USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Norwood > Norwood annual report 1942-1944 > Part 51
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Selectmen, General Manager, Town Clerk and Accountant, Board of Assessors, Board of Health, Board of Welfare, Bureau of Old Age Assistance, Building Inspector, Contributory Retirement Board, Finance Commission, School Com- mittee and Superintendent of Schools, Treasurer and Collector of Taxes, Ceme- tery Superintendent, Registrars of Voters and Planning Board.
Further service was rendered through attendance at hearings, conferences and views taken, preparation and filing of pleadings in matters before the courts, drafting and revising various instruments, instituting court action and attention to correspondence.
Litigation and Claims
Florence J. C. Hennessey vs. Town of Norwood: Petition for damages for taking of land on Nahatan Street. Pending in Superior Court for Norfolk County.
Boston vs. Norwood No. 385941: Suit for aid rendered. Pending in Superior Court for Suffolk County.
Boston vs. Norwood No. 390651: Suit for aid rendered under General Laws, Chapter 117 and 118A. Answer filed. Pending in Superior Court for Suffolk County.
Cullen vs. Norwood: Suit for personal injuries due to alleged defective condi- tion of highway. This suit reported as pending at the end of the year 1943 was settled without the necessity of further litigation.
Lamphear vs. Norwood: Suit for personal injuries and property damage due to alleged defective condition of highway. Pending in District Court of Northern Norfolk.
Norwood vs. Gross: Suit for damage - resetting pole corner of Dean and Washington Streets. Pending in District Court of Northern Norfolk.
Norwood vs. Boston: Claim for loss of ambulance stretcher bed. Petition to City Council acted upon favorably.
Norwood vs. Quincy: Suit for aid furnished. Pending in Superior Court of Norfolk County.
Norwood vs. Wrentham: Suit for aid furnished. Pending in Superior Court for Norfolk County.
Norwood vs. Ayer: Suit for aid furnished. Pending in Superior Court for Norfolk County.
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TOWN OF NORWOOD
Tax Appeals
-
Norwood Co-operative Bank, Appellant vs. Board of Assessors of the Town of Norwood, Appellee (No. X-56140): Appeal to Appellate Tax Board from refusal of appellee to abate tax for the year 1943. Pending before Appellate Tax Board.
Bendix Aviation Corporation, Appellant vs. Board of Assessors of the Town of Norwood, Appellee (Docket 21789) : Appeal to Appellate Tax Board from alleged refusal of appellee to abate tax for the year 1943. Petition filed with the Appellate Tax Board on April 27, 1943. Answer of Appellee filed May 26, 1944. Pending.
In addition to the above attention was given to the drawing and approval of articles for town meetings warrants, motions to be offered thereunder, notices of hearings, form of votes, licenses, permits and various miscellaneous matters.
I wish to express my appreciation to the town officers and boards for the co- operation extended to me during the year.
Respectfully submitted,
FRANCIS C. FOLEY, Town Counsel.
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117
REPORT OF THE GENERAL MANAGER
-
REPORT OF THE GENERAL MANAGER
The Honorable Board of Selectmen:
Gentlemen :
I submit as my third annual report the detail reports of those departments for which I am responsible as the administrative head. These reports merit the attention of the citizens and I suggest that a careful reading of these and the other departmental reports will furnish a clearer understanding of the problems and the activities of the town officials.
The problems which present themselves each year are many and varied but a few are worthy of mention. Foremost of these during the past year, I would put the study which has been made of our water supply system, particularly the Ellis Well Field. We have carried out recommendations made over the past ten years by various engineers and by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to locate additional sources of water, and in addition we have made overall tests of the capacity of the well field before making large commitments for equipment. We have studied our present facilities to determine how they may be used to the best advantage. These tests and studies have led to the placing of a contract for installing an auxiliary high lift pump of larger capacity than the present one. A contract has also been let for installing a deep well pump in the existing gravel- packed well, by which the capacity of the Ellis Station will be increased by one- quarter million gallons per day.
The Post-War Program for public works has received additional study and there is every indication that adequate employment can be given when needed.
In the matter of departmental organization, the Public Works and Engineering Department have been brought into closer coordination by the appointment of Mr. Albert W. Thompson as Director of Public Works and Engineering.
We have continued to lose fellow workers through service with the armed forces and death but temporary and provisional appointments have made it possible to carry on the essential activities.
Respectfully submitted,
-
FRANCIS W. SMITH, General Manager.
