Norwood annual report 1945-1947, Part 53

Author: Norwood (Mass.)
Publication date: 1945
Publisher: The Town
Number of Pages: 1008


USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Norwood > Norwood annual report 1945-1947 > Part 53


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109


REPORT OF ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS


PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT Highway Department Maintenance


The usual street cleaning and patching was done this year. The new street sweeper has been a great help to us in cleaning the streets quicker and with less cost than in previous years, and I believe we should purchase another one, preferably the larger size, so that we can clean the streets throughout the Town faster, and more often, and with less men and trucks picking up the sweepings. The winter of 1947-1948 has been an unusually hard one so that it will be necessary to do con- siderable more patching and repairing than in previous years.


Street Oiling


The following streets were oiled with RC-5 road oil and covered with 14-inch stone. The work was done by Contract with Forrest Construction Company of Norwood.


Nahatan Street-Washington Street to Westwood Line


Winter Street-Prospect Street to Westwood Line


Cedar Street-Washington Street to Railroad Bridge


Everett Avenue


Chapel Street


Beech Street


The following streets were oiled with 65% road oil and covered with sand.


Parkway


Casey Street


Elkway (Both Ends)


Brook Street


Wilson Street


Upton Avenue


Winslow Avenue


Morse Street


West Street


Talbot Avenue


Oak Road


Northview Avenue


Brookfield Road


Sunset Avenue


Chapel Court


Morse Avenue


Union Street, Rt I to Sharon Line


Cottage Street-Nichols to Prospect


Beech Street-Day Street to Vernon Street Howard Street-Washington Street to Fulton Street


Under Chapter 90 Maintenance


Washington Street between Winter Street and Lenox Street-OA-3 and oilstone cover.


East Cross Street between Route I and Neponset Street-mixed in place re- surfacing.


Total (RC-5)


13,439 gals.


Total 65% road oil (MC-2) 21,110 gals.


Total (OA-3) 3,432 gals.


Total (MC-3) 2,482 gals.


Total 14-inch stone


616 tons


Total 1/2-inch stone


171 tons


Total 12-inch oiled stone 229 tons


Total sand


1,400 tons


Total gravel. 8 tons


Cross Street Lenox Street to Pleasant Street


East Cross Street, Rt. I to Neponset Street


Dean Street, Pleasant Street to Ne- ponset Street


110


TOWN OF NORWOOD


Sewer Department


The various trunk lines were cleaned as well as many plugged house connections. I believe we should purchase the new type of gasoline sewer cleaning equipment to speed up the time of cleaning and at a less cost and also to eliminate some of the various complaints of the men who have to do this disagreeable work.


Total number of new connections added this year 45


Total number of connections 2,598


Total miles of new sewer mains added this year .13


Total miles of sewer mains


38.97


Parks and Playgrounds


All parks and playgrounds were cleaned and mowed and the shrubbery around the various buildings was kept trimmed throughout the summer season. The vari- ous baseball diamonds were graded, new loam added, rolled and mowed as needed. The Elliot Park baseball diamond was completely regraded with the exception of seeding which will be done in the early spring of 1948.


All skating rinks were cleaned and put into shape for skating and the hockey rink was put up at the Cross Street skating rink.


Endean Swimming Pool was cleaned, sand added and water from the Town water mains was used for filling the pool. Between 5,000,000 and 6,000,000 gallons of Town water was used at this pool during the summer season. The building at the pool was repaired and cleaned several times during the season.


The Civic Tennis courts were regraded and stone dust added during the early spring. New tennis tape posts and a chain link fence between the courts were built during the early spring.


Forestry Department


The usual moth control and spraying work was done as well as spraying of private orchards and shrubs. All private work was billed to the owners. Due to availability of better and stronger spraying materials and the necessity of spraying the Eim trees two or three times during the summer the department is recommend- ing the purchase of new spraying equipment. Some tree trimming was necessary during the year to enable the Fire Department's large equipment to maneuver through some of the residential streets. More of this work will have to be done during 1948.


