Politics & Government

EDC Presents Awards

Dacey, NU, Farmington Bank and Cassettas all honored.

By Mayor Adam Salina

Berlin Economic Development Commission Awards

Volunteer of the Year Award

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The annual Volunteer of the Year Award of the Economic Development Commission is presented to an individual who has contributed substantial time and energy on a volunteer basis in the Town of Berlin. This year the EDC has chosen to present the award to Bob Dacey.

Bob has given decades of voluntary service to the Town of Berlin starting in the mid 1960’s. I think that we all know that small Town’s like Berlin rely heavily on our private citizens to serve on Boards and Commissions to help guide and manage the Town both for the short and long term decisions. He has served on the Zoning Board of Appeals, the Mattabassett Sewer Authority, the original Charter Commission and is currently serving his 3rd term on the Berlin Town Council and as Chair of its Budget Committee. I can’t think of anyone that has given more of himself to help make Berlin the outstanding community it is today.

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Nobody knows the budget like Bob, line by line. Believe me Bob doesn’t like to spend money frivolously so he is always looking out for the taxpayer and trying to save them money. On the other hand, Bob also makes us understand the idea of an investment. Bob has led the charge to get the Town to better maintain its infrastructure and facilities. He pioneered the idea of bonding for road improvements to start to get us back on track to manage roads as a long term asset.  Bob also has a vision of Berlin’s future and he is a constant advocate for capital investments that will benefit the Town 10, 20, 50 years in the future and beyond.  Among the projects that has championed are the Berlin High School renovate as new project, Berlin Veterans Memorial Park and the acquisition of open space including most recently the Girl Scouts camp to preserve Berlin’s unique landscape and rural character.

Bob is a proud 57-year resident of the East Berlin section of Berlin where he resides with his wife Clarissa (a life long resident). We thank Clarissa from bringing Bob to us! Bob and Clarissa raised their sons Town and Dave in Berlin.

In recognition of all his services to the Town of Berlin, it gives me great pleasure to present the Berlin Economic Development Commission Volunteer of the Year Award to Bob Dacey.

Beautification Award

Mayor Adam Salina announced that the Town of Berlin Economic Development Commission will present its annual Beautification Award to Farmington Bank for their role an anchor tenant at 1191 Farmington Avenue. The Award will be presented at the Berlin Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner on March 25 at the Hawthorne Inn Restaurant.

“Berlin appreciates when the quality of development projects reflect favorably on the attractiveness of the community, particularly the Farmington Avenue corridor. That is why I am very pleased that Farmington Bank made a long term financial commitment to the project at 1191 Farmington Avenue and that it helped shape the projects architectural and site landscaping characteristics. 1191 Farmington Avenue will help define Farmington Avenue as Berlin’s premiere local shopping area. The interior of the bank branch space is also model for banking of the future. Berlin has not only gained an outstanding development project, it has also gained a new business and corporate citizen in Farmington Bank. One of its first acts on opening the Berlin Branch was to make $2,500 contributions to three local organizations; the Berlin Upbeat Program, the Berlin-Kensington YMCA and the Berlin Community Service Department,” said Mayor Salina.

Farmington Bank was chartered in 1851. It has over $1.5 billion in assets and 15 branches in central Connecticut. Farmington Bank has a community banking philosophy.

“Receiving the 2011 Beautification Award from the Berlin Economic Development Commission is a great honor for Farmington Bank,” said John J. Patrick, Jr., chairman, president and CEO.  “As a community bank, we know the importance of providing great products and services in an environment reflective of the community’s character.” 

Business of the Year Award

The Business of the Year Award is presented by the Berlin Economic Development Commission on behalf of the Town to a business that has located or expanded in Berlin in the last year. The award recognizes a business that contributes significantly to the Berlin economy by job creation and retention and real estate investment. I am pleased to announce that the recipient of this year’s Business of the Year Award is Northeast Utilities for its Transmission Operation Center project.

Since the late 1950s, the electric utilities in Connecticut and western Massachusetts have been pooling and managing the flow of bulk electricity from generating stations through a regional transmission grid to local substations. The Transmission Operation Center continues to provide the safe and reliable operation of the regional electric grid for all member utilities. CONVEX links the generating and transmission facilities of electric utilities serving 1,700,000 customers in Connecticut and western Massachusetts. By sharing these facilities, customers of all member companies benefit through increased reliability, efficiency and economy of electric service.

In the design and construction of the Transmission Operation Center project, Northeast Utilities supported hundreds of local jobs, suppliers and contractors. 98% of construction contractors used were Connecticut based. The project also demonstrates leadership in energy and environmental design.

Northeast Utilities is Berlin’s largest taxpayer and its largest employer. Its importance to the Town cannot be overstated. With the lingering economic downturn, 2010 was a challenging year for economic development. Despite these conditions, Berlin was able to record growth in its grand list largely due to Northeast Utilities Transmission Operation Center project. NU invested over $12 million to construct the 18,563 square foot addition for the Transmission Operations Center.

Therefore, I am honored to present this year’s Business of the Year Award to Berlin’s premiere business, Northeast Utilities. Receiving the award on behalf of Northeast Utilities is its President of Transmission, Jim Muntz.

Developer of the Year Award

The Developer of the Year Award is presented by the Berlin Economic Development Commission on behalf of the Town to a developer that has undertaken significant projects in Berlin. Annually the award recognizes a high quality project that enhances the Town’s tax base and that contributes to the overall community. This year I am pleased to present the Developer of the Year Award to Michael and Rosemary Cassetta.

Michael and Rosemary have been residents of Berlin for 30 years and they are long time property owners on Farmington Avenue. I’m sure many of us first me them during the years that they operated Kensington Hardware which was a fixture in the community. They ran the business with a personal commitment to helping customers that we all appreciated. Michael and Rosemary have persistently pursued a goal of building a new building for a high quality tenant on their property on Farmington Avenue. 2010 was the year that their goal was realized. Michael and Rosemary completed a new 6,400 square office and retail building at 1191 Farmington Avenue anchored by Farmington Savings Bank. The building is adjacent to our new Berlin Veterans Memorial Park and its attractive architecture is in keeping with the Town’s desire to enhance the aesthetics of our commercial corridor. They have helped make the area around the intersection of Farmington Avenue and Lower Lane a hot spot for new development.

Michael and Rosemary reside on Wethersfield road with their sons Joe and Paul. For their many contributions to the Town, I am proud to present the Berlin Economic Development Commission’s Developer of the Year Award to Michael and Rosemary Cassetta.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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