Selectmen Press for State Traffic Survey and Address Low Water Pressure Concerns-September 5, 1968

Prompted by warnings from the Planning Board regarding commercial expansion, the Board of Selectmen voted last night to authorize Town Manager Walter A. Blase to contact state officials regarding a comprehensive traffic survey for the heavily traveled Route 1–Everett Street commercial corridor.

Planning Board Chairman Francis Wisgirda warned selectmen that employees of the Polaroid Corp.—which is actively constructing a major complex off Highland Avenue adjacent to Everett Street—will generate heavy traffic congestion in the area. Wisgirda also pointed to potential traffic hazards posed by a proposed restaurant-tavern slated for the Route 1 and Everett Street intersection. While selectmen contended that maintaining safe traffic flow on state highways remains the responsibility of the state Department of Public Works, the board agreed to seek state assistance.

Water Pressure Concerns and Infrastructure Upgrades

In a joint consultation, Fire Chief Irving Dobson and Public Works Superintendent Albert Casey alerted selectmen to dangerously low water pressure along Nahatan Street, warning that the hydraulic deficit will worsen significantly once the 186-unit Clark subdivision is fully completed. Chief Dobson noted that low water pressure at the Prospect and Nahatan Street intersection could severely hamper firefighting capabilities during a major emergency.

Responding to the alarming report, the board instructed the town manager to draft cost estimates for laying a new 12-inch water main running northerly from the corner of Prospect and Nahatan streets up to the Westwood line, alongside exploring comprehensive hydraulic studies recommended in the town’s 1952 master plan.

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