USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Wilbraham > Wilbraham annual report 1941-1945 > Part 15
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36
Article 23 and 24. Voted that the town highway leading from the Stone Church in Wilbraham to the corner of Chapel Street and Maple Street in North Wilbraham shall be officially called Mountain Road.
Article 25. Voted to raise and appropriate the sum of $300.00 for the operation of three playground projects in the vicinity of each of the schools in the town during the months of July and August, under the direction of the School Com- mittee.
Article 26. Voted to irstruct the Selectmen to appoint a committee of two members to serve with the Selectmen in making a study of the desirability of the adoption of any of the provisions of the statutes of the Commonwealth pertaining to the creation of retirement benefits for employees of the town, and to instruct said committee to render a report of its findings to the Town at the next annual meeting or any special meeting which the Selectmen may call for such purpose.
Article 27. Voted to instruct the Selectmen to study the proposal to raise and appropriate a sum of money to be used for the collection of garbage under such policies and regulations, and in such areas as the Board of Selectmen may define and determine, and report back at the next annual meeting, or earlier if possible.
Article 28. Voted to accept the sum of $33.07 realized from the sale of the old Civil War Mortar and other scrap metal sold by the town, and designate said sum as a fund to be expended by the Selectmen after the termination of the current war, for the purchase of a plaque or marker to be placed at or near the civil war Soldiers Monument commemorating the war usefulness to which said mortar was converted.
Article 29. Voted to authorize the Board of Selectmen, Schocl Committee, Water Commissioners and Fire Commis-
23
sioners to sell any materials, machinery, tools or supplies in their custody for which the town no longer has use.
Article 30. Vcted to authorize the Board of Selectmen to create such appointive office as the Board may deem practical in connection with the development of a Board of Selectmen's Reference Guide, and for the securing of such other advisory service as the Board may consider advantageous to the town provided that any renumeration set for such appointive office shall be paid from within existing appropriations available for expenditure by or under the direction of the Board of Selectmen.
Voted that the sum of $12,000.00 of the total appropria- tion be taken from the free cash in the treasury. Voted that all money appropriated at this meeting bye raised by assess- ment against the polls, personal properties and real estate of the town, unless otherwise provided for at this meeting.
Resolution.
We the people of Wilbraham in annual Town Meeting as- sembled, hereby adopt the following resolution :
Whereas, Mr. David Nassif on behalf of the David Nassif Company has tendered a substantial and generous gift to the Town of Wilbraham and
Whereas the Town has gratefully accepted said gift in accor- dance with Article 18 of the Warrant for this Annual Meeting, the townspeople do record their sincere appreciation for this gift and do instruct the Town Clerk to forward a written copy of this Resolution to Mr. Nassif and to incorporate it in the official records of this meeting.
Resolution.
We, the people of Wilbraham in Annual Town Meeting as- sembled, hereby adopt the following resolution:
Whereas Mr. George E. Murphy Jr. has served the Town of Wilbraham as its Selectman continuously since 1930, and has filled that office in ar cutstanding fashion and with a rare degree cf loyal, capable and unselfish service to Wilbraham, and
Whereas, because of his responsibilities for and to the Com- monwealth of Massachusetts, he is unable to continue in the office of Selectman, we do hereby register the sincere apprecia- tion of the Town of Wilbraham for the exceptional service that Mr. Murphy has rendered to the Town, and the Town Clerk is instructed to forward a written copy of this Resolution to Mr. Murphy and to incorporate it in the official records of this meeting.
JENNIE T. ABBOTT Town Clerk
24 Special Town Meeting
MAY 19, 1943
In accordance with the foregoing Warrant the inhabitants of the town assembled in Grace Union Parish House on Wed- nesday, May 19, 1943 at 8 o'clock P. M. and acted on the following articles :
Article 1. Rev. Howard Orr was elected Moderator of the meeting.
Article 2 and 3. Voted that the town, under the provisions of Section 4 of Chapter 40 of the General Laws authorize the Board of Health:
1. In its name and behalf to make such contract or con- tracts for the collection of garbage in the town as said Board shall deem advisable.
2. To prescribe rules and regulations governing the collec- tion of garbage in the town, including the establish- ment of such fees for garbage collection service, as will as nearly as possible equal the cost to the town for such service.
3. To provide in any contract made as herein authorized that garbage shall be collected only from those house- holders who pay in advance to the town collector the prescribed fees.
