Full Text:

THE WAY WE WERE

MARCH 22, 1974

The Board of Selectmen's budget proposals for fiscal 1974-75 were submitted to

the Board of Finance on March 15. As reported in last week's Bee, the

proposals represent an 18.7 per cent increase over the present budget. The

Selectmen's budget is $3,219,722.31, up $506,861.70 from the current fiscal

period. The town's debt service, including that of the school system, is in

the Selectmen's budget. The debt service represents 8.4 per cent of the total

budget proposed for this year, a figure of $781,005.50. Governmental

operations, 26 per cent of the town's total budget, are budgeted at

$2,438,716.81 in the selectmen's budget. With debt service, the Board of

Selectmen's governmental budget and the Board of Education's budget, the

proposed town budget for 1974-75 is $9,346,552.31. The budget was up $500,000.

Inflation and the energy crisis were blamed.

Remember that old Abbott and Costello act, "Who's on first?" Well, at Monday

night's town meeting, the debate over the wording of the questions for the

referendum recalled that classic as the team of Hall and DeLucia tried to

explain how votes on the two questions were to be cast. A long call to the

meeting with its resolutions obviously confused those present; a common

failing of legal jargon which only lawyers seem to understand, and thus the

discussion on the machine wording. As it stands now, the two questions which

will be put before the voters are worded clearly. The first question will be:

"Do you favor the town retaining the Boyle property as a school site?" Now

that is easy enough, and it is obvious the answer will be a yes or no vote.

Question two will read: "If the voters vote not to retain the Boyle property,

should the Selectmen be authorized to return the title to the former owners?"

Therein lies the rub. This second question is the one which called for all the

explanation, and by the end of the evening not only did Messrs Hall and

DeLucia succeed in confusing the issue, everyone else got into the act and

confused each other.

At its meeting on Tuesday night, March 19, the Board of Selectmen voted to

approve the demolition of five structures -- three in Pootatuck Park and two

in Riverside -- on the basis of their being "threats to the health and safety"

of townspeople. The approval came as the result of Building Inspector Earle

Megin's seeking out abandoned buildings in several sections of town since

January.

The Pohtatuck Grange entertained friends, guest officers, members and their

families at a potluck supper and entertainment in honor of its 83rd

anniversary on Tuesday, March 12.

Officer Richard Stook, president of local 337 of the International Brotherhood

of Police Officers, reports that the Police Department had not, as of Tuesday,

March 19, received copies of the letter of intent sent by the Board of

Selectmen to clear up the police grievance involving the duties of desk

sergeant. The letter has been received by the papers, the union and others,

Officer Stook said, but until the Police Department receives its own copy, it

cannot vote to accept the letter and end its grievance. Officer Stook said

that he had contacted the union to see if it could obtain a copy of the letter

for him, but at the moment, there has been no result. The grievance, filed on

December 1, 1973, involved the assigning of sergeants to duty on the

dispatcher's desk in an effort to reduce overtime and make up for the

department's manpower shortage. Since then the Police Department is in the

process of hiring three additional officers and an extra dispatcher to close

the manpower gap.

Republican and Democratic Registrars of Voters Jeanne Hubbell and Susan

Fernandes attended a hearing by the State General Assembly's election

committee last Friday, in behalf of Bill 5722, which would allow towns to have

polling places outside of voting districts. The bill was presented by the

Newtown registrars through Rep Eloise Green, of Southbury, chairwoman of the

House elections committee, "to provide polling places convenient for voters

when as a result of redistricting of state or congressional districts,

hardship to the voters is caused."

The Boggs Hill Building Committee met on Tuesday night, March 19, and voted to

proceed with a contract with the Butterfield Partnership, Architects, of

Farmington in order to begin preliminary plans for a school for the Boggs Hill

site.

Newtown's highway department voted with one abstention to join a union on

Monday, March 18. The vote was 24-0 in favor of becoming a local of the

National Association of Government Employees. All of the road crew turned out

to vote. Andrew Hunihan, road foreman, and Edward Napier, highway

superintendent, did not take part in the vote.

MARCH 25, 1949

The stage of the Edmond Town Hall is due to provide a new type of show on its

boards next Thursday evening, March 31, when the Newtown High School Athletic

Association will present its 1949 Gym Show. The show has been taking up the

time of many of the star performers in both girls' and boys' gymnasium classes

for the past few weeks. Miss Ann Anderson has two groups of military tap

dancers who will perform, besides a special group of girl acrobats who show

rare ability as tumblers.

Mrs Harold DeGroat and Mrs Arthur Gies of Newtown attended the meeting of the

district committee of the Fairfield-Litchfield District of Connecticut

Children's Aid Society, held in Norwalk on March 15th. At this session, the

first held since November, members discussed the various activities of the

Society, and a report was given on bills now pending in the State Legislature.

