USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Tewksbury > Town of Tewksbury annual report 1959-1963 > Part 52
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U. S. Route 495 is now a reality, although it may be several months before official road travel begins from U. S. Route 93 to U. S. Route 495. With the completion of Interstate Route 495 and its ultimate connection with the Massachusetts State Turnpike we are very confident of a healthy industrial growth and future for our Town.
The widening and resurfacing of secondary Route 38 through the Main Street of our Town is also a definite advantage in the matter of improved travel facilities. We anticipate that the com- pletion of Route 38 to the Wilmington Town line will take place in the near future.
In the opinion of this Commission the proper basic areas for industrial growth have been zoned at previous Town Meetings based on professional consultant services and recommendations. The proper Industrial By-laws have been accepted by our Town.
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If the restrictions as well as the privileges of these zonings and By-laws are enforced by the proper authorities the industrial construction in this Town will be of excellent quality and well landscaped, and a definite advantage, not only to the Town as a whole, but particularly to those residents who are in the vicinity of the industrial development.
This Commission has continued its activity in all pertinent functions of the Area. We have maintained a constant and close relationship with the Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce, the Massachusetts Dept. of Commerce, and the Northern Middlesex Industrial Council. It is the unanimous opinion of this Commission that we must stay abreast of all that is going on in our State and local areas in order to act for and in the best interest of Tewksbury.
We believe that the expansion of the educational and technical programs at Lowell Technological Institute will attract many qualified industrialists to our area.
Finally, we believe that any changes in industrial zoning and/ or by-laws should be the result of a careful and complete study and should only be made if it serves the best interests of the Town as a whole, rather than to ease what may appear at the time to be a hardship on an individual or a relatively small group of individuals.
LIBRARY TRUSTEES Harold H. Sloan, Chairman
Tewksbury, a Town of 15,902 has for a Library, a room, not a Library Building, of about 21 x 58 containing over 17,000 volumes and catering to over 5,000 Library card holders and circulating approximately 30,000 volumes a year. Many sessions three hundred volumes are charged out to about 100 patrons. A recent Tuesday afternoon attendance in the Library exceeded 50 school children. Imagine the crowed conditions and pressure of such a group trying to find the books they wanted let alone trying to study under such conditions.
Tewksbury does need a separate Public Library Building, one in which real Library needs can be fulfilled to the satisfaction of both children and adults. Each year the Trustees have added reference books for student's needs and this year we purchased a 1962 Americana Encyclopedia and during 1963 we hope to add the Britannica. These two sets plus the Harvard Classics besides
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numerous non-fiction books on the various sciences, astronauts, electronics, How To Books; also books of many practical arts like Gardening, Culinary Arts all assist young and old in their search for knowledge. Acquiring these additional books requires extra shelf space and also space for their use by Library patrons.
All the Towns in Greater Lowell and some even smaller than Tewksbury have beautiful Library Buildings with special room for Juveniles and Adults. Tewksbury should have the same arrangements.
Year after year the Trustees have pointed out the necessity for a Public Library Building. Now is the time for action. If arrangements contemplated by the Trustees work out, there will be Articles in the Warrant for the Annual Town Meeting which if favorably acted upon, will result in giving the Town of Tewksbury the Library it needs.
The Trustees publicly thank Mrs. Marion Carlson, Librarian and her two Assistant Librarians for their faithful, conscientious service to Library patrons during the past year.
The Trustees respectfully request that the Articles in the Town Warrant, namely a Salary Budget of $4,000.00 and an Operation Budget of $2,370.00 besides the money received from the Licensing of dogs in the Town be approved and granted for the general main- tenance and operation of the present Public Library.
LIBRARIAN'S REPORT Marion Carlson, Librarian
The following report is respectfully submitted: During the year 629 books were added: 228 Adult Fiction, 173 Adult Non- fiction. 177 Junior Fiction and 51 Junior Non-fiction.
The Librarian and Assistants appreciate the co-operation of the many patrons who return books and magazines when due and request the return of BOOKS and MAGAZINES NOW OVERDUE.
The Library is open Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday mornings from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Saturday afternoon continuously from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The Library is closed for Legal Holidays and for the Annual Vacation in the summer.
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CIRCULATION OF BOOKS AT THE LIBRARY
Fiction Non-Fiction
Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday 18,812 6,429
Total Fiction & Non-Fiction 25,241
Again this year a Bookmobile from the State Regional Library Center at 133 Main St., North Reading, Mass. made three stops monthly in Tewksbury: Shawsheen School, North Street School and Andover St., North Tewksbury. The circulation from that spe- cial service is as follows:
Adult
603
Junior
3341
Total
3944
This Bookmobile circulation combined with Tewksbury Li- brary Circulation totals 29,185.
