Norwood Registry Office Closure-July 28, 1981

Norwood Registry of Motor Vehicles Closure Sparks Outcry Amid Local Development and Planning Debates

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The news of the impending closure of the Norwood Registry of Motor Vehicles office sent shockwaves throughout the community on July 28, 1981. The decision, made by Registrar Richard E. McLaughlin and Public Safety Secretary George A. Luciano, was met with intense resistance from local state representatives who felt that closing the branch was entirely unnecessary. State Representative Gregory Sullivan, D-Norwood, expressed his profound disappointment and frustration with the decision, stating that he did not feel that he voted to close the registry by voting for budget cuts. He argued that the excess fat in the registry system was concentrated in Boston, which was grossly overstaffed, and that Richard E. McLaughlin should have cut road officers and central office staff members before shuttering local branches.

Gregory Sullivan‘s sentiments were echoed by other regional lawmakers who felt the closure was a mistake. Representative Frank Woodward, D-Walpole, stated that he voted in favor of the senate budget as a protest because the house version did not enact enough spending cuts. However, when asked whether he thought closing local registries was the best method of coping with budget reductions, he replied, No, they aren’t the right cuts, but I can see where they’d have to go that route.

Beyond the registry closure, local development and municipal issues dominated community discussions. Developer Carmen Barletta requested $70,000 from the town to pay subcontractors for preliminary work completed at the Norwood Park South industrial park. The Planning Board had refused a similar request the previous month due to environmental concerns regarding reports of seepage of what one member described as an orange ooze at the site. The six-acre site, bounded by Sumner Street and Morse Street, was utilized for waste disposal by Bird and Son for approximately fifty years until the early 1970s. Barletta Construction Company of Norwood had recently completed a roadway and other preliminary work at the location and was actively seeking the $70,000 disbursement. Joseph Verna, vice president of Barletta Construction Co., stated that if there is a problem with the seepage, they want to correct it. Nevertheless, Chairman E. William Bamber expressed deep concern regarding the town’s legal responsibilities. Ultimately, the Planning Board unanimously voted to meet with Walpole official Julia Paxson on Monday to decide whether to release the funds.

Additional commercial and infrastructure matters were also reviewed by local boards. The proposed expansion of the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge on Route 1 came before town officials. Planning Board member Thomas Cavanaugh expressed apprehension that the expansion might eventually lead to the expansion of the nearby Norwood Airport. However, Frank R. Simoni‘s plans to add sixty rooms to the hotel received positive commentary from other board members. Frank R. Simoni stated that he would ask the upcoming fall special town meeting for a bylaw amendment allowing the ninety-five-acre Norwood Country Club, which he also owned, to be rezoned from residential to manufacturing, as he required only a hundred-foot strip of the golf course for his hotel expansion project.

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