USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Norwell > Town of Norwell annual report 1950-1959 > Part 95
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SELECTMEN'S REPORT
year to put aside a definite amount of money which would only be used by the vote of the Town at a Town Meeting for the purpose of providing capital funds.
The civic and social services that are either desired or re- quired in a modern community and our industrial culture are creating a very difficult financial problem, which in the minds of the Board of Selectmen, will require a great deal more study and analysis in the near and distant future in order to provide the greatest possible efficiency in providing these services that are needed at the lowest possible cost.
Your Selectmen are asking for authority from the Town at the coming Annual Town Meeting to appoint a wage and salary committee of a permanent nature. We believe that the time has come when it is absolutely necessary to get some unbiased group of public-spirited citizens to take the responsibility of studying the Town government and provide a plan of equitable remunera- tion to those people who are elected or appointed to carry out the wishes of the Town for the provision of those civic and pub- lic services that the Town either desires or requires as evidenced by their vote at the Town Meetings.
It is the opinion of your Board of Selectmen that the eco- nomical solution to some of our problems may very well be by combining with other local communities providing certain serv- ices which may be more efficiently and more economically in- stituted on a district basis. For example, we need in the Town of Norwell building codes, better disposal of garbage and ruh- bish, Town Engineer and other services of this nature which are also required by the towns contiguous to us. These problems can possibly be solved as suggested.
Roads
The Chapter 90 program has continued for the reconstruc- tion of Main Street, and the expensive drainage from Winter Street to Dover Street has been completed. Requests have been made for Chapter 90 funds this year to continue the work.
We have also requested Chapter 90 funds for resurfacing Main Street from the Hanover-Norwell line to Prospect Street which was voted by the Town in 1959 and we have not succeeded in obtaining the State allocation, but we did get authorization from the County Commissioners, and we are holding these funds over to 1960 with the hope that we will be able to get the authorization of the State for their share of this project so that the project can be continued on the west end of Main Street.
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SELECTMEN'S REPORT
The Selectmen attended the hearing held in Hingham by the State Department of Public Works in reference to the ex- tension of the Southeast Expressway into the Town of Norwell in the High Street area, said hearing was held on November 17 at which time Selectmen Repass and Allen questioned the De- partment of Public Works as to why this Expressway had been curved into the Town instead of following a straight alignment, and the answers received were very inconclusive.
The State Department of Public Works through its Assistant Commissioner Fred Dole and engineers assured us that they had studied the various possible routes and had decided on the present layout due to indicated lower costs and better service to the travelling public.
Through the cooperation of the South Shore Mosquito Con- trol Project, the new Drainage Committee and the Highway Surveyor, the drainage problem in the Washington Park area seems to have been greatly improved within the funds available. It is expected that when the Southeast Expressway comes through this area it will be properly engineered and the drainage problem will be less serious in this area when the Southeast Expressway is finished. The Board of Selectmen and the Highway Surveyor will certainly have the responsibility of watching the construction of the new Expressway if it is carried out as pres- ently planned to be sure the interests of the Town are protected in all matters concerning this project.
The Board of Selectmen completed the procedure resulting in the acceptance as Town ways of Walnut Road, a section of Brantwood Road and Myers Avenue, all of which were accepted by the Town at the 1959 March meeting.
The Board of Selectmen on two occasions in cooperation with the Brockton Edison Company surveyed the street lighting situation in the Town and added some necessary street lights which in some measure will improve the very dark travelled ways in the Town of Norwell.
On several occasions this year the Board of Selectmen met with the Highway Surveyor and the Water Board in an attempt to solve the problem on River Street caused by the installation of the water mains and gas mains during the past two years. A portion of the road shoulders on River Street where the excava- tion was carried out for the mains has been graded and resur- faced.
