Hospital Study Committee Recommends Four Alternate Sites for Recreation Complex-August 17, 1976

The selectmen’s hospital study committee identified four potential alternate locations for a new municipal recreation complex should Norwood Hospital proceed with plans to expand onto the adjacent Civic Center site. Selected primarily because they possess sufficient acreage to house an entire recreation center in one unified location, the four recommended sites include:

• Walpole and Wilson Streets: A 10-acre parcel owned by contractor Frank Simoni.
• Balch School: A 6.5-acre area situated behind the school.
• Junior High School North: Land located behind the school near the Father McAleer playground.
• Mylod Street: A 23-acre property adjoining conservation land, presently owned by Charles S. Bird.

Hospital Administrator David P. Buchmueller previously indicated that if the hospital acquires the six-acre Civic Center property, hospital trustees would finance replacement facilities elsewhere, estimating relocation expenditures between $500,000 and $1.5 million. Committee Chairman and Selectmen Chairman Joseph F. Curran assured recreation officials that the town would secure a legally binding agreement detailing specific replacement facilities and completion timelines before any transfer occurs, noting that a partnership with the hospital represents a historic opportunity to upgrade aging municipal infrastructure. Curran added that he would also press the hospital to provide town ambulance services, which could yield annual municipal savings exceeding $100,000. While Frank Ciavattone, representing the Veterans’ Council, voiced opposition to relocating from the memorial Civic Center site, other committee members agreed to cooperate conditioned upon receiving comprehensive upgrades.

Recreation Superintendent Robert Ivatts presented an extensive list of facility requirements for the new center, ranking the replacement of the 20-year-old swimming pool with an Olympic-size (25-meter) pool featuring diving facilities as his top priority. Ivatts noted that his proposal introduced only two new amenities absent from the existing facility—a handball court and an indoor rifle and pistol range—alongside a full-sized gymnasium, locker rooms, activity rooms, a kitchen, storage areas, eight tennis courts, a lighted baseball field, an outdoor basketball court, a large meeting room, hobby and club rooms, offices, and parking. Town Engineer Robert A. Hamilton endorsed the Mylod Street property, citing its room for expansion, existing water and sewer lines, and a cooperative landowner, while cautioning that the Balch School and Junior High School North sites lie within flood hazard areas and the Simoni parcel has unbuildable rear terrain.

While committee members acknowledged that the Bird property on Mylod Street sits on the outskirts of town and could prove challenging to acquire, they noted that the prospect of finding a comparable plot near the town center was abandoned earlier in the process. Board member Rudith Berkowitz emphasized that because the town would be relinquishing a prime central location, residents deserved superior replacement facilities. Committee findings will be formally submitted to the selectmen following Labor Day for review and subsequent presentation to the hospital board as it seeks a certificate of need from the state.

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