USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Wilmington > Town of Wilmington Annual Report 1956-1957 > Part 14
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1385 Nichols St. Billerica Line
139 Shawsheen Ave. Billerica Line
211 Burlington Ave. and Harris St.
2112 2114 Cedar St. and Burt Rd. Ceder St. and Oak Ct. 212 Burlington Ave. and Chestnut St.
2122 Chestnut St. and Butters Row
2124 Chestnut St. and Mill Rd. Mill Rd. Burlington Line 2127 Chestnut St. and Hillside Way
2128 Hillside Way Burlington Line
2129 Chestnut St. Woburn Line
2133 Marion and Clifton Sts.
2136 Marion St. (Between Clifton and Chestnut Sts.)
214 Burlington Ave. and Boutwell St.
2141 Boutwell St. and Taft Rd.
2142 Boutwell St, and Roosevelt Rd.
215 Burlington Ave. and Swain Rd.
2151 Swain and Taft Rds.
216 Burlington Ave. and Beach St.
217 Burlington Ave. and Forest St.
2171 Forest St. and Swain Rd. Forest St. and Pershing Rd.
311 Main and Lowell Sts.
312 Main St. and Butters Row.
3121 Butters Row (Between Chestnut St. and Main St.)
313 Memorial Park
314 Greer Company 315 Main and Eames Sts.
3151 Eames St. R.R. Crossing Raffi & Swanson Co.
3152
316 Main St. and Cook Ave.
317 Main St. Woburn Line 32 Lowell and Parker Sts. Parker and Blackstone Sts.
3212
321 Lowell and Cross Sts. 322 Lowell and Bay Sts.
3231 Woburn and Elm Sts.
3232 Woburn St. and Brentwood Ave.
3233 Woburn St. and Morse Ave.
3234 Woburn and Eames Sts.
3235 Woburn St. Woburn Line
324 Lowell and West Sts.
3241 West St. and Westdale Ave.
3242 West and Grove Sts.
3244
3245
3243 Grove St. Reading Line West St. and Suncrest Ave. 325 41 West St. Reading Line Lowell St. Reading Line Church St. Fire House
