USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Braintree > Town annual report of Braintree, Massachusetts for the year 1956 > Part 9
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CHARLES C. TEMPLE EARL D. GILLIATT GEORGE F. BROUSSEAU, Superintendent
New Construction :
A total of 1.9 miles of new sewers were added to the sewerage system. The following tabulation shows the extent and distribution of the year's work.
Location
From
To
Pipe Size Inches
Sewer Length Feet
Bickford Road
Quincy
Summit
8
631
Brewster Ave.
Park
Southerly
326
Court Road
Selwyn
Milton
227
Easement
Easement
Jefferson
8
284
Easement
Washington
Jefferson
30
711
Elm Street
Cedar
Westerly
8
309
Jefferson St.
Easement
Washington
8
318
Jefferson St.
Shepard
Summit
8
1,432
Nickerson Road
Exist. M.H.
Westerly
8
51
Norton St.
Hollingsworth
Weston
8
608
Old Country Way
Easement
South
8
524
Selwyn Road
Court
Cain
8
1,250
Shepard Road
Jafferson
Summit
8
1,15,1
Talbot Road
Hollingsworth
Summit
CO
459
Tenney Road
Washington Park
Northerly
8
362
Washington St.
Hancock
Easement
30
337
Weston Ave.
Norton
East & West
8
97
Woodedge Circle
Woodedge
End
8
147
Woodedge Lane
Woodedge
End
8
298
Woodside Ave.
Old 'Country
Summit
8
246
Total
9,768
Total 1956 Construction Previous Construction
1.9 Miles
47.5 Miles
Total Construction to Date
49.4 Miles
The sewers in Brewster Avenue, Court Road and Selwyn Road were constructed by and at the expense of private developers. This work, totaling 1,803 feet, was done under the supervision of the Sewer Department in accordance with current contract construction specifica- tions.
The work in the Woodside area, under a contract with Giangrande-Andreasse, Inc. from the previous year,
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was completed in April. The remaining work was done under a unit price contract with J. W. Construction Co., Inc., theirs being the lowest bid received from five con- tractors. Except for some minor repairs, all of the contract work was completed by December.
The total cost of the year's work amounted to $146,402. The average cost of 8-inch sewer construction was $14.80 per linear foot. This year's work made the sewer available to 167 more buildings. The present sewer system can serve 4,131 buildings or about 52% of the 7,973 dwellings, business, school and industrial buildings in the Town.
Assessments :
Sewer assessments amounting to $48,334.28 were levied against 174 properties. This figure includes $6,653.95 levied against 28 lots in new developments.
House Connections :
There were 222 sewer connections totalling 12,540 feet, made during the year at a cost of $51,586.59. Also, 16 connections were extended to the street line on Peach Street so the new street surfacing would not have to be disturbed later on when the houses are connected.
Under the construction appropriation, a 6-inch cast iron force main 1,945 feet long ,was constructed to serve the new Elementary School on Old Liberty Street at a cost of $17,576. Pumps installed in the new school building will force the school sewage through this line up to the gravity sewer in Peach Street.
There are now a total of 3,313 buildings connected with the sewer system, or 80% of the buildings where the sewer is available. There were 70 applications for sewer connection on file at the end of the year.
Maintenance :
During the winter months most of the main and lateral sewers were inspected and cleaned. There were no stoppages but a number of root growths had to be removed.
A lot of land on Howard Street adjacent to the Braintree-Quincy line containing 3,800 square feet of land, was acquired for a sewage pumping station site from
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Industrial Properties, Inc. at a cost of $467.33. Plans and specifications for a sewage pumping station to be built on the site are now being prepared by Metcalf and Eddy and will be ready early in 1957.
A report submitted this year on the present sewage pumping stations recommended that steps be taken im- mediately to prepare for a large increase in flow to be expected when the proposed shopping center and South- east Expressway are completed in the Common Street pumping district.
We appreciate the valuable assistance and coopera- tion received from other departments of the Town.
Tree Warden
Board of Selectmen Town Hall S. Braintree, Massachusetts
Gentlemen :
I hereby submit the annual report for the year 1956.
All work approved in the 1956 budget, both general care and tree removal, has been completed.
335 new trees were planted throughout the town. There is still great need for many more new trees, especi- ally in the new projects.
The tree bank now contains 1,000 seedlings which will be ready for planting in the near future.
