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THE WAY WE WERE FOR JULY 23, 1999

JULY 26, 1974

Let It Bee Known! Newtown has a new landmark; one every bit as distinctive as

the flagpole in the center of Main Street and the rooster on the

Congregational Church spire. It sits on magnificent antique directionals

housed in a cupola atop the offices of the Bee Publishing Company. Fittingly,

it is a weathervane in the image of a bee, probably the only one of its kind

anywhere. The idea for its creation came from The Bee 's editor, Scudder

Smith, and the genius who actually designed and built it was John Hallock of

Bethlehem. Building and erecting the cupola was Harry Rishor of Newtown

assisted by Ray Goldberg and Steve Fesh. The weathervane, which weighs about

35 pounds, is made of copper and gilded with ten books or 250 leaves of gold.

With less than a month to complete the task with which they were charged last

August 21, the Charter Revision Commission has committed to drafting five

proposals members would like the Board of Selectmen to place on the November

ballot for the voters' adoption or rejection as part of the Newtown charter.

Attys Robert Hall and William Lavery, chairman and vice chairman of the

commission, agreed to divide the work of expressing the commissioners'

proposals in legal language before the next meeting of the commission on

Wednesday, August 7. The work proceeded despite the chairman's displeasure

with procedures followed during his absence on vacation, and following a July

17 public hearing that grew heated on the question of an ethics code for

Newtown. Commissioners consider their most important proposal to be that which

would substitute an 18-member council, elected from districts, for the general

town meeting as a continuing legislative body for the town.

The Board of Finance advised the Conservation Commission on how to proceed

with the second phase of the Ram's Pasture acquisition project at its meeting

on Monday, July 22. Mrs Rita Lapati and Theodore Whippie, representing the

Conservation Commission, said that they would submit a resolution to a town

meeting, outlining the maximum estimated cost of the project and possible

sources of revenue, and let the townspeople decide if they want to go ahead.

Mrs Lapati said she intends to include in the resolution the purchase price,

upper limit, costs for development of the property into a passive recreation

site, and survey and appraisal costs involved in getting Federal matching

funds to buy the site. Also included in the resolution will be an option for

the town meeting to decide if it wants to use Federal funds or buy it out of

local monies.

The newly-formed Women's Auxiliary to Newtown's Pop Warner Football League met

recently and installed officers. They are Marilyn Kirhoffer, president; Irene

Arfaras, treasurer; and Sylvia Krodish, secretary.

Joseph D'Addario of Meadowbrook Road expressed his disagreement this week with

some comments made by Planning & Zoning Commission member Arthur Spector which

were printed in last week's Bee regarding a zoning permit he had sought from

the commission. Mr D'Addario owns a parcel of land of about three acres on

Toddy Hill Road, across the street from S. Curtis & Son. He and his partner in

the land, Frank Lyon, had filled out an application for a zoning permit to

remove sand and gravel from the property and attended a P&Z meeting on July 12

to try to explain the matter, after which the commission members inspected the

site. According to Mr Spector last week, a permit to remove material would not

be granted until an application was made for construction. A gravel mining

operation by Frank D'Addario, Bridgeport contractor, on property adjacent to

John D'Addario's land had not, Mr Spector said, left a cut which would

necessitate removal of material from the tract in question. John D'Addario

told The Bee that his concern was not with the cut made on the adjacent

property. Primarily, he says, his concern is the use of his land. Being next

to the S. Curtis plant does not, Mr D'Addario said, make his land conducive to

use for residential purposes. His purpose in going before the commission was

to suggest that the zone be changed to industrial.

The town highway department is running into problems in getting dust oil for

dirt roads this year, according to Road Superintendent Edward Napier. The

normal requirements for the town's dirt roads for the yearly oiling program,

he said, is between 36,000 and 48,000 gallons per year. So far the highway

department has been able to get 6,000 gallons. The oil is simply in short

supply, Mr Napier said, and the highway department is "doing everything in its

power to get more."

The Bee has learned of an interesting pumping detail which was held jointly by

the Dodgingtown and Hawleyville Fire companies at the pond on the Lufkin Farm.

