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53rd Year, No.3

INGTONTIMES
BARRINGTON, .I. I WEDNESDAY, R JANUARY20, 2010 www.eastbayri.com

Search ends, diver finds body of misslnq man

. Lyle Smith finds his nephew's body north of bike path bridge

Help is keyfor pilot parents

Water authority aims for double-digit rate hike

Public hearing set for Feb. 3 to discuss 12 percent increase
myocIer@eastbay

BY MICHAEL YODER

BY MICHAEL YODER

Wayne Smith believed if anyone could fifid his son in the cold tidal waters of the Barrington River, it would be his brotlier, 4'\e. TheownerofCoaStaIDivingServices in Middletown had been in the icy depths twice in the last week, looking for his nepbew, 27year-old Jason Smith of Bristol, wbo had been reported miSsing on .~<AA', Jan. 3. And, shortly after noon on 'Iuesday. Tan. I2, the professional diver, Who had found three bodies in the past, came upon the lifeless form of his nephew lying peacefully on the river bottom 50 to 100 feet away from the trestle bridge of the East Bay Bike Path. "(Lyle's) ~ been my special brother, and he brought my son home for me - just lili'e a good brother would,' Mr. Smith said. The discovery brings a conclusion to the week-and-a-half search for Jason Smith, wbose car was found py his father at the park- . and-ride near the Barrington River Bridge construction staging area earlier tIii&month. From Sunday to Wednesday, Jan. 3 to 6 law enforcement agendes took turns searching the river for Mt Srfiith, wbo was a 2000 graduate of Barrington High School He bad been living with his grandmother inllristol for the last seven years. On Jan. 8, divers from Coastal Diving Services searched the river near the bike path bridge using video cameras and lights, but did not find any evidence of Mr. Smith. However, Thesday morning. Jan. 12, his father said he got a feeling he should go back to the location of last v.'iiek's searcIi. He called his brother to come to the scene. By late morning. 4'\e Smith was in thefreezingwater, saying he had good visiJjility for searChing. The diving was delaye<l for an hour as the two brothers waited for Dave labrec;queofEastBayDiveCenter to bring another regulator to replace one thlirfroze up. We was blick in the water by noon and iiliout to chafige the
J

PHUros BY CHRISTINE HOCHKEPI'El.

Au pair Emma Blank lielps the 6-year-<Jld twins Markus and Axel with their homework while Erika has her tennis lesson.

Au pair lends a helping hand to busy Barrington family

~
BY CINDY VANSCHALKWYK
John Keller bas been a pilot for 32 years, serving as a corporate flyer for the last 17. His wife, Monika Andersson-Keller, has been a commercial airlines pilot forthelast24~ And while flyihg bas its perks - great views of sunsets, moonrises and the Northern Lightsit can also pose challenges for the Andersson-Keller fan)iIy. The husband and wife have made Barrington their home base for almost six years. They have three Children. 9-year-old Erika. and slx-year-old twins, Markus and 1\XeI. And since the twins were toddlers the couple has welcomed au pairs from Sweden to help at home; MIs. Andersson-Keller is a native of Sweden. The au pairs - the family has welcomed five over the last six years - watch over the children, pitch in on the household duties and also help teach the Andersson-Keller children the Swedish laoguage. Emma Blank is the current au pair, or live-in nanny from a foreign country, !ielping at the Andersson-Keller home. She traveled to Barrington from Sweden at the end of August to join the household. "It's very dilIerent because it's another culture, but I like it so much with the family aod the kids," she said . Emma's typii:al day includes helping the cIilldrefi prepare for school, picking them up from school and later getting them

ABOVE: John and Monica Blank sit with , their SweDISh au pair Emma Blank and their three children. Markus (left). 6, Erika. 9, and Axel, 6, on Monday afternoon. LEFT: Au pair Emma Blank ties back 9-yearold Erika Keller's hair6efore heading off to tennis practice on Monday aftemoon.

Wiitercustomers in the EastBay have been put on notice ofanother rate hike for the new year. The Bristol County Water Authority (BCWA) staff bas recommended a 12 percent hike in water bills because of "substantial losses in revenue due to excessive and continued rainy season, and further due to lower interest income," leading to a deficit in 2009. The -employee water authority has an annual budget of apllroximately $10 million. The BCWA will hold a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. on Wednes00. Feb. 3, at their office on 450 Child St., in Wiilren, to discuss the rate hike. BGWA Director Pasquale DeLisewas out of the office Friday aod cOUld not be reached for comment Barrington BCWA board members Allan Klepper, I!Jdyd Matsumoto and John McEl. ray JI. also could not be:reaChed. According to a press release receiVed Friday, the average water bill will increase approximately by $14.61 in the fifst quarter of 2010 and $58.44 for the year. Currently. the average residential water bill is $487 per year, according to the release. TIle BCWAhas the second highestwater rate in the state, according to a list compiled in 2006 by the Rhode Island Water Resources ilI5aro, at $549.16 per 73,000 gallons. Block Island Water Company came ID with the most expensive rate at $1,25925, and Pasacoag Utility District was third at $437.34. The state average was $31629. The release goes on to state that the increase is not being used to implement capital improvements, such as installing new water main lines or painting storl!ge tanks,

See WATER Page 9

ready for bed. Sometimes she might help out with errands or food shopping or taking t1ie students to activities. For Emma, one of the welcomed changes wIille living in the United States is the climate difference. Parts of Sweden are located within the Afttic cftcle; winter means light for o!1lYliVe

0bitUariesII'ag 19
Harold R. Horton F. Robert Lee

See PARENTS Page 3

See BODY Page 20

BarringtonBeat
-. Barrington imes January20,2010 Page 3 T

BARRINGTON BRIEFS

Donations needed for memorial garden

The Thomas H. Mellow Memorial VFW Post No. 9724 has raised more than $1LOOO to build the new veterans' memorial garden on the town hall property. The project carries a $40,000 price tag. The memorial garden will include a circle of pavement surrounded by grass and flowers. Along the edges there will be plaques, and there will be a flag pole in the center. The V.FW is very grateful for those who have responded and would greatly appreciate anyone who would like to donate to the cause. If you would like to help please mail contributions to: VFW Post No. 9742, C/O Tripp, 40 Lamson Road, Barrington, RI 02806.

