USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Reading > Town of Reading Massachusetts annual report 1931 > Part 16
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1. They are designed for the solution of immediate troubles and are not large enough in vision to answer the needs for any considerable time in the future.
2. If they are built, they will prevent for generations the wiser solution in the form of a major by-pass.
3. They pass generally along existing residential streets which will require widening and hence crowding close to existing houses thus seriously lowering present taxable values.
4. Due to this damage to existing homes a serious opposition will naturally and properly be aroused. It is a fallacy to think that betterments can, in fairness, be assessed for a through-traffic artery in a residential district.
5. They will be so close to the present main highway (just one block away) and pass so many cross streets that the result will be, in each town, two main arteries north and south instead of one and consequently nearly twice the inconvenience to local traffic.
6. Regarding the local Stoneham by-pass, the cost will be great due to several houses, the gasometer and the laundry which will need removal. It also will cause a serious loss to the town in crossing a vacant area which the town is now developing as a playground, it being the only available, centrally located site.
The Committee submits to you for consideration a map which is a part of this report. Shown thereon, in a heavy black dotted line, is the route for a proposed traffic route which meets the purposes and has the desirable characteristics for diverting through-traffic around Reading, Stoneham and Wakefield. In heavy dash lines are shown the main existing through highways which co-ordinate with the proposed route. The principal feature to note about the proposed route are as follows :
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1. It is not a series of small local by-passes, but is a single major by-pass, commencing at Spot Pond, South of Stoneham, passing north on the east side and roughly parallel to Main Street.
2. It avoids entirely the built up sections of the three towns, pass- ing through unused waste land of low unit cost.
3. It again joins the main highway at Forest Street, north of Reading Square and has a branch extending west to the main High- way to Lowell.
4. It involves one railroad overpass and possibly a traffic cir- cle at its northern end and may at some time, require an overpass as it crosses Albion Street in Wakefield.
5. The route is planned so that it can be built in three stages.
(A) Reading's immediate problem can be solved independ- ently by first building the northern end of the route from Cross Street to Forest Street and including the railroad overpass. When this first part of the project is completed, all North and South bound through-traffic will entirely avoid business and residential parts of Reading and leave the local street system, including the present South Main Street crossing, for local use. The Committee feels that when through-traffic is thus diverted, the hazard at the South Main street crossing will be so reduced that the inconvenience to be caused by closing it would not be justified.
As soon as this part is built it will be feasible for Wakefield to re-build North avenue and divert through it and hence over the Reading route to points north, all heavy traffic from Melrose and Malden which now passes through Wakefield Square and along the Residential Lakeside.
This first part of the proposed route will also take traffic from Salem and Lynn coming along Lowell street in Wakefield around Reading Square for points north
(B) When Stoneham's problem becomes more acute the Second Section of the proposed route can be built south to Spot Pond.
(C) Finally the third section of the proposed route from Main and Forest streets can be built west to the Lowell Highway, thus divert- ing all traffic to and from Lowell around Reading.
Thus it will be seen that this proposed traffic route, when complete will make it possible for all through-traffic from the north, south, east and west to pass by all three towns with increased speed and safety for itself and without interfering with local traffic.
Recommendations
The Committee recommends that the Planning Boards of Read- ing, Stoneham and Wakefield endorse the proposed traffic route herein described and shown on the accompanying map. The committee further recommends that such endorsement together with a full de-
N
MAIN ST
FOREST ST
WAKEFIELD ST
PEARL ST
2 CHARLES ST
HAVERHILL ST
LOWELLST
B . M HR
SALEMISE
READING
29
QUANNAPONITT LAKE
SUMMER AYE
-
ELMOT
WAKEFIELD
41 BRJAK RD
PROSPECTST
8+M RR
HIGH ST
PARK ST
BROADWAY
MAIN ST
CRYSTAL Laht
FLMST
---
ORKEN 3
-----.
