business like that it would help. Maybe lower our taxes