Voted that the town collector be authorized and instructed to receive fees for advance payments for garbage collection service and to promptly certify to the Board of Health the names of all persons making such payments, together with the amounts so paid, and the periods covered thereby.
Voted to authorize the Board of Health to license garbage collectors in the town.
Voted that the sum of $1,500.00 be appropriated from free cash in the treasury to cover the cost of the garbage collection service to be contracted for.
Voted that all the votes passed under this article shall remain in force and effect, and the powers and authority therein vested and given to the officials named shall be exercised by them, or their successors in office, until votes shall be duly recinded.
25
Article 4. Voted that the town sell that certain tract of land, with the buildings thereon, known as the Stony Hill Schoolhouse Lot, situated in Wilbraham, Hampden County, Massachusetts, bounded and described as follows:
Southeasterly by Stony Hill Road thirty-five and 93/100 (35.93) feet and by the northwesterly line of said Stony Hill Road forty-nine and 50/100 (49.50) feet; and Southerly one hundred fifty-three and 69/100 (153.69) feet; Northwesterly one hundred thirty-two and 75/100 (132.75) feet, and Northeasterly one hundred fifty and 21/100 (150.21) feet by land now or formerly of Mildred I. Cotter. All of said boundaries are determined by the Court to be located as shown upon plan numbered 17644-A, filed with certificate of title No. 3250, the same being compiled from a plan drawn by Cobb, Beesley & Miles, Engineers, dated April 1940, and additional data on file in the Land Registration Office, all as modified and approved by the Court. Being the same premises described in the Original Certificate of Title No. 3250, registered in Book 17, Page 10, Hampden County Registry District, Land Court of Massachusetts;
that the Selectmen be and they are hereby authorized and directed to make such sale at public auction or private sale, for such sum as they shall deem reasonable and proper; and that the Selectmen be and they are hereby authorized and directed, in the name and behalf of the town to execute, ack- nowledge, and deliver a deed conveying said premises to the purchaser.
Article 5. Voted to accept and allow a town way, known as Bartlett Ave. or Bartlett Road, in the town of Wilbraham, as shown on plan entitled "Plan of Layout for Streets, Wilbra- ham. Merrill & Sears Civil Engineers, dated April 17, 1943", as laid out by the Selectmen, said way being described as follows :
Beginning at the road formerly known as Glendale Road and now known as North Mountain Road at an iron post on the southeasterly corner of the land now owned by one Kittridge and running in a westerly direc- tion in a width of forty feet for a distance of 1500 feet to the point where said Bartlett Ave. intersects Bartlett Court and also where it turns to a northerly direction.
Said town way is laid out over land now or formerly be- longing to Charles H. Cole.
Voted to appropriate $800.00 for the improvement of said road and to raise said sum by assessment against the polls, personal properties and real estate of the town.
26
Article 6. Voted to accept and allow a town way, known as Bulkley Road, in the town of Wilbraham, as shown on plan entitled "Plan of Land-Wilbraham, Mass., owned by George B. Bulkley, Merrill & Sears, Civil Engineers. Dated Sept. 19, 1933", as laid out by the Selectmen, said way being decsribed as follows:
Beginning at the easterly side of Main Street at an bar on the northwest corner of land of Annable, and running southeasterly at an angle of 84°37' with Main Street in a width of fifty feet; bounded on the north side by land of Hayn and Bulkley for a distance of five hundred and fifty feet from Main Street to the westerly end of the private way known as Birchknoll Drive.
Said town way is laid out over land now or formerly belonging to Chester B. and Helen D. Buckley.
Voted to appropriate $100.00 for the improvement of said road and to raise said sum by assessment against the polls, personal properties and real estate of the town.
Article 7 and Article 8. Voted to accept and allow a part of the town way, known as Manchonis Road, in said town of Wilbraham, as laid out by the Selectmen, said way being described as follows:
Beginning at about 800 feet beyond the intersection of Manchonis Road and Forest Street and extending in a westerly direction for a distance of about 700 feet.
Voted to use for the improvement of said road the sum of $550.00 previously appropriated and set aside for this purpose.
Article 9. No action taken.
Article 10. Voted to transfer from available funds in the treasury the sum of $500.000 for the purchase of war bonds that are legal investments for savings banks, in order to estab- lish a post-war rehabilitation fund, in accordance with the provisions of Chapter 5 of the Acts of 1943.
