USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Hamilton > Town of Hamilton Annual Report 1962 > Part 4
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Turbidity
0.
0.
0.
Sediment
0.
0.
0.
Color
10.
10.
5.
Odor-Cold
0.
0.
0.
Nitrates
.40
.00
.60
Chlorides
9.0
16. 68.
27.
Hardness
54.
106.
Alkalinity
3.3
4.9
5.0
PH
6.6
6.8
6.7
Iron
.04
.07
.02
Manganese
.04
.04
.04
I wish to express my appreciation for the assistance received from other Town Departments and all others who are associated with us in our work.
Respectfully submitted,
RAYMOND A. WHIPPLE, Superintendent, Water Dept.
54
REPORT OF THE SEALER OF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen:
GENTLEMEN :
I herewith submit my report as Sealer of Weights and Measures for the year ending December 31, 1962.
Scales :
Adjusted
Sealed
Not Sealed Condemned
Over 10,000 Lbs.
0
1
0
0
100 to 5,000 Lbs.
3
7
0
0
Under 100 Lbs.
7
31
1
0
Weights :
Avoirdupois
2
39
0
0
Metric
0
25
0
0
Apothecary
0
23
0
0
Capacity Measures :
Liquid, 1 Gal. or under.
0
9
0
0
Meters :
Gasoline
1
23
3
0
Oil, Grease
0
10
1
0
Vehicle Tank
0
5
0
0
Pumps :
Oil
0
0
3
0
Kerosene
0
0
4
0
Totals
13
173
12
0
Reweighing of commodities put up for sale :
146 items checked
Inspections made :
Metered Fuel Oil Delivery
16
Fish Peddler
1
Clinical Thermometers 108
Milk jugs, 1 Gal.
42
Milk bottles, 1 Qt.
36
Respectfully submitted,
GEORGE W. DIXON, Sealer
55
REPORT OF THE CIVIL DEFENSE AGENCY
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen:
The Civil Defense Agency finally achieved full staffing during the year 1962. This means that every phase of Civil Defense in the Town of Hamilton has a department head. Most of these heads have been able to recruit personnel to help them with their work. However, we are still in need of additional persons to fill needed positions in all phases of the operation, both with and without special training.
During the past year this agency has been called upon to assist the town departments. A great deal of the assistance was by the Auxiliary Police and Communications Departments. In as much as Civil Defense work is of a voluntary nature, the hours put in assisting when needed resulted in a considerable saving to the town. Total hours duty by the Auxiliary Police were 1846 and by the Communications Group 212 making a total of over 2000 hours time. These men by their assistance at all types of functions around the town allowed the regular departments to function without interrupting their regular duties.
In 1963, in keeping with past policies, we will continue to expand all agencies. The Auxiliary Police will uniform more officers. Communi- cations has had all Gonset equipment overhauled and repaired and is back in service. Additional equipment will be purchased in the form of four (4) walkie-talkie sets. We feel these sets fill a need in the town's communications system both for Civil Defense and the regular Police Department. Markers will be purchased for all cars used regularly by Civil Defense personnel. These insignia will allow the cars to move about in time of emergency when other vehicles will be stopped.
The Committee on Civil Defense has done a great deal of work on the shelter program. Proper shelter is of prime importance in time of emergency and we will continue to pursue this program in 1963 until suitable shelter can be provided for the residents of Hamilton.
Our Superintendent of Schools has run one drill on emergency dis- missal of school children. The results were good but Mr. Young feels he can improve on the first drill. As soon as his plans are complete further tests will be made for the protection of the school children and personnel.
All departments of Civil Defense have been very busy in their various fields. Plans of several of the departments are complete and have been sent to sector and area headquarters. Others, when complete, will become part of the Hamilton planning. Every department could use more voluntary assistance even if only of a limited nature.