Maintenance and Control of Traffic


All street signs, traffic lines, markers, slow signs, crosswalks, taxi and bus stop lines were painted during the year. Central Street between Cottage Street and Day Street and Cottage Street between Washington Street and Maple Street were made one way streets during the year and the necessary signs and markings were placed at various intervals along these streets.


Water Department


The sand filters at Ellis and at Westwood were cleaned several times as well as the coke filters at Ellis during the year. New overhead doors were put in at the Westwood Station and at the old Ellis Station Building and the old boiler and ob- solete pump at Westwood was removed. These changes will enable the Town to store much of the equipment at the overloaded Town Yard on Nahatan Street.


New meters and repairs to old meters have enabled us to replace the older meters throughout the Town.


111


REPORT OF ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS .


WATER STATISTICS Monthly Consumption in Gallons


Month


Total Gallons


Ellis


Buckmaster


January


39,544,000


29,385,000


10,159,000


February


35,457,000


26,455,000


9,002,000


March.


37,890,000


27,475,000


10,415,000


April


37,370,000


27,390,000


9,980,000


May


39,320,000


29,355,000


9,965,000


June


38,608,000


29,220,000


9,388,000


July


43,500,000


34,020,000


9,480,000


August


43,529,000


30,625,000


12,904,000


September


41,313,000


31,238,000


10,075,000


October


42,372,000


24,367,000


18,005,000


November


39,922,000


25,647,000


14,275,000


December .


41,728,000


27,343,000


14,385,000


Totals


480,553,000


342,520,000


137,983,000


Greatest Amount Pumped or Used


Day - July 15, 1947


Gallons


1,720,000


Greatest Amount Pumped or Used in Any Week


Week - August 10-16, 1947


Gallons


10,667,000


Gallons supplied to distributing mains during the year .


480,553,000


Gallons passed through service meters during the year


318,891.750


Miles of mains at end of year


54.7


Total number of services at end of year


3,261


Number of services in use at end of year


3,200


Number of meters in use at end of year


3,200


Meter replaced during 1947


278


Total area of land used for water supply purposes


141.9


Gallons of Water Pumped in Previous Years


1938


374,733,000


1943


430,120,000


1939


432,095,000


1944


468,481,000


1940


426,512,000


1945


469,699,000


1941


398,110,000


1946


512,542,000


1942


411,815,000


1947


480,553,000


Refuse Removal


Refuse collections were made the first full week of each month during the year and the total refuse for the year amounted to 1,005 loads. With our new refuse truck and other new trucks purchased by the Town in 1947 we found it was possible to do the work without hiring outside trucks. We still have difficulty in picking up barrels of refuse over the 100-pound limit and also find some people still placing garbage in the barrels. We also have difficulty with many people placing their refuse in small cardboard containers which break up very easily during the rainy days. Many people still throw their refuse along the highways in the outlying districts.


112


TOWN OF NORWOOD


Town Yard Building


We have made various studies at various locations for a new Town Yard but as yet have been unable to find a good suitable location that will satisfy all concerned, but I believe that during the coming year it will be absolutely necessary for us to build this much needed building as the present one is beyond repair.


Respectfully submitted, ALBERT W. THOMPSON, Director of Public Works and Engineering.


113


REPORT OF MUNICIPAL LIGHT DEPARTMENT


REPORT OF MUNICIPAL LIGHT DEPARTMENT


Mr. Edward C. Monahan, General Manager.


Dear Sir :


I submit herewith a report of the activities and operations of the Municipal Light Department for the year ending December 31, 1947.


This coming year we have a somewhat large program outlined. We are making preparations now for the installation of the cable already received for the Ellis Pump- ing Station to be installed in the early spring. This will overcome some of the diffi- culties that have arisen in the past year due to the change of our load in that area. We also are in the process of laying out some of the work that will be necessary in the new street lighting program. The personnel of the Light Department will do all installing of lights and necessary cables in this project, and the only work that will be done by others will be the excavating and resurfacing of necessary trenches to make this installation possible.


