* * *

The greenish appearance of Lakes Lillinonah and Zoar should be alleviated this summer if the Environmental Protection Agency requires the city of Pittsfield, Mass., to remove phosphorous from its sewage before discharging it into the Housatonic River. “It’s an interstate matter,” said Charles Fredette, an engineer with the Water Compliance Unit. Mr Fredette said the DEP conducted an “intensive study” over two years which revealed that a significant amount of phosphorous in the lakes was being contributed by the Pittsfield facility.

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 The Board of Selectmen this week eliminated $418,211 in Town spending proposals for fiscal year 1984-85. Although the preliminary budget would have represented a 10.9 percent increase over the current budget, the selectmen’s final tentative budget only reflected an increase of seven-tenths of one percent over the 1983-84 fiscal year budget.

* * *

On Wednesday, February 8, the Board of Selectmen approved the transfer of $25,700 from contingency funds to the Town’s snow removal accounts. The above average snowfall and icing conditions have depleted the monies budgeted for workers’ overtime, and for supplies and equipment needed for snow removal.

 

February 13, 1959

Two guests dropped into Newtown High School cafeteria on Wednesday for coffee. They were US Army lieutenants who asked precisely where they were, and after refreshment, went back out on the field behind the school, climbed into two helicopters, and resumed their trip to Fort Devens, Mass.

* * *

Mrs Sarah Francis Curtis was the unanimous selection Saturday of elected town officials to be Newtown’s first woman selectman and to fill the vacancy on the board caused by the resignation of Edward E. Knapp when he took office as Judge of Probate.

* * *

Asserting that western Connecticut faces the threat of economic stagnation unless something is done to speed up the reconstruction of major highways serving the area, the Highway Association of Western Connecticut has launched a campaign to secure public support for Route 6 and 8 bills introduced in the current session of the Connecticut General Assembly. The association maintains that work on the two routes can be completed in four years, rather than the 10-15 years indicated by present Highway Department plans.

* * *

On Saturday morning, the United Fire company of Botsford, the Headquarters truck and the Newtown Hook and Ladder with additional hose answered a call from Abraham Nezvesky of Huntingtown where a short circuit had started a fire in a barn. Before the flames were extinguished, the barn was destroyed along with an attached garage, a milk shed, ten tons of hay, and some paint and equipment. Firemen were at the scene for about five hours.

February 9, 1934

It is rumored Captain Hull, of the Business Men’s Team, has promised his workers a turkey dinner at the conclusion of the [boy Scout] drive if they make good. This team got off to a good start at the meeting on Tuesday evening when Captain Hull was forced to severely censor Buck Private C.F. Cavanaugh for suggesting that he, Captain Hull, should do all the collecting on the back roads and leave the State Road for the rest of the team.

* * *

The Sea Scouts held an interesting meeting last Monday night. Boat plans were discussed and it was decided to get a “knocked down” ABC boat from the Brooks Boat Company. Several of the boys passed their apprentice seamanship tests and the Skipper, Rev William Wright, had a surprise in the form of hotdogs cooked over the open fire and hot coffee.

* * *

The women of Trinity Guild presented a vaudeville and fashion show in the Guild rooms of Trinity church on Thursday night, February 1, which was unique in character and enjoyed by a goodly number in spite of the inclement weather. The program consisted of a demonstration of a human xylophone, with eight ladies, representing the scale of music, and Mrs William McKenzie as the demonstrator. A fashion parade of negligee, street, and daytime dresses, dating from 1895 to 1933, was given.

* * *

Michael Cavanaugh of Hanover slipped on the ice, last week, while he was leading his horse to water, fracturing both bones in the right leg. Dr E.L. Kingman set the leg, and an X-ray taken later at the Danbury hospital, showed it was a perfect job.

 

February 12, 1909

On Sunday last, a fox visited the G.W. Bradley place, going to the doors and putting its forefeet on the window sill and looking in. It did not seem at all afraid of the persons who stood watching it.

* * *

Jacob Block had the misfortune to lose his horse, last week. His son was driving it home from the depot when it reared up, fell over backward and died.

* * *

The Pootatuck brook was a raging torrent, Wednesday afternoon. The water running over the dam at the Niantic mills made an impressive sight. The brook has not been higher in two years, although A.W. Bassett says he has seen the water two feet higher over the dam than it was Wednesday. The old barn belonging to W.B Glover, which stood on one of his back lots, was blown down in the gale of Wednesday.

* * *

Jones Brothers, the Dodgingtown feed men, have moved from their own place south of Dr Waite’s, to the north half of Mrs George Crane’s house at Dodgingtown Center, so as to be near their business.