Newtown Housing for the Elderly Inc. took a major step towards the beginning of construction of “Nunnawauk Meadows” Tuesday afternoon when contracts were signed with the construction firm whose bid was chosen for the work. Joseph Calafiore, president of Alca Construction Company, Inc., of Hartford, was present with NHE Inc. president Stan Main and project architect Richard Donohoe of Sherman for the signing ceremony, in the office of Attorney Sutherland Denlinger.

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 The Connecticut Department of Transportation has announced that it intends to abandon Glen Road, and Town of Newtown officials aren’t too thrilled about assuming maintenance of the thoroughfare, which extends from Riverside Road to the silver bridge over the Housatonic River. Deputy (now Acting) Transportation Commissioner James F. Shugrue informed the town in a December 29 letter that the state would abandon the approximately two-mile long road. According to state statute, the road would revert to the town within 60 days of the letter, at noon on February 26. First Selectman Jack Rosenthal said Wednesday that he’s directed Town Counsel Paul Pollock to seek arbitration on the matter.

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Plans are proceeding for the Colonial Church Services that will take place at the Newtown Congregational Church on January 25 as part of Newtown’s Bicentennial Celebration. According to Gordon Williams, coordinator of the event, there will be four services instead of the three originally planned. All efforts are being made to ensure that the services will be authentically Colonial as possible, and work is being done planning the sermons.

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First Selectman Jack Rosenthal met Monday with attorneys William Lavery and Paul Pollock relative to their splitting the duties as town counsels for Newtown. But key differences remained at meeting’s end and another session is scheduled between the three men for Friday afternoon. “There are problems that could not be resolved last night,” commented the first selectman Tuesday. “It’s not as easy as saying we’ll have two counsels. Each man had his own problems, but they assured me they would try to have a resolution by Friday – if there is one.” Mr Rosenthal said the “problems” lie in what duties each lawyer would have, and the financial arrangements.

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The Legislative Council’s interviewing subcommittee met Saturday morning to consider four applicants for the position of council clerk. Chairman James Severnak, Lyndon Thomas, and Melissa Pilchard recommended Mrs Marie Sturdevant, of Fairchild Drive, for the post, based on her “experience and background” and her “ability to begin work on the 21st with minimal training background.”

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The town of Newtown’s newest and smallest labor union begins negotiations with the town January 23 for its first contract. The police department’s four dispatchers and the dog warden recently formed a local of the National Association of Government Employees, and town negotiator Joseph Bogdan of Milford will begin meeting with them next Friday. Dispatcher Bruce Taylor is union president.

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Edmond Town Hall’s Alexandria Room, decked with flags from the Colonial era and peopled with ladies and gentlemen in sweeping skirts and brocaded tailcoats, looked like an 18th Century ballroom for the launching of the Bicentennial Year in Newtown on the evening of January 8. Mingling with the partygoers were members of Chip Hendrickson’s Colonial Dancers in full 18th Century costumes, and white-capped, beruffled ladies from the Senior Citizens’ recreation program, who had made their own outfits as well as the Bicentennial quilt and pillows being raffled. A few tricorn hats were visible, one sported by Bicentennial Commission Chairman Christopher Spiro, who introduced Miss Shelley Warren, recently named Miss Newtown and Miss Fairfield County, under Exchange Club sponsorship.

JANUARY 19, 1951

In keeping with its location in the land of steady habits, Newtown during 1950 showed little change from previous years in its births, marriages, and deaths in the town, according to the records of vital statistics now in the office of Town Clerk May E. Sullivan. While marriages show a considerable jump from 1949, births were slightly less, with the death rate about the same. As to births, there were 78 recorded in the calendar year 1950 as compared with 79 recorded in the first 11 months of the peak year 1949. In the years 1942-49, the number had shown a fluctuating increase, the figures for the earlier years showing: 1942, 52; 1943, 48; 1944, 46; 1945, 64; 1946, 43; 1947,77, and 1948, 67. Marriages during the year totaled 47, as contrasted with the low year 1949, when only 29 took their vows. Deaths among residents of Newtown were about the same as in the preceding year, 55 being recorded in 1950 and 52 in 11 months of 1949.