42 Church and Columbia Sts.
43 Church and Beacon Sts. Walker School
432 Beacon St. and Fairview Ave.
433 Fairview Ave. and Adams St. Ext.
44 Church and Clark Sts.
441 Clark St. and Middlesex Ave.
45 Church St. and Thurston Ave.
46 Church and Adams Sts.
461 Middlesex Ave. and Adams St.
462 Adams St. and Adams St. Ext.
47 Senior High School
48 Church St. and Middlesex Ave.
481 School St. and Junior High School
482 Buzzell School
483 Center School"
51 Middlesex Ave. and Wildwood St.
511 Wildwood St. (Near A. S. Hudson)
512 Wildwood St. (Near Vets. Housing)
513 Wildwood and Woburn Sts.
521 Glendale Circle
522 Glen Rd. R. R. Crossing
525 Glen Rd. and King St.
5253 King and Bartlett Sts.
526 Glen Rd. and St. Paul St.
53 Middlesex Ave. Town Hall
54 Middlesex Ave. and Federal St.
541 Federal and Concord Sts.
5412 Concord and Woburn Sts.
5413 Woburn St. (Near A. S. Eames )
5414 Concord St. No. Reading Line
542 Federal and Grant Sts.
544 Federal and Lincoln Sts.
546 Federal and Liberty Sts.
547 Woburn and Federal Sts.
548 Woburn and West Sts.
55 Middlesex and Mystic Aves.
56 C. S. Harriman Tannery
57 Whitefield School
571 Shady Lane Drive and Oakdale Rd.
572 Shady Lane Drive and Lawrence St.
58 Middlesex Ave. and North St.
581 North St. (Between Middlesex Ave. and Dadant Drive)
59 Middlesex Ave. and High St.
591 High and Woburn Sts.
592 Woburn and Park Sts.
593 Park and Gowing Sts. Park St. No. Reading Line
61 Middlesex Ave. and Salem St.
62 Salem St. R. R. Crossing (Portland)
63 Salem St. R. R. Crossing (Lawrence)
64 Salem and Cunningham Sts.
65 Salem St. and Silver Lake Rd.
651 McDonald Rd.
67 Salem St. Tewksbury Line
68 Salem and Ballardvale Sts.
681 Ballardvale St. (Near R. R. Bridge)
682 Ballardvale St. (Near Friends Farm)
683 Ballardvale St. (Near Thomas Morely)
684 Ballardvale St. Andover Line
691
69 Salem and Andover Sts. Andover and Woburn Sts.
692 Andover St. and Upton Ct.
693 Andover St. (Near T. C. Daley)
694 Andover St. Andover Line
71 Salem and Woburn Sts.
711 Woburn St. and Hathaway Rd.
714 Hathaway and Sheridan Rds.
72 Salem St. Town Dump
73 Salem St. No. Reading Line
2 All Out
22 No School (7:00 & 7:15 A.M.)
3 Special Call
4 Special Call
7 Police Call
8 Boy Scouts
10 Out of Town
666 Civil Defense
EMERGENCY FIRE 8-3200 BUSINESS TEL. 8-3346
FIRE TEI 8-3200
POLICE TEI 8-3331
-
Wilmington Memorial Library
Wilmington, Mass.
1251
594
431
2125
2173
at
your
service
FOR INFORMATION ON:
Aid to Dependent Children
Assessments Bills and Accounts Birth Certificate s Board of Selectmen By-Laws
Cemetery
Civilian Defense Civilian Defense Complaints (general) Construction
Contagious Diseases
Dead Animal Removal
Death Certificates
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Food Inspection
Fuel Oil Storage
Garbage Collection
Health (general)
Immunization Clinics
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Library
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Maps (official)
Milk Inspection
Old Age Assistance
Parks and Playgrounds Planning Board
Police
Property (Town Owned)
Property (Tax Title) Purchasing Recreation Program
Schools
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Trees
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Voting, Registration, etc. Water
Welfare, Public Wire Inspection Zoning
CALL
Welfare Department
Board of Assessors Town Accountant
Town Clerk Clerk of Board
Town Clerk
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Headquarters
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Building Inspector
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Town Clerk
8-3313 8-3770 8-3312 8-3311
Engineer
Town Clerk
8-3312
Town Manager
Board of Selectmen Fire Department
Board of Health
Fire Department
Board of Health
Board of Health
Board of Health
Town Counsel
Public Library
Town Clerk Town Clerk Health Department
Welfare Department
Cemetery Department
Agent (Town Engineer) Police Department Board of Selectmen
Town Treasurer
Purchasing Clerk Director of Recreation Superintendent of Schools Board of Health
Town Manager
Highway Department Board of Assessors Tax Collector
Tree Warden
Veterans' Agent
Housing Authority Veterans' Agent Town Clerk
Registrars of Voters
Water Department Welfare Department Building Inspector Building Inspector
AT:
8-2211 8-3314 8-3313 8-3312 8-3314 8-3312 8-3901 8-3556 8-8071 8-3311 8-3313
8-3311 8-3314 8-3200 8-3313 8-3346 8-3313 8-3313 8-3313 8-2026 8-2967 8-3312 8-3312 8-3313 8-2211 8-3901 8-3311 8-3331 8-3314 8-3313 8-3313
8-2052 8-2052 8-3313 8-3311 8-4481 8-3314 8-3312 8-2809 8-2994 8-3313 8-2994 8-3312 8-3312 8-4711 8-2211 8-3313 8-3313
1957
Annual Report
Wilmington Memorial Library.
Wilmington, Mass-
TOWN OF WILMINGTON Massachusetts
The Massachusetts Selectmen's Association PRESENTS First Prize
IN THE SECOND POPULATION GROUP
To the Town of
WILMINGTON
In Recognition of the Excellence of its TOWN REPORT For the Year 1956
AND in witness thereof has caused its seal and the signatures of its President and Secretary to be affixed hereto at Springfield on the Eleventh day of October, nineteen hundred and fifty-seven.