Summary
Salary
Appropriated $ 1,800.00
Expended $ 1,800.00
Unexpended $
General Care
2,500.00
2,499.97
.03
Tree Removal
4,555.00
4,555.00
New Trees
1,000.00
1,000.00
Tree Bank
500.00
500.00
Totals
$10,355.00
$10,354.97 $ .03
Respectfully submitted,
JOHN F. LEETCH, Tree Warden
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Planning Board
Although there has been a noticeable decrease in residential development during 1956, the enforcement of the rules and regulations which apply to subdivisions, has been and continues to be a major activity of the Planning Board. During the past year many public hearings on sub- division applications have been held by the Board as well as regular monthly meetings and numerous informal meet- ings for the purpose of discussing and clarifying various problems associated with residential developments.
The Board is of the opinion that the recent increases in minimum lot size requirements as well as the revisions of the subdivision requirements are partially responsible for holding residential development at a fairly reasonable level.
The Board has made a determined effort during 1956 to make Braintree more attractive for business and industrial development. In the past two years several large tracts of land have been rezoned to permit the location of business and industry in our Town. The proposed shop- ping center plans have advanced and we expect to have something quite definite in the near future. The estab- lishment of the Bay State Moulding Company, the ex- pansion of Tedeschi's facilities and the work done to bring the Walworth Company to Braintree in spite of the tremendous competition from several other communi- ties is well known to you. We feel strongly that housing developments will continue and that everything possible must be done so that our Town secures the highest grade of housing developments and that an economic balance is maintained by bringing in new business and industry to equalize the tax burden of the homeowner.
A joint study is presently underway by the Planning Board and the Industrial Development Commission to determine the need for rezoning of additional areas to business and industrial zones, particularly those areas which are situated adjacent to the proposed Route 128 and the Southeast Expressway. Articles covering pro- posed zoning changes will be presented to the Annual Town Meeting in March.
The next Town Meeting will be asked to accept al- most three miles of new streets which have been con- structed and utilities installed in accordance with the
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rules and regulations governing subdivisions at no expense to the Town.
The Planning Board has worked closely with the Parks and Playground Commission to make new areas available for playgrounds in new residential develop- ments.
During the past ten years of subdivision control in Braintree, it has been necessary to revise the requirements set forth in the rules and regulations pertaining to hous- ing developments, three times in order to keep pace with fast changing conditions. Even now, plans are being made to hold conferences with all Town Departments regarding this matter after which a public hearing will be held as required by law, prior to any changes being made.
The Planning Board meets regularly the third Monday of every month, however, due to the many matters brought to its' attention, as well as the requirement of the statute which calls for Planning Board certification of all plans to be recorded, hardly a week passes without the Board meeting to act on these approvals so that citizens will not be delayed in the transfers of land and homes.
The Planning Board welcomes suggestions and will continue to do all it can for the best interests of the Town of Braintree and the people residing here.
The Board wishes to express its grateful appreciation for the cooperation received from all Town Officials, Com- mittee Members, and especially to Mr. Harold Pearl, Town Engineer and his staff, who have been of invaluable serv- ice to the Board.
Respectfully submitted.
JOSEPH M. MAGALDI Chairman WILLIAM G. DYER, Clerk EDWARD J. ROSE MITCHELL W. GAWLOWICZ FREDERICK J. KLAY HAROLD PEARL,
Town Engineer, Ex-Officio
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Moth Department JOHN Q. WENTWORTH, Superintendent PRIVATE PROPERTY SPRAYING
The procedure for spraying on private property for other than Elm trees: The party for whom the spraying is to be done, makes application and payment to the Town Treasurer, who in turn forwards to us, a copy of the receipt of payment.
This copy of the receipt is authority to spray.
DUTCH ELM DISEASE
123 samples of suspected trees were sent to the Uni- versity of Mass. Shade Tree Laboratories, at Amherst, Mass.
Report of their diagnosis was as follows:
Diseased 114 Sterile 9 Contract let for the removal of diseased trees.
Parks and Playgrounds
Playground and waterfront activity during the past season have been at an all time high. This activity, coupled with extensive use of Park facilities, by various leagues and civic groups in Town, have made 1956 a most successful and very busy year. A complete program of athletics, arts and crafts and game activity was pre- sented at eleven playgrounds while swimming classes, beginners to senior life saving, were carried on as part of our waterfront program. The Park and Playground Com- mission will continue to offer a good playground and waterfront program under competent leadership for the children of Braintree.
Over seventy different teams have used our play- grounds during the 1956 season, playing organized base- ball, softball and football. This above does not include the forty teams playing organized ball in our Park system during the summer vacation period.