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TOWN OF NORWOOD
REPORT OF THE PURCHASING AGENT
Mr. Francis W. Smith,
General Manager:
Following is a brief summary of the activities of the Purchasing Department for the year ending December 31, 1944.
Requisitions Received 1,353
Orders Issued 1,414
Total Amount of Invoices
$372,787.66
Total Cash Discounts $1,555.48
Very truly yours,
JOHN C. BARKER, Clerk of Purchases.
119
REPORT OF ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
REPORT OF THE TOWN ENGINEER
Mr. Francis W. Smith, General Manager.
Dear Sir :
I herewith submit my report as Town Engineer for the year 1944.
Municipal engineering work is so varied, it is impossible to itemize all of it. During the year, this department was called upon by practically every department connected with the Town for some kind of engineering work and due to the shortage of help, these requests were more than in previous years. A brief re- view of the more important requests is as follows:
Highways
Plans and cross-sections on Nahatan Street Extension.
Central Street Widening Plan and descriptions of parcels taken. Earle Street and Carpenter Street plans, contract documents and lines and grades during construction and figuring betterment assessments. Lines for gas main locations on various streets.
Sewers
East Cross Street to Rock Street lines and grades.
Removal of pumps at Rock Street, eliminating pumping.
Plans, profiles, contract documents and lines and grades for Berwick Place Sewer.
Pleasant Street Sewer at Ink Mill.
Upton Avenue sewer extension.
Final measurements and plotting record and assessment plans.
Figuring sewer assessments for 1944 construction.
Estimating particular sewer, 1944 connections.
Water
Cross sections and elevations at Buckmaster Pond.
Installing and adjusting chlorinator at Westwood Pumping Station.
Checking various water leaks throughout the Town. Ellis Pumping Station:
Locating wells, making draw down tests, plotting water elevations in the various wells, renewing leaking well connections.
Checking and inspecting stand pipe painting.
Removing and replacing electrolysis rods in standpipes.
Making repairs to altitude valves at stand pipes.
Estimating 1944 house connections.
Location ties for new house connections.
Plan of piping and valve locations at Westwood Pumping Station.
Granolithic Sidewalks
Plans, profiles, estimating costs, lines and grades on Cross Street at Monroe Street and Press Avenue. Town Square Park cross-walks.
Wilson Street, bituminous concrete walk.
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TOWN OF NORWOOD
Drains
Plan, profile and grades, Washington Street Drain (Chapter 90 Maintenance).
Junior High School drain connection to main drain.
Miscellaneous
Triangulation work at the airport.
War loan drive thermometers
Cleaning and drainage easements at the airport.
Cemetery development and burial plans.
Location traffic light poles on Washington Street.
Painting and placing names on Honor Roll.
Taking Neponset River samples.
Plan of changes to eliminate flooding at Senior High School.
Placing floats and anchors at Willett Pond.
Plans for storage racks in Municipal Building.
Plans for police lieutenant's office.
Zoning plans at East Cross and Pleasant Streets.
Plan and description of part of filter bed area sale.
Plan and description of part of Beacon School lot sale.
Accident plans on Neponset Street and Austin Street.
Posting tree removal signs.
Measuring, figuring and plotting 1944 building construction.
Information for various private engineers and contractors and plumbers on street lines, water and sewer locations and elevations.
Various hearings and meetings in connection with town business were at- tended and wage rate comparisons and truck rate charges for various towns were compiled.
Respectfully submitted,
ALBERT W. THOMPSON, Town Engineer. A
121
REPORT OF PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
REPORT OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
Mr. Francis W. Smith, General Manager.
Dear Sir :
I herewith submit my report as Director of Public Works.
HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT Maintenance
Under Chapter 90, Maintenance, the Town constructed 400 feet of 15 inch pipe, 162 feet of 12 inch pipe and three manholes in Washington Street from Neponset Street southerly.
The usual cutting of brush, cleaning catch-basins and cleaning streets was also done this year.