PRESIDENT
Mine
SECRETARY
ANNUAL REPORT - VOLUME I Town Officers and Departments and General Plan Report - 1957
erial View: High School & Town Common
Cover
Building Inspector
44
own Report: First Prize Certificate
Inside Cover
Veterans Agent
45
able of Contents
1 Board of Appeals 46
etter of Transmittal
2 Town Engineer
50
oard of Selectmen - 1957
3
Tree Warden 53
rogress - 1957
4
Water Department 54
he Job Ahead
5
Highway Department 57
irectory of Officials
6
Board of Health 61
Memoriam - Mary E. Gilligan
9
Dog Officer 67
Memoriam - Louis T. Doucette
10
Animal Inspector 67
Memoriam - William S. Cavanaugh
11
Board of Public Welfare 68
own Manager
12
School Maintenance Dept.
72
oard of Selectmen
17
Recreation Commission 75
onstable
18
Housing Authority
76
oard of Assessors
19
Board of Library Trustees 78
own Collector
22
Jury List 80
own Treasurer
23
Accepted (Public) Streets
82
own Clerk
24
Annual Town Mtg., March, 1957 89
egistrars of Voters
25
Special Town Mtg., August, 1957 100
arah D. J. Carter Lecture Fund
26
Special State Primary
103
own Counsel 27
Special Town Mtg., Nov., 1957 104
oard of Cemetery Commissioners
29
Special State Election 105
lanning Board
30
Warrant, Annual Town Mtg., 1958
i07
olice Department
34
Town Accountant
112
ire Department
37
Appendix - General Plan Report
131
40
Fire Alarm Signals
Inside Back Cover
ivil Defense , aler of Weights and Measures
43
At Your Service
Back Cover
1
Wilmington Memorial Library
Wilmington, Mass-
NGION N.M
JASS
1+INGO
PPOR
TOWN OF WILMINGTON MASSACHUSETTS
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
To the Citizens of Wilmington:
We herewith transmit the 1957 Annual Report of the Town of Wilmington for your consideration.
Because the Board of Selectmen believe that desirable progress is dependent upon informed citizenry who conduct municipal business in Town meeting, the affairs of the Town for the past year are described herein in full detail.
In addition to the annual reports of the Officers and Boards, your attention is directed to the General Plan Report - 1957 of the Planning Board which is included as an appendix to this volume.
Respectfully submitted, Board of Selectmen
Nicholas L. DeFelice, Chairman Charles H. Black Wavie M. Drew Francis J. Hagerty Donald C. Kidder
2
......
Charles H. Black
Donald C. Kidder
board of selectmen 1957
Nicholas L. DeFelice (Chairman)
-
Mrs. Wavie M. Drew
Wilmington Memorial Library Wilmington, Mass.
Francis J. Hagerty
3
progress - 1957
..... over $11, 500, 000 in new construction undertaken in 1957 - eighty per cent for industrial and commercial facilities.
Town Meeting votes to join M. D. C. Sewerage System and authorizes agreement to share sewer construction costs with AVCO Manufacturing Corporation.
Planning Board publishes General Plan Report-1957 as major step toward comprehensive master p
application filed for Federal Urban Renewal grant to plan rehabilitation of Wilmington Square.
construction started on Wilmington section of "Interstate Highway 93" (relocated Route 28).
contract awarded for construction of new standpipe.
first subdivision under construction in "Rural" zoning district (60, 000 sq. ft. minimum building lot nearly two miles of new water mains installed and 2500 feet of two-inch mains replaced. ..
. second addition to High School approved for construction by Town Meeting.
low rent housing project for elderly persons approved for construction with State funds.
major extension of fire alarm system installed by Fire Department personnel.
1956 Town Report awarded first prize in State -wide competition.
essential Town records microfilmed as insurance against irreplaceable fire loss. .
average value of new homes under construction increased $3000 per house over 1956.
Town Meeting overwhelmingly rejects proposal to elect Board of Assessors.
special committee to revise and strengthen Building By-Law appointed by Board of Selectmen and .. Town Manager.
4
Wilmington Memorial Library Wilmington, Mass.
the job ahead
.. install Wilmington's first sewer main on Woburn Street which will eventually serve entire southern industrial zone.
.. adopt special sewer act to provide for favorable financing of future sewer expansions outside statutory debt limit.