Respectfully submitted,
HARVEY E. BARNES
Civil Defense Director
56
REPORT OF THE CIVIL DEFENSE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
To the Citizens of the Town of Hamilton:
The Civil Defense Advisory Committee was established at the last town meeting to examine the matter of Civil Defense and to make a report and a recommendation by the next annual town meeting. The Committee has investigated several aspects of Civil Defense and presented a prelim- inary report and recommendations on Civil Defense to the selectmen and other leaders of the Town at a special meeting on November 29, 1962. The conclusions and recommendations of the Committee are given in the following paragraphs for consideration and action by the citizens of the Town of Hamilton.
The Civil Defense Advisory Committee has concluded that the organization of a Civil Defense Agency in Hamilton has proceeded well in the face of a lack of interest by many of the town's people. The re- maining needs of organization, while numerous, are within the bounds that can be reached by existing means.
Most of the facilities of Civil Defense, while largely non-existent at the moment, can be obtained readily through relatively modest expendi- tures of local, state, or federal funds by several methods. The Committee feels that the existing Civil Defense Agency can institute a program to obtain the more significant facilities (i. e., Radiation counters, a few "Walkie-Talkie" radios, and frequency conversation equipment for the existing radios) without a crash program by the Town.
The Committee has concluded, however, that without a community fall-out shelter program the large majority of the people present in Hamil- ton at the onset of nuclear war will die, slowly, over a period of two weeks to a month depending on individual circumstances. To restate this conclusion; unless the reader is willing to assume that there will not be a nuclear war the majority of the people in Hamilton will die without a community fall-out shelter system.
The Civil Defense Advisory Committee has come to the above con- clusion slowly and reluctantly over a period of many months of study. The conclusion is based on and supported by all available information on radiation effects from present nuclear bombs dropped at a radius of 15 to 60 miles. It is supported by both scientific and medical evaluation of the effects of radiation on human beings. We find no contradictory informa- tion, only minor differences in the time required to die.
It should be noted here that the Committee does not recommend shelters against direct bomb blast. Such shelters are extremely complex and can accommodate only a few. Protection against direct blast is largely hopeless for the majority of people.
The Committee states that there will be no useful assistance in this program from State and Federal Agencies. Even the Cuban crisis produced only a few more State employees at the State Headquarters and
57
no coordinated program of protection. We further state that while pri- vate fall-out shelters are quite feasible from a technical point of view they will not work because only a few will build them.
In a few words, unless we do something now, there will be No Shelters-No Survival. The remainder of the problems of Civil Defense can be handled by existing means. This problem requires the immediate and purposeful action of the Town.
This Civil Defense Advisory Committee recommends that the Town of Hamilton should immediately institute a program to construct a series of community fall-out shelters sufficient to protect a significant portion of the people normally present in Hamilton. The shelters should offer pro- tection against fall-out but need not be designed to withstand "blast."
The program should proceed on the basis of no state or federal sup- port unless definite indications are disclosed of immediate assistance.
Wherever possible, the shelters should serve more than their single purpose. As an example: though it is too late to incorporate a shelter into the existing schools, a shelter could be constructed in the line of "most probable advance" for the inevitable school expansion. The shelter with its heavy concrete walls can then serve as a foundation for the extended school building in the future.
To reduce the cost of the shelter program it would be desirable that it be integrated with overall Town planning such as the Comprehensive Planning Study (Master Plan or Guide). The shelters then can be coordinated with industry, residential, and community areas.
Protection within easy transportation distance for each individual is impractical. Shelters should be built in areas of greatest population den- sity (i.e., near schools and the down-town area) in an effort to protect the majority.
To permit the Town to take action on these recommendations, the Committee has prepared an article in the Warrant to initiate a Fall-out Shelter Protection System for the people of this Town and their children.
Respectfully submitted,
HOWARD C. SPEARS, Chairman
HARVEY E. BARNES
DOROTHY BRADFORD
DEANE R. FOLSOM
RICHARD R. GOURDEAU
DON H. GROSS FREDERICK E. HANKINS
JACK E. MAZOTTI
BRUCE F. PAUL JULIE C. TAYLOR RICHARD WILLS
58
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF ASSESSORS
To the Citizens of the Town of Hamilton:
The Assessors submit herewith their annual report for the calendar year ending December 31, 1962.