109
110
START OF PROJECT - DYER HILL
COMPLETION OF PROJECT - DYER HILL
This year the Park Department took over the main- tainence of the Braintree Municipal Golf Course, which proved very successful. More improvements will be made during the next three years to bring the Course back as it was originally.
Your Park Department now has twelve playgrounds and two swimming areas in its system. Watson Park, Faxon, Adams and Swifts Beach are located in East Braintree. The Hollis field, Penniman and Lakeside are in Braintree. Frenchs Common, Dyer Hill and Hollings- worth Park, plus Sunset Lake are located in South Brain- tree. The Braintree Highlands have two play areas, Foster and Highlands School yards. The section of Town not covered by the Park system are Braintree Five Corners and Braintree Heights.
The Park Commission in their long range program, have in mind the locating of small triple size house-lot play areas throughout the Town to keep small children off the streets.
GEORGE F. LEBEN, Chairman DR. EDGAR L. COPP EARL C. HOLLIS ELMER E. RAYMOND, JR. HARRY F. VINTON, JR. GEORGE H. SNYDER, JR. WILLIAM G. DYER
Board of Parks and Playgrounds Commissioners
Inspector of Wires
ARTHUR F. LUCAS, Inspector
GEORGE W. CHARLESWORTH, Deputy Permits issued in 1956 927
Number of Inspections 1956 1920
Fees collected from January 1, 1956 to December 31, 1956-$1,833.75.
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Highway Department
JOHN Q. WENTWORTH, Superintendent
Maintenance
Streets and sidewalks were cleaned throughout the Town. The business centers were cleaned daily.
All catch basins and drains were cleaned.
Drains repaired where needed.
Patching and Repairs
Town streets, sidewalks, Fences and Guard Rails were repaired where needed.
Street Surfacing
Surface treated about 45,000 lin. ft. Used 60,000 gals. of asphalt.
Signs-New
Street Signs 13
No Parking 24
2 Hour Parking 8 STOP (Red and White) 23
Not A Thru Way 2
Street Painting
Cross walks at all schools, streets, intersection and traffic meters were painted.
Snow Removal
All streets were plowed and sanded as soon as possible.
Salting begins in Business Centers, Main Streets, Hills. and Intersections as soon as snow covers the ground.
Salt used 113 tons.
Sand used 2,000 tons.
New Construction
Common Street 1200 Lin. ft.
Peach Street 2300 Lin. ft.
New Construction Drains
Peach Street 1148 ft. 12" Conc. Pipe, 141 ft. 10" Conc. Pipe, 80 ft. 10" metal pipe, 70 ft. 12" metal pipe, 4 man- holes, 12 catch basins.
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Common Street Rdwy. 824 ft. 42" Conc. pipe, 168 ft. 18" conc. pipe., 102 ft. 10" Conc. pipe, 3 manholes, 7 catch basins.
Common Street at Sewer Pump House 120 ft. 48" Conc. pipe, 1 manhole.
Common Street-Pappas 275 ft. 48" Conc. pipe, 1 man- hole.
Walnut St .- Reservoir Brook 100 ft. 36" Conc. pipe, 51 ft. 8" Conc. pipe, 1 manhole.
Liberty St. Cutt-off 148 ft. Conc. pipe, 18 ft. 12" Conc. pipe, 1 manhole, 1 catch basin.
Watson Street 100 ft. 12" Conc. pipe, 2 catch basins, 2 manholes.
Pearl St. (Replace Stone Culvert) 50 ft. 48" metal arched pipe, 1 manhole.
New Construction Streets Resurfaced (Asphalt Concrete)
West Street 1600 Lin. ft.
Improvement of Streets Under the Betterment Act
Academy St., Sidewalk & Curbing 650 Lin. ft.
Brookside Rd., Sidewalk & Curbing 1500 Lin. ft.
Mass. Ave. Drain : 825 ft. 15" Conc .pipe, 162 ft. 10" Conc. pipe, 4 manholes, 4 catch basins. (Roadway not completed)
Walnut St. Extension 350 ft. Roadway, 264 ft. 12" Conc. pipe, 60 ft. 10" Conc. pipe, 2 catch basins, 7. man- holes.
Streets Under Construction by Private Developers
Winslow Park; East Boscobel; Spring St .; Congress St .; Clinton St .; Kendall Ave.
Rubbish Collection
Collections are made monthly, beginning the FIRST MONDAY in precincts 1 and 2.
The SECOND MONDAY in precincts 3 and 4.
The THIRD MONDAY in precincts 5 and 6.