.. utilize federal funds for planning and engineering study of Wilmington Square rehabilitation through Urban Renewal Program.
.. continue "master plan" studies with federal matching grant for detailed park, playground and school site program, master street plan and official map.
.. develop standard plans and specifications for future school construction.
.. complete engineering plans for Town-wide sewer system for which Wilmington received $20, 000 Federal grant.
.. erect new standpipe with 1, 500, 000 gallon capacity by July 1, 1958.
.. adopt strengthened and revised Building By-Law in anticipation of massive population and building boom forecast for next ten years.
.. complete second addition to High School by September 1958. .... construct Glen Road Elementary School by September 1959. .... select and acquire sites for future West Wilmington and North Wilming - ton elementary schools.
.. mechanize Town bookkeeping systems.
.. develop plans for eventual construction of new Public Works Garage, new Police Station, new Town Hall, and new Public Library needed to serve anticipated growth of Town.
.. reconstruct and widen Park Street and provide acceleration-deceleration lane on Lowell Street.
.. complete project to eliminate conflicting street names.
.. continue successful program of high quality industrial and commercial development.
.. revise and up date traffic rules and regulations.
. . continue expansion of Civil Defense program.
.. develop program to eliminate or improve dangerous railroad bridges.
.. initiate experimental sanitary landfill operation for disposal of rubbish.
.. revise regulations governing the issuance of licenses and permits to improve enforcement and increase revenue to the Town.
5
DIRECTORY OF OFFICIALS - 1957
Term Expires
BOARD OF SELECTMEN
Nicholas L. DeFelice, Chairman
1958
Arthur V. Lynch, Chairman
19!
Charles H. Black
1960
Dudley A. Buck
19!
Wavie M. Drew
1959
Ernest M. Crispo
19(
Francis J. Hagerty
1959
John J. Hartnett
196
Donald C. Kidder
1960
James B. Moore
195
(Olive M. Sheldon, Clerk)
1958
Edward F. Page
195
TOWN MODERATOR Simon Cutter (elected annually)
TOWN MANAGER Joseph F. Courtney
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS John J. Collins
OFFICERS & DEPARTMENT HEADS
MEDICAL AGENT, BD. HEALTH Gerald A. Fagan, M. D.
MILK INSPECTOR Patrick A. Thibeau
MOTH SUPERINTENDENT John W. Babine
NURSE, PUBLIC HEALTH Ann Butters, R. N.
NURSE, SCHOOL Esther H. Nichols, R. N.
PHYSICIAN, SCHOOLS Ernest C. MacDougall, M. D.
PLUMBING INSPECTOR Herbert W. Pickering
POLICE CHIEF Paul J. Lynch
PUBLIC WEIGHER Joseph F. Lyons A. L. Osterman Wilbur T. Staveley
SEALER WEIGHTS & MEASURES Samuel P. Pike
SLAUGHTERING INSPECTOR Herbert W. Thrush
TOWN ACCOUNTANT Robert H. Peters
TOWN CLERK Esther L. Russell
TOWN COLLECTOR Miriam H. Ware
TOWN COUNSEL Philip B. Buzzell
TOWN ENGINEER George F. Maynard
TOWN TREASURER Grace H. Tilley
TREE WARDEN John W. Babine
VETERANS' AGENT Frederick H. Horton
VETERANS' GRAVE OFFICER Guy E. Nichols
WATER SUPERINTENDENT Edmund H. Sargent
WELFARE AGENT Andrew P. Ring
WIRE INSPECTOR Charles L. Webster
6
ANIMAL INSPECTOR Leo E. LeBlanc
BUILDING INSPECTOR Ernest B. Rice
CEMETERY SUPT. Ernest W. Eames
CIVIL DEFENSE DIRECTOR Rene J. LaRivee
CONSTABLE Harry J. Ainsworth A. John Imbimbo
DOG OFFICER Leo E. LeBlanc
EXTENSION SERVICE DIR. John R. Evans
FIRE CHIEF Arthur J. Boudreau
HEALTH AGT. & SANITARIAN Patrick A. Thibeau
HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT James H. White
LIBRARIAN Clara P. Chipman
SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Ten Expe
BOARDS, COMMITTEES AND COMMISSIONS
