Ambrose J. Kelly Protests Lack of Replacement Plan for Norwood Civic Center Following Hospital Sale-October 17, 1979

The controversial municipal sale of the Norwood Civic Center to Norwood Hospital came under renewed fire last night as local publisher and former finance commissioner Ambrose J. Kelly appeared before the Board of Selectmen to demand immediate, concrete planning for replacement recreational facilities.

Pressing Selectmen on Civic Center Replacement

While Kelly acknowledged that he may never fully accept the loss of the 5.65-acre civic property, his primary focus centered on the town’s lack of preparedness for the facility’s impending closure when the hospital takes full possession of the site in 1981.

“I don’t want the Civic to go down the drain,” Kelly declared during his requested appearance before the board. Berating town leaders for failing to establish a definite replacement timeline, Kelly asserted, “I don’t think we’re planning today.”

Selectmen Chairman Joseph F. Curran acknowledged that the board currently lacked a finalized replacement blueprint, though he assured Kelly that “there will be steps taken to replace that Civic.”

Despite Kelly’s strident tone and pointed criticisms, selectmen maintained a calm demeanor, good-naturedly welcoming the veteran civic figure back into the arena of public debate.

Frustration with Representative Town Meeting

The exchange took a sharp political turn when Selectman Martin J. Lydon attempted to deflect Kelly’s criticisms by recalling Kelly’s historical role back in the 1940s helping to inaugurate Norwood’s representative form of town meeting government.

Kelly met the reminder with sharp, unvarnished regret: “You know, I made a big mistake. We should dump it today and put in a paid council.”

Despite Kelly’s urgent pleas and calls for structural reform, selectmen offered few concrete answers or immediate satisfaction, leaving the future recreational replacement strategy unresolved.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger