The Town of Newtown has formally — though reluctantly — committed to conducting a feasibility study of the Congregational Church property next door to Edmond Town Hall to compare whether the church property or the Ruwet-Sibley building on Main Street should be used for town office space and a new police department. Wednesday, the Board of Selectmen by a 2-1 vote recommended a $7,500 appropriation to have architect Norman Baier conduct a feasibility study of the church property. That night, the council by a 9-6 vote approved the appropriation from the working contingency account, then tabled any decision on an appropriation for an architect to draw up plans for the renovation of the Ruwet-Sibley building.

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While the town budget is heading for referendum, with the hope by some residents it will be lowered and the Legislative Council will take another look at the $8.8 million education budget, not all are in favor of having a lower figure. This year, for the first time in several, the Board of Education has been able to garner support for its budget. Evidence of this came from those who spoke at the public hearing on the budget, a session of the Legislative Council where it was reconsidered and raised $200,000, and at the town meeting when the budget went through the voters by a healthy majority.

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A ten-court racquetball facility with exercise gym, sauna, and a sumptuous lounge for socializing — without liquor — in the town of Newtown is more than just a gleam in the eye of local developer George Arfaras. He’s taken the first step toward making his “Newtown Racquetball Club’’ a fact as Attorney Sutherland Denlinger has filed proposed amendments to the zoning regulations on Mr Arfaras’s behalf, to allow commercial paddle tennis, racquetball, and handball courts in Industrial M-5 and M-6 zones. The site he’s considering is in an M-5 zone in Newtown Industrial Park, located on Commerce Road between the Newtown Water Company and Vangor Tool Company buildings.

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A Brookfield developer’s proposal to construct an office complex on the northeast corner of Church Hill Road and The Boulevard has generated considerable interest among area professionals. James L. Beers of James L. Beers Associates, the real estate firm which holds an option on the 4.5 acre so-called “Beers Property,” said “the inquiries have been tremendous. It’s almost unbelievable. The demand is definitely there.”

***

Don’t look too closely. If you do, look only fleetingly. Newtown’s athletic fields are a shambles. Not just the sickly high school baseball field which has been closed for the year, but practically every single major field in town. Most of the problems are at the larger facilities, the High School, the Middle School, and Hawley School. This past Tuesday, supervisor of buildings and grounds Robert Montesi, took The Bee on a tour of the Town’s athletic and recreational facilities located on the property of Newtown’s six public school.

***

An election of Borough officials will take place Monday, May 7, in the lobby of Edmond Town Hall. Robert Connor will be moderator and Alice Carroll will be registrar of the Borough election which will take place between 2 and 8 pm on a single voting machine set up in the town hall lobby.

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If Newtown voters adopt the $13.2 million budget for the fiscal year in next Wednesday’s referendum, the property tax rate will increase either 1.1 or 1.9 mills depending on whether the Legislative Council plugs in additional anticipated revenue from the new school funding formula approved in Hartford last week.

MAY 7, 1954

In a special town meeting last Friday night, April 30, in Edmond Town Hall gymnasium, with approximatley 400 persons present, town electors adopted a resolution defining a town policy of not accepting new roads “except in cases where such acceptance is clearly in the public interest as distinguished from private interest, as shall be determined by town meeting, until our existing road obligations have been fulfilled.” The action was taken after the meeting had voted down amendments to the resolution which would have required that builders of roads seeking acceptance by the town apply at least one coat of oil to the roads, and would have imposed a time limit of one year on the policy of non-acceptance of new roads.

***

Frank Mack, cartoonist, of Dodgingtown District, gave a repeat performance of his illustrated talk to members of the seventh and eighth grades of Newtown Junior High School on Tuesday morning. He had previously talked to the senior high school group.

***

A number of people of the town, the vocational agriculture class of Newtown High School, and Pohtatuck Grange cooperated last Friday and Saturday, April 30 and May 1, to carry out a tree planting program in the Borough which was worked out by Mrs Norman A. Fedde, chairman of the Borough Tree Commission, and Arthur Christie of Wendover Road, state service forester for western Connecticut. A total of 50 trees were planted on eight Borough streets in the two days.