Town Hall and Town Hall Annex
The need for space to provide expanded office facilities for the Board of Assessors and for the new Communications Center
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SELECTMEN'S REPORT
made it necessary to do considerable remodelling and renovating in both the Town Hall and the Town Hall Annex. It was found necessary to take over completely the two dressing rooms at the easterly end of the first floor of the Town Hall which were origi- nally provided for the use of the stage and fit out one of these rooms for the Communications Center and the other room for the Assessors. The Town Collector was moved back into the Town Hall in the office originally used by the Assessors, and the combined needs of the Board of Health and the Visiting Nurse Association was solved by renovating the kitchen in the Town Hall Annex and utilizing the office vacated by the Town Col- lector. This leaves the Town facilities with only one very small room on the second floor of the Town Hall Annex available for any use of a temporary nature, the Advisory Board, the Appeal Board and various Committees needing space to meet, now find it necessary to utilize the lower lobby of the auditorium area. Space is now at a premium in both of these buildings, and in all cases the various departments are working under cramped con- ditions. Very little storage space is left in either of the buildings, and the Selectmen are contemplating oil-firing the heaters in the basements so additional basement room could be utilized for storage purposes.
The Board of Selectmen have found it impossible to obtain bids within the $1,000 appropriated to provide parking facilities in the rear of the Town Hall but did obtain the services of 3. bulldozer on a daily basis and took figures on gravel and bought the gravel from the low bidder, Joseph Pilalas, and have suc- ceeded in providing a gravelled area in the rear of the Town Hall which has been a great help when the auditorium is used. The Selectmen provided temporary wooden walks in both areas and hope this year to have the funds available to improve this situation with a limited amount of blacktop area.
Committees
In accordance with a vote of the Town, the Board of Select- men appointed a new Drainage Committee, a Development and Industrial Commission, a By-Law Study Committee, and a Gen- eral School Building Committee. Prior to the appointment of the General School Building Committee, the Board of Selectmen in cooperation with the Advisory Board and the Town Account- ant did prepare, in accordance with the vote of the Town, a financial report which indicated the probable impact on the tax levy projected ahead for five years of the estimated expenditure of approximately a million dollars for new high school facilities.
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SELECTMEN'S REPORT
Meetings
The Board of Selectmen set the dates of April 16 and No- vember 12 at which time the various boards, appointed officials and committees met and discussed the common problems of the Town and the consensus of opinion has been that these meetings are becoming more and more valuable to the end of providing efficient operation of the Town government.
The Selectmen have represented the Town at the Governor's Conferences which have been held as well as the various meet- ings of the Selectmen's association and a conference held in Boston on municipal finance.
General
The Board of Selectmen regret to report that Mrs. Emily Paradise resigned as Town Hall Clerk, having served very effi- ciently during the past few years.
It is with the deepest of regret that we must note the passing of Herbert A. Lincoln, who served the Town for many years as Selectman, Assessor and member of the Board of Public Welfare and was our Town Moderator and Assistant Town Clerk at the time of his death this past year.
We, also, are recognizing in the front piece of this report the loss of our annual Chairman of the Board of Registrars, who was also a Fence Viewer for fifteen years, and was custodian of the ballot box at each Town election for many, many years and a good friend to all, the one and only Harry Pinson.
We also regret to report the death of Frederick H. Hall, who died in December, 1958 which was too late to be mentioned in the 1958 report, so we, therefore, take the opportunity this year to recognize Frederick Hall's service to the Town as a member of the Board of Fire Engineers from 1938 through 1943 and the Chief of the Fire Engineers for the three years 1941 - 1943.
We wish to take this opportunity to note with regret the passing of Frederick J. Rosebach who served as a member of the Fire Department, Company #2, for twelve years and as Secre- tary of his Company for four years.
On behalf of the Town, the Board of Selectmen wish to ex- press sympathy to the relatives of these four public-spirited citi- zens who have passed on. While it is impossible to set forth in detail the contributions that these public officials have made during their lifetime, this yearly report has been dedicated to them; and their record stands as a challenge to the Townspeople who remain to do as well.
The Board of Selectmen took bids on April 27, 1959 for the
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SELECTMEN'S REPORT
public sale of the Sprague property on High Street. The sale was consumated with the highest bidder in the sum of $4,500 paid in full by Joseph J. and Anna H. Gatanti and a deed was given to them under date of May 18, 1959. This property was given to the Town by Mr. and Mrs. Arthur H. Sprague during their life- time with the provision that they would be permitted to reside there as long as they lived.