Term Expires
Term Expires
PPEAL, BOARD OF
HOUSING AUTHORITY
Walter L. Hale, Jr., Chairman
1959
Wm. F. Smith, Chairman
1961
Roland M. Fuller, Secretary 1958
John Bell
1958
A. Lloyd Laffin, Member
1960
Alan Fenton
1958
James R. Anderson (Associate) 1958
Kenneth H. Neagle 1962
Frank P. Leavitt (Associate)
1960
Ernest B. Rice
1960
LIBRARY TRUSTEES
Philip B. Buzzell, Chairman
1960
SSE SSORS, BOARD OF
Alfred Calabrese, Chairman
May Hadley 1959
Esther B. Hall
1959
Elizabeth N. Neilson
1960
PLANNING BOARD
ARTER LECTURE FUND COMMITTEE
Wm. K. Irwin, Chairman 1960
Alice M. Allen
1960
Helen P. Hayward
1958
Mildred E. Neilson
1962
Guy E. Nichols
1961
Claude W. Helwig
1961
Madelon C. Slater
1959
John P. Tobey
1962
Elmer H. Woller
1957
RECREATION COMMISSION
EMETERY COMMISSIONERS
David I. Elfman, Chairman
Guy E. Nichols, Chairman
1960
William F. Cavanaugh
1958
Joseph B. McMahon
1959
Lawrence H. Cushing
Edward M. Nichols
Norbert L. Sell
REGISTRARS, BOARD OF
Joseph P. Ring, Chairman
1958
F. Talbot Emery 1960
Phyllis O'Leary 1959
TRUSTEES OF TRUST FUNDS
Philip B. Buzzell, Chairman
1960
Harold E. Melzar 1958
Edward M. Neilson 1959
WATER COMMISSIONERS, BOARD OF
Harold E. Melzar, Chairman 1960
Ralph G. Babcock 1959
Waldo A. Stevens 1958
Vinal E. Lewis, Chairman
1958
Marion C. Boylen
1959
Augustus C. Walker
1959
Florence A. Balkus
Maurice D. O'Neil
Wilmington Memorial Library
Wilmington, Mass.
INANCE COMMITTEE
Herbert C. Barrows, Chairman
1959
William P. Curtin
1958
John G. Hayward 1959
Cornelius F. Joyce
1958
Ralph M. Kelmon
1960
Robert B. Michelson
1960
Frank P. Stevens
1960
William A. Stickney
1958
Stanley Webber
1959
Frankline E. Allen 1958
Olive M. Sheldon
A. Daniel Gillis, Secretary 1959
William A. Beers 1958
John R. Evans 1960
Carl A. Backman
Maybelle A. Bliss
EALTH, BOARD OF
WELFARE, BOARD OF PUBLIC
7
:
TOWN COMMITTEES
HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING COMMITTEE (Appointed by Moderator & Town Manager, 1953)
Fred T. Corum, Chairman
Earle S. Hamilton J. Parker Prindle John H. Tautges Basil L. Weatherbee
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
BUILDING COMMITTEE (Appointed by Moderator, 1956 )
David I. Elfman, Chairman
Erwin Hanke, Secretary
Arthur G. Ahearn (deceased)
Charles J. Baldwin
Edward T. Driscoll
Allick Epstein
Leo P. O'Connell
John H. Tautges
ADVISORY COMMITTEES TO THE TOWN MANAGER
ADDITIONAL POLICE FACILITIES COMMITTEE (Appointed by Selectmen and Town Manager)
William A. Beers, Chairman
Charles H. Black Earle S. Hamilton William K. Irwin
Garnet S. Mills
ADDITIONAL SCHOOL ACCOMMODATIONS (Appointed by Town Manager)
John Bell Lawrence P. Melzar Alanson Platt, Jr. Arthur F. Spear Edward A. Thomas
BUILDING BY-LAW COMMITTEE (Appointed by Selectmen and Town Manager)
Roland Woods, Chairman E. Hayward Bliss Gilbert Butt (resigned) Ray Fitzmaurice Garnet Mills
INSURANCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (Appointed by Town Manager)
Robert W. Gunderson, Chairman Augustus T. Norton Joseph J. Slater Howard A. Woolaver
PERSONNEL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (Appointed by Town Manager)
Stanley Webber, Chairman Doris C. Cady Frank P. Stevens
YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL (Appointed by Town Manager)
Rev. Richard E. Harding, Chairman Rev. Stanley Cummings Rev. Joseph W. Leahy Rev. John J. Regan John J. Collins
John A. Imbimbo Edward M. Nichols Lawrence H. Cushing
8
FIRE ALARM SYSTEM COMMITTEE (Appointed by Moderator, 1956 )
Arthur J. Boudreau, Chairman
Adrian A. Durkee
Alden N. Eames
John E. Murphy
Edward F. Page
Edward J. Sullivan
In Memoriam Mary E. Gilligan
Wilmington Memorial Library.