***

Dr Russell F. Strasburger was reelected warden of the Borough of Newtown in an uncontested election Tuesday, May 4, held in conjunction with the annual Borough meeting. All other officers put forward on a nonpartisan ticket were also elected. The election was marked by an extremely small vote, with only 80 votes registered on the voting machine. The total was less than 15 percent of the 546 registered voters of the Borough.

***

The Newtown High School baseball team dropped a tight game to New Milford on Taylor Field Friday afternoon by a 6-5 score. The game was marred by two events, the first being a poor starting inning with two errors, a hit batter and two hits which started the visitors off with four of their six runs. Pitcher Kenneth Carlson started Newtown toward a comeback in the third when he hit safely; Jim Kearns followed with a double to center; Hull hit into an error by the shortstop; Berglund hit safely and Maye brought in the fourth run on his single. The other bad spot occurred early in the bottom of the seventh when catcher Berglund was called out at the plate by the umpire for seeming interference as Oliver Hull stole second.

***

A thief broke into Newtown High School last weekend and stole $10 from the office safe, according to school authorities. Using a pinch bar, the burglar forced open the door of the school office and the fireproof door of a closet where the safe is located. The safe was opened with an acetylene torch. The tools were taken from one of the school’s shops. The robbery was located last Sunday morning by Raymond Hall, secretary of the Board of Education, who had gone to the school to catch up on some work.

***

The United Fire Company of Botsford looks for the delivery this Friday, May 7, of its new Maxim hook and ladder truck. The pumping unit on the truck is rated to throw water at the rate of 750 gallons per minute.

MAY 3, 1929

In spite of the fact that no general public annoucement had been made of the interesting event, the corner stone of the new Edmond Town Hall was laid on Wednesday morning at 11 o’clock in the presence of a goodly number of citizens, Miss Mary E. Hawley, the donor of this magnificent gift to the town, Arthur T. Nettleton, chairman of the building committee and his associates on that committee, E.B. Moss, vice president of the H. Wales Lines Company, William B. Boyle, superintendent of construction, architect Philip N. Sunderland, G.R. Cummings of Meriden, who has the contract for the sheet metal and roofing, Selectmen Brew, Lake, and Page, Judge Oscar Pitzschler, Borough Warden L.C. Morris, and many others.

***

Selectman T.F. Brew is driving a new Dodge sedan.

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“Forty Miles an Hour” is the title of the senior play to be given on May 18.

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Dean Perry, senior patrol leader of the Newtown troop of Boy Scouts, was selected last Monday evening as the best scout in District 10 of the Bridgeport Council.

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This is clean up week generally throughout the country, and the local Chamber of Commerce has asked the local citizens to unite in a campaign for cleaning up roadsides and places generally.

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In the Legislature at Hartford, Wednesday, the Newtown court bill naming E.R. Hampton as judge and Sanford Mead deputy judge passed without opposition.

MAY 6, 1904

Newtown will probably send a number of teachers to the 28th annual convention of the Fairfield County Teachers’ Association, which will be held at the South Congregational Church, corner Broad and Gilbert streets, Bridgeport, Ct., Friday, May 13.

***

A dance for the benefit of the Newtown Baseball Association will be held at the Town Hall, Friday evening, May 20.

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Manager Stone of the Woodbury-Southbury Telephone Company is planning to extend his line to Newtown, and has already secured some contracts. The service is highly prized in Woodbury.

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Town Treasurer Northrop has paid bounties for fur pelts to David Downes for four young foxes and one to W.J. Wildman.

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The new officers of the Men’s Club are: President, Rev J.H. George; Vice-President, John J. Northrop; Secretary and Treasurer, Robert H. Beers.

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H.G. Curtis is installing a Springfield gas machine in his place.

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William Bronson has resigned his position with the Fabric Fire Hose Company and left Monday for his old home in Warwick, N.Y.

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Herbert Flansburgh, who is now in New York City taking vocal lessons, passed Sunday with his mother, Mrs Flansburgh.