COMPARATIVE FIGURES (for the past four years) 1959
1960
1961 1962
Total
Valuation $10,202,075 $10,572,430 $10,769,375 $11,177,420
Increase over
previous year
325,060
370,355
196,945
408,045
Number of polls
1,495
1,527
1,546
1,565
Number of
dwellings
1,772
1,810
1,846
1,862
DETAIL OF ASSESSMENT
Value of Buildings
$8,676,275
Value of Land
1,855,195
Total Value of Real Estate
$10,531,470
Value of Personal Estate
645,950
Total Valuation
$11,177,420
Tax Rate $81.00 per Thousand
Tax on Real Estate
$853,049.07
Tax on Personal Estate
52,321.95
Total Taxes Assessed
$908,501.02
RECAPITULATION
EXPENDITURES
Appropriation to be raised by taxation $1,244,901.71
Deficits in overlay of prior years 10,009.05
State Tax and Assessments:
State Park Reservations
3,477.70
State Audit of Municipal Accounts
1,050.29
County Tax and Assessments County Tax 1962 30,607.27
Tuberculosis Hospital 7,357.83
Overlay for the current year 1962
23,248.62
Gross amount to be raised
$1,320,652.47
59
ESTIMATED RECEIPTS AND AVAILABLE FUNDS
Income Tax
$80,885.21
Corporation Taxes 29,694.34
Reimbursement a/c publicly owned land
8,187.37
Old Age Tax (Meals)
1,771.10
Motor Vehicle and Trailer Excise
107,000.00
Licenses
5,500.00
General Government
1,200.00
Health and Sanitation
900.00
Charities
(other than Federal Grants, etc.)
8,500.00
Old Age Assistance
(other than Federal Grants )
14,000.00
Veterans' Services
1,700.00
Schools
21,000.00
Libraries (Incl. Library Aid)
1,872.00
Public Services (Water)
52,000.00
Cemetery
1,000.00
Interest on Taxes and Assessments
500.00
State Assistance for School Construction
18,574.26
Town of Manchester (in lieu of taxes)
1,000.00
Town of Wenham (refund)
6,600.00
Amounts taken from available funds
and over-estimates
50,000.00
Total Estimated Receipts
$411,884.28
TO THE TAXPAYERS
Anyone who transfers or sells a motor vehicle should apply for an abatement for the balance of the year as promptly as possible, stating the date of such transfer. In many cases this will make it possible to deduct the amount of the rebate when paying the original excise tax itself and thus eliminate the need for mailing out a refund check at some later date.
Thirty-four new dwellings and one service station were added to the valuation list during the year 1962, fairly well maintaining the mod- erate building pace of the last three years. As for future trend, your board visualizes a gradual decline in new valuation annually because of slacken- ing in demand for medium-priced homes and the difficulty in obtaining building sites at realistic prices. One factor that may well cause concern to assessors and taxpayers alike is the proportion of exempt property to total valuation. We now have $5,673,000 in real property that has been exempted from taxation, representing an all time high.
Respectfully submitted, ROBERT H. CHITTICK ARTHUR L. BENNETT ROBERT H. TRUSSELL
Assessors
60
REPORT OF THE CONSERVATION COMMISSION
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen:
GENTLEMEN :
Activities of the Conservation Commission during 1962 were devoted again to these fundamental areas:
USE OF PESTICIDES
The Commission studied with great interest the results of experi- mental work performed by Melvin F. Young of the Town's Insect and Pest Control Department. It kept abreast of current developments in mos- quito control techniques and attended all the Ipswich meetings pertaining to the formation of a mosquito control district. Rachel Carson's current best seller, Silent Spring, was read and examined in the light of the ex- perience the Commission has gained in the two years it has studied this problem.