Having served her Town faithfully and with honor for ten years, Mrs. Mary E. Gilligan, Town Clerk, passed away suddenly on June 2, 1957.
The beloved wife of the late Joseph Gilligan, a former Selectman, Mrs. Gilligan was admired for her cheerful good sense and her unsurpassed knowledge of the Town.
Mrs. Gilligan's passing is a deeply felt loss to the Town, and her memory will long be cherished by her colleagues and many friends.
9
In Memoriam
Louis T. Doucette
A member of the Board of Assessors for twenty years, and a quiet gentle man, Louis T. Doucette was a native of Wilmington.
A stockbroker in the fabulous nineteen twenties, he turned to a new career in - Hollywood as a stage technician in the movie industry during the great de - pression.
Returning to Wilmington, he became a turkey farmer, and was elected to the Board of Assessors in 1937.
Respected for his integrity and his mastery of the responsibilities of his office, Mr. Doucette won the affection of his colleagues and the citizens of his beloved Wilmington.
" The least we can say is that he was one of the finest gentlemen ever to grace the Town of Wilmington. "
(Town Crier, June 20, 1957)
10
In Memoriam
William S. Cavanaugh
For many years a member of the Board of Cemetery Commissioner s William S. Cavanaugh had also held public office as Selectman and as Town Clerk.
The founder of the W. S. Cavanaugh & Son Funeral Home, he had been a resident of Wilmington for thirty-six years.
1 A charter member of Post 2458 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, a member of the Wilmington Post 136 of the American Legion, and the Rotary Club of Wilmington, he served his Town proudly and unselfishly both as public official and as a private citizen.
...
wilmington Memorial Library Wilmington, Mass.
11
INCOME
PROPERTY TAX
SCHOOLS
INCOME & CORPORATION TAX
MOTOR VEHICLE EXCISE
MISC.
TRANSFERS FROM SURPLUS FUNDS
REIMBURSEMENTS
EXPENSES
MATURING DEBT & INTEREST
PROTECTION PERSON'S & PROPERTY
SCHOOLS
PUBLIC
WORKS
CHARITIES 8 VETERANS BENEFITS
8 LIBRARY RECREATION
PENSIONS
GENERAL GOVERNMENT
HEALTH & SANITATION
OVERLAY
UNCLASSIFIED & RESERVE
STATE, COUNTY AGENCIES
WILMINGTON'S 1957 BUDGET
INCOME PERCENTAGE FOR PIE CHART
EXPENSE PERCENTAGE FOR PIE CHART
SCHOOLS
41.5
INCOME & CORPORATION TAXES
9.3
( SCHOOL DISTRIBUTION 7.1 )
(NON SCHOOL DISTRIBUTION 2.2)
SCHOOLS 5.7
PROTECTION, PERSONS & PROPERTY 11.5
11.4
CHARITIES & VETERANS BENEFITS
6.8
MOTOR VEHICLE EXCISE
5.3
GENERAL GOVERNMENT
4.5
TRANSFERS FROM SURPLUS FUNDS 4.0
OVERLAY 2.8
UNCLASSIFIED & RESERVE
2.4
STATE, COUNTY AGENCIES
1.7
MISC.
