Planning Board Records Remain Largely Missing After Eighteen Months-July 18, 1991

Nearly 18 months after officials first discovered that Norwood Planning Board records spanning a 14-year period had disappeared, progress toward restoring the archives has remained minimal.

Town Planner Stephen Costello reported that board members have managed to reconstruct only a limited portion of the records covering the years 1983 to 1987. However, the official minutes for the decade between 1973 and 1983 remain entirely unaccounted for. State law mandates that town boards must maintain records of all meeting minutes and ensure they are stored in a public location “for perpetuity.” The discrepancy first came to light in February 1990, when The Patriot Ledger revealed that planning documents and minutes dating from 1973 to 1987 were missing. At the time of the discovery, board members claimed they were unaware of the gap in record-keeping and pledged to restore the lost information using personal notes and papers kept in private homes.

Planning Board Chairman William O’Donnell explained that the restoration process has been slowed by the board’s heavy workload, specifically the development of a new town master plan and ongoing zoning map revisions. “The planning board has to deal with issues that affect the town right now,” William O’Donnell stated. “My priority has been to finish off the master plan and a couple of other zoning map changes we’re examining. We’ve been working all along (to restore records) but it’s bit by bit.” While the pace of the reconstruction remains a point of concern, Rudith Berkowitz, a board member who had initially pushed for an official inquiry into the matter, expressed satisfaction that the current members are making a sincere effort. “I think they’re doing the best they can,” Rudith Berkowitz remarked yesterday. “I know they’re working on them.” Despite these reassurances, the absence of these records poses a significant challenge for town oversight. The missing minutes make it impossible for the public or auditors to track how officials voted on major projects, and residents who have grievances against the town are left without documented evidence of official discussions or final decisions. William O’Donnell acknowledged the importance of the archive, noting that the board is essentially working with personal copies dating back to 1983, confirming, “From my knowledge, we don’t have anything from ’73 to ’83.“

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