B MRR
ابالـ
STONEHAM
15 VITHAVEA
MAIN ST
POND ST
SMALL PON D
CYLL SON RD
DOLE FUL POND
SOUTH
SPOT
PONO
TRAFFIC ROUTE PROPOSED BY THE PLANNING BOARDS OF
READING, STONEHAM ... WAKEFIELD
1932 EM,BRIDGE C.S.ROBINSON A. P.ROUNDS COMMITTEE
Scale 3"= 1 m. =
ASH ST
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scription of the project, together with a petition be prepared by a committee of three representing the three boards and presented by it, to the Metropolitan Division of Planning asking that the said Divi- sion prepare plans of the proposed route and prepare and present to the Legislature, a bill authorizing the land takings and construc- tion of the project.
The Committee also recommends that the three Planning Boards commence concerted action to make citizens of their respective towns and legislative representatives aware of the project and its benefits and attempt, by proper publicity, to enlist their support of the above mentioned bill, when it comes before the legislature.
2. Reading Square
The traffic in Reading Square is perhaps the most pressing of the problems confronting the town. The Board has taken the attitude that pedestrians and local traffic should be given first con- sideration and that through traffic should be treated accordingly. The several schemes for expediting through-traffic through the Square, such as the construction of a suitable traffic circle, or rearranging the streets so that traffic may be more easily controlled, have not given sufficient thought to the pedestrians. The traffic circle, which is easily the best in so far as expediting traffic is concerned, does not solve the problem in respect to the pedestrian.
Under these conditions, the Board feels that the only per- manent solution to the traffic problem in the Square consists in re- ducing the amount of through-traffic by furnishing a quicker route away from the center of the town and at the same time increasing the difficulty of flow through the Square by the installation of manually controlled traffic lights. For this reason, the Board has been urging the construction of a suitable by-pass for north-south traffic which will avoid the center of the town. Its recommendation in this regard has been incorporated in the report of the Special Committee given above. (1.)
The Board has been asked by the Finance Committee to co- operate with them and the Board of Public Works in their discussion of the repaving of Reading Square. This it has been very glad to do.
The Board feels that the matter of a traffic circle in the Square could well be in abeyance until the results of the proposed by-passes are shown
3. North Main Street
At the Town meeting of December 1, 1930, the Board was in- structed to hear objections to the proposed re-zoning of certain areas on North Main Street. A hearing was held for this purpose and the objections and recommendations were presented in the follow-
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ing report which was presented to the Town at the adjourned Town Meeting on March 9, 1931.
Reading, Mass. March 2, 1931.
To the Citizens of the Town of Reading :
The warrant of the special town meeting held in Security Hall on Monday evening, December 1, 1930, contained the following article :
Article 8: To see if the Town will vote to re-zone the area bounded as follows : Beginning approximately 588.02 feet distant from the northeasterly corner of Main and Forest Streets and at the . northeasterly corner of Main Street and a proposed street called Willard Road; thence running northeasterly along the easterly line of Main Street to Pearl Street; thence south easterly along the west- erly line of Pearl Street to the said proposed street called Willard Road, and thence westerly along the northerly line of Willard Road to the point of beginning, so that the entire area described above shall be changed from a multiple resident district and a single resi- dence district to a business district or what it will do in relation thereto.
(Signed) M. E. BRANDE and others.
Prior to this date, there was filed with the Town Clerk a petition signed by 122 objectors opposing such a modification of the Zoning By- laws; the objectors having this right under section 30, Chapter 39, Acts of 1929 of the General Laws, relative to the repeal or modification of Zoning By-laws in Towns, as follows :---
CHAPTER 39 OF THE GENERAL LAWS-SECTION 30
"No ordinance or by-law enacted under section twenty-five shall be repealed or modified except after .reasonable notice of the proposed repeal or modification and an opportunity to the objectors to be heard thereon, and, in a town, notification as provided by law of a town meeting duly called in pursuance of a warrant warning that such proposed repeal or modification is to be acted upon thereat shall be sufficient notice for the purpose thereof
If in a town any person shall, prior to the day named in the town warrant for the town meeting at which such proposed repeal or modification is to be acted upon, file with the town clerk his ob- jections thereto in writing, together with his name and address, the town clerk shall give notice of such fact to the town meeting which shall not act on such proposed repeal or modification until it has referred the objections to a committee thereof to hear the objecting party and report to said meeting or an adjournment thereof or has referred the same to the town Planning Board for such purpose
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and has received a report made in pursuance of such reference after giving the objector an opportunity to be heard. If no objections are filed as aforesaid the meeting may consider and act upon the pro- posed repeal or modification without further notice. In no case shall ruch a by-law be repealed or modified except by a two-thirds vote of a town meeting."