The Light Department did not suffer too severely the week of the storm of December 22nd as our outages were held to a low minimum taking into consideration that some lines accumulated some four inches of ice in the easterly section of the town, although our Fire Alarm circuits suffered rather heavily as the wire, being of a smaller dimension, could not stand the weight of this accumulation of ice. We have at present an amount of stock of the conductor necessary to replace some of these circuits and plan to do so as soon as weather permits. We have enroute five Fire Alarm boxes that were ordered on the 1947 budget of the Fire Department that will be added to the system as designated by the Chief of the Fire Department and Town Officials.


The Light Department received during the fall of 1947, the new Mack Chassis that is to be used as a Line truck, although due to steel shortages and other unforeseen delays this body has not been fabricated to date but we expect a delivery at an early date.


In the early part of 1947 we outlined a program to replace some two hundred odd poles which did not meet the safety requirements due to old age. Of this amount of poles, the personnel of the Light Department, without any outside help, replaced some one hundred poles besides doing all the maintenance, repair and other work that are the duties of the Light Department. This coming year we expect to replace an equal amount if not more, and should have the greater part of these poles replaced. We anticipate making a great deal of progress this year in completing the change-over from 2300 volts to 4160, as originally layed out back in 1941.


All meetings of the Municipal Light Association were attended last year.


The other activities of this department have been briefly and accurately written up by each division head and are submitted as part of this report.


Respectfully submitted,


J. W. PRICE, Superintendent, Municipal Light Department.


114


Cent per Kilowatt Hour.


.0025


.005


.01


.0075


.0125


.015


.0175


.02


1916


1918


1920


1922


1924


1926


1928


1930


1932


1934


1936


1938


1940


1942


1944


1946


Boston Edison Company


Energy Purchased from the


Average Annual Kilowatt Cost of


TOWN OF NORWOOD


115


REPORT OF MUNICIPAL LIGHT DEPARTMENT


18 17


16


Amount of Electric Energy Purchased Yearly from 1916 to 1947 Inclusive.


15


14


13


12


11


Millions of K.W.H.


10


9


8


7


6


5


4


3


2


1916


1918


1920


1922


1924


1926


1928


1930


1932


1934


1936


1938


1940


1942


1944


1946


116


TOWN OF NORWOOD


REPORT OF LINE FOREMAN


Joseph W. Price, Supt., Municipal Light Department,


Norwood, Mass.


I am pleased to submit a report of the activities of the Line Crew of the Light Department for the year ending December 31, 1947.


Most of our work was repair work and replacing old chestnut poles with hard pine poles. We set over a hundred poles and we hope to replace many more this coming year. We had a small amount of new construction work.


The breaking of street lights this past year was very low in comparison to past years. We replaced all broken lights as soon as we could.


We did not have much trouble on our lines except for the week of December 22, 1947 when we had the bad snow storm. Most of that trouble was our Fire Alarm system and Water Signal wires, which were put back in service as quick as it was humanly possible. I still think we should have a trouble man and one or two more Linemen, so that we might take care of some heavy work which we will have to do soon.


We hope to have.our new line truck in working order soon which will be a great help to us. Our present truck body is in very bad shape.


At this time I wish to thank the Line Crew for the fine cooperation they have given me and also the rest of the Light Department personnel.


Respectfully submitted,


JOHN F. BLASENAK, Line Foreman.


: Statistical Report


Wooden Poles Set


Wooden Poles Removed


Size


Number


Size


Number


35'


98


35'


98


40'


5


40'


5


45'


1


45'


1


104


104


Replacements on Public Streets


37


Extension on Public Streets


60


Replacements on Private Property


3


Extension on Private Property


1


104


Secondary Wire


Size


Feet Installed


Feet Removed


8


825


6


15,790


700


4


9,450


2


200


2/0


225


117


REPORT OF MUNICIPAL LIGHT DEPARTMENT


Primary Wire


Size 6


Feet Installed 8,745


Feet Removed 500


Street Lighting Wire


Feet


Feet


Size


Installed


Removed


8


150


6


6,300


Street Lighting Fixtures Lumens


Size


Installed


2500


20


230


1


1000


6


15 Ornamental globes and bulbs were broken by stones or air guns. This is about 15 per cent less than last year.


Distribution Transformers


Number


Size


Total


Installed


KVA


KVA


3


3


9


2


5


10


5


71/2


371/2


3


10


30


2


15


30


1


20


20


3


25


75


2111/2


Number


Size


Total


Removed


KVA


KVA


1


5


5


1


71/2


71/2


2


15


30


1


20


20


621/2


We had 1-15 K.V.A. and 1-5 K.V.A. burned out by storms. Both have been repaired and are in stock again.