***

The annual meeting of Town Players, Inc., was held at the home of Mr and Mrs Harold F. Smith, South Center District, on Tuesday evening of last week, January 9, which was the beginning of the 15th year for the group. Officers elected for the ensuing year were: Hazel V. Smith, chairman; C. Mallory Loewe, treasurer; Jeanne Karcheski, business manager; Helen Aiken, recording secretary; Estelle Penning, corresponding secretary; Louise McAvoy, publicity secretary. Corporation members named to the steering committee were Julian Drew, Gilbert Aiken, and Harold F. Smith.

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The local League of Women Voters has planned an evening study group on the subject of Connecticut State Government to be held five Thursday evenings, beginning next week, at 7:45 in the home of Mrs Robert P. Stokes, Sandy Hook. The daytime study group will meet in the Cyrenius H. Booth Library from 1 to 3 pm for the next five Wednesdays. Both groups are under the leadership of Mrs Norman Fedde.

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The local Board of Assessors, F. Robert Mount, John A. Carlson, and Charles M. Goodsell, have been busy in recent weeks completing the Grand List for the town of Newtown, as a basis for the coming year’s taxation. In general, the assessment figures as determined by the appraisal engineers in the revaluation of taxable property in Newtown have been followed, except in cases of new construction, automobiles, and road frontage areas along stretches of town road where the Board of Selectmen have recently built new hard surface highways. Working on the theory that road frontage increases in value when it borders an improved hard surface road, the Board of Assessors has increased these land values in the cases of some 200 property owners whose road frontage property has thus appreciated in value during the past year.

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The local committee in charge of collections for the 1951 campaign againt Infantile Paralysis reports that the citizens of Newtown so far have responded splendidly to the appeal which appeared in last week’s issue of The Bee. If the campaign is to succeed and continued care is to be given to victims of polio, 35 percent more funds must be collected this year than in the campaign of 1950.

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Newtown girls’ basketball teams took two games from Bethel on their floor on Tuesday afternoon. The Bethel varsity came within three points of tying Newtown. They pulled up within one point at the end of the third period, score 18-17, but Newtown came away with a 26-23 score. Janet Berglund and Nancy Oberstadt led the attack with eight points each while Pat McMahon scored six.

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Cub Pack 70 of Newtown held its January Pack meeting in the Episcopal Church basement Wednesday night. The meeting opened with the Cubs repeating the law of the Pack and then Carter Hayward presented the following Cub awards: Wolf gold and silver arrow, James Pulley, Thomas Pulley; wolf silver arrow, Bruce Heald; bear award, David Byrne; bear gold and silver arrow, Edwin Weber; bear gold and two silver arrows, Graham Lord; bear gold arrow, Howard Benno; bear silver arrow, John McCarthy, Wells Westover.

JANUARY 15, 1926

George Curtis Morgan was in New York City Saturday, attending the New York Poultry Show.

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C. F. Beardsley, James Farrell, Charles S. Cole, and Tracey Peck are serving on the jury in Bridgeport.

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The thermometer touched eight and ten degrees below zero in Sandy Hook, Wednesday morning. Some say the wrath of Dr Kiernan and A.P. Smith over the New Year’s plan handed them by the Lyceum Bureau on Tuesday night had something to do with the sudden drop in thermometer.

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JANUARY 18, 1901

Dr Todd of New Milford has been caring for a sick cow belonging to Jerry Keane. The cow is now on the road to recovery.

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James Lee finished the task of filling the big ice house at Hawleyville on Wednesday where he housed 1,500 tons.

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Those expert fox hunters,Perry Hubbell and J.C. Lewis, have shot quite a number of foxes this winter. Last week they killed four.

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The ice storm broke off telephone communication on Sunday, the wire breaking near the house of Attorney Northrop. Manager Hoyt of Danbury soon had the linemen on the ground and by Monday at 11 o’clock “the wire” was in good working order.