CIRCULATION OF MAGAZINES
American Heritage
24 McCalls 11
American Home
43
Mechanics Illustrated 37
Atlantic Monthly 13
National Geographic 69
Better Homes
70
Popular Mechanics 55
Consumer Reports 22
Readers Digest 39
Good Housekeeping 62
Redbook 54
Harpers
20
Yankee 28
Hobbies
8
World Library 18
Holiday
22
Childrens Digest 54
Ladies Home Journal
16
Humpty Dumpty 50
Life
134
Others
15
Look 38
Total 902 -
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PERSONNEL BOARD Warren R. Carey, Chairman
The following changes in the Personnel By-Law, recommend- ed by the Board were passed at the March 1962 Town Meeting: The altering of some of the titles in Section 3 (h) Wage Schedule, which was necessitated by the assignment of these job titles by the Civil Service Commission; including a change in the Grade of certain Highway Department titles. The elimination of Section 3 (I) initial adjustment of salaries and wages; 1, 2, 3. The addition of (k) and (1) under Section 3, which gives the higher pay rate to an employee directed to fill the responsibility of a supervisor's position or an established position in a higher grade level for one week or longer. The addition of 20 days vacation with full pay for employees with 20 years' service under Section 4 Fringe Bene- fits. A rewording of Holiday Pay, also under Section 4, to give all employees 10 paid holidays regardless of their work schedule. The over-time paragraph of Section 4 was also reworded to give the Highway, Water and Tree Department workers time and one-half for certain emergency work.
The Personnel Board held approximately 28 meetings during the year, including 3 with other departments, 2 with heads of de- partments and 2 with employees of a department and also at- tended a joint meeting with the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee.
The employees' representative spent approximately 140 hours conversing with various town workers; the majority of this time on the telephone. A lesser amount of time was spent in personal contact and telephone conversations with department heads and Boards of authority to settle questions and interpretation of the By-Law.
The towns of Manchester, Methuen, Tyngsboro, Wakefield and Westford were eliminated from the list of communities used in the Evans Survey for public employees and the towns of North An- dover and Reading were added to give the Board an adjusted list of 10 towns which were generally comparable to Tewksbury in population and geographic location.
At the suggestion of the Finance Committee another list of communities is being studied and the basis for the list is to be the assessed valuation, the tax rate, total per capita expenditures and other related costs of town services.
A study was made of the salary survey of Bench Mark Jobs for 1962 issued by the Massachusetts Municipal Personnel Boards
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Association, Inc. and a brief and graph were prepared by Mr. Roger LeBlanc using figures obtained by request from other towns in the area.
Correspondence regarding our pay scales, fringe benefits, etc. were received from Billerica, Bedford, Concord, Stoneham, Saugus and other towns and the requested information was sent to them.
Requests for benefits to part-time employees were received from the Town Clerk and the part-time Water Department em- ployees and are presently under consideration.
Other business on the agenda at this time includes: Rewriting the By-Law to bring it up to date and to make it more easily understood; obtaining information from part-time workers, ap- pointed and paid by the year, and their supervisors in order to set up a revised pay scale for these employees and to determine, in writing, their duties and approximate number of hours worked. A request from an employee for a grade re-classification-a re- quest from an employee to check into possibility of mis-appropri- ation of sick time; a request from a department head to give cer- tain of his employees an increment raise as provided in Section 1 (d)-this is being deferred until after the 1963 Town Meeting, which we feel may remedy the reason for these solicitations.
Letters were sent out to each full-time employee and depart- ment head requesting their suggestions for changes in the Per- sonnel By-Law. The following replies were received:
FIRE CHIEF:
10% salary increase for all employees of the department. Sick leave non-occupational to be cummulative at the rate of 1 day per month of service and to be unlimited.
To require a disability certificate by a physician after 3 days absence.
PERMANENT FIRE FIGHTERS:
Salary minimum of $5500 first year of service; $6000 sec- ond year of service, $6300 third year of service and over.
POLICE CHIEF:
Salary minimum of $5700 after 3 years with department; time and one-half for overtime; a full-time policewoman clerk to be set up in Wage Schedule.
POLICE ASSOCIATION:
10% salary increase; sick leave non-occupational to be cummulative at present rate up to total of 120 days.
HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES:
15% salary increase; 3 weeks' vacation after 5 years of service and 4 weeks' vacation after 10 years of service; borrowing of sick time; time and one-half for all over- time.
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WATER DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES:
15% salary increase; 3 weeks' vacation after 5 years of service and 4 weeks' vacation after 10 years of service; night call rate to be increased from $10 to $20 per week.
TREE DEPARTMENT:
(Peter M. Peters)-15% salary increase; 3 weeks' vacation after 5 years of service and 4 weeks' vacation after 10 years of service; time and one-half for all over time; to ascertain that monies are provided for present overtime provisions.
BOARD OF SELECTMEN:
Junior Building Custodian be raised on Wage Schedule from Grade 6 to Grade 8; the Senior Clerk and Secretary in the Selectmen's office be placed at increment 4.
All requests were considered and further background infor- mation obtained where necessary and our disposition of the re- quests can be found in the Articles the Personnel Board is spon- soring in the warrant for the March 1963 Town Meeting.
PLANNING BOARD Chester C. Sullivan
During the past year the Planning Board has been active in discussions which will be of great importance for the future de- velopment of the town.
Members of the Board attended regional meetings with rep- resentatives of the surrounding towns to look into the possibilities of having a regional incinerator. The Board also looked into the possibility of the town having an incinerator of its own. It was found that the cost of this installation would be too costly at this time.
The Planning Board, seeing the great need for more modern air travel facilities for our present and future industrial develop- ments, met with the Federal Aviation Commission and also the Civil Aeronautics Commission. As a result of these meetings, the Board sponsored an article in the 1962 Town Warrant to estab- lish an airport commission. This commission has been established and is now active.
With sewerage being one of the most important problems facing the town in the near future, the Board is in the process, at the present time, of gaining Federal assistance toward the cost
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of the final plans and specifications which are necessary before the town can apply to the Federal Government for 50% grant toward the initial cost of installation.
The Board has held several public hearings in the past year for proposed zoning changes in different areas of the town. Ar- ticles pertaining to these zoning changes appear in the warrant for the March 1963 Town Meeting.
The Board has this year approved plans for 8 one-acre sub- divisions totalling over 200 one-acre lots which will contribute to the future growth of the town.
In the near future the Planning Board will present to the town proposed zoning changes which will allow apartment houses to be built in the town. Also the Board will present the Master Plan with amendments.
In June 1962 the Board regretfully accepted the resignation of Mr. Wesley Barron, Chairman, who, while serving on the Plan- ning Board, attended numerous regional meetings representing the Board and the Town giving freely of his time and efforts with all the best interests of the Town at heart.
POLICE DEPARTMENT
John F. Sullivan, Chief
Armed Robbery
1
Ambulance Calls
63
Auto Accidents Investigated
204
Bad Checks
36
Bank Service
239
Bicycle's Stolen
26
Bicycle's Recovered
. 7
Breaks Investigated
85
Burglar Alarms Checked
52
Car Registration and Ownership
600
Cars Recovered
33
Cars Stolen
25
Complaints Received and Investigated
1534
Defective Equipment Tags Issued
64
Dog Bites Investigated
148
Dogs Killed
39
Dogs Reported Missing
59
Dogs Struck by Automobiles
105
89
Doors and Windows found Open
63
Family Trouble
104
Fires Policed
144
Funerals Policed
25
Hearings at Office
29
Injured Animals Shot
16
Investigations for Other Police Departments
59
License Issued to Carry Firearms
56
Lights Out, Poles and Wires Down
88
Lost Property
$ 1,209.00
Lost Property Recovered
$ 2.55
Malicious Damage to Property
$10,393.50
Messages Delivered
257
Missing Persons Reported
92
Missing Persons Returned
91
Monies Recovered
$ 9,312.14 $ 719.00
Operators' License Suspended
149
Other Emergencies
106
Parking Violations
18
Permits Issued, Work Sundays
11
Permits to Solicit
6
Persons Admitted to Mental Institutions
3
Property Checks
4,339
Prowlers Investigated
70
Public Functions Covered
168
Slippery Streets Checked
30
Stolen Motor Vehicles
