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THE WAY WE WERE

SEPTEMBER 20, 1974

"If they don't settle," said John Butler, president of the Highway Department

union local R217, speaking of two days of state mediation scheduled for

September 19 and 20 in the contract dispute between the union officials and

the town negotiator, "you're going to find out Monday how mad we are." Final

word on the outcome of the negotiations was not available as The Bee went to

press on Thursday.

On Monday of last week the Public Building Committee voted in favor of the

town going ahead and seeking to purchase a 7.35 acre parcel of land near the

town landfill for use as a site for a new town garage. This Tuesday the Board

of Selectmen determined they would play it cautious and close to the vest

regarding this property. However, both selectmen present, Mr DeLucia and

Gerald Frawley, desired to pursue the possibility of obtaining this parcel,

and agreed to sign a 90 day purchase option for the land with the owner, Lewis

Finch of Ridgefield.

First Selectman Frank DeLucia expressed hope at the Conservation Commission

meeting on September 16 that the open space and map plan which the commission

has contracted for would help the town set priorities for land acquisition for

future use. Conservation Commission Chairman Theodore Whippie deflated the

hope when he said that the open space map would designate general areas of

Newtown for only conservation as open space. To do the things which the first

selectman wants done, Mr Whippie said a new town plan of development is

needed.

Vandalism seems to be an ever-increasing problem in Newtown, and the town

officials would very much like to squelch it. As recently as last week, when

The Bee ran several photos of a group of mailboxes in the Taunton District

which had been plowed down intentionally with the aid of cars, this paper has

run pictures and articles of such acts as the stealing of street signs and

vandalism to the town's property at Dickinson Memorial Town Park. This week,

Highway Superintendent Edward Napier took us to the scene of other acts of

vandalism. A bridge over Meadowbrook Road has recently begun to disappear,

stone by stone, and was discovered by the Highway Department on Monday when

its workers went to the vicinity to install drainage on the road. The bridge,

which was constructed in 1933, is made of very fine cut stone, which Mr Napier

said is both difficult and expensive to replace since similar stones would

have to be purchased from as far away as Massachusetts. "It'll cost well over

$1,000 to replace," said the highway superintendent.

On Monday, September 16, members of the Scholarship Ball Committee met at the

home of Mrs Robert J. Campbell to discuss and formulate plans for this year's

annual Scholarship Ball. Those attending besides Mrs Campbell, co-chairman,

were Mrs James M. Osborne; Mrs P. Douglas Martin; Mrs C. Harold Schwartz; Mrs

Jack V. Blomquist, the other co-chairman; Mrs Robert L. Moser and Mrs John

Boehm.

An orange balloon, launched from the First Congregational Church in Chappaqua,

N.Y., fell into good hands this week when it was found by nine-year-old Peter

Schaad. The balloon, with message attached, made it to High Rock Road in Sandy

Hook without accident, just a bit faded. Tied to the string was a slip of

paper which read "this is Richard Jenning's. If you get this message, call

238-4985 in Chappaqua, New York, 10514." Following the phone call, Peter

learned that Richard was 12 years of age, lived on Silver Lane and was in the

seventh grade. Peter, a third grader at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, was

proud of his find and has certainly made a good friend in Chappaqua. Both

boys, it seems, measure up well to the slogan on the balloon, "I'm okay,

you're okay."

The Newtown Police have just bought a new radar system which will provide

precise scientific evidence against the speeder who until now could not be

prosecuted. This is the speeder who passes an oncoming police patrol car.

The Conservation Commission, acting on the advice of members of other town

commissions and boards, decided to go ahead with its plans to request at a

town meeting funds sufficient to purchase the Ram Pasture property and to do

preliminary development work on it. The meeting of Monday, September 16,

indicated that generally speaking, the Borough, the Park and Recreation

Commission, and some of the Planning and Zoning Commission are in favor of

buying and preparing the property for a town green.