Approved Feb 15, 1929.
The above law states that "any person shall file with the town clerk his objections thereto in writing." The 122 signers did not enter any written objections, but merely signed the statement that they objected to modification of the present Zoning ordinance or the re-zoning of the area mentioned in above Article 8.
The town clerk accepted the objectors' petition as presented and gave notice of such fact to the town meeting causing no action to be taken on Article 8 other than to refer the matter as provided by the law to the Planning Board.
Under date of January 15, 1931, this board sent to each of the 122 objectors the following letter :
"Pursuant to vote passed at the recent special Town Meeting. this Board will hear your objections to the proposed modification .of the Zoning Law as it applies to the easterly side of North Main Street changing the area affected from a Multiple Residence District and Single Residence District to a Business District. on Friday. January 23, 1931 at Room 19, Municipal Building, Reading, at 8.30 o'clock in the evening. You are urgently requested to be present as the Board will dispose of your objections at the time and place designated"
In order to have a clear understanding of both sides of the question, the Planning Board arranged a Public Hearing for Febru- ary 6, 1931 and had this hearing advertised in the Reading Chronicle issues of January 23rd. and 30th. A notice of this hearing was sent to Mrs. Blanche Keene Regan, the owner of a part of the property affected by Article 8, and the person most interested in having this change in the By-laws.
At the hearing of January 23 there were twenty-eight objec- tors present, of which thirteen addressed the chair and were heard. At the public hearing of February 6, approximately thirty-five citi- zens were present, representing objectors and petitioners. At this hearing there were heard seven objectors and 4 persons in favor of the proposed change in the Zoning By-laws governing the area in question. At both of these hearings expressions were voiced not only by citizens living in or in close proximity to the area affected. but of the town in general.
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Following these hearings, this Board gave careful consideration to the whole matter and weighed the arguments of both the ob- jectors to and petitioners for the proposed change of the area men- tioned and has unanimously voted to recommend to the citizens that they retain the present law as it applies to the area in question. The vote of the Board was based on the following considerations :
1st. The citizens of Reading, as a residential town, should hold the interest of the home-owner as paramount.
2nd. There is the implied promise of the Zoning By-laws of protection to the man who has built and improved property in a par- ticular section, either before or after the acceptance of the By-laws by the Townspeople." :
3rd. The town is not responsible for promises or implied prom- ises that the Zoning Laws can be changed as they affect particular properties.
4th. North and South Main Streets, the Railroad Station and the Square are the show-windows of Reading to the passing traveler and home-seeker.
5th. There is no immediate or actual need of more business es- tablishments in the North Main Street section.
6th. The contention of personal right to utilize one's property as he sees fit in a zoned town, is unsound and the application of this principle would be injurious not only to neighboring homes, but. to the town in general.
7th. Numerous roadside business enterprises on a through- traffic artery, within close proximity to a town's business center, tend to impede and endanger traffic, both approaching and in the town's center.
8th. Modification in the Zoning Law to suit the individual prop- erty owner lead toward the ultimate break-down of zoning in general.
4. Public Dumps and Rubbish Collection
The public collection of rubbish and ashes and the allied prob- lem of dumps has occupied a considerable part of the Board's time. The methods employed in a number of other towns have been inves- tigated with the view toward improving the local situation. While no definite action has been taken. it is felt that the only way that the unsightly private and unauthorized public dumps which now are found along so many of our highways can be eliminated is either by furnish- ing public dumps for each of the several sections of the town, or by the public collection of rubbish and ashes. It has been found that public dumps will be abused unless constantly supervised.
5. Aerial Survey
Realizing the need of an up-to-date and accurate map of the Town for planning purposes, the Board attempted to obtain the co-
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operation of the other boards of the Town in order to obtain suffi- cient funds to have an aerial map prepared. It was not found pos- sible to obtain these funds, however, this year. It is hoped that it will be possible to have this much needed map prepared in the near future. It is the belief of the Board that such a map would prove of the greatest benefit to the other boards of the Town.