Holidays falling on a Monday, rubbish collections will begin the following day.
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Board of Health HARRISON T. SMILEY, Chairman
JOHN J. ATKINSON, Clerk DWIGHT T. CHANDLER DEANE R. WALKER, Agent
Herewith is submitted the annual report of the Braintree Board of Health for the year ending December 31, 1956.
Dental Clinics : At the opening of the school year dental examinations were given to all the pupils from kindergarten through the eighth grades.
The local dentists were contacted and they volun- teered their services to do this general examination.
Following the examinations, notices went home to the parents of those children who were found in need of dental attention.
On the notices it was requested that all parents arrange for the dental work to be done by their family dentist
Those cards returned requesting clinic were care- fully studied and consulted with the teachers of the building where the child was attending school also, dis- trict supervisor, district principal and school nurse.
If there was still doubt in regard to these clinical cases, I contacted Visiting Nurse Association for further information before accepting them.
Other letters, telephone calls were made to parents as the occasion called for.
By determining the number of days in the school year that the dentist could work and considering the increased population the conditions of the teeth in each building, a working schedule was planned whereby the clinic would remain in each building a certain number of weeks during the year.
The dental hygienist precedes the dentist in each building where she organizes the schedule and prepares the clinical cases which will be done by the school clinic.
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After the general examinations the local dentists commented on the vast improvement all over the town in the condition they found the children's teeth.
The dentists who examined the Junior High level commented in particular the good condition and care of the teeth.
Dr. Ludlow will make it possible to continue the prizes given in the classrooms which obtain 100% on the dental charts, by contacting local dentists for dona- tions, to be used for this purpose.
For educational part of the program dental posters have been hung in the building also reading materials pertaining to dental health and brushing habits at home were distributed.
I had a meeting with Miss Hayden, also Visual Edu- cators from H. P. Hood & Sons from Boston arranging and planning slides to be shown on Dental Health and General Nutrition in February.
These slides will be shown in all buildings including kindergarten level through 8th grades.
In closing I would like to thank principals, teachers, nurses, secretaries and custodians for their excellent co- operation. I would also like to thank Mr. Proctor, Mr. Raymond, the members of the Board of Health and local dentists for their valued services.
Visits for Educational Materials:
Hood Milk Company State House National Dairy Council
Educational Materials Acquired by Mail:
Pycope Tooth Brush Co. New England Dairy Food Council Church and Dwight Co., Inc. Ipana Co. New York E. R. Squibb and Sons, New York
American Dental Assoc., Chicago, Il1.
Respectfully submitted,
SABENA D. ARSENAULT, Dental Hygienist
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Diphtheria Clinic: The Diphtheria Clinic held in the spring was well attended. Some 52 children had the triple antigen shots of diphtheria tetanus-pertussis, and 483 children had the booster shots administered consisting of diphtheria and tetanus toxoids. Those children admini- stered by their own doctor were 373 in number, making in all a grand total of 908 children having had the neces- sary shots. Again the co-operative agencies of the Brain- tree Visiting Nurse Association, the School Department nurses and the attending physicians served to make this clinic a success.
Milk Testing : Once each month samples of milk were taken from dealers delivering milk in Braintree. These samples were tested for butter fat, total solids, phosphates, bacteria and coli. These tests reveal that the milk being delivered in Braintree maintains a consistently high level. It is pleasing to report that no milk-borne disease has occurred in Braintree, for quite some few years. Any resident of Braintree, so desiring, can review the results of these tests at the Board of Health Office.
Eating and Drinking Establishments: The over-all results of the program for the inspection of eating and drinking establishments, including the Schools and In- dustrial Cafeteras indicate a steady and healthy graph of improvement. A bi-monthly test of all establishments was made and the results of these tests (bacteria count) were forwarded to each establishment. In the event high bacteria count was recorded, an immediate re-check test was conducted, and steps taken to remedy question- able sources of high incident.
Tuberculosis Prevention, Communicable Diseases and Health Education: The execution of the various pro- grams connected with the above named captions have been very efficiently carried out by the Braintree Visit- ing Nurse Association. Braintree still continues to report a low incident of communicable diseases. Credit should also be given to the Braintree School Department Health Division for its active participation in the co-operative and assistance rendered to these Health Programs.
Constant use of the facilities of the State Department of Public Health, and the South Metropolitan Division of the State Department of Public Health was employed. Their ready and willing co-operation in all matters have been most helpful and appreciative.
