Norwood Selectmen Reverse Course to Schedule Delicatessen Hearing on Walpole Street, Approve Country Club Bar License, and Review Municipal Reports-August 13, 1975

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Reversing an earlier decision, the Board of Selectmen voted 3-2 during a busy session last night to grant a public hearing on August 26 for Jack Galante of 106 Westover Parkway, who is seeking a common victualler’s license to open a delicatessen at 468 Walpole St. The proposal involves a former portable classroom building previously used by the Winslow Dealers’ School for classroom space, which Galante moved to the 15,000-square-foot parcel after demolishing an existing house at a cost of $35,000. Real estate broker Edward Runci, who sold the property to Galante, noted that the owner plans to face the structure with brick and add a mansard roof.

While Selectman Joseph W. Wall led the board toward granting the hearing, Selectmen William F. Butters and George S. Usevich strongly opposed the move. Butters introduced a letter from neighboring Norwood Plaza owner John Alevizos, who argued against the deli due to traffic hazards and poor ingress and egress at his shopping center. Runci fiercely retorted, suggesting Alevizos was dealing in “sour grapes” and should hire special police officers to manage Walpole Street traffic, adding, “You can’t restrain trade and then say you want a healthy town.”

In other major licensing and municipal actions:

• Country Club License: The board approved an amended all-alcohol license for Charles L. Simoni to operate a ground-floor bar and function room in his Norwood Country Club clubhouse building off Route 1, with the restaurant portion slated for lease—potentially to the Red Coach Grill. Selectman Butters cast the lone dissenting vote.
• Police & Traffic Reports: Police Chief James F. Curran delivered his monthly report, citing 21 arrests, 26 protective custody cases, and an average of 250 weekly parking violations generating $18,355 in town revenue for the year, alongside 121 speeding citations issued via radar.
• Subdivisions & Infrastructure: Planners reviewed Village Gate subdivision bonding with developer Louis E. Gentile and attorney Robert Kalis, while town manager John P. Mogan reported a low bid of $2.3 million from Wes Construction Co. for the TOPICS project to rebuild the Norwood-Westwood railroad bridge and install traffic signals at Nichols and Winter Streets.
• Historical Commission Appointments: Selectmen appointed four new members to the historical commission—Esther Deeb, Aira Johnson, Mary Dean, and Martin Lydon—joining existing members Theodore A. Curtin, A. Franklin Swift Jr., and Herbert Wiggin.

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