Great Debate Looms Over Civic Center Replacement at Aaron Guild School-June 16, 1981

FinCom Blocks New Funding as Controversy Swirls Around Scaled-Down Replacement Plans

A great debate on the future of the Norwood Civic Center looms as the sole explosive issue at the concluding session of a special town meeting scheduled for Thursday. Last night, town meeting disposed of 17 matters on a 21-article agenda but, shortly before 11 p.m., decided to hold the remaining four articles — all dealing with the contentious Civic replacement issue — for another night. The permanent building construction committee will report that a total of $2.18 million is available from the high-profile sale of the original Norwood Civic Center property to Norwood Hospital for town meeting to allocate. However, the committee wants definitive direction on whether to proceed with planning scaled-down facilities at the former Aaron Guild School site because the money available is insufficient to completely replace the Civic facilities according to the original plan. The estimated cost of a complete facility replacement stands at $2.9 million.

Proponents of building a Civic Center at the Guild School, including District 9 town meeting members Walter J. Grady and Edward F. McKenna, want town meeting to proceed immediately with the scaled-down facility blueprints. Selectmen and the building committee huddled with the FinCom, which was looking for information before making an official recommendation to the floor. Last night’s session provided a sharp taste of the intense debate anticipated on Thursday. FinCom member Joseph R. Adakonis heatedly disputed the results of a non-binding referendum which Selectman Walter J. Dempsey had been instrumental in placing on the April town election ballot.

Answers to those four ballot questions indicated that most voters wanted planning of a Civic Center at the Guild School delayed to see how plans for an area YMCA materialize. Mr. Adakonis claimed the only “true referendum” is asking voters questions on a highly specific plan and location, arguing that town meeting should vote to continue planning a facility at the Guild School and then put a single question on a referendum ballot. Selectman Dempsey promised there would indeed be a referendum if town meeting did as Mr. Adakonis suggested. Ultimately, the FinCom refused to support Mr. Adakonis‘s motion and will officially recommend that town meeting not appropriate more money for facilities at the Aaron Guild School. Concurrently, selectmen, who have encouraged cooperative talks with Walpole selectmen about collaborating on developing a regional YMCA, voted 4-1 to oppose developing the Guild School site.

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