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After an extensive search and many interviews, the Newtown Schools have a supervisor of buildings and grounds. Mr Bernard Mazako assumed the position January 12, after his candidacy was approved at the Board of Education meeting the previous night. Mr Mazako, who resides in Monroe with his wife, was chosen from approximately 30 candidates who applied for the job, which pays $24,000.

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Members of the Hanover Springs Association, residents from the Old Green Road-Hanover Road-Echo Valley Road area, intend to be present in Town Hall South January 20 for a Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing on a subdivision involving one of the largest parcels of land that has been before the commission in recent years. The proposal is for the initial section of “Old Farm Hill,” a subdivision of 304 acres of land located between Old Green Road and Echo Valley Road. Proposed development of the tract has been of concern to the Hanover Springs Association because of the nature of the terrain and quality of the soils on the tract.

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Newtown State Rep Mae S. Schmidle, reacting to concerns of both taxpayers and boards of education across the state about the quality of the teacher’s union-board of education settlements reached under the state’s five-year-old binding arbitration statute, will introduce a bill to the General Assembly’s Education Committee attempting to “strengthen the public interest” in the arbitration process.

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A plan to bring the Cyrenius H. Booth Library into compliance with the state fire safety codes has been given unanimous approval of the Planning and Zoning Commission. The $307,000 package would not only bring the library into state fire code compliance but would provide access to the third level of the 50-year-old building on Main Street.

* * *

As Safe Rides volunteers round out their preparedness in a final training session on Sunday, January 16, they look ahead to a targeted opening date for the program of January 28. Safe Rides is a program designed to provide a free and confidential safe ride home to any student who is not in a condition to drive home safely or to any student who does not wish to be a passenger in such a situation.

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Paul Katzmark couldn’t say enough good things about the job the Sandy Hook volunteer firemen did in fighting the fire that damaged a room and antiques in his Washington Avenue home last Sunday. “The Sandy Hook Fire Department took an extreme amount of care not to cause any additional damage,” he told The Bee. Mr Katzmark said the living room where the fire occurred had several fragile antique Meissen porcelain figurines, as well as a Dresden doll, none of which was broken during the fire fighting.

January 17, 1958

Fifth graders in Miss Mariette Paquin’s class at Sandy Hook School visited two local factories Tuesday morning. The class first toured the S. Curtis & Son Inc plant and then went through the Plastic Moulding Corporation plant. William K. Daniels of the Curtis firm escorted the group to all parts of the factory, showing the class members the processes in paper box and carton manufacture. At Plastic Moulding the students saw a hydraulic press, water wheel power and some of the raw materials used by the firm in its manufacturing processes.

The January 1958 issue of the magazine, “Service,” published by the Cities Service Corporation, has a painting of the Newtown Congregational Church on its cover. Painted by Al Schmidt of Bethel, the winter scene shows churchgoers leaving after Sunday service. Mr Schmidt kept a realistic amount of detail in the scene, complete to road signs, a corner of The Yankee Drover and the rooster atop the steeple, but he did exercise one bit of artistic license — he omitted the flagpole.

* * *

The growth of Newtown continues to be reflected in the increase in business and receipts at the Newtown Post Office during 1957, according to Postmaster Albert H. Nichols. Total 1957 receipts reached $49,402.13, an increase of $4,641 or ten percent over the receipts for 1956.

* * *

Any difficulty driving a car in a snowstorm will seem pretty mundane to Bayeux B. Morgan Jr of Mt Pleasant after his experience in last week’s storm. Mr Morgan and two companions, returning from a business trip to Burlington, Vt in a single-engine plane, were forced to land in a meadow near Middlebury, VT due to the blinding snow last Tuesday. None of the men were injured and there was no damage to the plane.

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Pinned To Winter Wash Days? Take the work out of washdays — the modern automatic dryer way —instead of getting a workout! Winter washdays are so much easier with an automatic electric clothes dryer. You can look out the window and laugh at the ice and snow as you toss the sparkling clean wash into your automatic dryer. Don’t be pinned to needless washday work. See your Electric Appliance Dealer of CL&P today.