Secondary Services Installed


Overhead


Underground


3-4 Wire-3 Phase


1-4 Wire-3 Phase


2-3 Wire-3 Phase


6-3 Wire Services


56-3 Wire Services


1-2 Wire Services


2-2 Wire Services


58 Services were changed from 2 wire to 3 wire.


118


TOWN OF NORWOOD


Maintenance of Fire Alarm


We replaced a great amount of 2 Conductor Cable with No. 8 solid wire. We did not have much trouble with the wires until the December storm. We will replace many more cables with open wire this year if we can obtain the wire.


Maintenance of Police Signals


Very little trouble with Police signals. We kept the bulbs in working order as soon as they were reported out of order by the Police Department.


INSPECTION AND METER DIVISION


Joseph W. Price, Supt.,


Municipal Light Department


Meetings of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Inspectors Association were attended monthly. At these meetings problems of inspectors are discussed and much valuable information is gathered.


Factory R. I. demand meters were read and charts changed on the first of every month and on the fifteenth of the month all meters were wound.


Daily inspections of our sub-station at Short St. have been made. A duplex K. W. demand meter has been installed and charts changed every ten days.


STATISTICS


1. Five hundred thirty-two Wiring Permits applied for.


2. One hundred twenty-nine new meters installed.


3. One hundred seventy-five meters replaced.


4. Twelve meters discontinued.


5. One hundred and two meters discarded.


6. Two hundred thirteen complaints investigated for the Billing Department.


Respectfully submitted,


JOSEPH J. O'BRIEN, Deputy Wire Inspector.


119


REPORT OF MUNICIPAL LIGHT DEPARTMENT


REPORT OF CHIEF OPERATOR


I herewith submit my report for the year 1947.


Purchased Energy for 1947


Short St. Sub-Station 3,621,095 K.W. Central St. Station 13,070,316 K.W.


Total.


Decrease for the year 1947


Average cost per KWH for 1947


16,691,411 K.W. 460,778 K.W. $.0129


Statistics


K.W. used for the year 1947 - Station Lighting and


Power


20,152 K.W.


K.W. used for the year 1947 - Fire Alarm Building 1,901 K.W.


Total 22,053 K.W.


Street lights were illuminated approximately 3,962 hours, 38 minutes, using 656,666 K.W.


Respectfully submitted,


JOHN M. CLAPP, Chief Operator.


120


TOWN OF NORWOOD


REPORT OF CEMETERY DEPARTMENT


Mr. Edward C. Monahan, General Manager, Town of Norwood, Mass.


Dear Sir:


Following is the annual report of the Cemetery Department for 1947:


Shortly before Memorial Day we were able to bring the number of working force up to pre-war standard. Needless to say, the Department has been able to operate in a much more satisfactory manner since then.


One of the most tedious jobs and one that always took a tremendous amount of man power and time to accomplish has been the trimming of grass around monu- ments and headstones: - as we all know there are thousands of them and we have them in both Highland and Old Parish Cemeteries.


In an effort to get this job done more efficiently we bought two electric trimmers with a portable generator to furnish the power needed to operate them. These machines have proved to be more than satisfactory and have paid for themselves over and over again.


In the fall we worked on Section 47. Part of this section had been dug over in previous years, but none of it was finished. We took an area of about 10,000 square feet, brought it to sub-grade, added loam and put in grass seed.


Later in the fall and up to the last week of the year when we got our first snowfall, our time in between burials was taken up in digging over land in this same section.