STREET OILING MC2 and Covered with Sand
Street
From
To
Cemetery Street
Winter Street
End
Railroad Avenue
Washington Street
Prospect Street
Casey Street
Fulton Street
Prospect Street
Prospect Avenue
Nichols Street
Prospect Street
Cottage Street
Nichols Street
Prospect Street
Vernon Street
Nichols Street
Prospect Street
Bond Street
Winter Street
Washington Street
Press Avenue
Washington Street
Everett Avenue
Winslow Avenue
Douglas Avenue
Chapel Street
Heaton Avenue
Washington Street
End
1
Folan Avenue
Washington Street
End
St. John Avenue
Washington Street
End
Dean Street
State Highway
Pleasant Street
Rock Street
Lenox Street
Pleasant Street
Plimpton Avenue
Lenox Street
Monroe Street
Union Street
State Highway
Sumner Street
Sumner Street
Pleasant Street
Union Street
Nichols Street
Berwick Place
Ellis Pond
Fisher Street
Walpole Street
Nichols Street
Saunders Road
Walpole Street
Winslow Avenue
Highland Street
Walnut Avenue
Saunders Road
Elliot Street
Walpole Street
Nichols Street
Shattuck Park Road
Nichols Street
Bellevue Avenue
West Street
Crescent Avenue
Nichols Street
Oak Road
Highland Street
Nichols Street
Crescent Avenue
Oak Road
West Street
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TOWN OF NORWOOD
RC5 and Covered with Pea Stone
Street
From To
Lenox Street
Cross Street
Washington Street
Franklin Street
Hillside Avenue
Willow Street
Walnut Avenue
Washington Street
Walpole Street
Dean Street
Washington Street
Pleasant Street
PERMANENT SIDEWALKS (Granolithic)
Granolithic sidewalks, aprons and loam shoulder strips were constructed on the following streets:
Cross Street, 78 sq. yds. - Press Avenue, 101 sq. yds.
Sycamore St., 31 sq. yds. - Lincoln Street, 32 sq. yds.
Town Square Park, 722 sq. yds.
Bituminous Concrete sidewalks, aprons and loam shoulders were constructed on Washington Street, 170 sq. yds. - Wilson Street, 1,085 sq. yds.
HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION
Carpenter Street and Earle Street were finished with an oiled gravel surface. This work was done under contract with the Forrest Construction Company.
SEWER DEPARTMENT
The gravity field line between East Cross Street and Rock Street extension was completed thus eliminating the pumps at Rock Street. A considerable saving will be made by the elimination of these pumps.
Second Street sewer was extended with 54 feet of 8" pipe and one manhole. Upton Avenue sewer was extended with 174 feet of 8" pipe and one manhole. The various trunk lines were cleaned as well as several plugged mains and plugged house connections.
Twenty new house services were added to the system.
PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS
All parks and around the Municipal Building were mowed and the shrubbery was kept trimmed throughout the summer season.
Baseball diamonds were graded, rolled and mowed as needed.
All skating rinks were cleaned and put into shape.
Endean swimming pool was drained and cleaned in June and also during August when, due to the pollution of Hawes Brook, it was necessary to drain and clean it again and finally to discontinue its use as a swimming pool until Hawes Brook had cleared itself of the pollution. The Civic Association tennis courts were regraded and fixed up during the early spring.
FORESTRY DEPARTMENT
The usual moth control and spraying work was done as well as private orchards and shrubs. All private work was billed to the owners. Due to the shortage of tree climbers, it was necessary to contract some of the tree trimming and tree removal work. New trees were planted on various streets in the Town.
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REPORT OF PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
MAINTENANCE AND CONTROL OF TRAFFIC
All street signs, lines, markers, slow signs and cross-walk lines and parking lines were painted during the year.
WATER DEPARTMENT
The problem of an additional supply of water, which seems to be an old prob- lem with us, was given serious consideration by the General Manager during 1944. As a step toward improving the supply, the various reports were reviewed and while these reports were real helpful and covered the particular subject very well, they did not give us all the facts necessary to go ahead with improving the entire Ellis Well Field. All these reports were previous to 1939 and in 1940 the Massa- chusetts Department of Public Health commented on the previous reports and recommended that further testing be done before proceeding with the construction of additional permanent facilities.
The first step was to determine whether or not the existing wells were in good condition and whether or not more water could be pumped from them. A study of the 1936 report showed that the majority of the existing wells were in poor condi- tion and that only one quarter of the wells produced two thirds of the water. It recommended abandoning and relocating many wells and repairing others.