Voted to adjourn.
JENNIE T. ABBOTT Town Clerk
27 Town Clerk's Report
January 1 - December 13, 1943
Births recorded 68
Births of prior years recorded
56
Correction of record of births 5
Marriages recorded
39
Correction of record of marriage
1
Deaths recorded
23
Personal property mortgages recorded
19
Other instruments recorded
20
Gasoline permits renewed
18
Dog licenses-male
210
Dog licenses-famale
52
Dog licenses-spayed female
83
Dog licenses-kennel
2
Resident Citizens' Fishing licenses
141
Resident Citizens' Hunting licenses 125
Resident Citizens' Sporting licenses
90
Resident Citizens' Women's and Minor's Fishing licenses 47
Resident Citizens' Trapping licenses 5
Resident Citizens' Trapping and Sporting-Free
9
Non Resident Citizens' Hunting Licenses 1
Non Resident Citizens' Special Fishing licenses 1
Duplicate Licenses 4
Oaths administered 45
WALTER F. BERRY,
Town Clerk
28
Report of Board of Selectmen
Although current industrial activity has reduced the public welfare responsibilities of your Board of Selectmen to a minimum, man power shortages and wartime restrictions have made it extremely difficult to maintain the normal services of the Town.
In cooperating with the State program to curtail road work, no Chapter 90 maintenance work was done during 1943. (Chapter 90 highway construction was suspended in 1942) However, every effort has been made to complete an adequate highway program under Chapter 81 to properly maintain and safeguard the Town's roads. Private ways accepted by the town (Bulkley Road, a portion of Bartlett Rcad and a portion of Manchonis Road) were given the attention necessary to insure their safe use.
In spite of an approach toward a scarlet fever epidemic early in the year that caused the Board to promulgate rather severe restrictions on gatherings, and to request the School Department to close the schools for two weeks, the Town was relatively fortunate in reaching a proportionately light peak in maximum number of cases.
In common with most of New England, the Town exper- ienced several acute peak shortages of kerosene and fuel oil during the latter part of last winter. The Board is grateful to Mr. Ira Belcher for his wholehearted cooperation in developing and carrying out a joint program to insure available supplies being distributed so as to avoid suffering. In one critical period when local supplies of kerosene were exhausted the Board was able to secure a government directive allocating a sufficient supply to Wilbraham to meet that emergency.
In accordance with the requests originating at the last annual meeting for some form of Town controlled garbage collection, the Board of Selectmen made an extensive study of this problem and submitted detailed report and recommenda- tion to a special meeting of the Town called for that purpose on May 19, 1943. In accordance with the vote of the Town at that special meeting, the Board of Selectmen made con- tracts with Timothy Sweetman. and Paul Miarecki for garbage collection from all householders paying the established fee to the Town Collector. It was impractical to provide for the collection service from certain less populous sections of the Town until or unless a sufficiently large group of neighboring householders to warrant the service might jointly apply. A fee of $4.00 per year was secured; rules and provisions for signing up for the service were published (available upon re- quest at the Town Office). At the present writing there are 138 subscribers to the garbage collection service, 111 in the
29
Wilbraham section and 27 in the North Wilbraham area). Residents of the Town are urged to remind their neighbors of this practical and economical service that it may be further extended to become as generally effective as possible.
The Board arranged for a complete inspection of the public safety and exit facilities of all liquor license holder establishments and as a result ordered certain improvements made, with prompt and cooperative response by the operators.
In accordance with Article 19 of the last annual meeting the Board completed the alterations to the Town Barn to provide more adequate facilities for the Ration Board and an additional exit for public safety. L'ater in the year heavy wire screening was installed on the inside of all first fiocr win- dows for burglary protection. This installation was completed a few nights befcre thieves did actually break into the building. They were not successful in securing anything of value, but did manage to turn fles upside down and make a great deal of Work for Wilbraham's already hard working Ration Board.
With the cooperation of the American Legion, the Ration Board and the Committee on Public Safety, the Legion room in the Town Barn has been used regularly by the North Wilbra- ham Red Cross bandage making group, and will be rendered available to any war work group during hours when the room is not otherwise in use.
