USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Saugus > Town annual report of the officers and committees of the town of Scituate 1952-1954 > Part 21
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County Tax $ 52,631.58
Underestimate of Previous Year
1,846.64
Tuberculosis Hospital Assessment
23,498.53
77,976.75
Overlay of Current Year
19.784.35
Gross Amount to be Raised
$ 1,502,786.48
Estimated Receipts and Available Funds:
Income Tax
$ 46,424.54
Corporation Taxes
51,106.60
Old Age Tax (Meals)
2,295.46
Motor Vehicle and Trailer Excise
63,000.00
Licenses
8,000.00
Fines
50.00
Special Assessments
8,900.00
General Government
2,300.00
Protection of Persons and Property
25.00
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ASSESSORS' REPORT
Health and Sanitation
1,600.00
Highways
400.00
Charities
9,100.00
Old Age Assistance
50,700.00 1,000.00
Veterans' Benefits
Schools
23,179.77
Water Department
83,200.00
Interest on Taxes and Assessments
1,600.00
State Assistance for School Construction
7,704.20
Sealer's Fees 200.00
School Aid - Vocational Education
2,800.00
Total Estimated Receipts $ 363,585.57
Overestimates of Previous Year:
County Hospital
1,648.66
Amounts Voted to be Taken from Avaliable Funds
103,300.00
Total Estimated Receipts and Available Funds $ 468,534.23
Net Amount to be Raised by Taxation on Polls and Property $ 1,034,252.25
Number of Polls 2,179 at $2.00 each $ 4,358.00
Total Valuation:
Personal Property $ 1,443,200.00 at $50.00 72,160.00
Real Estate 19,154,685.00 per $1,000 957,734.25
$20,597,885.00
Total Taxes Levied on Polls and Property $ 1,034,252.25
Special Assessments Added to Taxes:
Street Betterments $ 1,013.63
Interest on Betterments
346.97
Moth
283.93
Water Liens Added to Taxes
3,941.35
Omitted AAssessments, December 1953:
Personal
32.50
Real Estate
5.00
Total Amount, 1953 Taxes Committed to Collector $ 1,039,875.63
Street Betterments Committed to Collector, 1953:
Lynda Lane $ 2,400.00
Fay Road
1,600.00
Edgar Road
704.00
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ASSESSORS' REPORT
Abatement and Exemptions Granted in 1953: Polls and Property:
To Joseph R. Dillon, Tax Collector for 1953 $ 17,650.55
To Joseph R. Dillon, Tax Collector for 1952 957.20
To Joseph R. Dillon, Tax Collector for 1951 115.20
Motor Vehicle and Trailer Excise:
To Joseph R. Dillon, Tax Collector for 1953 $ 5,973.67
To Joseph R. Dillon, Tax Collector for 1952
1,391.48
To Joseph R. Dillon, Tax Collector for 1951
69.49
Respectfully submitted,
HENRY T. FITTS, Chairman, PAUL A. REYNOLDS, STANLEY F. MURPHY, Board of Assessors, Scituate.
71
.
HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT REPORT
REPORT OF THE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT
To the Citizens of Scituate:
Again it gives me pleasure to submit a report of the work accomplished by your Highway Department during the year 1953.
Our little town is still growing and it is now out of the "little town" class. With this growth come more and more problems for our department. However, during 1953 we do feel that we have accomplished many worthwhile projects. Following is a brief resume of the work that has been accomplished by this department during 1953.
PATCHING
We used a total of 1167 tons of patching material during last year. 677 tons were mixed at our highway department plant at Egypt and 490 tons were purchased. Five days a week, weather per- mitting, a patching truck has been on our roads taking care of holes that seem to appear over night.
DRAINAGE
Despite the fact that 12,615 feet of new drainage was constructed during 1953 with 56 new catch basins, we still are faced with a drainage problem in 1954, mainly on the following streets: Captain Pierce Road, Nealgate Street, Mann Hill Road, Ocean Drive, Hum- arock, Stockbridge Road, Third Cliff and Jericho Road. We sin- cerely hope that during 1954 the above mentioned problems will be taken care of.
