It may be back to the drawing board for an agreement between the town and the Highway Department. After a tentative agreement had been reached between the union local president Jack Butler and town negotiator Joseph Bogdan, the road crew rank and file turned down the town’s offer 18-2 at a meeting on Thursday, June 5.

***

If you’ve ever been into the Newtown Assessor’s office and been served by a brisk, pleasant, copper-haired lady named Vivian Mayer, you’ve met the town’s next assessor. First Selectman Frank DeLucia said this week he intends to name Mrs Mayer, presently the deputy assessor, to the position which Robert E. Ryan held from July 1967 until his death on May 28. Mrs Mayer has had extensive experience in the field and with the Town of Newtown.

***

Elections for officers of the Dodgingtown Volunteer Fire Company were held on June 3, with Robert Bossuet elected as president and John Tremblay, chief. Other balloting yielded the following results: Recording secretary, William Schwaneman; corresponding secretary, Richard Healy; treasurer, John Cochran; assistant treasurer, Alan Engelman; fire commissioner, Nufer Bolmer; and board of directors, Eugene Rekos, until 1978, Henry Wachsmuth, until 1977, and Al Skvorz, until 1976.

***

On Wednesday afternoon Paul Allen of Mt Pleasant Road filed a petition with Town Clerk Mae Schmidle which seeks a town meeting for the purpose of rejecting the teachers’ contract. The petition, bearing 99 signatures, calls for a resolution as follows: “That the contract between the Board of Education and the Newtown Federation of Teachers as filed with the Town Clerk’s Office on May 15, 1975, be rejected.” In order to petition for a town meeting, 75 signatures of those eligible to vote in Newtown are required; and after confirmation of the signatures in the town clerk’s office, the selectmen quickly set about the business of calling the meeting. The legal notice for it appears in this week’s issue of  The Bee, and the meeting will take place on Monday, June 23, at 8 pm in the auditorium of the high school.

***

Sponsors of two teams in the Men’s Softball League brought complaints to the Park, and Recreation Commission at its regular meeting June 10 but left expressing their intentions of helping the commission make more ball fields available for play. The commissioners heard Matthew Bryk’s complaint that his team had been “thrown off the field” at Dickinson Town Park on a Sunday because a church group also had a reservation for the field, and John Manley’s objection to the requirement for a park sticker for members of the softball teams assigned to use the park field.

***

First Selectman Frank DeLucia Thursday blasted a bill passed by the General Assembly called the Connecticut City and Town Development Act. Terming it a bad and crazy bill, Mr DeLucia said he would urge Governor Grasso to veto the measure, which awaits her signature. Newtown’s chief executive said, from the information he has so far, a city like Danbury could acquire land in a neighboring community and build high rise apartments in spite of the fact that such facilities might not be allowed under local zoning regulations.

***

Frederick Parr, principal of Middle Gate School, was honored at a dinner for his forthcoming retirement on June 7, at The Inn on Lake Waramaug, New Preston.

JUNE 16, 1950

A review of the educational problems and achievements in Newtown’s public schools during the past four years, with a ringing challenge for future progress, was the gist of a talk given by Carroll F. Johnson, superintendent of Regional School District No. 3, in the Parker House Monday night at a meeting with his fellow members of the Newtown Rotary Club.

***

Friends will be interested to know that in a recent issue of a Dallas, Tex. newspaper, Leon Deraps, meteorologist, formerly of Newtown, and his assistants, John Painter and Rollie Terrell, were subject matter of a two-column feature story. Entitled “Whether Analysts Give Good Forecast Picture,” the article described the work of the three men in mapping out the weather predictions given by the US Weather Bureau. Mr Deraps, son of Mr and Mrs T.J. Deraps of Sandy Hook Road, also forecasts the daily weather report over station WFAA-TV, Dallas, along with his other duties as meteorologist in that city.

***

Favorable action was taken on two resolutions presented at the special town meeting held Friday evening in the Alexandria Room of the Edmond Town Hall, when the Board of Selectmen was authorized to borrow a total sum not to exceed $33,000 on notes of the town. The purpose of the appropriation is to liquidate Newtown’s obligations in Regional High School District No. 3, amounting to $16,000, with the remaining $17,000 to be used for the purchase of three trucks and a bulldozer for use on state aid road projects in place of equipment previously hired.

***

The Men’s Literary and Social Club of Newtown Street held its meeting at the Parker House last Thursday evening, with Allen Northey Jones as host. The speaker was Clarence Jones of Tranquility Farm, Middlebury, assisted by Mrs Anderson. The essayist was Milton F. Hull. Mr Jones’ address was on the development and expansion of the business at the farm and was highlighted by a colored movie taken at Tranquility.

***

The Newtown Lions Club held its regular meeting at the Parker House Wednesday evening, and elected the following officers for the coming year: president, Raymond J. Trimpert; first vice-president, George B. Kyle, MD; second vice-president, Harry F. Greenman; third vice-president, Paul V. Cavanaugh; secretary, William C. Bechert; treasurer, Louis Oetjen; tail twister, D. August Carey; lion tamer, Lynn Mathewson.

***

Announcement has been made by W. Cranston Brewer, chairman of the tennis committee at the Newtown Country Club, that Arthur J. Keeley of Fairfield will be tennis instructor at the club this year. Mr Keeley begins this Saturday and will be at the club thereafter throughout the summer on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 10 am to 5 pm.

***

John H. Hughes of Huntingtown District, Newtown, received the oath of deputy sheriff from Henry J. Lyons, clerk of the Superior Court, in ceremonies Tuesday in the office of Sheriff Edward A. Platt in the County Courthouse, Bridgeport.

 

JUNE 12, 1925

A Newtown, Conn., boy, John Patrick Keating, had the pleasure of being warmly greeted by Albert G. Richie, governor of Maryland, at the graduation exercises of the University of Maryland held at the Lyric Theatre on Saturday night last. And the town of Newtown and Nutmeg State should feel proud of John Patrick Keating for he was an honor student and graduated with a degree of doctor of medicine.

***

Interest in the affairs of the Hawleyville Volunteer Fire Company continues at white heat. The recent dance netted $220.

JUNE 15,  1900

Bicycle riders are invited to keep off the sidewalks in the street. If they don’t heed the request, other methods will be employed, and that soon. We give them all a fair warning.

***

Keane’s Button Shop is a busy place these days. They now employ about 20 hands.

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Ground was broken for the new library building on Monday. President Linsley and treasurer Nettleton had the honor of throwing out the first shovels full of earth.