Record Five-Hour Town Meeting slashes $500,000 in Capital Requests to Curb Random Spending
Heading warnings of mounting financial burdens, a special town meeting last night spent only $14,090 of a possible $508,957
The body decisively killed warrant articles seeking about $230,000 for a high school addition and an additional $210,000 to rebuild the Pleasant Street bridge. The five-hour session completed action on all 25 warrant articles and adjourned at 1:14 a.m. Many present considered it the longest town meeting in Norwood‘s history.
The strict warnings to curb municipal spending came mostly from George T. Mahoney, chairman of the Finance Commission, who told the 130 members present: “We have no bright future… we cannot go on spending at this random rate.” George T. Mahoney also noted that Tuesday’s setting of the tax rate effectively prevented major capital expenditures, including advanced school planning lines. The Finance Commission had recommended total expenditures of $13,090. The meeting added just $1,000 to that baseline and strictly followed 16 of 17 financial board recommendations.
The single departure from the commission’s conservative ledger was a $1,000 compromise appropriation for drain construction to allow access to a proposed League field located next to Endean Park. The original article, which was not supported by the finance board, sought $17,000 to construct a full roadway and a dedicated water-line to the athletic field; that larger measure lost on the floor by an 80 to 50 margin. Another recreation item killed during the fiscal purge was a $3,500 request to bankroll preliminary plans and specifications for a municipally owned ice skating rink, which failed on a swift voice vote.
Furthermore, the town meeting refused to restore $21,800 that had been cut from the school administrators’ salaries back in March. However, the members completely reversed a 1968 zoning decision, voting to rezone 4.5 acres of land at Route 1, Neponset Street, and Nahatan Street to grant Carl A. Johnson a brand new commercial location for his Norwood Cadillac Co. dealership.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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Local Firm Designing Additions To Balch & Cleveland Schools-August 5, 1964
This Day In Norwood History-August 5, 1964-Local Firm Designing Both School Additions
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Oldham School Drainage Repairs Scheduled For Completion-June 24, 1964
Corrective Measures Target Long-Standing Controversy At Elementary Site Corrective measures designed to resolve persisting drainage problems at the Oldham Elementary School are scheduled to be completed by the end of this week. The ongoing drainage difficulties at the new school site had been the subject of a long controversy in discussions of the Oldham School…
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Oldham School Opening Set for Wednesday, New Teacher Appointments-August 30, 1963
As Norwood prepares for the new academic year, the School Committee has announced plans to open the newly constructed John P. Oldham Elementary School next Wednesday, contingent upon final safety inspections of its heating and ventilating systems. While municipal electric light department crews rushed to finish electrical work and boilers were fired for the first…
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Oldham Building Committee Demands Immediate Action Over Construction Delays and Poor Workmanship-August 20, 1963
Citing roof leaks, unground floors, and poor workmanship, the Oldham School Building Committee confronted general contractor Edward Goverman and called in bonding company representatives.
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School Building Committee Votes to Recommend Addition to Cleveland School-August 16, 1963
By a 3-2 vote, Norwood’s Elementary School Building Committee recommended an eight-room addition to the Cleveland School rather than constructing a new facility on Wilson Street.
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School Committee Considers New School Sites-March 22, 1962
NORWOOD, Mar, 22 -Arthur B. Rodgers, chairman of the School Housing Study Committee which is responsible for the long-range projection of the towns future school needs, has requested information from the School Committee on its plans for new schools. Being considered by the School Committee are the possibilities of the construction of a second junior…
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New Look at Norwood High School Addition-This Day in Norwood History-January 18, 1962
NEW LOOK AT THE HILLTOP—The aerial camera of Larry McDavitt oí the Marguerite Studio embraces the entire expanded Norwood High School plant, now rapidly nearing completion. The addition, costing just under $2,000,000 and doubling the capacity of the old school, is now expected to be ready for occupancy February 15. It is planned to hold…
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Pupils Get Three-Day Extension Due To High School Addition-September 7, 1961
Pupils Get Three-Day Extension Due To High School Addition-This Day In Norwood History-September 7, 1961
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Prescott School Dedication Plans Set-January 11, 1959
Special Ceremonies Planned Week Apart Plans for the formal exercises marking the dedication of Norwood’s two new elementary schools – the Cleveland and the Prescott – were announced today by the committee. Arthur B. Rodgers, chairman of the Elementary Schools Building Committee, said that the dedication of the Prescot School located off Neponset and Dean…
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Redecorating Of School Interiors Is Recommended-February 9, 1950
Purchase Of Land For New Stands At High School Also Urged By Supt. Lynch Recommendations for the improvement of the present school plant before the town faced with the problem of new construction were advanced by School Superintendent Lincoln D. Lynch, as principal speaker at the February meeting of the Chamber of Commerce Tuesday night…
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