Realizing that previous reports were not comprehensive and that since 1937 the condition in the well field must have changed, also in the light of the advice of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, it was felt that new information should be obtained regarding the condition of the well field before the town made further investments in new installations. Furthermore, unless the recommenda- tions in an engineering report are carried out within a reasonable time, they may no longer apply, because of changing physical conditions. Accordingly, the firm of Fay, Spofford & Thorndike was engaged to investigate the physical condition of the facilities at Ellis Avenue. Their report, which was submitted in November 1943, included conclusions and recommendations as follows:
1. Only 47 out of 135 wells were found to be active; the inactive wells are a source of air leaks and should be cut off from the system.
2. Because of numerous air leaks in the well system due to inactive wells and to leaks in the suction pipe, the vacuum pumps were greatly overloaded. Also these pumps were operating at only a fraction of their rated capacity due to wear. The vacuum pumps should be repaired and restored to original capacity.
3. The existing gravel packed well was yielding only a small percentage of its rated capacity. Pumping tests should be made to see if the design capacity of this well, namely 250,000 g.p.d., could be developed by installing a deep well pump.
4. It was recommended that further tests be made to establish the total safe yield of ground water in the locality of Ellis Avenue, taking full account of the available yield from the driven wells as well as the maximum safe capacity of the gravel packed well.
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TOWN OF NORWOOD
Since the receipt of Fay, Spofford & Thorndike's report of 1943, the following action has been taken:
1. The non-producing wells have been shut off, thus relieving the load on the vacuum pumps.
2. Extended well tests have been made and the safe yield of the entire Ellis Avenue area has been determined.
3. The vacuum pumps have been repaired and an additional unit was installed, thus providing a standby unit.
4. A contract has been let for installing a deep well pump in the existing gravel packed well by means of which the capacity of Ellis Avenue plant will be increased from one to one and one-quarter million gallons per day.
5. A contract has been let for installing an auxiliary high lift pump.
All previous reports covered only a part of the problem. All reports, however, recommended that further and more comprehensive tests should be made of the area at Ellis Field. Furthermore, the Massachusetts Department of Health recommended additional explorations in its letter of February 17, 1940. In view of the recommendations of X. Henry Goodnough, Inc., Whitman & Howard, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and Fay, Spofford & Thorndike, that additional overall tests should be made before proceeding with major im- provements, it was decided that such tests should be made immediately and prior to making any large commitments for obtaining relief. Accordingly, the firm of Fay, Spofford & Thorndike was engaged again to make a further investigation in which the results of prior tests would be utilized and other areas which were believed to be potential locations for the production of ground water would be investigated. Their work, which was done in 1944, included exploration wells at several locations not heretofore considered and an extended well test by means of which the safe yield of the entire Ellis Avenue area was determined. This investi- gation included tests which were made at a site selected but not fully explored by Whitman & Howard for a gravel packed well and the site was found to be accept- able. As a result of these tests, Fay, Spofford & Thorndike made the following recommendations:
1. The present method of operating the existing gravel packed well as a suction well should be discontinued and a deep well pump of 270 g.p.m. capacity should be installed in it.
2. A new gravel packed well and deep well pump of 280 g.p.m. capacity should be installed.
3. Consideration should be given to changing the impellers in the low lift pumps so that the capacity of these pumps would conform more closely to the capacity of the wells.
4. The Ellis Avenue area could be developed to yield 2.1 million gallons per day, or about twice the present developed capacity.
The various reports have been more or less summarized by the General Manager in his reports submitted to the Board of Selectmen and the preceeding report is a brief digest of his various reports.
125
REPORT OF PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
The Town Public Works Department and Engineering Department furnished considerable help and worked along with the consulting engineers during their investigations. We have tried to collect some of the valuable information locked up in the heads of some of our older station operators and hope that they will continue to give us more of this valuable advice and information.
After the receipt of the report from the consulting engineers, we decided to go ahead on testing and recondition the non-producing wells. In their report of 1943, Fay, Spofford & Thorndike recommended using only 47 out of the 135 wells at the Ellis Well Field. Later, they suggested turning on 6 out of the 8 wells in Section 7, making 53 wells in use August 1, 1944. On this date 82 wells were still shut off because of air leaks in valves, goose necks and the wells themselves.
During the first week in August, 1944, the Engineering Department and Public Works Department started to make air tests to determine which of the wells were bad and what should be done to bring them back into usable condition. The air test was made in the following manner:
First, a testing device was made up consisting of a 21/2 inch reducing coupling (21/2"' being the size of the wells) reducing to a 34" nipple, then a 3/4" x 3/8" x 3/4" T , and installing on the top a pressure gauge and on the side outlet a 3/4" valve and an adaptor to which the compressor is connected. For this work, we used our Inger- soll Rand Compressor. Then the main was dug up and a 34" tap was made in the main and a 34" plug put into this hole. Then every valve in the section was closed as tight as possible.