GUARD RAIL
During the winter of 1953, between snow removal and sanding, the regular employees of our department manufactured 300 rein- forced concrete guard rail posts and also 200 reinforced concrete bounds for our engineering department. Approximately 1200 feet of new guard rail was erected in 1953, mainly in the Shore Acres section, Edward Foster Road, Clapp Road and many places that needed repair. At the present time, we are working on Bridge Hill, in Greenbush replacing the old fence with concrete posts and the latest safety fence available.
STREET CLEANING
During the past year, we followed the same procedure as we did in 1952. We have had a man at Scituate Harbor four days a week
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HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT REPORT
and one day a week at North Scituate Village. Another man was at Minot Beach during the summer months three days a week and two days at the Sand Hills section.
We are sorry to report that our regular man who took care of our business sections in a very efficient manner and who took great pride in his work, has had to leave our employ because of ill health. We sincerely hope he will be with us again this coming Spring.
TRAFFIC REGULATIONS
315 gallons of traffic paint was purchased and applied to our streets by experts from the Department of Public Works. It is neces- sary to do this work on Saturdays and Sundays as they are regularly employed by the Department of Public Works. Upon application to the Department of Public Works, a like amount of paint was applied to our streets by the State at no cost to the Town and we feel that the white lines are one of our greatest safety measures, especially during rainy and foggy nights.
SURFACE TREATMENT
44,341 gallons of asphalt were used, or 15 miles of our highway were surface treated during 1953. We try every year to surface treat between 15 and 20 miles of road as in my experience it is good economy to keep our roads well sealed and this should be done at least every four years.
RESURFACING ROADS
During the past year, as we all know, the Water Department carried on an extensive program renewing old water mains. These projects were let out to contractors and it was stated in their con- tracts that the roads were to be put back in the same manner in which they were found. This was done and on my inspection, they were O.K'd. However, due to the heavy rains in the Spring, these water trenches settled and we felt that it was no responsibility of the contractor after the job was accepted. Therefore, it was the responsibility of the Highway Department to put these back in first class condition. These roads were Kent Street, Booth Hill Road and Gannett Road from the new construction to the stop lights on Hatherly Road.
We then resurfaced First Parish Road from the State Road to Mungo's Corner with 1800 feet of new drainage. The above resur- facing was done by a new method called the Motor Paver. This speeded up the work with little inconvenience to traffic. We also resurfaced sections of Lawson Road by the old method called mixed in place gravel and grader and also Standish Avenue.
The corner by the Police Station was widened approximately 15 feet with a new curb and a parking space for the police cars.
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HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT REPORT
PARKING SPACES
The parking space at Peggotty Beach which we enlarged in 1952 settled to such an extent that it was necessary to bring it to the proper grade and oiled.
Minot Beach Parking Space we feel is too small for the number of cars that want to use it especially during weekends and holidays. It will be enlarged to the Town lines during 1954.
The parking space at North Scituate was enlarged, therefore opening up business opportunities in that section.
SIDEWALKS
At the present time, our existing sidewalks with a very few exceptions are in very good condition. The sidewalk on First Parish Road from the railroad tracks to the corner of Branch Street was built as planned and I feel that it was one of the hardest projects this department ever faced due to the trees and telephone poles.
CHAPTER 90
During 1953, our Chapter 90 money was $20,000, $5,000 from the Town, $5,000 from the County and $10,000 from the State. The 21/2inch top was put on the cutoff on Gannett Road thus finishing this project, at a cost of approximately $12,000. The remaining $8,000 is to be spent to start a drainage project on Beaver Dam Road from the railroad crossing to Branch Street. We hope that in 1954 with our Chapter 90 money we will complete the Beaver Dam drainage project and any remaining money will be used to re- surface First Parish Road from the Railroad Station to Cudworth Road.
NEW ROADS ACCEPTED
During 1953, the following new roads were accepted and con- structed: Edgar Road, Fay Road and Linda Lane. Due to a low estimate on Linda Lane in order to keep the assessment as low as possible, it will be necessary to take money from our Roads General appropriation and complete Linda Lane to the satisfaction of all concerned.
In accepting these streets, we find that we have very nearly 100 miles of accepted streets, all black top.
SIGNS
37 new street signs were purchased and erected with metal posts set in concrete and 54 new traffic signs were purchased and erected. Despite the fact that these are metal signs on metal posts we still have trouble during the summer holidays from vandalism and mal-
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HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT REPORT
icious damage. It is our hope in a few years that all wooden signs will be replaced by metal signs which should last many years.