The Board of Selectmen this past year have been faced with a particularly heavy load represented in four sessions of the regular Town Meeting and two sessions of a Special Town Meet- ing in February and an additional Town Meeting for considera- tion of school problems in September and then a Special Election held in December.
Bids were taken by the County Commissioners on the re- construction of the Union Bridge which exceeded the amount of money set forth in the legislation under which the Bridge was to be reconstructed, and no award was made for the work. Additional legislation has been entered by the Department of Public Works and others for consideration of the General Court to allow the expenditure of available funds from the Division of Waterways, Department of Public Works, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Bridge planking and timbering on the road- way and the walkways is in very bad condition, and the Town will be faced with expenditures on this deck and walkways un- less the County is soon in a position to award this contract so the Bridge can be closed and the reconstruction commenced.
The expansion of the Town has, of necessity, increased the scope and depth of the problems that face not only the Selectmen but all phases of the Town government; and we on the Board of Selectmen are very pleased by the intensive efforts made by all departments to cope with these problems and with an attitude of cooperation and goodwill.
Of course, there are many matters which your Board of Selectmen have not touched upon in this report, and we would be very pleased to offer our records and our cooperation to any of our Townspeople who would like further information on any of the matters contained in the report or on any other matter which they may have questions or suggestions. The meetings of the Board of Selectmen are open to the public, and wholeheart- edly so, because we feel it is your business that we are trans- acting and our meetings are never closed except when it is apparent to us that the best interest of the Town would be served by having an executive session.
G. HERBERT REPASS, Chairman EARLE F. ALLEN, Clerk CHARLES H. WHITING
17
WARRANT - SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
TOWN OF NORWELL Commonwealth of Massachusetts
WARRANT FOR SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
Monday, February 16, 1959, at eight thirty o'clock in the afternoon at Cushing Memorial Town Hall
Plymouth, ss.
To either of the Constables. of the Town of Norwell, in said County of Plymouth and Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
GREETINGS:
In the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, you are hereby directed to notify and warn the inhabitants of the Town of Norwell, qualified to vote in elections and Town affairs to meet at the Cushing Memorial Town Hall in said Norwell, on Monday, the sixteenth day of February, 1959 at 8:30 p.m., then and there to act upon the following articles, to wit:
Article 1. To see if the Town will vote to raise and appro- priate, or appropriate from available funds the sum of $60,000, or any other sum, to be expended under direction of the High School Planning and Building Committee, appointed pursuant to Article Six of the Special Town Meeting of January 13, 1958, for the purpose of obtaining final plans and specifications for the construction of a senior high school building, or act on anything relative thereto.
Article 2. To see if the Town will vote to determine the site for the construction of a senior high school building, and to authorize the High School Planning and Building Committee, appointed pursuant to Article Six of the Special Town Meeting of January 13, 1958, to acquire, in the name of the Town of Norwell, for part of said site, the following parcels of land; said acquisition to be as to each of said parcels either by purchase or by taking by eminent domain in the discretion of said Com- mittee, viz: -
a. 4 acres known as the Murphy land
b. 9 acres known as the DeStefano land,
both parcels lying on and off the southerly side of Main Street, and abutting lands of the present high school site, and being fully shown on a surveyor's drawing on file with the Board of Selectmen; and to appropriate the sum of $14,000 or any other
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WARRANT - SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
sum for said purposes and determine the extent to which said money shall be provided for by taxation or by appropriation from available funds in the Treasury, or act on anything relative thereto.
You are directed to serve this Warrant by posting a copy thereof, attested to by you in writing at each of five public places in the Town seven days at least before the time for holding the meeting called for in the Warrant. Hereof fail not, and make due return of this Warrant with your doings thereon to the Town Clerk of said Town on or before the sixteenth day of February, 1959. Given under our hands at Norwell this ninth day of February in the year of our Lord 1959.
THOMAS S. CANN, Chairman, EARLE F. ALLEN, THOMAS T. BARSTOW, Board of Selectmen.
A True Copy: ATTEST HARLAND W. FARRAR, Constable of Norwell.