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Polio Clinics
The Board of Health in conjunction with the Brain- tree Visiting Nurse Association, School Health Depart- ment, and all the Doctors conducted the first Polio Clinic during the months of May and June, 1955.
The Clinics were held at the Jonas Perkins School, Watson School, Penniman School, Donald Ross School, Noah Torrey School, Highlands School, Monatiquot School and the Lakeside School and Town Hall.
In all a total of 4,598 children received their first and second innoculation of Polio vaccine and 465 children received third or Booster shots, in 1956.
The Board of Health through this medium express its gratitude to the doctors, the Braintre Visiting Nurse Association and their auxiliaries, and the School Health Department for their gracious co-operation in this pro- gram.
Equine Encephalitis: A more than concernng out- break of this devastating disease of horse and man ap- peared in several communities on the South Shore during the year 1956.
Braintree however, was extremely fortunate, not a case was reported. The Board of Health trusts that with proper funds and facilities we may be in a position to make a similar report for the year 1957.
A condensed history of this disease follows:
The word encephalitis means inflammation of the brain. The causes are many. We shall confine our dis- cussion in this pamphlet to the cases caused by the eastern virus of equine encephalomyelitis. The word equine is used because the disease was first found in horses.
Cause
The etiology or cause of equine encephalitis (i.e., the disease occurring in horses) in this country was not established definitely until 1930, when Meyer and his group isolated the causative agent, a virus. At the time of their work, an epidemic of the disease had been oc- curring among the horses of southern California. Prior to the discovery of the virus, such cases had been attri- buted to botulism, forage poisoning, etc.
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In 1933, an epidemic occurred along the eastern sea- coast. It was shown by Ten Broeck and Merrill to be due to a virus which was distinct from that causing the disease in the West. The eastern variety is much more severe than the western type.
OCCURRENCE
In the past, most of the cases in horses in Massachu- setts have occurred south of Boston, being particularly concentrated in an area between the Rhode Island line and Hingham, Pembroke and Carver. Very few cases have occurred near the seacoast. Isolated cases have oc- curred in horses as far north as Wilmington and as far west as Westboro.
Human cases also have been centered in the south- eastern part of the State. However, cases also have oc- curred in residents of the Metropolitan area.
Reservoir
So far, our discussion has centered around horses, but actually, although serving as accidental secondary hosts for the virus, they, like man, are not an important reservoir of the virus. Wild birds are the principal reservoirs of infection in the United States. In other words, it is pri- marily a disease of birds. Domestic birds may be reservoirs of Western virus.
Spread
The disease is transmitted by the bite of mosquitoes. The first important clue to the mechanism of spread of the disease was provided by the classic experiments of Kelser, carried out at Harvard Medical School, who showed that the virus could be transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. Subsequently, Kelser and others demonstrated that other types of mosquitoes are capable of transmitting the virus.
The disease is not directly transmissible from man to man or from the horse to man under natural conditions.
The most dangerous sources of infected mosquitoes are the large swamp areas where wild birds find safe refuse and where mosquitoes abound. Under such con- ditions, the disease becomes widespread among the birds and eventually mosquitoes infected by biting the birds transmit the disease to horses and man. The disease is
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usually mild or entirely symptomless in birds, but very severe in horses and man.
Symptoms
Among the more prominent signs and symptoms are fever, irritability, drowsiness progressing to coma, mus- cular twitching and convulsions. Most often the individual also will experience headache, stiff neck and dizziness. Cyanosis (purplish color) will be noted sometimes.
After the acute stage, the patient may be comatose and have rigid muscles for many days.
The disease is extremely severe in infants. Indeed, it has proved fatal for most of the infants in Massachusetts that have come down with it. Another unfortunate feature is the poor outlook for those who survive. Paralysis and marked mental retardation have been the rule.
It appears that the disease is less severe in older children and especially adults. They seem to be able to cope with it better than infants. They may even recover completely.
Diagnosis
The best way to confirm the diagnosis of eastern equine encephalitis is by examining the blood of the in- dividual. Certain changes there will enable the doctor to state whether or not the recent illness was due to this virus. If the disease proves fatal, the virus may be isolated from the brain.
Treatment
As with most virus diseases, there is no specific treat- ment for this form of encephalitis. None of the drugs, like penicillin for instance, has any effect.
Prevention
As the disease is spread by the bite of the mosquito, individual control measures against this disease center around the prevention of mosquito bites, especially in southeastern Massachusetts. Such measures are the use of mosquito nets, screens and insect sprays. Community measures for mosquito eradication include spraying, drain- ing swamps and marshes, etc.
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