During the year the Department handled 198 burials in Highland and one in the Old Parish Cemetery. Foundations were built for 70 monuments.


Respectfully submitted, LOUIS J. D'ESPINOSA, Superintendent.


In Memoriam


LICE DEP


CHARLES R. DONNELL


The Norwood Police Department lost one of its most respected members and the Town of Norwood lost one of its greatest citizens when Charles R. "Nubby" Donnell died on April 1, 1947. He had been a member of the Department since 1915.


As one of the outstanding football players, wrestlers, swimmers and bicycle riders of his day and later as a wrestling referee, Donnell was widely known in sporting circles. People all over New England knew him as a huge, clean-cut sportsman. We of Norwood seemed to be even more aware of his gentlemanliness and cooperative spirit both as an officer of the law and in his athletic endeavours. Everyone had a good word for "Nubby," - he had done so much for so many.


It was no wonder then that all mercantile activity ceased along Washington Street and hundreds who couldn't gain entrance to the United Church, bowed their heads in reverence as the funeral services were conducted for "Nubby" Donnell - a man to remember.


REPORT OF POLICE DEPARTMENT


121


REPORT OF POLICE DEPARTMENT


Mr. Edward C. Monahan, General Manager, Norwood, Mass.


Dear Sır:


I hereby submit the report of the Police Department relative to the personnel, organization, arrests, disposition of cases and miscellaneous duties performed during the year ending December 31, 1947.


Personnel and Organization Chief Thomas C. Lydon


Lieutenant Patrick J Coyne


Mark F. Folan


Sergeants Joseph T. Flood Thomas H. McNulty


Patrolmen


Henry F. Breen, Jr.


Martin J. McNulty


John S. Conroy


George W Sanborn


John J. Nee


Valentine W. Balutis


John H. Kelly


Uno C. Carlson


Francis T. Riley


Edson J. Scholz


William F. Mullane


William E. Lydon


William C. Jankowski


James F. Lyden


James E. Quinn


James M. Murphy


Intermittent Officers


David V. DeCosta


William J. Flaherty Albert M. Bishop


Arrests


Assault and Battery.


6


Attaching Registration Plates without Authority


2


Breaking and Entering


9


Contributing to Delinquency of a Minor


1


Disturbance


7


Drunkenness


124


Habitual School Offender


1


Illegitimacy


5


Indecent Assault.


1


Larceny of Motor Vehicle


2


Larceny from the Person


1


Larceny of Registration Plate


1


Leaving Scene of Accident


4


Lewd and Lascivious Cohabitation


1


Malicious Damage to Property


1


122


TOWN OF NORWOOD


Mental Patients


7


Motor Law Violation


37


Neglect of Family


9


Non-Support


5


Operating after Revocation of License


1


Operating Negligently


2


Operating to Endanger


2


Operating under the Influence of Liquor


14


Operating Uninsured Motor Vehicle


1


Operating Unregistered Motor Vehicle


4


Operating without a License


1


Railing and Brawling


1


Receiving Stolen Property


1


Refusing to Move for an Officer


1


Runaway Boys


12


Runaway Girls


2


Safekeeping


1


Suspicious Person


1


Stubborn Child


1


Unnatural and Lascivious Act


1


Using Motor Vehicle without Authority


4


Vagrancy


2


Violation of Game Laws


2


Violation of Probation


5


Disposition of Cases


Committed to House of Correction


8


Committed to State Farm


6


Committed to State Hospital


6


Committed to State Prison.


1


Delivered to other Departments


22


Dismissed


6


Filed


27


Fined


51


Not Guilty


2


Probated


15


Released


90


Suspended Sentence


17


Miscellaneous Duties


Accidents reported and investigated


208


Ambulance calls attended


373


Buildings found open and unsecured


368


Cases investigated


277


Dead Bodies cared for


3


Death by accidental suffocation


1


Death by automobile accident


4


Defective drains reported


4


Defective street lights reported


203


Defective streets reported


67


Defective water pipes reported


11


123


REPORT OF POLICE DEPARTMENT


Disturbances suppressed without arrest


63


Dogs killed by Police


6


Funeral escorts


53


Insane Persons cared for


00


Lost children returned to their homes


14


Lodgers at Station


29


Missing persons reported


12


Money escorts


260


Sick and injured cared for


32


Summons served


114


Suicides reported


2


Suspension of motor vehicle license


14


Vacant homes reported and checked by Police


66


The department is ever alert to keep fully informed regarding the most advanced methods of handling police problems. During the month of March we put on a five weeks' course on advanced police methods conducted by the special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This FBI course was made available to the mem- bers of the police departments of Wellesley, Needham, Dedham, Canton, Westwood, Walpole and Dover. The benefits to the members of our police department from these advanced methods of police work are of unestimable value.


The duties of the police department have become of such a complex nature as the result of the increased traffic problems, ambulance calls, traffic duty at the several schools, money escorts, funeral details and filling in on vacations, that it has become necessary to frequently use Intermittent Police Officers. Accordingly, I recommend that one additional Intermittent Officer be appointed to regular duty.


I am most happy to report that during the year 1947, I have received many com- mendatory letters, some of which appeared in the local press, praising the members of the department for the manner in which they have carried out their assignments.


Respectfully submitted,


THOMAS C. LYDON,


Chief of Police.


124


TOWN OF NORWOOD


REPORT OF THE BUILDING INSPECTOR


Mr. Edward C. Monahan,


General Manager,


Town of Norwood, Mass.


Dear Sir:


The following is the report of the Department of Building Inspection for the year 1947:


Number of Permits


Estimated Cost


Total


New Buildings:


Factories and Commercial


20


$231,900


Dwellings


60


460,100


Garages Commercial


1


3,000


Gargaes Private


19


12,100


Minor out buildings


5


2,000


105


$709,100


Additions and Alterations:


Residential.


63


$61,398


Factories and Commercial


40


40,615


Fire damage repairs


2


4,600


New elevators


2


11,000


107


$117,613


212 permits $826,713


4 Buildings have been razed this year.


All necessary inspections have been made on buildings for which permits were issued.


Respectfully submitted,


HENRY J. CRONAN, Building Inspector.


125


REPORT OF BOARD OF ASSESSORS


REPORT OF THE BOARD OF ASSESSORS


To the Citizens of Norwood:


The Board of Assessors herewith submit their annual report for the vear 1947 together with the statement showing comparison of tax rate recapitulations for the years 1946 and 1947, and also the table of aggregates of polls, property and taxes assessed January 1, 1947.


Organization


On March 25, 1947, Richard D. Northrop was reappointed an assessor by the Selectmen and approved by Henry F. Long, Commissioner of Corporations and Taxation, to serve for the term of three years expiring April 1, 1950.


Tax Rate for the Year 1947


On May 10, 1947, the Board of Assessors voted that the tax rate for the year 1947 be determined as $37.00 per each one thousand dollars of valuation, a decrease of $3.90 from the 1946 rate.


Financial Report


The financial statement of the department will be found in the report of the Town Accountant.


Appellate Tax Board Cases


There was pending for hearing before the Appellate Tax Board in 1947 one appeal :


Docket Nos. 21789, 22981, 24822, 25611. Bendix Aviation Corporation vs. Board of Assessors of Norwood.


Bendix Aviation Corporation have been assessed for factory buildings since they were erected in 1943 and have paid their tax under protest since. After the United States Supreme Court verdict in the Mesta Machine Company case on May 1, 1944, the Assessors, after numerous conferences with the Navy and Bendix, decided to settle the case and end a lengthy court litigation which might last for a long time and be very expensive to the Town. The appeals before the Appellate Tax Board were withdrawn by Bendix Aviation Corporation on April 3, 1947. The Norwood Mes- senger of April 4, 1947, gives a very lengthy explanation of the settlement, which made it possible for Tobe Deutschman Corporation to purchase the property on October 14, 1947.


Respectfully submitted,


EDWARD A. FLAHERTY, WILLIAM J. DALTON, RICHARD D. NORTHROP, Board of Assessors.




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