Feb. 9, 1959.
I hereby certify that I have posted said warrant according to the Town by-law and make this my return.
HARLAND W. FARRAR,
Feb. 9, 1959.
Constable.
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REPORT - SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
SPECIAL TOWN MEETING February 16, 1959
The meeting was called to order at 8:30 p.m. by Herbert A. Lincoln, Moderator, with a quorum present.
That part of the Warrant which called the meeting and the return thereof by the Constable, was read by the Town Clerk. A motion was made, seconded and voted "to postpone the reading of the articles of the Warrant until such time as they are taken up for action."
As no objection was voiced to the admittance of Mr. Brodie, architect for the School Planning and Building Committee, he was admitted to the meeting.
Arthur H. Oman, Chairman of the School Planning and Building Committee, offered the following motion: "I move that the Town appropriate from available funds in the Treasury, the sum of $60,000 to be expended under direction of the High School Planning and Building Committee, appointed pursuant to Article No. 6 of the Special Town Meeting of January 13, 1958, for the purpose of obtaining final plans, specification and firm bids for the construction of a Senior High School Building."
The Moderator appointed the following persons to serve as listed and swore in same:
Harry L. Chase, Jr., Assistant Moderator, for the down-stairs office lobby, and Marshall H. Bailey, Jr., Frederick R. Hart, Jr., Arthur M. Yonge, T. Curtis Power, George H. Whitcher, Jr. and Edmund V. Anderson, Jr., tellers.
Mr. Orville Devine, Chairman of the Advisory Board, voiced the approval of that Board to the project and advised the passage of the article.
Motion made by Donald C. Whittemore to recess for 10 minutes, which motion he withdrew.
Mr. John O'L. Edmonds moved Article I be amended to read as follows: "That the Town appropriate from available funds the sum of $10,000. to be expended under the direction of the High School Planning and Building Committee. appointed pursuant to Article 6 of the Special Town Meeting of January 13, 1958, and expanded in accordance with this article to nine (9) members, the new members to be appointed by the Selectmen, for the purpose of consulting with present or other architects to de- termine the following:
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REPORT - SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
1. If presently recommended plans can be revised so that the square foot building costs can be lowered.
2. If revised or alternate plans could provide for the con- struction of a new high school on a progressive unit "pay as you go" basis in a planned-time sequence.
3. If other alternatives are available so that construction of a new high school will have a reasonable impact on the town's tax structure, and prepare and submit to the town, recommendations in accordance with this article and ar- ticle six (6) of the Special Town Meeting of January 13, 1958"
The motion to amend was made, seconded and voted by voice vote.
A motion was made by G. Herbert Repass to further amend the motion as follows: "Amend Article I as written by adding
1. The construction cost (General contractor, including site preparation but excluding all fees, equipment, insurance and miscellaneous expenses) shall not exceed fourteen dollars and seventy-five cents ($14.75) per square foot.
2. Low maintenance and operating costs and quality con- struction, at least to the high schools being constructed in Hanover, Marshfield and Scituate.
3. Combined auditorium and cafeteria, utilizing one large central area for the dual purpose."
The motion was seconded, but defeated by voice vote.
The motion as amended by Edmonds was defeated by voice vote.
Robert Kroeger then made the following motion "I move that the Town appropriate from available funds in the treasurv. the sum of $60.000 to be expended under direction of the High School Planning and Building Committee appointed pursuant to Article Six (6) of the Special Town Meeting of January 13. 1958, for the purpose of obtaining final plans. specifications. and firm bids for the construction of a Senior High School Building."
Objection voiced to the making of the motion was over- ruled by the Moderator.
A motion to adjourn until Tuesday, February 24th, 1959, at 7:30 p.m. in Cushing Memorial Town Hall was made, seconded and voted, at 12:30 a.m.
NELLIE L. SPARRELL.
Town Clerk.
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REPORT - SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
ADJOURNED SPECIAL TOWN MEETING February 24, 1959
The meeting was called to order by the Moderator at 7:30 p.m. The Moderator announced that any person leaving the Hall during the meeting must return by way of the lobby and be checked in. He also requested any person then in the Hall who was not a registered voter to leave.