The aerial spraying program has been closely studied over the past two years. Oil-sensitive cards have been used to study the spray patterns, larval tests have been conducted in many swamp systems and personal observations made of most of the sprayings. The conclusion reached from this study is that the aerial application of DDT has not proven effective enough to justify its cost or the uncertainty of its long-range effects on human health or human environment.
The effectiveness of the aerial spraying has been seriously hampered by wind, rain, improper timing and pilot error. Last spring, for example, in some of the swamps sprayed, larvae were found in the same numbers after the spraying as they were before. The first summer spraying was so ineffective that your Board of Selectmen refused to pay for it.
DDT is not only highly toxic but, what is more important, it is resid- ual with traces staying in the ground for several years. Furthermore, this poisonous chemical is being applied to the very swamps from which the town draws its drinking water.
It is our opinion, therefore, that we must take one of two courses of action; either abandon all aerial spraying of any sort or experiment with aerial fogging using non-residual chemicals.
Fogging is being used in many parts of the country in preference to spraying. It creates a dense cloud of fog which leaves no chemical or oil residues.
The Conservation Commission recommends, therefore, that the pres- ent program of aerial spraying with DDT be abandoned, and that aerial fogging with non-residual chemical be tested instead. If this should prove either ineffective or harmful, we will recommend that all aerial applica- tion of insecticides be discontinued.
61
EDUCATION
The Audubon Nature Program was introduced into the Winthrop School in January through the efforts of Edmund Dodge and the mem- bers of the Hamilton School Committee.
The Commission obtained a film for showing at the Winthrop and High Schools and other educational material in recognition of National Wildlife Week, March 18-24.
In collaboration with Boy Scout Troop 123, a program of building 200 bluebird houses was undertaken in an effort to assist this vanishing species in reestablishing itself in Massachusetts. The boxes were sold and the proceeds used to meet troop expenses.
The Conservation Commission arranged a field trip for town officials and educational leaders through the Harvard property in Hamilton. Wil- liam F. Murison, forest biologist at the Harvard Forest, conducted the trip for the purpose of encouraging use of the property for educational and recreational purposes.
OPEN SPACES
The Open Spaces Committee, composed of the Conservation Com- mission together with Mrs. Standish Bradford, Jackson Garfield, and Mrs. Charles G. Rice, prepared overlay maps of the Town showing sources of ground water and present open spaces. The Committee decided that the Miles River and its adjacent wetlands is the most vital single area that should be preserved in its natural state. Not only is this area important as a source of water, but it is also necessary for flood control and as a refuge for wildlife.
The Open Spaces Committee has started contacting property owners in an effort to interest them in this project.
The Conservation Commission wishes to thank those who gave so willingly of their time on conservation work during the year and to ex- press appreciation to the other departments for their cooperation.
Respectfully submitted,
NATHANIEL C. NASH, Chairman
EDWARD FIELDING, JR. MARY M. McGRAY EDWARD A. SAMMEL
CHARLES H. SHACKELFORD
Conservation Commission
62
REPORT OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
To the Honorable Board of Selectmen:
We, the Engineers of the Fire Department, herewith submit our Annual Report for the year of 1962.
The Department responded to 58 alarms. The amount of hose laid: Booster hose 7,050 ft; 11/2"-3,550 feet; 21/2"-400 feet. 18,050 gal- lons of water was used from Booster tanks.
A training class for firefighters sponsored by the Department of Edu- cation of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was held under the direc- tion of Deputy Chief, C. Fred Dooling of the Beverly Fire Department. Twenty men took advantage of the course and received diplomas at the completion of the course.