34
Stray Dogs Reported
46
Sudden Deaths Investigated
7
Summons Served
481
Suspicious Cars Checked
101
Suspicious Persons Questioned
89
Transported to Hospitals
258
Value of Stolen Property
$51,573.30
Value of Stolen Property Recovered
$49,790.00
Vehicles Towed off Streets
165
Violations Notices Sent to Registry
73
DISPOSITION OF CASES District Court of Lowell Superior Court of East Cambridge
Dismissed
15
Filed
9
Fined
74
For Other Police Departments
19
Guilty
353
Monies Stolen
90
Not Guilty
2
Pending
5
Probation 17
Released
79
Armed Robbery
0
Aggravated Assault
1
Assault and Battery
5
Attaching Wrong Plates
2
Being Abroad in the Nighttime
2
Breaking and Entering in the Daytime and Larceny
2
Breaking and Entering in the Nighttime and Larceny
9
Breaking and Entering in the Nighttime with Intent to Commit a Felony 2
Breaking and Entering in the Nighttime with Intent
to Commit Larceny
0
Burglary
0
Contempt Warrant
0
Default Warrant, Non-Support
0
Delinquent Child
22
Disturbing the Peace
27
Drunkenness
76
Drunkenness Complaint
33
Failing to Display an Inspection Sticker
3
Failing to Slow Down at an Intersection
0
Failing to Stop for a Stop Sign
3
Failing to Stop for a Police Officer
3
Failing to Stop for a Red Light
10
Failing to Use Right Name
0
Forgery
0
Illegal Sale of Alcohol to a Minor
0
Indecent Assault and Battery
0
Intent B & E in the Nighttime with Intent to Commit Larceny Kidnapping
0
Larceny
3
Leaving a Scene After Causing Property Damage
2
Malicious Damage to a Building
3
Non-Payment of Fine to Court
5
Non-Payment of Wages
0
Non-Support
11
Open and Gross Lewdness
1
Operating After Rights Had Been Suspended
1
Operating After Suspension of License
7
Operating So As to Endanger 8
Operating Under the Influence of Alcohol 35
0
Operating Unregistered Motor Vehicle 2
Operating Without a License
0
Larceny from a Building
2
Operating Uninsured Motor Vehicle
8
91
Operating Without Authority of Owner, After License to Operate Had Been Suspended 1
Operating Without Authority of Owner, After Rights to Operate Had Been Suspended 0
Passing Where View is Obstructed
14
Possession of Burglar Tools
2
Racing
4
Safe Keeping
1
Stubborn Child
1
Threatening
0
Trespassing on Real Estate
1
Unlawful Use of a Motor Vehicle
6 0
Unnatural Act
Uttering
1
Vagrancy
5
Violation of Probation
0
Violation of Speed Laws
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BOARD OF PUBLIC WELFARE George O'Connell, Chairman 1962
Reference is made to the report of the Auditor for specific details on expenditures.
SUMMARY OF CASES
Open
Cases Aided as of Jan 1. 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963
Old Age Assistance
20
Closed 23
124
115
93
87
84
Medical Assistance
for the Aged
21
13
0
0
23
20
28
Aid to Dependent
Children
15
16
26
25
28
27
26
Disability
Assistance
11
10
16
18
22
21
22
General Relief
39
40
13
9
8
6
5
TOTALS
106
102
179
167
174
161
165
..
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The Board of Public Welfare organized the first Tuesday fol- lowing the Town Election of Officers and Mr. O'Connell was elected Chairman. The other Board members are: Mr. Victor Cluff, Mr. Joseph Whelan, Mr. Kevin Sullivan, and Mr. William Carter.
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1. Administration
Personnel in the department are employed under Civil Ser- vice. There are five emplyoees-the Director of Public Assistance, two Social Workers, and two Clerks. Salaries paid to both the members of the Board and employees for work performed on Old Age Assistance, Medical Assistance for the Aged, Aid to Depend- ent Children, and Disability Assistance are reimbursed with both State and Federal funds. The salaries and expenses for the Di- rector, two Social Workers, and one Clerk are reimbursed as follows: O.A.A. Federal-55%, M.A.A. Federal-55%, A.D.C. Fed- eral-75%, D.A. Federal-55%. In addition, the State will reim- burse 22.5% on O.A.A., 22.5% on M.A.A., 12.5% on A.D.C., and 20% on D.A. One Clerk, the Board, and all other administrative expenses are reimbursed about 47% Federal and 28% State. The Federal funds are set up in revolving accounts and are restricted to the use of the Board of Public Welfare for the purpose of ad- ministration. These funds are anticipated in the annual budget and not raised by the Town. The States share is returned to the Gen- eral Fund and is used for any purpose by the Town. This share must be raised by the Town, but the anticipated reimbursement is considered by the Assessors in setting the tax rate. The asses- sors normally anticipate as reimbursement the actual amount of reimbursement received in the previous year.