Each well was then air tested as follows:
The testing device was screwed on to the top of the well and the air valve opened until the pressure gauge read seven pounds. Then the valve was closed and readings were taken every 10 seconds for the first minute and every 12 minute for the next 10 minutes. If during this time the pressure did not drop below 4 pounds, we would say that this well was satisfactory. If, as in most cases we found that the pressure dropped very fast, we would then send a man to remove the plug in the main and see if the air that we lost went into the main. If such was the case, we knew that the valve was leaking and that this would need repairing before we could go any further with this well. This same procedure would then be carried out on every well in the section. When the leaks thus found were repaired, another air test was run to see if any other leaks could be detected and in a few cases, we found additional leaks in either the lead connections or the well pipe itself.
After the wells, valves and lead connections were repaired, we then put a tes on the main by attaching our testing device to one well, opening this well valve and checking the rapidity of the drop in pressure on the gauge. In all cases tested, we found the mains to be in very good condition.
We started first in Section 8. Out of 11 wells in this section, only one was in usable condition. The connections from the well to the suction main of each of the 10 remaining wells were dug up to see what was wrong with them. Out of the ten valves, seven were not holding and were replaced. Five lead connections were found to be cracked and leaking due to the well sinking down. These wells were jacked up into place and braced with a concrete beam 6" x 6" x 42". This beam
3
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TOWN OF NORWOOD
will stop any further cracking of lead connections in the future and should be in- stalled beneath the T in all wells. Then the lead connections were repaired and put back in place.
Next an air test was made on the repaired wells to see if any further leaks could be detected. One well was found to leak below the T. This well was pulled and found to have no bottom section or strainer. The rest of the wells held air so a productive test was made. The wells were then washed and another production test was made. Washing the wells increased the production about 20 per cent. On August 19, 1944, 7 valves out of the 11 in this section were opened and allowed to flow into the station. The total production of these wells was 70 gallons per minute or an average of 10 gallons per minute per well.
The same procedure was followed in connecting the wells in Section 9 into the system. Out of 6 wells in this section, 4 were brought into service at a total of 65.6 gallons per minute or an average of 16.4 gallons per minute per well. The total increase by bringing section 8 and 9 into the system is 135.6 gallons per minute or an increase of 19 per cent.
As soon as the weather permits, we will follow this same procedure in bringing sections 11 and 12 into the system. Some of these wells will have to be abandoned due to the fact that the strainers have rusted or broken and new ones driven five or eight feet from the old ones. In doing this, we can still use the old suction . mains, valves and lead connections. We are reconditioning these wells in the firm belief that there is still plenty of water in this area.
WATER STATISTICS 1944 Monthly Consumption in Gallons
Gallons
Ellis
Buckmaster Pond
January
38,463,000
26,230,000
12,233,000
February
36,407,000
25,690,000
10,717,000
March
39,039,000
28,180,000
10,859,000
April
34,819,000
30,996,000
3,823,000
May
39,536,000
29,070,000
10,466,000
June
40,294,000
28,640,000
11,654,000
July
40,466,000
29,120,000
11,346,000
August
42,670,000
30,415,000
12,255,000
September
39,282,000
27,465,000
11,817,000
October
39,582,000
27,840,000
11,742,000
November
38,470,000
27,713,000
10,757,000
December
39,453,000
28,760,000
10,693,000
468,481,000
340,119,000
128,362,000
Greatest Amount Pumped
Day - June 8
Gallons
1,722,000
Week - June 3-9
Gallons
10,586,000
Supplied to Distributing Mains for year
Gallons
468,481,000
Gallons passed through Meters (Service) during year
307,463,700
Number of miles of Mains at end of year 54.5.
Total Number of Services at end of year 3,122.
Number of Services in use at end of year 3,042.
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REPORT OF PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
Operating Record at Pumping Station
Gallons
Station
Days
Hours
Pumped
Ellis
366
5,477 340,119,000
Buckmaster
339
2,561 128,362,000
705
8,038 468,481,000
Gallons of Water Pumped in Previous Years
Year
Gallons
Year
Gallons
1935
446,355,000
1940
426,512,000
1936.
490,576,000
1941
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