Norwood School Committee Discusses Satellite School Ovens and Bird and Son Air Pollution Compliance-July 29, 1971

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The School Committee was discussing the possibility of installing a second oven at the present satellite schools, which would cost about $10,000.

The article highlighted the significant benefits of having multiple ovens, including increased food production, reduced labor costs, lower food costs, and reduced waste and spoilage. The system being proposed met federal Type A school lunch requirements and ensured hot nutritious meals, uniform menus, portion control, simplified cafeteria management, and a streamlined purchasing system. Thomas H. Lanman Jr., assistant to the superintendent of schools, told the school committee last week that at least one more oven and a variety of production carts—which can be rolled directly into the oven—would be needed at the satellite schools to achieve greater production per employee labor hour.

In other news covered in the same report, the state Department of Public Health (DPH) issued a letter citing Bird and Son for polluting the air with dust and asphalt odor at the Norwood plant. Homer H. Fuller, chief engineer for Bird and Son, said the company had complied with DPH regulations regarding the dust problem since July 19. William Cass, director of the Metropolitan Boston Air Pollution Control District, said the company had experienced problems getting bags for their baghouse—a series of filtering bags through which manufacturing emissions are channeled to trap dust.

William Cass stated yesterday that apparently there are some areas where they haven’t collected the fumes sufficiently, while adding that the company was cooperating with the DPH in trying to correct the problem by submitting a fourteen-point survey to the DPH in a few days. The company previously installed smoke detectors on all stacks prior to July 1 in compliance with another DPH regulation on air emission control. William Cass explained that burning the asphalt fumes in an incinerator-like device eliminates odors, though it causes some nitrogen oxides to be given off in smoke. However, because of local weather conditions, photochemical smog is not the severe problem here that it is in places such as Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, local law enforcement reported that police are investigating the theft of an acetylene cutting torch, including gauges and tanks, from the Dean Street Car Wash at 199 Dean St. over the weekend, where a thief broke a rear window in the office to gain entrance. Additionally, municipal notices indicated a public hearing is scheduled for 8:45 p.m. on August 17 to review a second zoning application, reflecting a busy summer season of civic and municipal affairs across Norwood.

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