Firemen from each of Newtown’s five volunteer companies, plus firemen from neighboring towns, gathered at the Sandy Hook firehouse, February 20, to pay tribute to recently retired Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire Company Chief Herbert Lewis, Jr. Chief Lewis retired last August after serving 18 years at the head of the company. He was the second chief the company had. During his time as chief, the company grew in size from about 40 to 60 members. From one piece of equipment, the company came to have four. In addition, while Mr Lewis was chief, the Sandy Hook firemen planned and started to build a new firehouse.

***

 Town Counsel William J. Lavery delivered his legal opinion this week on Selectman Frank DeLucia’s question as to who can hire the town’s highway superintendent, and it appears First Selectman Jack Rosenthal has been given the authority he needs. Mr Rosenthal began advertising two weeks ago for a new highway superintendent, and Mr Lavery ruled that he could do so as the term of the current superintendent ends in two months. The first selectman wants to hire a civil engineer by April for the position, to serve in the dual role of town engineer and highway superintendent.

***

The Board of Selectmen last Thursday voted to recommend a police department budget of $507,713 to the Legislative Council– $12,970 less than requested by the Board of Police Commissioners. That cut included deleting $4,700 of the $23,500 the police requested to buy five replacement police cruisers. The two Republican selectmen voted to give the police four, while the first selectman favored only three new vehicles.

***

First Selectman Jack Rosenthal released preliminary figures from the Assessor’s office Tuesday night, showing that Newtown’s new grand List for the next fiscal year will be around $260,545,542. This compares to the Grand List for last year of just over $172 million.

***

Binding arbitration for local teacher contract negotiations may be proposed during this year’s session of the General Assembly. The state legislature last year passed a law requiring binding arbitration for other municipal employee negotiations when contract talks reach an impasse. That statute is being challenged in court by the Connecticut Conference of Mayors. Removal of the school board’s right to seek an ex parte injunction against striking teachers appears to have the most support from the Education Committee, which will hold hearings next month on several proposals.

***

Thirty-seven Hanover District residents, concerned about the future of Cavanaugh Pond, sent a petition last week to the Planning & Zoning Commission regarding a proposed subdivision which would encompass the pond. The residents wrote that they feel the pond “should remain in its natural state for the entire area to enjoy and use instead of being cut into parcels.”

***

A group of 11 volunteers has been formally organized into two ad-hoc subcommittees to deal with site acquisition and construction of the Newtown day care center run by the Children’s Adventure Center.

 

MARCH 2 , 1951

Some 50 people, many of them residents along Lake Zoar, attended the open meeting held last Friday evening in the Alexandria Room of the Edmond Town Hall, when the subject of pollution in Lake Zoar was fully discussed. The meeting had been called by Representative Robert C. Mitchell of Southbury, who presided. In opening the meeting, Mr Mitchell explained that the water condition in the lake grows progressively worse and that he, like many others, is interested in any efforts to improve the situation. In fact, Mr Mitchell has introduced House Bill 1224 in the present session of the General Assembly, asking for an appropriation of $40,000 to be spent on the project over the next two years.

***

Presented with an ever-rising cost of maintenance on the present 11-year-old Newtown ambulance, a steadily increasing need for its use, and a possibility that ambulances may soon be in scarce supply, the board of trustees of the Newtown Ambulance Association at a recent meeting made a quick decision to buy a new vehicle while one was still available, according to an announcement this week by Harry F. Greenman, association president.

***

In observance of National 4-H Club Week, all 4-H Club members in Newtown are making special efforts to enlist new members in their ranks. The clubs are: the 4-H Healthy, Hearty, Handy Hay Shakers, Dodgingtown, Horace Smith, Jr, leader; 4-H Hawleyville Farm Workers, Mrs Warren McCarty, leader; 4-H Live and Learn Club, Mrs Robert E. Ryan, leader.

***

Residents along Main Street near the Hibbard home have been treated to copies of The Neighborhood News, which is a small news sheet edited, typed, and distributed by Miss Carol Hibbard. Local news items range from births and the public meeting of last Friday night on the matter of water pollution in Lake Zoar to the “obit” of a mouse killed by Mrs Shepard’s cat. There are also plugs for Quaker Oats, which may be the editor’s favorite breakfast food. In any case, the youthful editor gives promise of becoming a capable newswoman in later years. The Bee wishes her success in journalism.

***

Starting on Monday of this week, John R. McMahon of Sandy Hook has taken over the Texaco service station on the Newtown-Sandy Hook Road, recently operated by Warren Dayton and known as Dickinson’s Service Station. The station in the future will be called McMahon’s Service Station.

***

Sunday night’s epic, played on the basketball court at the Edmond gymnasium, brought victory to the SAC Mighty Midgets and exhaustion to the Popsicles. The final score found the Midgets holding a scant two-point lead, with the score board reading 31-29. The Midgets displayed their usual team work, which offset considerably their inability to control the backboards. It was understandable that their size worked against them in that respect, but they stole the ball many times in spite of it. There were frequent spills and wild moments, particularly when two or three Midgets climbed all over Newtown’s first selectman and everyone ended in a heap on the floor. The referee’s whistle was capably controlled by Tom Kearns, attired in a black-and-white striped prisoner’s suit which mysteriously appeared for the occasion.

***

At about 11:30 Tuesday morning the driver of an Atlantic Refining Company gasoline truck, John C. Poodiack of Danbury, was burned as flames burst out in his cab as he was driving east on the Newtown-Danbury Road opposite the residence of Miss Juanita Smith. Miss Smith saw the man jump from the truck as it proceeded slowly up the hill. She called her farm superintendent, Ross H. Baisen, and gave him a fire extinguisher. By the time Mr Baisden reached the highway a moment later, the truck had lost its forward momentum and had begun to roll back, its cab ablaze. The superintendent climbed aboard and stopped it, extinguishing the fire.

 

FEBRUARY 26, 1926

As stated in last week’s Bee, Martin J. Phelan of Sabbatus, Me., has been elected to the position of principal of the Hawley School made vacant by the resignation of Principal Orrie S. Stoddard, who conlcuded his association with the school on Friday of last week.

***

Mrs P.H. McCarthy and Miss Baker attended a meeting, Wednesday afternoon, held at the State Tuberculosis Sanatarium at Shelton for public health nurses of Fairfield County.

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The two big blizzards made hard work for the merchants owing to the fact that they were unable to use their delivery cars in reaching the homes of their patrons. H.G. Warner chartered a pair of horses and sled, and says he never missed a trip.

MARCH 1, 1901

While calling on Aaron Sanford the other day, the editor was shown one of the hand-made beaver hats, made at the factory of Moses Parsons in Sandy Hook over 50 years ago. Mr Parsons did business in the building which was afterward occupied as a dwelling by A.W. Orgelman. The hat was encased in a hand-made bandbox and is quite a curiosity.

***

Miss Nora Costello brought in a bill of $25 to the selectmen, Saturday, for damages sustained to a vehicle in a show drift on the Hanover Road. Mr Morris promptly refused to pay it, claiming he had had the road opened the day before and had not been notified that it was again blocked.

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A large tree was cut last week on the Webster place, now owned by R.S. Wheeler. The tree was a chestnut and measured six feet in diameter.