High-Stakes Overhaul for the Historical Village Inn-This Day in Norwood History-June 28, 1978

$100,000 Reconstruction Approved as LaRosa Brothers Retire; Town Gridlocks Over a Staggering $700,000 Boston Edison Energy Crisis

The dramatic shift marks the end of a notable 15-year administrative era under the stewardship of the LaRosa Corporation, as the local LaRosa brothers officially head into retirement.

The powerful liquor license was transferred directly to an experienced partnership consisting of Henry Y. Tawil of Brockton and John Fraser of New Seabury. Represented by Quincy attorney George Tull, both Fraser and Tawil bring an extensive, sophisticated background in commercial food service and hotel-motel management to the town center. The new owners plan to execute a complete operational shutdown of the inn lasting up to six weeks to safely facilitate the massive interior construction.

According to Fraser, the revamped establishment will pivot heavily toward an elevated restaurant experience. The $100,000 modernization plan will include the installation of private dining booths throughout the main hall and the construction of a grand, horseshoe-style center bar designed to recapture lost patrons while attracting a fresh town clientele. Interestingly, no mention was made regarding the future configuration of the 16 residential rooms occupying the upper two stories of the landmark building. Selectman Mary J. Fox voiced her enthusiastic endorsement of the project, remarking, “I think we need a really nice place in town.” For the record, Selectman Joseph F. Curran publicly acknowledged his long-standing personal friendship with Fraser prior to the roll call.

The multi-tiered corporate transition required significant legal maneuvering to navigate outstanding state liabilities. The selectmen conditioned their final approval upon receiving an official certificate of good standing from the Massachusetts Department of Corporations and Taxation. The LaRosa Corporation’s legal counsel, Frank N. Dardeno of Somerville, openly disclosed that approximately $2,000 or more in unpaid state meals taxes currently remains on the corporation’s ledgers. William C. Phipps, a certified public accountant representing the LaRosa family, explained that the tax payment had been temporarily delayed because the state department had to resubmit a corrected, audited bill. Dardeno assured the board that all other private creditors have been fully compensated and the corporation carries zero outstanding debt.

To satisfy the state tax debt, a significant secondary real estate transaction was executed concurrently. The LaRosa brothers finalized the sale of an adjacent two-family home they owned at the intersection of Central Street and Park Street directly to the Norwood Co-Operative Bank. Attorney Dardeno revealed that the total proceeds from this residential property sale will be applied directly to wipe out the remaining meals taxes.

The bank intends to completely demolish the multi-family structure. Because this parcel sits directly between The Village Inn and the main banking facility, municipal officials initially suggested that the new inn operators might negotiate nighttime parking privileges on the land to ease the chronic on-street parking congestion suffocating the business district. However, bank representatives indicated they are not planning to construct an asphalt parking lot on the site; instead, executive plans are centering on designing a manicured civic park to aesthetically complement and enhance their ultramodern bank building.

The selectmen did hold the line on one major financial request. Attorney Dardeno petitioned the board to allow the LaRosa brothers to attach a first mortgage lien directly to the liquor license as a form of private financial security for the real estate sale. However, Selectmen Chairman Martin J. Lydon voiced fierce opposition to the measure, adamantly refusing to tie a municipal pouring license into a private commercial real estate transaction. The board unanimously backed Chairman Lydon, denying the request.

Part II: The $700,000 Energy Deficit and Local Governance

While the revitalization of The Village Inn dominated commercial headlines, the board was forced to confront a staggering, late-hour fiscal emergency that threatens the town’s immediate financial standing. The selectmen officially declared that a severe financial emergency exists within the town’s utility accounts due to an estimated $700,000 deficit in the municipal fund utilized to purchase electricity from the Boston Edison Company.

This formal emergency declaration is legally mandated by the Commonwealth so that the town can secure emergency state approval to pay its massive June power bill—the final expenditure of the current fiscal year—under the incoming 1978–1979 tax levy. Municipal administrators revealed that this massive $700,000 short-fall was fully anticipated by town hall, triggered by a combination of a sizeable budget cut levied against the original power appropriation last year and subsequent, unexpected rate increases implemented by Boston Edison.

In more routine town business, the board logged several major updates and administrative decisions:

• The Fire Chief Search: The board announced that the total number of applications received to fill the permanent Fire Chief position has risen to 31. The latest out-of-state and regional contenders include Robert R. Shortell of Jersey City, NJ; Kenneth R. Lavoie of Claremont, CA; Edward J. Carreiro of Medfield; Walter D. Moseley of Independence, MO; H.C. Dodson of Arvada, CO; and Charles J. Burkell of Boardman, Ohio. The absolute cutoff point for candidate submissions is a midnight postmark on June 30. The selectmen agreed to schedule a special, exclusive executive session within the next two weeks to establish the final selection guidelines and debate whether to delay a permanent appointment pending the finalization of the upcoming fiscal budget.
• The 12:30 Last Call Mandate: The selectmen established a formal public hearing date for July 25 to meet with the proprietors of Norwood’s 20 commercial liquor-pouring establishments and five private civic clubs. The meeting will address strict new proposed rules regulating nightlife: a hard “last call” for alcohol at 12:30 a.m., a mandatory “drinks off the table” deadline at 12:45 a.m., and a complete “everybody out” evacuation of the premises by 1:00 a.m.
• The Albemarle Road Subdivision Battle: In a tense 3–1 vote, the selectmen ordered an emergency summit for August 8 to address severe drainage failures and eroding paved surfaces on Albemarle Road. The conference will bring aggrieved neighborhood petitioners face-to-face with the Norwood Planning Board. Selectmen aggressively noted that the planning board had directly overruled the explicit warnings of the Town Engineer by prematurely releasing the private developer’s performance bond before the neighborhood infrastructure was properly completed. Selectman Joseph W. Wall was absent from the vote, currently out on an extended medical convalescence leave that is expected to last through the summer.
• Medical and Policing Briefs: The selectmen acknowledged receipt of a formal state reimbursement check to offset the purchase of a new, $1,700 police radar tracking unit recently authorized by Town Meeting. Concurrently, the board agreed to summon five prominent Norwood physicians to Town Hall to address a critical joint letter written by the doctors on June 20, which heavily criticized how acting Fire Chief Robert T. Capeless Jr. has handled the administration of the town’s new mandatory physical examination program.
• New Commercial Growth: The board officially granted a common victualler’s license to Kenneth Matthews of 39 Alandale Parkway. Matthews, who currently operates Ken’s Restaurant at 954 Providence Highway (Route 1), received unanimous approval to open a brand-new ice cream parlor and sandwich shop at 1108 Washington Street in the heart of South Norwood.

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