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THE WAY WE WERE

JUNE 8, 1973

Judge John Hanrahan, Court of Common Pleas in Bridgeport, has decided for the

plaintiffs in the suit against William Johnson of Alberts Hill Road and the

Newtown Planning and Zoning Commission. The case involves P&Z's favorable

decision to allow Mr Johnson special exemption to built Eagle Hill, an alcohol

treatment center, on 11 acres of property he owns on Alberts Hill Road. The

plaintiffs, Charles and Andra McLaughlin, Julia B. Wasserman, Harriet G.

Schultz, and John E. Graham, all of Newtown, had challenged the legality of a

vote by a majority of a quorum. Judge Hanrahan said the vote by two members of

a five-member board is not legally valid. There were two regular members and

one alternate present at the June 2, 1972, P&Z meeting when a 2-1 vote

approved the Eagle Hill project. Judge Hanrahan's decision is viewed as

possibly having far-reaching implications for P&Z and Zoning Board of Appeals

actions.

Two patrolmen began their duties as members of the Newtown Police Department

on June 4. They spent the day going out on patrol with an officer and learning

about the inner workings of headquarters. Mike Brokaw of Newtown and Martin

Pytko of Stratford were among the top 10 who tested for a position a year ago.

They will replace officer Francis Bresson, who resigned recently, and officer

Kevin Flynn, who has been appointed canine control officer.

A new location for the proposed Route 25 superhighway in Newtown was outlined

to town officials by representatives of the state Department of Transportation

at a meeting June 1 in Edmond Town Hall, but the three members of the Board of

Selectmen found it no improvement over other routes proposed in the past. The

new proposal shows Route 25 entering Newtown from Monroe just east of the

present Route 25. It would cross Botsford Road between the present Route 25

and the railroad, cross the tracks north of Button Shop Road, and continue

northward between the Pootatuck River and Toddy Hill Road to the interchange

near the high school. The selectmen said the new route would take out even

more houses in the Toddy Hill Road area or, if moved closer to the river to

avoid the houses, it would impact the Pootatuck Fish and Game area which has

been designated as a future town water supply.

First Selectman Frank DeLucia formally proposed on June 5 that the Newtown

allocation of revenue sharing funds for the first six months of 1973 be used

for the new dog pound and part of the cost of renovating the high school

ventilating system. The proposal was made in the form of a "Planned Use

Report" to the US Treasury Office and covers an allocation of $87,095. Mr

DeLucia proposed applying $30,000 to the dog pound, and the balance of $57,095

to the high school renovation. A very preliminary estimate of the cost of the

work at the high school is $170,000, but engineering studies have not been

completed.

Dan W. Lufkin of Poverty Hill Road in Newtown resigned this week as

commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection

effective July 1. Gov Meskill accepted the resignation with regret, calling Mr

Lufkin "one of the most dedicated, hard-working and effective members of my

administration." Mr Lufkin said he accepted the job two years ago to set the

course of the new department and now that he has accomplished that, he intends

to return to private life and private pursuits.

The first event of the Newtown Summer Festival was held Saturday when a

benefit performance was given by the Norwalk Youth Symphony in the Newtown

High School auditorium. To finance the fireworks in the town park on July 3,

the organizers need to raise nearly $3,000, according to Richard Sturdevant,

chairman of the festival Committee. The committee hopes to raise nearly half

of that amount in donations from businesses and other sponsors, and the rest

from the community.

Finishing touches are being done at the new garden center, Lexington Gardens

of Newtown, which is scheduled to open next week. There will be a sneak

preview of the new business at a music and champagne party on June 12 for town

officials, area garden club representatives and members of the press. This is

the first step out of Massachusetts for the company. Warren Empey will be the

manager of the new facility, Tom Johnson will be the assistant manager, and

Anne Crammond will be the horticulturist.

JUNE 11, 1948

The Newtown Kennel Club exercised good judgment in scheduling its first pet

dog show for children last Sunday for it was the one day of the late spring

that remained fine from early morning until late evening. The event took place

at the Harold F. Smith residence in the South Center district of Newtown. Best

in the entire show, as judged by Paul A. Cullens, was a Kerry Blue Terrier

named Biddy owned and shown by Glenna Dimon, 13, of Hamden. Best behaved, a

miniature French poodle named Chow Chow, was judged by Roy Everett and shown

by Lillian Sedor, 12, of Newtown.

Another meeting on the subject of taxes and revaluation of property has been

called by the Newtown tax assessors for June 18 at 8 pm in the Alexandria Room

of Edmond Town Hall. Aldro Jenks, Waterbury assessor and president of the

National Association of Assessors, will speak again and answer questions.

Approximately 150 representative citizens of the area served by the New

Milford Hospital have endorsed a $570,000 program for the construction of a

completely new hospital to take the place of the present inadequate structure.

This action took place at a dinner meeting Wednesday in the parochial school

hall. A new three-story hospital, modern throughout in both design and

equipment, will be built to serve New Milford and the surrounding communities.

The hospital will contain 40 beds for adults and children and 11 bassinets for

newborn infants. The present out-moded hospital has only 24 beds and six

bassinets.

This year's graduates of the senior class at Hawley High School include

Mildred Summers, Mildred Kocet, Eric Johnson, Marie Cavanaugh, Helga Doehne,

Barbara Kuhn, Ruth Mayer, Sheila Liskin, Virginia Drew, David Eaton, Florence

Kelly, Millie Robinson, Ruth Kearns, Joyce BIllings, Rosemarie Kilbride, Ralph

Doehne, William Lewis, Ruth Liska, Jack Watckins, William Renz, Richard

Rideout, Robert Jacot, Donath James, Fred Candee, Edmond Farrell, Harry Lake,

Richard Herring, Edmund Forbell, and Donald Ferris, Jr. Contrary to the usual

custom of having a guest speaker at the commencement exercises, this year six

of the students were selected to give speeches on the theme of "Conservation

of Our Natural Resources."

Late Monday afternoon, across from the Walter Collet home on Currituck Road, a

large elm limb crashed down of its own weight causing a temporary power

failure in that vicinity and presenting a traffic hazard overnight. Danger

signs were placed and First Selectman William W. Holcombe personally

supervised the removal of the limbs early Tuesday morning.

Work began this week on the widening and graveling of Great Quarter Road, one

of the most difficult roads in town to maintain and nearly impossible to plow

during winter snowstorms. The road at the head of Taunton Pond and the

Boulevard Extension were repaired, patched and re-gravelled last week. Extra

culverts also were installed to try to correct the conditions which caused so

much frost damage during the winter.

A daughter, Joanne Elizabeth, was born Wednesday morning in Danbury Hospital

to Mr and Mrs William A. Honan Jr. Mrs Honan is the former Miss Jeanne Crassey

of Boston. Mr and Mrs William A. Honan Sr are grandparents of the child.

The Newtown Scholarship Association has elected the following officers: George

W. Trull, president; Carl A. LeGrow, vice president; Mrs Frank A. McGregor,

secretary-treasurer.