ALARMS FOR 1962
JANUARY 1962
Date Dist. No. Nature
Location
10
31
Rubbish, Lincoln Avenue
27
21
House, Cunningham Drive
FEBRUARY 1962
5
31
Washer Motor, Asbury Street
James Wilson
23
13
False, Postgate Road
24
31
Auto, Central Avenue
Unknown
MARCH 1962
5
32
False, Winthrop Street
12
211
Washer Motor, Walnut Road
12
23
Smoke Bomb, Bridge Street
24
211
Brush, Walnut Road
24
21
Grass, Maple Street
29
17
Lumber, Forest Street
31
23
Dump. Bay Road
APRIL 1062
2
21
Grass, Maple Street
R. Maidment C. Blenkhorn
5
12
Grass, School Street
7
31
Dump, Western Avenue
9
21
Grass, Hamilton Avenue
18
21
Grass, Bay Road
19
25
Grass, Cutler Road
19
211
Grass, Off Walnut Road
21
34
Grass, Goodhue Street
21
17
Grass, Gregory Island Road
21
17
Boards & Grass, Forest Street
21
21
Grass, Rust Street
21
14
Auto, Bridge
23
23
Hay, Bay Road
23
31
Electric Wire, Highland
27
31
Brush, Hamlin Avenue
27
31
Pine Needles, Asbury Street
29
15
Dump, Chebacco Road
Owner J. W. Silva Edward Cook
P. Seaver Town Dr. Larchez Robert Dewar Goodhue Town
A. Fuller P. Taylor Myopia Hunt Club S. Bradford R. Thibedeau R. Chetty Town of Essex D. Sheehan Methodist Church H. MacDonald Myopia Hunt Club L. Cone Asbury Grove Assoc. Asbury Grove Assoc. Town
63
Date Dist. No. Nature
Location MAY 1962
10
23
Grass, Pilgrim Road
13
15
Dump, Chebacco Road
23
31
Grass, Grant Avenue
23
13
Electric Wire, Essex Street
25
31
Leaves, Highland Street
27
15
Brush, Chebacco Road
JUNE 1962
9
17
Tree Hut, Forest Street
20
31
House, Asbury Street
JULY 1962
4
23
False, Bay Road
5
24
Boards, Moulton Street
22
31
Grass, Asbury Street
25
21
Record Player, Railroad Avenue
30
31
Oil Burner, Harris Avenue
AUGUST 1962
23
17
Boat, Norris Road
S. Francis
25
13
Brush, Sagamore Road
E. Liporto E. Liporto
27
12
Oxygen, Bridge Street
Carmelite Seminary
28
21
Auto, Bay Road
30
24
House, Bay Road
F. Sears
SEPTEMBER 1962
8
15
House, Chebacco Road
12
13
Brush, Alan Road
C. Hutter E. Liporto Unknown
27
17
Brush, Greg. Isl. Road
Unknown
OCTOBER 1962
17
21
Food on stove, Linden Street
J. Young
25
24
Auto, Bay Road
28
15
Brush, Chebacco Road
Town Chitro
NOVEMBER 1962
2
13
Electric Wires, Essex Street
17
25
Grass, Cutler Road
Merrimack-Essex H. Cabot Jr.
DECEMBER 1962
4
34
Oil Truck, Highland St.
7
14 Escaping Steam, Sagamore Road
8
23
Oil Burner, Bay Road
20
15
Brush, Chebacco Rd.
28
21
Incinerator, Linden Street
S. Goldberg Nyberg Armstrong Doucette J. Cook
We wish to thank all who assisted the Department in the past year.
Respectfully submitted, GORDON L. THOMPSON, Chief RAYMOND A. WHIPPLE CHARLES W. DOLLIVER
BENJAMIN A. DODGE ROBERT H. CHITTICK III
Fire Engineers
26
31
Auto, Asbury Street
29
21
Building, Bay Road
Owner
Wm. Hazlegrave Town MacKean W. Bartlett Com. of Mass. Town of Manchester
Jos. Dodge Geo. Patton, Jr.
Myopia Hunt Club N. Vaughn Asbury Grove Assoc. E. Wilson, Jr. R. Nelson
25
13
Brush, Sagamore Road
64
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE HAMILTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
To the Citizens of the Town of Hamilton:
The Library Trustees were confronted with a serious problem in the late spring when our highly competent Librarian, Mrs. Fred H. Brown, submitted her resignation. (Her husband's business affairs made it neces- sary for them to live for a time in Switzerland). Mrs. Brown's contribu- tions to the establishment of our new library and to its direction and opera- tion had been incalculable and her loss was a matter of deep regret and considerable concern. Mrs. Daniel E. Hughes, Assistant Librarian, was appointed to fill the vacancy for the balance of the year.