2. Old Age Assistance
This is a Federally-sponsored state plan administered by law by local Boards of Public Welfare. It requires local Boards to aid aged persons sixty-five and over who have resided in Massachu- setts for one year prior to application and who are in need. Need is established by applying the budgetary standards set up by the State Department of Public Welfare. Some of the other elements are: A person cannot have more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) in the bank, or cash, savings bonds, etc., and a lien is placed on property if applicant has an interest in such property.
The Federal government reimburses the department $54.00 a month for each case aided. The State pays two-thirds of the balance and the remainder is paid by the community aiding. If the person has not resided in town for five years, this amount is billed to the place he last maintained a residence for five years. If the person does not have five years' consecutive residence with- out aid, then the State is billed for the balance. The Board, in in its budget request, does not include the Federal share, as this amount, by law, is set up in a separate account and can be used only by the Board of Public Welfare for aid for Old Age Assistance cases. The Board, in its budget request, must raise the state and other cities and towns' share as this amount is reimbursed dircetly to the general fund to be used by the Town. However, this does
93
not adversely affect the tax rate as the Assessors anticipate the reimbursement based on the actual payments made by the State and Towns for this purpose in the prior year.
3. Aid To Dependent Children
Aid to Dependent Children is a Federally-sponsored plan ad- ministered by law by local Boards of Public Welfare to aid chil- dren, deprived of parental support, who are in need. Need is es- tablished by budgetary standards set up by the State Department of Public Welfare.
The following are circumstances under which a child can be considered deprived of parental support-desertion or mutual sep- aration, divorce, legal separation, incarceration or disability of the parent for more than three months, and death. Dependent chil- dren of a prior marriage who are in need can be considered on a limited basis for medical care, food, clothing, and personal care, only, if otherwise eligible.
In this program, Federal reimbursement is $20.50 per child; State reimbursement is one-third of the total expenditure; and the town aiding is responsible for the balance of aid rendered. The Board does not include the Federal share in its budget request. The Town must raise the State share and the local share be- cause the State's share is turned over to the general fund. The bal- ance is a direct cost to the town aiding, as settlement is not in- volved in this program.
4. Disability Assistance
Disability Assistance is a Federally-sponsored state plan ad- ministered by law by the local Boards of Public Welfare. It re- quires local Boards to aid persons who have been declared per- manently and totally disabled by the State Department of Public Welfare Medical Review Team and who are in need. Need is de- termined by budgetary standards set up by the State Department of Public Welfare.
The Federal reimbursement for money expended in this cate- gory is $46.50 per case and the town's share is a standard twenty- five (25) per cent of all the total cost. The balance is reimbursed by the State Department of Public Welfare. The same method of financing is in effect as on Old Age Assistance and Aid to De- pendent Children.
5. Medical Assistance For The Aged
During the past year, considerable publicity has been given to this program because of its relation to the proposed changes in social security which would cover certain items such as hospitali- zation (acute and chronic) under the social security system. Refer- rals are frequently made by doctors, hospitals, and other inter-
94
ested groups, to this department for applications. This has caused an increase in the rolls during the year and, as more publicity is given during the coming year, an additional increase is antici- pated. The bill authorizing this form of assistance was passed in 1960. The bill, as passed at that level, recognized a need for medi- cal care for aged persons. As in all plans for assistance under the Social Security Act, the individual states set up their own plan conforming to the general Federal requirements. This must be done before states are allowed Federal grants.
Under Chapter 781 of the Acts of 1960, the local Boards of Public Welfare in the various cities and towns are obliged to administer the program. As adopted by the General Court, briefly the program is as follows: Aged persons, sixty-five or over, who reside in the Commonwealth, are entitled to medical assistance, providing they do not have an income, if single, of more than $150.00 a month or, if married, $225.00 a month; and providing further that, if single, they do not have bank deposits, securities, cash on hand and/or similar assets amounting to more than $2,000.00 or, if married more than $3000.00. Persons eligible for this form of assistance shall be entiltled to part or all of the cost of: (1) in-patient hospital ward care; (2) public medical institution services; (3) nursing home services; (4) physicians' services; (5) out-patient or clinical services; (6) nursing services; (7) physical therapy and related services; (8) dental services; (9) home health care service; (10) laboratory and X-ray services; (11) prescribed drugs, eyeglasses, dentures, and other prosthetic devices; (12) diag- nostic screening and preventative services; (13) any other medical care or remedial care recognized under the law of the Common- wealth; and (14) other medical care in accordance with the Depart- ment of Public Welfare Medical Care Plan.
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