Berlin Borough council approved drawings and renderings for a sports complex at its monthly meeting on June 11.
The proposal passed by a vote of 3-2. Council members in favor were Carl Mascarenhas, Millard Wilkinson and Keith Hohing. Voting no were Patricia Cummings and Len Badolato.
The approval is the first step toward the complex being built on borough land near the Berlin Community Center.
Mascarenhas presented the proposal to his fellow council members. He wants the borough to secure state and federal grants – as well as private donations – to fund the project, rather than relying on taxpayer money. He also believes that along with the complex providing a space for sports tournaments, it could also be an economic boost for the town.
Meanwhile, there are concerns that housing expansion and population growth may require the Berlin Community School to expand its facilities. That, in turn, could affect the borough baseball fields owned by the board of education and located on the same property as the community center.
“As our community grows, the board … has already discussed the possibility of future school expansion,” Mascarenhas said. “If that expansion occurs, those fields could be reduced, relocated or potentially disappear altogether.”
The potential loss of places for kids to participate in sports compelled Mascarenhas to seek the sports complex as a solution.
“Berlin Borough owns land that is currently sitting unused,” he explained. “Land that belongs to taxpayers. Land that can be transformed into something extraordinary – a destination for recreation, community pride, economic development and youth opportunity.”
Mascarenhas estimates the cost for professional planning, concept development, renderings and drawings and engineering work would be $43,000.
Councilmen Len Badolato (left to right) and Millard Wilkinson, Councilwoman Patricia Cummings, Mayor Rick Miller, Councilman Carl Mascarenhas and Police Chief Michael Scheer at council’s monthly meeting.