It is particularly gratifying now to be able to report that Mrs. Hughes has done outstanding work as Mrs. Brown's successor. What is more, Mrs. Hughes has in the interim received state accreditation as a professional Librarian, an objective she has been working toward for some time. The trustees feel that Hamilton is extremely fortunate in its new Librarian, who is also a resident of the town. Mrs. Frank W. Wetherbee, experienced and well qualified has been appointed Assistant Librarian.
With 1961's phenomenal upsurge of community interest in the library, and the sharp rise in circulation with the opening of our new building, your trustees were not at all sure that these high levels would be maintained in 1962. We are happy to report that the past year showed a gain, if a slight one, in circulation and a sizeable increase in borrowers. The trustees chief concern for the future is an extension of library hours, particularly evening hours.
The Librarian has worked conscientiously with the schools in many matters. Winthrop School children were introduced to library procedures and advantages in a series of special visits during the year. A summer reading program for the elementary grades is now under consideration. The town Library has also loaned more than one hundred volumes to the new Regional High School Library, and Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. Woodman, the Regional Librarian have already set up a program of close School- Library cooperation.
The Librarian's report makes note of the remarkably successful Chil- dren's Story Hour of the past summer, which will be repeated in the coming year. The local Girl Scouts have expressed interest in assisting with this program or a similar one.
The Library has been used for displays by civic groups, such as the League of Women Voters and the Cub Scouts, and as a meeting place for the Great Books Club. The Trustees are always pleased to have the Library, insofar as is possible, used for such worthy civic purposes.
Regrettably, as usual, there are too many Library benefactors to thank personally-such as all those who collectively contributed over two
65
hundred gift books during the year. We do, however, express our sincere thanks to them here, and to Mr. Francis H. Whipple, Town Clerk and Accountant, and to the Park Department for its good work in maintaining our library grounds. We are proud of the achievements of our new Librar- ian, Mrs. Hughes, in her first year, and deeply appreciate her complete dedication to the job. We are grateful, too, for the fine work of Mrs. Wetherbee and other members of the staff, as well as for the generous assistance of volunteer workers.
Respectfully submitted, JOHN F. NEARY, Chairman MRS. CHARLES H. SHACKELFORD CLEMENT F. HAYES
Library Trustees
REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN
To the Trustees of the Public Library:
The Librarian wishes to express her appreciation to all those who assisted in making the library of 1962 so successful. The circulation of books continues to mount as indicated by the report which follows.
Many extra events occurred during the year, the most outstanding being the Children's Story Hour conducted during the months of July and August by Mrs. Jack Pond, assisted by Mrs. Everard Bonney and Miss Ellen McCann. The attendance exceeded all expectations with over eighty children attending twice weekly sessions.
In February your Librarian attended The First Governor's Confer- ence on Libraries in Boston. This get-together of librarians was called by Governor John Volpe to discuss ways of making ever greater use of our most precious resource-Books.
During National Children's Book week in November, new books were placed on display in each of the elementary schools.
Through an arrangement with the librarians of Manchester and Beverly, to whom we express our sincere thanks, an exchange of books was made during the month of December. This experiment program prov- ed most successful and, accordingly, will be stepped up in 1963.
66
Circulation for the year of 1962
39,191
Adult fiction
12,410
Adult non-fiction
9,109
21,519
Juvenile fiction
14,015
Juvenile non-fiction
3,657
17,672
Bookmobile circulation
3,843
Number of library borrowers as of December 31, 1962 2,444
Accession
Adult fiction
335
Adult non-fiction
365
Juvenile fiction
225
Juvenile non-fiction
258
Total purchase by library
949
Total number of gifts
234
Total books added to library collection 1,183
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