SNOW REMOVAL
The winter of 1953 was a comparatively mild one. I believe it was necessary for us to plow three times. However, we did use a tremendous amount of sand and salt. I feel that many people do not realize that even in the event of a mild winter, our snow re- moval costs still go on due to the fact that we must be prepared for the worst. Sand and salt have to be purchased, our equipment put in first class condition, snow fence has to be erected, spare parts for 16 snow plows and 12 sanders have to be bought. In case of a bad storm with its many breakdowns, it would be rather embarass- ing to be without spare parts in order to keep this equipment moving.
Many times the men who fight to keep our roads open very seldom get the credit that I think they deserve. The minute we have a call from the Police Department, either for snow or icy con- ditions, they are on the job. They battle through bitter cold and many times large drifts without rest and proper food, however they must keep going until the very last road is cleared. We always have one thought in mind, the transportation of our school chil- dren and we try to have our streets as safe as possible under many trying conditions.
As we all know, our department is not responsible for private driveways. However, we have tried to take care of emergencies and by doing that, we find that we are involved in the plowing of ap- proximately 1500 driveways on top of our 100 miles of roads. Need- less to say, that adds greatly to our snow removal bill.
In conclusion, we regret to report that we have lost four of our regular employees this past year. One man who had many years of creditable service to the Town of Scituate passed away on the job and has been sorely missed by his co-workers and myself. Three men retired under disability after many years of service.
I would like to thank the Honorable Board of Selectmen and the heads of all the departments for their fine co-operation during the past year and I feel that in 1954, Scituate will continue to grow and prosper.
Respectfully submitted,
MATTHEW L. BROWN,
Highway Surveyor.
75
STATE AUDIT REPORT
REPORT OF THE STATE AUDIT
May 15, 1953
To the Board of Selectmen,
Mr. William F. Slattery, Chairman,
Scituate, Massachusetts.
Gentlemen:
I submit herewith my report of an audit of the books and accounts of the Town of Scituate for the year ending December 31, 1952, made in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 44, Gen- eral Laws. This is in the form of a report made to me by Mr. William Schwartz, Assistant Director of Accounts.
Very truly yours,
HBD:ED
HERMAN B. DINE, Director of Accounts.
Mr. Herman B. Dine Director of Accounts Department of Corporations and Taxation
State House, Boston
Sir
In accordance with your instructions, I have made an audit of the books and accounts of the Town of Scituate for the year ending December 31, 1952, and submit the following report thereon:
An examination and verification was made of the financial transactions of the Town as shown on the books of the depart- ments receiving or disbursing money or committing bills for collection.
The books and accounts in the accountant's office were exam- ined and checked. The general and appropriation ledger accounts were analyzed, the recorded receipts being compared with the treasurer's cash book and the payments being checked with the treasury warrants. The appropriations, transfers and loans author- ized, as recorded on the ledgers, were checked with the town clerk's
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STATE AUDIT REPORT
records of financial votes passed in town meetings and with the finance committee's authorizations of transfers from the reserve fund.
The necessary ledger adjustments resulting from the audit were made, and a balance sheet showing the financial condition of the Town on December 31, 1952 was prepared and is appended to this report.
The books and accounts of the town treasurer were examined and checked in detail. The recorded receipts were analyzed and compared with the records in the several departments in which charges originated or in which money was collected for the Town and with other sources from which money was paid into the town treasury, while the payments were compared with the selectmen's warrants authorizing the treasurer to disburse town funds.
The cash book additions were verified, and the cash balance on February 24, 1953 was proved by reconciliation of the bank balances with statements furnished by the banks of deposit and by actual count of the cash in the office.
The payments made for maturing debt and interest were proved with the amounts falling due and with the cancelled securities and coupons on file.
The transactions of the trust and investment funds in the custody of the town treasurer were verified, and the savings bank books representing the investment of these funds were examined and listed.
The records of tax titles and tax possessions held by the Town were examined. The amounts added to the tax title account were compared with the collector's records, and the redemptions, as recorded, were checked with the treasurer's receipts. The fore- closures were verified, and the tax title and tax possessions on hand were listed and reconciled with the controlling accounts in the general ledger. The tax title transactions were further veri- fied by comparison with the records in the Registry of Deeds.