6. Parks
The Board has had the privilege of co-operating with the Special Park Committee in regard to the Birch Meadow project
It is thoroughly in sympathy with the Committee's plans for the playground and hopes that they will be advanced as fast as funds can be found for them.
7. Key Plan.
Realizing that the primary function of the Planning Board is the long distance planning for the future development of the Town, the Board hopes to be able to undertake the preparation of a key plan for future growth and expansion, so that real estate de- velopment may be able to follow a logical sequence and lay-out. Such a key plan, under our present laws, can be offered as a suggestion only, but it is hoped that it will be possible to prepare a plan which will be attractive to all. An aerial map of the Town would be of particular value for this purpose.
The Planning Board wishes to express its appreciation to the Board of Selectmen for the room in the Municipal Building which it now occupies and to the several Boards of the Town for the op- portunities which they have offered it during the past year to ex- press its opinion on Town problems and for such advice as it has been able to give. The work and opportunities of the Board have increased to such an extent that it has been found advisable to change from the former monthly meetings to weekly meetings on Friday evenings.
THE PLANNING BOARD GEORGE W. G. POOLE, Chairman.
February 1, 1932
REPORT OF VISITOR
I herewith submit my report for the year 1931.
It seems almost unnecessary to state that this has been the hard- est year ever experienced by the Visitor and the Board of Public Wel-
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fare. This has been the case in every city and town, as aid has neces- sarily to be increased when a large proportion of the wage-earners are out of work.
During the year the number of families aided was 109; 175 adults and 273 children, making a total of 448 persons aided. This is an in- crease of 179 persons aided more than last year. Forty-four families who had never before applied for aid were obliged to do so this year. Many of them needed help during January, February and March, and the cases were closed as soon as the men could get work in the Spring.
The Visitor recorded 772 calls made in homes, an increase of al- most a hundred over last year, not including visits at hospitals. Each year more time is given to grocery orders, and milk, coal and other bills have been approved as in previous years.
The help of the Visiting Nurse is much appreciated and is of great assistance, as she visits many of the families who are ob- liged to ask for aid. It is always well to look at problems from dif- ferent viewpoints, and the health of the children should always be considered. The School Nurse, Attendance Officer and Good Health Committee also co-operate in assisting with problems of children. We wish to extend thanks to the members of the Visiting Nurse Association and friends who helped in packing the Thanks- giving baskets, the contents of which were largely given by the school children.
We wish also to extend thanks to the many organizations and kind friends who gave Christmas dinners, clothing, toys, and much Christmas cheer to many families. The generosity of many people who have realized the need of others this year and have given money and clothing more than in, former years is a great help to all who are trying to aid those in need.
The Visitor wishes to express her thanks to the members of the Board for their interest and help at all times and for their long hours of study of trying problems. A full understanding of every family concerned is very important and takes a great deal of time, which is willingly given without remuneration. Mr. Bent, the clerk of the Board, is also willing to help at all times, and we are grateful for his assistance.
Respectfully submitted,
HELEN A. BROWN, Visitor.
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REPORT OF PUBLIC LIBRARY
The Trustees of the Reading Public Library submit the following report for the year ended December 31, 1931.
Organization of the Board
The Board organized for the year by the election of Mr. Mans- field as Chairman and Mr. Keneely as Secretary. Standing Committees were appointed as follows :
On Accounts : The Board of Trustees.
On Books: Mr. Mansfield, Mrs. Lucas, Mrs. Weeks.
On Building and Grounds: Messrs Keneely, Morton and Bar- clay.
On Work with Children : Mrs. Weeks, Mrs. Lucas and Mr. Keneely.
Expenses of the Library
The condensed financial statement follows :
Appropriation, direct tax, 1931.
Salaries
$ 4,800.00
Maintenance
3,200.00
Total
$ 8,000.00
Expended
Salaries : Librarian, Assistants and Janitor
$ 4,798.67
Books and periodicals, including rebinding
2,253.33
Printing, stationery, etc.
