Selectmen tentatively scheduled a special town meeting for September 14 to consider raising funds for the installation of electrical utilities in the expanded portion of the Windsor Gardens apartment complex.
Municipal Light Department Superintendent William J. Kates informed the board that the department currently lacks the necessary capital to install electrical service for the 232 new apartments planned adjacent to the existing development. The total cost hinges on whether the town opts for overhead or underground wiring: an engineering estimate provided by Windsor Gardens placed overhead wiring at $17,110, while the highest estimate for underground wiring reached $113,000. The original 700-unit Windsor Gardens development features underground service, and developer Neil W. Wallace stated that his firm is prepared to fund the underground wiring installation themselves if the town declines to do so. Wallace noted that municipal light department revenue generated from the expanded development would range between $15,900 and $34,000 annually, depending on usage, and expressed a desire to have all underground work finished by October. Without electrical installation from the town, Wallace warned that gas would be utilized instead for air conditioning, cooking, and clothes drying.
During board discussions, Selectman Chairman John A. Abdallah raised concerns regarding the town’s legal capacity to assume additional borrowing outside statutory debt limits. However, Selectman Walter J. Dempsey strongly maintained that the municipality holds an obligation to provide utility services when requested. Selectmen asked Superintendent Kates to provide firm, itemized cost estimates before deciding whether to officially recommend continuing underground wiring at the upcoming special town meeting.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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