Taxi Ride Subsidy Program Set for September

Norwood will launch its new Transfare taxi ride subsidy program next month to assist local elderly and handicapped residents. Registration and ID card distribution will take place at 10 a.m. on September 7 in the veterans’ office at Town Hall.

Funded by town meeting, the program offers a 50 percent discount on taxi rides within Norwood using coupon booklets sold at Town Hall for $5 (yielding $10 worth of rides), limited to one book per participant monthly with a maximum of $2.40 in coupons per one-way trip. For cross-border trips, coupons cover the fare only to the town line.

Eligibility: Senior participants must be at least 60 years old with written proof of Norwood residency. Handicapped participants must provide residency proof and medical documentation confirming an inability to operate a motor vehicle. IDs must be shown when purchasing coupons and riding with participating taxi companies.

State Grant to Widen East Hoyle Street for Hospital Expansion

State Transportation Secretary James F. Carlin announced a $126,437 state grant awarded to Norwood to widen East Hoyle Street. Drawn from a $40 million state economic development fund, the funding supports infrastructure for Norwood Hospital’s major expansion, which includes a new 148,000-square-foot wing.

The project on the 800-foot roadway between Washington Street and Broadway will improve traffic flow for a new 200-space hospital parking lot and commuter traffic heading to the Norwood central MBTA station. Officials estimate the construction will generate 80 temporary jobs and 264 permanent new positions at the hospital.

Zoning Board Denies Elks Parking Expansion and Medical Office Conversion

The Zoning Board of Appeals voted to deny two separate local requests following opposition from neighborhood residents:

Elks Club Parking: The board rejected the Norwood Elks Club’s request to add 30 parking spaces to its Winslow Avenue lot—noting an existing nearby lot accommodates 131 cars—after at least 15 neighbors opposed the expansion. Board member Francis Hopcroft added that the building inspector will be asked to enforce proper striping of existing spaces shown on clubhouse plans.
Walpole Street Medical Office: The board denied a special permit requested by Thomas C. Taylor to convert a residence at 81 Walpole Street (at the corner of Bond Street) into two medical offices, upholding previous denials for past proposals to convert the home into a two-family dwelling or a day-care center.

Senior Citizen Activities Planned

Eastern States Exposition Trip: A bus trip to the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield is scheduled for September 16 at a cost of $8.
Annual Senior Ball: The annual senior citizen ball will be held October 31 at Concannon’s Village for $10, with the public invited.
Reservations: Required for both events and can be made by contacting Harriett Halley at 762-1240, ext. 31.

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