92.00
Fuel, light, water and sewer
286.04
Repairs and furnishings
380.99
Telephone
48.66
All other expenses
60.67
Total
$ 7,920.36
Balance unexpended and returned to revenue :
On Salaries
1.33
On Maintenance
78.31
Total
Receipts $ 8,000.00
Fines Collected
$481.93
Stolen Nov. and Dec. (reported to police)
6.25
Total
$ 475.68
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Paid to Town Treasurer $ 475.68
Balance on Hand Dec. 31, 1931 Statistics
0.00
Volumes in the library Dec. 31, 1930
16,305
Volumes bought (including duplicates and replacements) :
Adult fiction
456
Adult non-fiction
253
709
Juvenile fiction
203
Juvenile non-fiction
79
282
Reference
12
1,003
Received by gift, Mass.
15
Received by gift, others
98
113
Withdrawn during year
511
Total number of volumes Dec. 31, 1931
16,910
Circulation for home use, adult
49,587
Circulation for home use juvenile
20,956
Total circulation
70,543
Increase over previous year (about 15%)
9,261
Largest monthly circulation, November
6.801
Smallest monthly circulation, July
5,116
New borrowers registered, adult
364
New borrowers registered, juvenile
280
Total
644
Number of days on which the library was open
302
Average daily circulation, adult
160
Average daily circulation, juvenile
69
Volumes deposited in the schools
310
The total circulation of books for home use showed a total in- crease over 1930 of 9,261 volumes, about 15 per cent. The adult circu- lation increased 18.7 per cent and the juvenile circulation 7.4 per cent.
The following table gives data relative to the Library for the last five years :
-
17,421
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Years
Population Circulation
No of Days · Volumes
Total
April 1st. Home Use
Lib. Open
in Lib.Exp'diture
1927
52,768
29
14,339
$7,188.58
1928
56,646
301
14,866
7,433.99
1929
55,822
301
15,586
7,396.94
1930
9,747
61,282
301
16,305
7,786.24
1931
70,543
302
16,710
7,920.36
The cost per volume circulated in 1931 was 11.2 cents and 1.5 cents per volume less than in 1930. The circulation per capita in 1931 was 7, and the cost per capita about 79 cents.
The marked increase in the circulation is undoubedly due in considerable measure to the business depression. The occasional reader, now with more leisure, has taken advantage of his opportunities and used the facilities offered by the Library. Decreased work in many lines has thus created increased work for the Library Staff.
The report of the Librarian follows :
It has been said that a library's circulation was an incomplete record of books really read since one book borrowed may be merely glanced at while another is read by several people, but each counts one on the circulation record. Nevertheless, even if not an exact record of use, the circulation is the only index we have of the use of the lib- rary. It is difficult to keep any definite record of the use of books and magazines in the library building and the numerous reference helps given; but when the circulation count exceeds the previous year by more than nine thousand, a gain of some fifteen per cent with an average daily circulation of two hundred and twenty-nine as compared with two hundred and four in 1930, we are sure the library was used much more in 1931 than in 1930. Another record of increasing use is the fact that borrowers cards were issued to six hundred and forty-four persons who had not been using the library before as compared with five hundred and thirty-three new borrowers registered in 1930. An unfortunate result of a larger circulation is the larger number of books withdrawn. Of these three hundred and sixty-five were worn out, six were burned on account of scarlet fever and one hundred and forty were lost. With the open shelf system it is impossible to prevent some books disappearing from the shelves and unless they are books in use the loss may not be noted for some time. So the fact that Harold B. Clark who was arrested for theft of library books had either visited Reading or sent one of his friends was not known until five volumes found in his possession were returned to the Reading Library by the Special Investigator of the New York Public Library.
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We have borrowed during the year from Wakefield, ten volumes ; from Lynn, three; Watertown, one; and Boston, one volume.
In May in response to an appeal for books for the Merchant Marine, the Librarian packed and forwarded to the Boston Public Library thirty-five books donated for that purpose.
There has been displayed in the exhibition case in :
January : Old paper dolls and paper covered books.
February : Colored fashion plates from Godey's and Graham's fash- ion books, also for one week forty dolls in costume loaned by the Read- ing Woman's Club Committee of Inter-racial Unity in America.
March : Old town reports from the library collection.
April: Souvenirs of Italy.
May: Hawaiian souvenirs and pictures.
June : Insignia and uniform buttons of the Revolution, Civil War, Spanish War and World War.
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