Permission was asked for Mr. Brodie, the architect, and Mr. Bradley, the superintendent, to be admitted to the meeting. No objection raised and these gentlemen were admitted.
The Moderator announced we were to resume the meeting by consideration of Article I: I move that the Town appropriate from available funds in the Treasury, the sum of $60,000.00 to be expended under direction of the High School Planning and Build- ing Committee appointed pursuant to Article Six (6) of the Special Town Meeting of January 13, 1958, for the purpose of obtaining final plans, specifications and firm bids for the con- struction of a Senior High School Building.
Ernest W. Haskins, Jr., Chairman of the Norwell School Committee spoke in the name of and for that Committee, thank- ing the High School Planning and Building Committee for the tremendous piece of work it had done and stated that the School Committee was 100% back of the plan presented.
Chester A. Rimmer made the following amendment to Article I, which was seconded: "I move that the motion made under Article One be amended to read as follows: That the Town appropriate from available funds the sum of $40.000.00 to be expended under the direction of the High School Planning and Building Committee appointed pursuant to Article Six of the Special Town Meeting of January 13, 1958 for the purpose of obtaining final plans and specifications for the construction of a Senior High School Building using currently suggested plans as modified to meet the requirements of this article. the total project cost not to exceed $900,000, including all fees, site development, equipment and all other items as evidenced by preliminary estimates from a General Contractor experienced in the con- struction of similar school buildings and certified as such by the Committee. and in the event such modification of currently sug- gested plans cannot be made within 90 davs, the committee is to obtain from presently emploved architects and others, prelimi- nary sketches of a Senior High School Building which will meet the hereinbefore mentioned requirements and present them for consideration at a Special Town Meeting." Then Mr. Rimmer spoke at length on the motion.
Mr. Robert Kroeger outlined alternate plans which the Committee suggested could be considered.
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REPORT - SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
By a vote of 284 for, 117 against, it was voted to substitute Mr. Rimmer's amended motion for Article I as moved by Mr. Oman at the Special Town Meeting of February 16, 1959.
The substitute motion was then voted by a voice vote: Voted that the Town appropriate from available funds the sum of $40,000.00 to be expended under the direction of the High School Planning and Building Committee, appointed pursuant to Article Six of the Special Town Meeting of January 13, 1958, for the purpose of obtaining final plans and specifications for the con- struction of a Senior High School Building using currently sug- gested plans as modified to meet the requirements of this article, the total project cost not to exceed $900,000.00, including all fees, site development, equipment and all other items as evidenced by preliminary estimates from a general contractor experienced in the construction of similar school buildings and certified as such by the committee and in the event such modification of currently suggested plans cannot be made within 90 days, the committee is to obtain from presently employed architects and others, pre- liminary sketches of a senior high school building which will meet the hereinbefore mentioned requirements and present them for consideration at a special town meeting.
Article 2. Arthur Oman presented the following motion as a substitute for Article 2 of the Warrant: "I move that the site for the construction of a senior high school building be composed of lands of the present high school grounds and of certain abutting lands, viz: approximately nine acres of land of Robert DeStefano and approximately four acres of land of John D. Mur- phy and Grace H. Murphy, said DeStefano lands and said Mur- phy lands lying on and off the southerly side of Main Street and being substantially as shown and designated as Parcels 1 and 2 on a plan dated January 6, 1959. Plan of land in Norwell, Plymouth Co., Mass .. showing Proposed Land Takings for School Purposes, the Schuyler Clapp Co., Braintree, Mass. Frederick T. Webb, Registered Land Surveyor, and that the Board of Se- lectmen be authorized and instructed to acquire in the name of the Town of Norwell, said lands of DeStefano and said lands of Murphy by purchase or by eminent domain, the determination as to the method of acquisition to be made by the Board of Selectmen, and for the purpose of said acquisition the sum of Fourteen Thousand ($14,000.00) Dollars be appropriated from available funds in the treasury." This motion was seconded and voted 366 for, 8 against.
Motion made, seconded and unanimously voted to adjourn. Time 9:00 p.m.
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