Members of the Hawleyville Ladies Fire Auxiliary had election of officers on

Wednesday, September 11, with the following people elected to office: Susan

Cooper, president; Jane Payne, vice president; Donna Pelletier, secretary; and

Lilla Dean, treasurer.

September 23, 1949

The Newtown Ambulance Association held its eighth annual meeting Tuesday night

in Alexandria Room of Edmond Town Hall, with 33 members present. A. Fenn

Dickinson, president, was in the chair and reports were read by Mrs Ralph

Knibloe, treasurer, and John McMahon, chief driver. To fill vacancies on the

board of trustees for terms of three years, Bayard C. Hoppin, chairman of the

nominating committee, presented a slate of three names: Mrs Ralph L. Knibloe,

Anthony Amaral and Felix Baridon. Henry L. McCarthy was also nominated from

the floor. On the balloting, Mrs Knibloe and Messrs McCarthy and Amaral were

elected.

The fact that Newtown residents read books has never been questioned,

particularly since the Cyrenius H. Booth Library came into existence and made

available to all a world of literature past and present. But that many of

those same residents write, and not only write but get themselves published,

is a fact less well known. The proof has now been assembled in an interesting

and unique display and made available to the public. These books, books

produced by authors who are all residents of Newtown, are collected for the

first time for purposes of exhibition, and they make an impressive display.

They run the gamut of written expression, covering a wide range of subjects.

Within a few days most residents of Newtown will receive in the mail a letter

which will contain nothing but an envelope addressed to Paul V. Cavanaugh,

chairman of the Polio Emergency Fund Drive. If any of our local citizens care

to contribute they may do so by returning their donation as soon as possible.

Polio has struck with exceptional violence this year and at the present moment

30 of Fairfield County's 100 victims are being cared for at Englewood Hospital

in Bridgeport. An entire wing of this institution has been fully equipped with

every known modern device for the treatment of polio.

The work of revaluation in Newtown has been completed by the appraisal

engineers, New England Survey Service, Inc., and E.T. Wilkins and Associates,

and the results of their reappraisal of the taxable property in the town of

Newtown has now been handed to the local Board of Assessors. It remains for

the Newtown Assessors to complete the project, which involves adding figures

for livestock and for automobile valuations as determined by the state and

applicable to all taxpayers who own automobiles.

Walter L. Glover, Newtown Fire Marshal, explained the basic points of

firefighting at the Tuesday night meeting of the new United Fire Company, Inc,

of Botsford, held at The Pines Inn. There was some discussion of the fire

fighting equipment to be bought and it was announced that the ways and means

committee will soon assign teams to solicit support from those who have

received letters from the secretary.

Interest in outdoor sports at the Newtown Country Club reached a climax last

Sunday with both the tennis tournament and the member-guest golf tournament

coming to the points of final decision. In what was considered by competent

observers to be one of the largest and best-conducted golf tournaments in

state history, the club brought to a close its two-day member-guest golf

contests with a buffet dinner and the awarding of prizes Sunday evening. Some

60 teams took part, with numbers of well-known golfers of the state present

and taking part. Among them was Tom Donahue, president of the Professional

Golfers Association, who paid a visit to the tournament as a guest of Allen

Northey Jones, and played in an official foursome with Mr Jones, Henry Taylor,

greens chairman, and Joseph F. Hellauer, respectively club president and

members of the board of governors.

SEPTEMBER 19, 1924

Selectmen Herbert T. Coger was so unfortunate as to cut his finger with an axe

one day last week. Dr. E.L. Kingman dressed his wound.

Newtown people who enjoyed the Sousa band concert in Danbury Wednesday were

Miss Mary Hawley, A.T. Nettleton, L.C. Morris, Miss May Hoyt, and Miss Anna

May Betts.

William B. Warner of Newbury, N.Y., an expert miner, is carrying on quite a

mining enterprise on the farm of F.A. Young, having leased the feldspar mine

on Mr Young's farm opened up a few years ago by Captain Cook.