The books and accounts of the town collector were examined and checked. The taxes, motor vehicle and trailer excise and assessments outstanding according to the previous examination, as well as all subsequent commitments, were audited and proved. The payments to the treasurer were verified, the recorded abate- ments were checked with the assessors' record of abatements granted, the amounts added to the tax title account were com- pared with the treasurer's tax title records, and the outstanding accounts were listed and reconciled with the respective controlling accounts in the general ledger.
77
STATE AUDIT REPORT
The records of departmental and water accounts receivable were examined and checked. The commitments were proved, the. collections were compared with the treasurer's recorded receipts, the abatements were checked to the departmental records of abate- ments granted, and the outstanding accounts were listed and proved with the town accountant's ledger.
The outstanding accounts were verified by mailing notices to a number of persons whose names appeared on the books as owing money to the Town, the replies received therto indicating that the accounts, as listed, are correct.
The financial records of the town clerk were examined for dog, sporting and miscellaneous licenses issued, the payments to the State being checked with the receipts on file and the reported payments to the town treasurer being compared with the treasurer's cash book.
The surety bonds furnished by the several town officials for the faithful performance of their duties were examined and found to be in proper form.
The records of departmental cash collections by the selectmen, the sealer of weights and measures, the building inspector, and by the health and school departments, as well as by all other depart- ments in which money was collected, for the Town, were exam- ined and checked, the recorded collections being compared with the treasurer's recorded receipts.
Appended to this report, in addition to the balance sheet, are tables showing reconciliations of the treasurer's and the collector's cash, summaries of the tax, motor vehicle and trailer excise, assess- ment, tax title, departmental and water accounts, as well as tables showing the condition and transactions of the trust and invest- ment funds.
While engaged in making the audit cooperation was received from the several officials of the Town, for which, on behalf of my assistants and for myself, I wish to express appreciation.
Respectfully submitted, WILLIAM SCHWARTZ, Assistant Director of Accounts. .
WS: ED
For complete details and figures consult Director of Accounts Audit on file at the Selectmen's Office.
78
WATER COMMISSIONER'S REPORT
REPORT OF THE WATER COMMISSIONERS
December 31, 1953
It is with deep regret that this year's report is being written, not for the Water Department itself, but for those who have faith- fully served in its capacity.
On April 24, 1953, just a month after he had been elected Chairman of the Water Board, William E. Shuttleworth passed away. It was a great loss to the Department which he had so faith- fully and untiringly served. It was through the efforts of Mr. Shuttleworth, and his foresight of future development, that the Water Department has advanced to its present status.
On May 22nd, at a joint meeting of the Water Commissioners and Selectmen, Leo P. Murphy was elected to fill the vacancy caused by the death of William E. Shuttleworth. On that same eve- ning the Board received the resignation of Walter S. Allen, Sr., who had served on the Board for seven years and had the record of missing just one meeting in all that time. Mr. Allen stated that his work prevented him from giving sufficient time to the duties of Water Commissioner.
On June 16th, at another joint meeting of the Water Com- missioners and Selectmen, Henry E. Bearce was elected to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Walter S. Allen, Sr.
On June 23rd your present Board of Water Commissioners met for the first time and elected John R. Brown to serve as Chair- man. With a completely new Board it was now our task to find out how things were run in the past, and what future plans must be made to benefit the Department.
One of the first duties undertaken by the Department was to stress the importance of conserving water during the summer months, especially this past June when less than one-half inch of rain fell. In the future we hope to have a greater source of supply that will not warrant such rigid restrictions. We also would like to urge all citizens to abide by the rules and regulations of the Department.
To keep up with the necessary maintenance of equipment we
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WATER COMMISSIONERS' REPORT
find it necessary this year to ask for $1800 to repaint the present water tower on Mann Lot Road. The expenditure may seem large, but we feel it is advisable to keep our property in the best of con- dition and offset larger maintenance costs in the future.
Exploration and further development of the Department is always foremost in the minds of your Commissioners. To give the best water and best service possible requires time, thought and funds, none of which can be eliminated. Completion of circuits, the removal of dead ends, and the replacement of shallow lines also fall into this category.