 

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The Newtown Zoning Board of Appeals has prepared a report of progress in planning its procedure. While the board has established machinery for processing appeals, until a set of zoning regulations is adopted it is limited to hearings to consider the locations of gas stations or garages.

January 13, 1933

Fifty-five years ago this month — on January 28, 1878, to be exact — the world’s first commercial telephone exchange, forerunner of The Southern New England Telephone Company, came into existence in New Haven, Connecticut. The system of 21 telephones has grown to include 300,000 in Connecticut which can be connected with any one of 18,000,000 other telephones in this country and 13,000,000 abroad.

* * *

The members of the Parker family at the Parker House, Newtown, were delightfully surprised on New Year’s Eve with an attractive litter of beautiful blue greyhounds, adding five little “citizens” to the choice dog families of town. The mother, “Mistress Smalley,” AKC, is owned by Mrs Edith Parker and has won many ribbons. As these little strangers came into the world on New Year’s Eve, they have been appropriately named “January,” “February,” “March,” and “April,” leaving “May” for the name of the little female.

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The women of Newton, who volunteered as seamstresses to make cloth into garments for the American Red Cross have completed 25 layettes of 20 pieces each, or 500 articles of clothing. Without the work of the women who help in the name of the Red Cross, this aid to the families of the unemployed would not have been handled so promptly nor reached so many people so quickly.

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The First National Store at Sandy Hook was entered by burglars Wednesday night of last week, and about $10 or $12 worth of tobacco and cigarettes taken. Entrance to the store was effected by a rear door which was jimmied open. The First National store in Southbury was burglarized on Saturday night. The Sandy Hook First National store was burglarized about two weeks ago.

* * *

Frank Richini, Michael Iapalucci, Red Torsi, and Frank Russo, all of Danbury, who were arrested on December 21 in Botsford, by Officers Burke and Pirelli of the Ridgefield barracks, and Constables Wesley Stanton and Hiram Hanlon, of Newtown, were arraigned, last week Thursday night, before Judge Hampton. The officers found an alleged 300-gallon still in operation, several gallon cans of alleged alcohol and other paraphernalia on the Russo place. All pleaded guilty.

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The thick, sticky snow that fell steadily, Monday morning, up to noon, made auto traveling perilous. The mild temperature saved the situation, which was followed by rain. About three inches of snow fell during the morning.

January 17, 1908

Charles Markham of Woodbury had his engine and threshing outfit at John R. Peck’s, Friday, and threshed out 360 bushels of oats from 10:10 am till 3:40 pm, a remarkable record. On Saturday Mr Markham had his outfit at work on H.H. Peck’s oat crop, cleaning up something more than 80 bushels. Thomas Carey and Patrick McMahon assisted with the work.

* * *

Mrs Pinkus of Hattertown, who has been suffering with a very bad limb and it was feared she would lose it, has her limb fully healed and is able to be about again. Dr S.E. Allen attended her.

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Oscar Pitzschler has been appointed assistant town clerk. The selectmen confirmed the appointment at the meeting Saturday. The selectmen have appointed Thomas J. Corbett sealer of weights and measures.

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SANDY HOOK LIBRARY: A set of George Eliot, 12 vols, and a set of Robert Lewis Stevenson, 10 vols, were received last week, presented by members of the Library Association. Now that we have full sets of Dickens, Eliot, Scott, and Stevenson, is there not some others who would not like to follow suit and give us Emerson, Thackeray, or any other standard author? It is what the young people need.

* * *

Mrs H.W. Oppe of Zoar, who has been quite ill with grip, is now gaining slowly. H.N. Lattin and family of Zoar, who have all been suffering with the grip, are now improving. Mrs Walter S. Bradley of Half Way River, who has been a victim of the grip and other troubles, is now improving slowly. Arthur Beardsley and family of Zoar have all been suffering with the grip and under the doctor’s care. They are now improving. Mr and Mrs Samuel Camp, who were ill, last week, with the grip, are now much better.