Pilot parents depend on au pair

From Page 1 hours a day. In mid-summer daylight in Sweden is continuous. Another change Enuna was surprised to see in the states is milk delivered to the Keller household. Mrs. AnderssonKeller said there are few services available in Sweden. "They would never have that at home," she said. Emma's duties as an au pair include shuttling the children to sports and music activities; violin or guitar lessons, tennis, basketball, hockey. One plus is that the parents have been confident about the driving skills of each au pair they have made part of . their household "Swedish girls are all good drivers,' Mr. Keller said. Mrs. Andersson-Keller said it's fairly difficult to get a driver's Iicense in Sweden. The road training involves at least 15 'hours, and includes training on -"iCY streets. The children said they like having Emma bring them to activities. Mr. Keller said his children and Enuna have bonded at home as well. "Emma reads to the children and the children like that very much; he said. On the weekends Enuna has free time that she might fill with . educational studies - au pairs with the Cultural Care program have to complete six credit hours during the year while they are in the U.S. - and she often spends time with other au pairs living in the area. The Kellers manage their world traveling schedule with the ease of practice: Mrs. Andersson-Keller, who works for Delta Airlines and logs many international flights, is usually away from the home a few times a month for between three and nine days each time. She tries to coordinate her schedule with her husband's. He is a corporate pilot for the Thomas H. Lee company in Boston, making trips within the United States. Although Emma helps out with childcare, the Kellers coordinate their schedule so one, or both, of them is home each night, with rare exceptions.

Important reminder for high school seniors

Seniors at Barrington High School are well on their way with their senior projects. So far, students have handed in both simple and annotated outlines and are currently in the process of writing their first drafts for the 8- to 10page papers due in May. Students also are working on their field work. As a reminder to students, the next due date is the week of Jan. 25, at which point students must turn in the first drafts of their papers. This year's senior project topics range from flying airplanes to scuba diving

PHOTOS BY CHRJ5nNE

HOCHKEPPEl

Monica Keller prepares a lasagna dinner while her son, Axel, 6, plays with action figures and her daughter, Erika, 9, does her homework on Monday evening. almost 22 years ago. "I was based there and John flew charter for a company in Western Massachusetts. 1 was sitting and waiting for my girlfriend and while I was waiting John came in with a Lear jet, which was a big plane for me at the time," Mrs. Andersson-Keller said. They exchanged phone numbers, eventually began a long distance relationship, and married a year later. Mrs. Andersson-Keller came to the United States when she was 21 to attend flight school. Her original plans changed after meeting Mr. Keller. "I was going to go back to Sweden but then 1 met John and stayed," she said. Mr. Keller said even after nearly 21 years of marriage he still hasn't leamed a great deal of Swedish, despite the fact both Swedish and English are commonly spoken around the dinner table and in everyday conversation. Mr. Keller said the. children quickly adapted to consistently speaking Swedish with their mom, and English with their dad. "There was never a formal lesson. Even at three years old the children would speak English to me, and turn right around and speak Swedish to Monika," he said. Mr. Keller sometimes uses the dual languages, humorously, as a

Tothe flu clinic volunteers, thank you

The Barrington public school nurse would like to thank all those parent volunteers for their help with the H1N1 flu vaccine clinic at the high school on Dec. 7. The volunteers were' Alicia Reynolds, Robin Wheeler, Alicia Hamblet. Jane Hadley, Wendy Zucker, Heather Bonney, Donna Williams, Judy Dennis, Camilla Hemingway and Anne Cohen.

Monica Keller helps her daughter, Erika, 9, write an email to one of her former au pairs on Monday evening. defense. "If Monika asked me to do something and 1 forget I say, 'You must have said that to me in Swedish:" world, and exploring new or familiar destinations during layovers. She said she hasn't encountered any really frightening moments while flying, although things might go wrong on occasion; a problem could develop with equipment, but the redundant systems on the aircraft can usually forestall any real crisis. "You have things that go wrong. but you train for all of them in . flight simulators," 'she said. " . More often problemsjare pas- ~ senger related, she'said.: "Someone gets drunk and into fights, those kind of events are much more common .than to have any 'kind of aircraft ernergeney equipment malfunction," she said.

In the air
There are some things you never get tired of as a pilot, Mrs. Andersson-Keller Said, arid one is the view from thousands of feet in the air. "We often say - me and my colleagues and the same thing with my husband - Wi! have tlie best office: No one has a better office view than us; she said. Ms. Andersson-Keller said she also enjoys working with a changing team of coworkers, hearing the voices of air traffic controlle:s from .a11 over the

Vision screenings are around the corner

Throughout the month of February, all ninth-grade students at the high school will have their vision screened during their regular physical education classes. Ninthgraders who wear glasses or contact lenses should remember to bring them for the screening.

Meeting at the airport

The pilots first crossed paths in an airport in Evansville, Ind.

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