From the story told, Dodgingtown was unable to draw any water from the pond

and on careful inspection found a very good reason why. It seems that a large

snapping turtle had been drawn into the act and positioned his back in such a

way against the opening of the hose that it would not allow water to be

shelled out.

At a meeting of the Board of Directors of Newtown Housing for the Elderly Inc

on July 15, board members formally accepted the resignation of board member

and treasurer Alex Yasensky. Arthur Scherer, who has been acting in an

advisory capacity to the board, was nominated and elected as the new treasurer

and board member. The members of the Board of Directors of Newtown Housing for

the Elderly are Stanley F. Main, president; Rosemarie Gollenberg, vice

president; Gordon Williams, secretary; Mr Scherer, treasurer; Joseph Chase,

Sutherland W. Denlinger, Miss M. Asenath Johnson, William Rafferty and Mrs

Jean Wilson, members. All are residents of Newtown.

JULY 29, 1949

Last week's double bill of special town meetings in Newtown, held Thursday and

Friday evenings, voted against providing for a one-man assessor in Newtown and

accepted the report of the Permanent School Building Committee, placing the

unexpended balance of $42,645.72 of the $350,000 special appropriation which

had been provided to the committee for the erection of an addition to Hawley

School, in the Special School Building Fund. That fund also includes a balance

of $20,869.27 left from its original sum of $37,500. This means that the

committee completed the 10-room addition to Hawley School with a total

unexpended balanced on hand of $63,514.99 (not including interest on about

$30,000 in US Government "G" bonds, in which part of the money is invested).

Eight members of the Fellowcraft Club of Hiram Lodge, A.F. and A.M. of Newtown

were on hand early this week to start the work of redecorating the Masonic

Temple in Sandy Hook, under the direction of Alfred W. Nelson, local painter

and decorator.

The Independent Hose Company of Botsford volunteer fire fighting group,

started three weeks ago by interested citizens in the south part of Newtown,

held its fourth weekly meeting Tuesday night with election of permanent

officers. The nominating committee, appointed at the last meeting, brought in

a slate of officers which was unanimously elected as follows: president, Alvin

B. Coger; vice president, James G. Cavanaugh, Sr; treasurer, Albert W.

Rasmussen, and secretary, F. Robert Mount. To the board of governors were

elected Douglas G. Eaton, Hastings S. Morse, David Steinfeld, Harold Hansen

and Donald G. Whittle. Elected members of the ways and mean committee: John

Hansen, Carroll R. Eaton and Oswald M. Peck.

Bill Lovell, son of Mr and Mrs Louie C. Lovell, cracked up in a stock car race

on the quarter-mile track at Plainville, N.Y., last Sunday night, walking away

from the wreck with a sprained wrist and a few slight bruises. The accident

occurred in the eighth lap and on the turn of the banked macadam oval. Bill

had started in tenth position and was already going into third when he was

bumped from behind. His car went over endwise once and then rolled sidewise

three times before it came to rest. It was completely wrecked. The racer was a

1937 remodeled Ford with a special engine that Bill had built himself,

beginning some three months ago. He had been assisted by Fred Candee of

Lovell's Farm Equipment and Arthur Smith, son of Mr and Mrs Ben Day Smith of

Lovell's garage.

Newly arrived from the sun-baked streets of New York and Brooklyn, seven

children bound for Newtown and traveling under New York Herald Tribune Fresh

Air Fund auspices arrived at the Bethel station Wednesday morning of last

week. They were greeted by Mrs Edmund M. Foster, Newtown Fresh Air Fund

chairman, and their several hosts. The young visitors have been swimming with

Coach DeGroat, picnicking and exploring the never-ending wonders of the

countryside with their hosts.

On June 15, the Rev John W. Mutton, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church,

Newtown, and minister in charge of St John's Episcopal Church, Sandy Hook,

received an invitation to become rector of Trinity Church in Norwich, Conn.

JULY 25, 1924

Rev Richmond H. Gesner, S.T.D., rector of Christ Church, Oswego, N.Y., has

accepted the calls of Trinity Church, Newtown, and St John's, Sandy Hook, to

become their rector.

The bids have been made public on the Sandy Hook, Stevenson Road, and V.

Frione of New Haven is low man. The contract calls for 11,200 feet of

eight-inch water-bound macadam on the Stevenson Road.