George F. Willett Pens Open Letter Regarding Willett Pond-This Day in Norwood History-July 5, 1946

OPEN LETTER

Board of Selectmen

Norwood. Massachusetts

Dear Sirs

For some time past, your Board has been urged by members of your Park and Playground Committee to bring before the Town, the question of taking, by eminent domain the bathing beach property at Willett Pond owned by the Norwood Civic Association of which I am the managing trustee. This move by the Committee has been characterized by public attack directed at me with the evident purpose of persuading our citizens that I am personally responsible for the lack of proper facilities at the bathing beach. This question has been brought to a climax in the last few days of excessive heat by the Board of Health who have prohibited further bathing at the beach unless proper sanitary facilities are provided.

It is not my present purpose to review the various steps which I have taken to clear up this situation in the past ten years since this bathing beach property was taken over from the Norwood Estates, Inc., owned by me. The Norwood Estates had paid taxes on this beach property for over thirty years and, at the same time, had furnished bathing facilities with an adequate bath house with no cost whatever to the Town. In order to save this and other properties on Willett Pond for bathing and other recreational purposes, it was transferred to the Civic Association, a charitable organization, and town officials were notified that the property was to be used for public purposes and as such should be exempt from taxation.

The assessors paid no attention to the fact that the bathing beach had now become a public enterprise and continued to assess the property. When I received notice of this assessment, I immediately protested to the assessors and have for ten years been seeking to either have the tax removed or abated. I repeatedly brought the question before your Board asking that some way be found by which the question could be settled. I have stated to you that as soon as it was settled, one way or another, that proper bathing facilities would be provided without further delay I told you that if it should appear that the property was free from taxation, that we could proceed in one way, but if it was found to be properly assessed that we could be governed accordingly and the matter could be handled so as to provide the necessary income; but as already stated, although every means available had been exhausted, the Board of Assessors have refused in the first place to remove the assessment and the last, few years have actually refused to discuss the question with me. The failure to have proper bathing facilities, I can state without fear of contradiction that the responsibility for the lack of proper facilities at Willett Pond rests upon the shoulders of the Board of Assessors.

Now what is back of all this. History is repeating itself. A little more than 25 years ago, there was a conspiracy against my firm of Willett, Sears & Co., which robbed me of a fortune running into millions of dollars and disrupting a Civic Program which was proving of priceless advantage to the Town of Norwood. When this conspiracy came before the courts, it unfolded a story of fraud and treachery such as seldom has been equaled. The first move in this conspiracy was made right here in Norwood at the Norwood Trust Company when the Board of Directors refused to verify my statements as to the value of 1000 shares of Daniel Green Shoe Co., preferred stock which I had furnished as collateral for loans for the benefit of the Norwood Housing Association. Rather than take this simple step, they took out of the bank all of these obligations in which I or my firm had any interest. This was the first direct move to discredit me and my firm: and it was not long before my firm was at the mercy of the bankers. It was later proved by uncontradicted testimony in court that this Daniel Green Shoe stock was gilt-edged, and was earning at the rate of half a million dollars a year. The value of the Norwood Housing Association properties was grossly misrepresented at a purported appraisal of a little over $200,000. It was later proved In court that the value of these properties was well over the million and a quarter dollars at which they were assessed.

The point that I am making is that the success of the conspiracy against Willett, Sears & Co., was gained by a refusal on the part of the responsible citizens of this Town to examine the facts and get at the truth of these matters. So far as I can judge, no more attempt is being made to get at the truth of these matters that are vital to the Town’s interest than there was 25 years ago. Fortunately, after years of appeal your Board has appointed a committee of citizens who are bound to have these facts and present them to you, It would seem to me the part of wisdom for you to await the report of this committee before taking action which may prove disastrous to the Town’s interest.

Very truly yours, (Signed)
George F. Willett, Trustee Norwood Housing Trust

(All articles were originally published in the Norwood Messenger unless otherwise noted)