2.1
HEALTH & SANITATION 1.5
PENSIONS .9
LIBRARY & RECREATION
.9
100 %
PROPERTY TAX
70
MATURING DEBT & INTEREST 14.1
( SCHOOL PURPOSES 11.3) ( NON SCHOOL PURPOSES 2.8)
(REIMBURSEMENT SCHOOL CONST. 3.7) (GENERAL RECEIPTS 2.0)
PUBLIC WORKS
REIMBURSEMENTS, 3.6
CHARITIES & VETERANS BENEFITS
( POLL TAX, LICENSES, MEALS TAX)
( TOWN DEPARTMENTAL RECEIPTS)
100 %
12
wilmington Memorial Library Wilmington, Mass.
town manager
› the Citizens of Wilmington:
I submit my final annual report as Town Manager of Wilmington with satisfaction and regret.
During the past few years, Wilmington has evolved a practical philosophy of modern town govern- ent of which the essential components are:
1. professional town administration
2. integrated planning 3. effective citizen participation
The application of these to specific challenges of growth and change has equipped Wilmington to al successfully with a future which is rushing in upon it.
In 1957, the foremost contribution to the future of Wilmington was the decision of the Town to join e M. D. C. Sewerage System, and the simultaneous vote to authorize installation of the first sewer main.
Of perhaps equal importance was the publication of the Planning Board's General Plan Report - ich is published as an appendix to this report.
Also in 1957, construction of the first section of Interstate Highway 93 (relocated Route 28) was arted.
Ground was broken for Avco's multimillion dollar Research and Advanced Development Center.
A brief listing of the highlights of the past year precedes this report, and the departmental ports cover these and other matters in detail.
As in the case of any organization which is vital and enthusiastic, the Town of Wilmington has any tasks before it. We can look back in pride but chiefly for perspective to guide the community in the ars ahead.
Through a conscious policy of planning in anticipation of need which has permeated the municipal ganization, the Town has sought, for the most part with notable success, to relate immediate needs to long rm objectives. Our ultimate aim is to preserve and enhance Wilmington as a desirable community in which live and to work.
13
It is most important that the Town resist any temptation to lower the standards which protect ar conserve the human and economic resources of the Town. Constant civic vigilance is not only the price of continued progress but also the best insurance against selfish interests seeking to exploit the advantages of the Town contrary to the general welfare.
Without making a fetish of the tax rate, a reasonable compromise must be struck between stan- dards of service and the ability of the taxpayer to absorb the costs of service. Poor, inadequate municipal services and excessive taxes equally threaten Wilmington's aim of balanced economic development which wi eventually relieve the taxpayer and support increasingly improved levels of service.
Of prime importance is the fair and impartial administration of the Assessors' office, through which the costs of Town services are apportioned equitably, without favor or special privilege. It is decide in the best interests of the Town to protect the reputation earned by the Board of Assessors for which Wilmington has been cited as a model for other communities.
Neither compromise on service expenditures nor the most admirable system of assessing taxes can offset the skyrocketing costs of operating the Wilmington Public Schools. The chart on the following pa entitled Tax Rate Analysis, graphically records one development of this problem. From 1950 when the sch system's share of the tax dollar was 30 per cent, to 1957 when the school system's share of the tax dollar reached 55 per cent, the problem has grown progressively more acute. Only by offsetting reductions in the share of the tax dollar claimed by non-school services has the general tax rate been kept within acceptable bounds.
There is no question as to the need or justification for these school expenditures. The real cul- prit is the overburdened and regressive property tax which must support seventy per cent of municipal cost and the sole answer lies in the development of a major new source of revenue through taxing power of the Commonwealth. Massachusetts ranks as one of the least generous of the forty-eight states in its contributi to public education. The most likely source of relief is a sales tax earmarked principally for the support o public schools.
There are, however, some opportunities for the community to partially alleviate the crushing weight of school costs of which the most promising lies in the economical construction of new schools. Con prehensive proposals to achieve this end will be submitted to the 1958 Annual Town Meeting. By drawing upon the General Plan studies to forecast when and where schools will be required, and by the determined application of standard plans and specifications so as to deliberately minimize the unit cost of school con- struction, it should be possible to accomplish this without detracting from a sound educational program.
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