In view of the urgent need of football and baseball facil- ities for younger boys, Mr. Charles Stevens, headmaster of the Academy, volunteered to permit local boys to use a tract of Academy land on the north side of Faculty Street and in North Wilbraham, Mrs. Ethel Bradway continued her gen- erosity of previous years in letting the boys use her land known as Grassy Hollow. In Wilbraham Messrs. Kenneth Jack, Herman Nieske and Donald Stiles arranged for grading and installing goal posts and in North Wilbraham Messrs. John Tupper and Jerry Donahue lent their assistance.
Unfortunately the year 19-13 brought to a close the long years of faithful service of our Town Clerk, Mrs. Jennie T. Abbott. The Board filled this vacancy until the next regular election by the appointment of Mr. Walter F. Berry to per- form the duties of Town Clerk.
Local war service committees have all continued to serve with unabated interest; to all these people the Board expresses its appreciation. During the current year the matter of salvage collection has proven one of the most pressing of the local war committee assignments and the results under the chairman- ship originally of Mr. Adolph G. Miller and currently of Mr. William F. Logan have been most gratifying.
On January 22, 1943 the Board received favorable decision of the Land Court relative to title to the Stony Hill school lot. This was put up at auction, in accordance with vote of the Town, at the special meeting held on May 19, 1943. It was
30
sold to Mrs. Lavinia M. Walker for the sum of $2,530.00. The matter of determination of title to the Mountain school and the Mile Tree school are still awaiting Land Court consideration.
Relative to the Town's vote providing for a study of and report on the possible adoption by the Town of any provisions in Massachusetts statutes pertaining to retirement benefits for employees of the Town the Board and its committee appointed to study the subject are not as yet ready to report.
The Town has for several years urgently needed a secluded, but assessible tract of land with an adequate storage building for use of the highway and water departments. The most difficult part of this need has proven to be the finding of a suitable and practical site. The Board believes it has finally located an especially suitable lot on Boston Road and is sub- mitting to the 1944 Annual Town Meeting an article to author- ize its purchase. The Board recommends that this land be purchased and gradually prepared for the later construction of a suitable building which would be built as a post-war project.
The Board has given considerable study to the matter of post war public works - so that if and when such under- takings might prove necessary, Wilbraham would be ready with a plan for constructive, needed improvements that would provide lasting benefit to the Town instead of being perhaps forced to rush into makeshift work producing non-essentials. One of these projects which cannot be adequately studied without some current expenditure for engineering consultants is the matter of sewage disposal. There are presently sewer lines in two sections of the Town which discharge into the Chicopee River. Some future project to otherwise dispose of this sewage, either into Springfield or Ludlow sewage disposal plants or into a local disposal installation should be planned and studied. To this end the Board is placing before the Town's Annual Meeting an article authorizing a moderate appropria- tion for the necessary engineering consideration.
In fiscal matters, the Town's finances are in excellent condition. A substantial total of 1943 appropriations were not expended and have reverted to the town treasury. We recommend that these funds be carefully held against the probability of future heavy financial burdens. Accumulated highway and other requirements, set aside for the duration of the war, will not produce sudden future tax jumps if we con- tinue to safeguard and increase cur present cash position.
Your Board is proud to be officials of an outstanding Town and expresses its appreciation for the continued cooperation and helpfulness of the townspeople.
Faithfully yours,
J. LORING BROOKS, Jr. ALBERT L. MARTIN IRVING J. CORDNER Selectmen
31 Report of the Planning Board
In accordance with the article passed at the Town Meeting of February, 1942, your Planning Board has been working on a revision of the existing zoning ordinances. The work has been completed and the Planning Board submits as its report for your study, the following, which comprises the new zoning ordinances, together with map attached hereto showing var- ious zones in the town. It is not intended that action be taken at this meeting but the Planning Board hopes that the in- habitants of the town will study the proposed zoning ordinances as sumbitted herewith and the Planning Board will welcome any suggestions that might be made for its betterment.
The Town of Wilbraham presents peculiar problems in the matter of zoning, Much of the town is devoted to agri- cultural use and, in addition, we have substantially all types of residential areas. At the same time the town has shown indications that it will eventually become, to a large extent at least, a residential community. The Planning Board, in developing the revised zoning ordinances, have attempted, as far as possible, to zone the town in accordance with the present type of residence encountered in the various localities and, at the same time, protect the town against undesirable future developments. At the same time it is necessary, of course, that present agricultural uses be permitted to continue. We have tried to solve the above problems and while there may be individual cases which are aggrieved by the provisions of the new zoning ordinances, the Planning Board feels that the town will develop along lines considered proper for cur own par- ticular community.