This casework agency, which deals with the deeply complex problems of

children, has taken 25 new children into care since the fall. Always ready to

help unmarried mothers with their problems, the Society has also given

guidance and assistance to four since November.

All girls between the ages of 7 and 9 years old are eligible for membership in

a Brownie troop which will have its first meeting on Wednesday afternoon,

April 6, at 3:15 o'clock. The leader, Mrs Edward Miller, will be assisted by

Mrs Robert Leahy, Mrs Adrian Randall, Mrs Kenneth Smith and Mrs Robert Dumser.

Fewer than 40 taxpayers and voters set Newtown's tax rate at 31« mills in less

than two minutes elapsed time at last Thursday night's adjourned session of

the annual town meeting. Judge Paul V. Cavanaugh, as chairman, called the

meeting to order.

Members of the District Education Association and other citizens had their

first opportunity to learn in detail about the curriculum to be offered in

Regional High School No. 3 at the D.E.A. meeting held Monday evening in the

Alexandria Room of the Edmond Town Hall. Carroll Johnson, the district

superintendent, described the broad program, which will be offered to students

of the regional school in grades 7-12.

The Newtown Rotary Club celebrated its 10th anniversary on Monday night at the

Parker House. Previously scheduled for February 28th, the meeting was

postponed because of the snow storm on that date. At the dinner meeting

attended by 80 members and their wives, Rotarian Dr James H. Halsey, president

of the University of Bridgeport, addressed the group on the topic of "Private

Enterprise in Higher Education."

Mrs George M. Stuart, chairman of the 1949 Easter Seal Sale in Newtown, has

announced that approximately 500 letters containing Easter seals were mailed

out last Thursday, March 17th, to local residents. The committee for Newtown,

in addition to Mrs Stuart, consists of the Rev Walter R. Conroy, the Rev Paul

A Cullens, Dr Waldo F. Desmond, Dr J. Benton Egee and Arthur T. Nettleton.

Spring is officially here after many false starts and unseasonable symptoms,

although its arrival was misjudged by more than one person in town. Among

those who had reason to regret a hasty assumption that the season had arrived

was Dr Judd of the Boulevard who, the middle of last week, replaced the snow

tires on his car with ordinary tires. Hardly more than a day later, last

Friday's snowstorm caught Dr Judd without a bit of traction; his car was

marooned and useless. Now all that is changed; spring is definitely here. The

Bee has the word of five-year-old Ross Cutler, son of Mr and Mrs William

Cutler, Palestine Road, to back up the calendar. Ross reports seeing eight

robins in his backyard on Wednesday.

MARCH 1924

March 7: The Town Hall was filled to the doors Tuesday night at the Mock

Trial, a benefit for the Newtown Library. The culprit was that worthy esteemed

and exceedingly popular Taunton young man, Willis Arndt, who was charged by

the plaintiff, Allison Arteman War Paragoric Smith, with willfully running

down and destroying his Papa duck alleged to be worth $108.75. Attorney Edward

S. Pitzschler prosecuted for the state while attorney William C. Johnson

approved for the defense. Both attorneys were corking good. Herman N. Teeman,

becomingly gowned, made an ideal judge.

Mrs Philo T. Platt, Mr. and Mrs Wallace N. Mitchell, Mrs. W.B. Glover, Mrs.

Fannie B. Edwards, Mrs. F.H. Mitchell, Mrs. H.T. Coger, Mrs C.F. Beardsley,

Mrs A.E. Brinton, Miss Adaline Hurd, Mrs Ernest M. Hawley, Miss Margaret

Morehouse, Miss Mary E. Hawley, Mrs. R.H. Beers, Miss Annie Sanford, Mrs E.L.

Kingman, Miss S.B. Scudder and Mrs O. S. Stoddard attended the luncheon of the

Fairfield County Republican Women's Association at the Hotel Stratfield, last

Saturday.

March 14: The adjourned annual town meeting was held at the Town Hall on

Saturday, March 8. The meeting was called to order by Town Clerk Oscar

Pitzschler and in the absence of Carlos D. Stillson, who was chairman of the

October meeting, A.T. Nettleton was appointed chairman. After hearing the

recommendations of the Board of Finance that a 19-mill tax be laid, a

resolution offered to that effect, which was quickly carried after a brief

discussion. The following resolution was also offered and unanimously carried

to convey the thanks of the town to Miss Hawley for the considerable outlay of

money in the grading and beautifying of the grounds about the Hawley school.

Henry Rupf has had a telephone installed at his home. Phone No. 172.