***

The Board of Tax Review filed its revision to the Town of Newtown’s Grand List on April 30, as required. Following an appeals process in which over 350 appeals were heard, the board reduced the Grand List filed by the Assessor for October 1, 1975, by $1,120,903. The assessor’s Grand List, resulting from the ten-year property revaluation, was $260,546,567, and the new Grand List stands at $259,425,664.

***

 By a 16-1 vote the Legislative Council approved a special appropriation of $15,000 for the engineering firm of Onderdonk-Lathrop to conduct an in-depth study into possible structural and construction deficiencies at the high school. The appropriation, to be funded from surplus federal revenue sharing, was recommended last week by the Board of Education. Onderdonk-Lathrop conducted a preliminary investigation of the leaking roof of the high school auditorium and cracks in the building.

***

Zita McMahon of Jo-Mar Drive, Sandy Hook, has been hired by First Selectman Jack Rosenthal to be in charge of seeking state and federal grants for the Town of Newtown. Though the job is described as clerk-typist, Mrs McMahon will be trained in seeking grants by John Beardsworth, who currently holds that position and will be leaving at the beginning of September to attend law school. She was hired for the position from a number of applicants who applied to the advertisement.

***

The members of the Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire Department have extended a cordial invitation to the public to attend an open house at their fine new firehouse, located on Riverside Road and Dickinson Drive, Sandy Hook.

***

Volunteers and steering committee members of FISH of Newtown Inc. reelected Mrs Nina Blake president of the community service organization Monday, May 3, at the annual meeting in the Congregational Church House.

***

Governor Ella Grasso has signed the special act allowing Newtown to remove its original 1705 deed from the state library archives and bring it back to Newtown for display. The bill overwhelmingly passed the state Senate and House. The original deed was from Mauquash, Massumpas and Nunnawauk, Sachens of the Pohtatuck tribe granting territory in and about the junction of the Housatonic and Pohtatuck Rivers and dated July 23, 1705.

***

The State Senate approved on Thursday, April 29, the bill sponsored by State Rep John Anderson of Newtown to regulate the transportation of nuclear wastes on Connecticut roads. The measure now goes to Governor Grasso for signature, and Mr Anderson expects she will sign it soon. Under the measure, the Commissioner of Transportation will have to be notified by those proposing the transport of nuclear waste through the state, and supplied with the name of carrier, type and quantity of radioactive material, date and time of shipment, starting point, and scheduled route.

MAY 11, 1951

The annual election and business meeting of the Borough of Newtown was held on Tuesday at the Edmond Town Hall, when 45 ballots were cast, re-electing Henry L. McCarthy as warden and the following non-partisan ticket to office: May E. Sullivan, clerk; William Hunter and Walter L. Glover, burgesses; Walter A. Reynolds, treasurer; Charles F. Cavanaugh, collector of taxes; John A. Carlson and Charles M. Goodsell, assessors; Frederic H. Duncombe and Joseph F. Hellauer, board of tax review; Edward F. Wight, William A. Honan, Jr, and Judge Paul V. Cavanaugh, fire inspectors; John A. Carlson, pound keeper; William Hunter, registrar of voters.

***

Parents and all other residents interested in local youth activities have been cordially invited to attend the annual Youth Club Jamboree being held next Friday night, May 18, at 7:30 pm in Edmond Town Hall gymnasium. The program, under direction of Harold S. DeGroat, will open with a color parade, enlivened by music furnished by the Sandy Hook Fife, Drum and Bugle Corps, with a basketball game, various races, and demonstrations of activities by some 15 youth clubs, including other numbers by the Drum Corps.

***

The Newtown Women’s Republican Club held its May meeting at the Newtown Country Club on Tuesday of this week. A financial report was read, and an election of officers was held. The following officers were elected unanimously for the coming year: president, Mrs Joseph Hellauer; first vice-president, Mrs William K. Daniells; second vice-president, Mrs August MacTaggart; treasurer, Mrs Erwin Stickles, Jr; secretary, Mrs Stuart Rohleder.

***

Mrs Joseph H.A. Symonds has for several years maintained a small flock of Dorset sheep at her home on Riverside Road. During this spring’s lambing season, five ewes have presented her with two sets of triplets, two sets of twins, and a single lamb, for a total of 11. All of them are healthy and cavorting about their five mothers, apparently happy to be added to Mrs Symons’ fast-growing flock.

***

Pohtatuck Grange held its regular meeting Tuesday night, with Miss Florence Pease, master, presiding. An invitation was received from Pokono Grange, Brookfield, for visiting masters night, May 17. Featured on Tuesday’s program were musical selections under direction of Mrs Florence Patterson and a discussion of Pohtatuck Grange by-laws led by Overseer William F. Arndt. A wedding gift was presented to Mr and Mrs Robert Hawley by the master.

***

The Sandy Hook Fife, Drum and Bugle Corps met as usual Tuesday night at the Sandy Hook Fire House at 7:30 and had their first rehearsal and drill out-of-doors. Two new members joined the drum section Tuesday night: Eugene Carey and Paul Van Vaulkenburg, both former members of St Francis Xavier’s Corps.

***

The Rev Gordon D. Pierce, DD, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church and an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Newtown, was speaker at the club’s meeting Monday night, choosing as his subject “Practical Christianity.”

MAY 7,  1926

E.M. Peck has sold his large dairy farm in the town of Newtown to Albert Hrivnek of New York.

***

John Leavy, one of the oldest and best known residents of Botsford Hill, who died Sunday evening, was laid to rest Wednesday in the family plot in St Rose’s Cemetery. Mr Leavy, who was in his 94th year, came to this country from Ireland in 1852 and settled in Newtown. He was an engineer for the New York Belting and Packing Company at Sandy Hook until his retirement 30 years ago.

***

The two-day auction of the furniture at the old Newtown Inn Friday and Saturday drew a big crowd each day.

MAY 10 , 1901

The next regular meeting of Pootatuck Grange will occur on May 21, when the following interesting program has been mapped out by the worthy lecturer: Reading, Mrs Ella M. Botsford; Trials and Pleasures of Rural Mail Carriers, Charles G. Peck, Harry S. Mason.

***

The magnolia tree in the yard of former Selectman W.H. Glover is much admired, covered as it is with blossoms. It is one of the few trees of the kind in Newtown.

***

Mrs Miles, who is living on the Botsford Peet place, expects to rebuild on the site of her former house, which was destroyed by fire.

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John R. Tomlinson has been putting in a new flue and bulkhead into his saw mill. William Osborne and William Pritchard are doing the work.

***

Rev M.R. French, the new pastor of the Methodist Church, preached his first sermon on Sunday, and made a pleasing impression.