It is the intention that, after a suitable time has passed, these ordin ances will be presented for formal action, and the Planning Board sincerely hopes that the townspeople give these ordinances favorable consideration when presented formally.
Planning Board of the Town of Wilbraham A. I. MACDONALD, Chairman
RUSSELL, HARRINGTON RAYMOND H. BEACH RAY PALMER WALTER LAUFFERT
32
ZONING BY-LAW OF THE TOWN OF WILBRAHAM Amended and Revised
SECTION 1
To promote the health, safety, convenience, morals or welfare of its inhabitants, for the prevention of fire and the preservation of life, health and morals in the town, under the provisions of the General Laws, including Chapter 40, Sec- tions 25 to 30B inclusive, and Chapter 143, Section 3, the Town of Wilbraham is hereby divided into zones or districts, defined and bounded on the zoning map dated January, 1944, and filed in the Office of the Town Clerk, which map with its notations is hereby made a part of this by-law.
This by-law repeals and replaces the zoning by-law adopted by the Town meeting of February 2, 1931.
SECTION 2. DISTRICTS
For the purpose of this by-law the Town of Wilbraham is divided into six classes of districts, designated as :
1. Residence Al Districts.
2. Residence A2 Districts.
3. Residence A3 Districts.
4. General or Class B Residence Districts.
5. Business Districts.
6. Industrial Districts.
SECTION 3. DEFINITIONS
In this by-law, the following terms shall have the meanings as set forth herein :
1. "Family": Any number of individuals living and cooking together on the premises as a single housekeeping unit.
2. "Dwelling": Any building used in whole or in part for habitation.
3. "One-family House": A detached dwelling designed for a single family.
4.
"Semi-detached House": Two one-family houses
built together at the same time and separated by a fireproof division wall with no openings.
5. "Two-family House": A detached dwelling designed for two families.
6. "Apartment House": A dwelling designed for or occupied by more than two families.
7. "Half-story": That portion of a building under a sloping roof, the cubic content of which is not in excess of seventy per cent of that of the story below. If the cubic con- tent exceeds seventy per cent of that of the story below, then such portion shall be deemed another story.
33
8. "Habitable Area": Shall be that portion of a building, exclusive of the garage, above grade and commonly used as living quarters by the occupant of the structure.
9. "Accessory Use of Building": A use of land or a building customarily incident to and located on the same lot with another use of land or a building.
10. "Non-conforming Use or Building": Existing use of land or a building which does not conform to the regulations for the district in which such use of land or a building exists.
11. "Lot": A lot is that area of land described in the application for a permit to construct the building.
12. "Tent": For the purpose of this by-law a tent will be considered a building, and is hereby subject to all regulations as to buildings.
USE REGULATIONS
SECTION 4. RESIDENCE A1, A2 AND A3 DISTRICTS
In any residence A1, A2 or A3 District no building shall be erected, altered or used nor may any premises be used except for one or more of the following purposes:
1. One-family houses, except that, however, the Board of Appeals may, after public hearing, and if it deems such action wise and if it appears to the Board that such action will not tend to deteriorate the standard and character of the neighbor- hood, authorize a variation in the use of an existing one-family detached house erected prior to 1920 so that such house may be altered and improved and facilities added for the use of not more than two families, provided the petitioner shall present the Board of Appeals adequate plans setting forth the changes and improvements to be made and provided that such changes and improvements do not materially alter the exterior appear- ance of the existing structure. Prior to the public hearing to be held in connection with any petition under this section of these by-laws, the Board of Appeals shall send written notice of such public hearing to all abutters of the subject property together with the owner of the parcel directly across the street and owners on the parcels next on either side thereof. Such notices shall contain the date and place of such public hearing and a resume of the subject matter thereof and shall be mailed to the owners of record of the parcels indicated above at their last known mailing address. Such variation shall be granted by the Board of Appeals only when it is clear that such changes and improvements are for the best interests of the community. Each case shall be considered on its own merits and no case shall raise a presumption in favor of any other case. Nothing herein contained in this section and no variation granted by the Board of Appeals under this section shall be considered as changing or affecting the zoning of any residence "A" district.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.