This new Board of Commissioners expresses its sincere appre- ciation to every one who has helped us in any way to bring the efficiency of the Water Department to its present high standard.
Respectfully submitted,
J. R. BROWN, Chairman H. E. BEARCE, Clerk L. P. MURPHY
80
WATER SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT
REPORT OF THE WATER SUPERINTENDENT
To the Water Commissioners of Scituate, Mass.
Gentlemen:
Following is the twenty-second annual report to the Scituate Water Commissioners recording the work accomplished during the year 1953, and including work proposals necessary to cope with the rapid growth of the Town.
During 1953, 21,032 ft. of water mains from 6-in. to 12-in. in diameter were installed, and 22 new hydrants were added to the system. 201 new homes were equipped with water services and 56 old services were renewed; 128 water meters were installed.
Due to the mild winter the 12-inch trunk line from Greenbush to North Scituate Beach was finished in March, and all side streets were tied into the new main by the first of May. This new main has relieved the costly high pressures at the pumps and has pro- vided more available water for a possible conflagration at North Scituate Beach. Flow tests conducted by the New England Fire Insurance Engineers proved very satisfactory in the North Scituate Beach area, due to the installation of this new main.
Many small lines were installed by the Water Department and private enterprise during the balance of the year. An itemized account of these installations may be seen in the tables following this report.
During the summer of 1953 we were blessed with a considerable amount of rainfall, but with the added growth of Scituate, the water consumption for 1953 exceeded the record-breaking year of 1952 by six millions of gallons.
The Water Department desperately needs both an additional source of supply and a larger reservoir capacity. At the present time our storage capacity is about two-thirds of a maximum day's supply, and with the consumption of water rising each year it leaves us with no factor of safety in case of emergency, such as a fire, power failure or broken water main, other than our Diesel Station which has a capacity of 600,000 g.p.d. Another standpipe of at least 1,000,000 gal- lon capacity, located on Maple Street would take care of such a contingency.
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WATER . SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT
Transmission mains of 6-in. dia. that now serve the congested areas of the Town should be replaced with mains not less than 12-in. in diameter to assure fire protection and relieve the rusty water condition caused by the velocity of the water in these small mains.
Scituate is growing fast and its Water Department must grow with it. Mains on accepted streets and elimination of dead ends have been considered in both the 1954 budget and under Special Articles. It is hoped they will be met with approval. Good Water Works practice endeavors to keep at least ten years in advance of the estimated growth of the Town with both source of supply and reservoir capacities. Lack of funds have prevented us from reaching this goal.
In the spring of 1953 we engaged the services of Rev. Daniel Linehan, S. J., the Seismographic expert of the Weston Observatory to make a survey of some of the unexplored areas of the Town, but due to illness he was unable to conduct this survey. His condition is now improving and we expect to start exploration work early in the spring of 1954.
His survey is conducted with series of dynamite explosions set off at regularly spaced locations. The speed of the sound waves re- turning to his seismograph instrument determines the character of the soil. After a large area has been surveyed, Rev. Father Line- han makes up a cross-sectional map from his findings and plots in the underground contours of the sand, gravel and ledge. From this map the ideal spot for actual test borings may be determined. At the present time actual test boring is very expensive, with a mini- mum of $240 per day for one boring, and an additional cost if ledge is encountered. Rev. Daniel Linehan gives us about seventy- five sound recordings for the same amount of money, and though he does not guarantee to find water, he can definitely show where not to spend time and money by actual borings. Results of his findings in other parts of the country prompt us to be optimistic about finding a potential source of supply in Scituate.
During the summer of 1953, the Water Commissioners met with the Southeastern Massachusetts Water District Commission which was formed to investigate the feasibility of developing a source of supply in the Lakeville area and installing transmission lines to supply all towns in Southeastern Massachusetts. After much study the Commission concluded that a project of this size would neces- sitate so large an expenditure that they deemed it impractical at the present time, and suggested that help for Scituate, Cohasset and Norwell should come from the M.D.C.
I wish to take this opportunity to thank all Departments
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WATER SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT
called upon who have cooperated with us in making our work successful.
Please consider the following tables of 1953.
Respectfully submitted,
WILLIAM T. SHERMAN, Superintendent.
WATER SUPPLY STATISTICS FOR 1953
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