Town Meeting Narrowly Defeats Industrial Access Road Funding by a Single Vote-October 28, 1966

$353,000 Bond Issue for Canton Street Access Road Falls Short

In a dramatic showdown at the special town meeting last night, a $353,000 bond issue to construct an access road from Canton Street into landlocked industrial lands near the airport was defeated by a razor-thin one-vote margin. Needing a two-thirds majority of 66 votes to pass, the measure failed with 65 in favor and 33 opposed.

The proposed infrastructure project was designed to facilitate development for incoming commercial ventures—notably a proposed Star Market warehouse project—in the heart of the town’s industrial district. The industrial commission immediately announced plans to petition the assembly to reconsider the vote on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. when the remaining 12 warrant articles come up for debate at the junior high school.

Opposition to the road centered primarily on the absence of financial cost-sharing from other private landowners whose property values would skyrocket. Finance Commission Chairman Stephen Hefferan, supported by James Drummey, argued against the town footing the entire bill: “Anyone getting a road built that will raise the price of land to $50,000 an acre as in Westwood should bear a share of the cost.” Critics pointed specifically to Glacier Sand and Stone Co., Inc., which owns 2,400 feet of land the new road would cross. Representatives from the firm offered no comment following the vote.

Debate Over Town Subsidies, Cost Sharing, and Tax Pressures

Hefferan offered a substitute motion proposing that the town pay only 25 percent of the road cost, noting that under master plans, the town should initiate action to make the road a county way. This was disputed by George T. Mahoney of District 3, who countered that county Chapter 90 aid applies exclusively to numbered routes and inter-town highways. Hefferan’s substitute motion was defeated 61 to 38.

Mahoney, a vocal supporter of the project, argued that the investment would pay off handsomely, predicting that developing the 257 available acres would eventually yield yearly tax returns between $470,000 and $745,000, mirroring successful industrial parks in Needham and Westwood. Joseph W. Wall, delivering the Finance Commission’s majority report, also urged favorable action, pointing out that the final $95,000 payment on the MDC sewer this year freed up municipal funds for a “sound investment.”

However, Hefferan warned voters of looming tax increases next year, noting that this year’s tax rate reduction relied on a $400,000 estimating error regarding state receipts, alongside forthcoming bond pressures from new school construction and teacher salary increases. He noted that projected 20-year bond issues for a new junior high school ($2,850,000) and an elementary school ($1,053,750) would permanently add $2.40 to the annual tax rate.

J. Brooks Dodge, vice president of development firm Cabot, Cabot and Forbes, warned that blocking the road would stifle industrial growth, whereas supporters argued the town desperately needs new commercial revenue sources.

Town Approves Engineering Study Payment and Denies Gas Storage Rezoning

Despite the contentious road debate, the town addressed several other warrant items:

• Unauthorized Engineering Fees: Over the opposition of the Finance Commission, members voted to appropriate $8,000 to pay engineering firm Fay, Spoffard and Thorndike for completed studies of the industrial road and utilities. Selectman Charles L. Rich urged payment, while Selectman Walter J. Dempsey quipped that the FinCom was “in favor of using the facts the firm got for us, but not willing to pay for them.”
• Gas Storage Rezoning Denied: Town meeting overwhelmingly rejected a petition by Norwood Bottled Gas Co. to rezone the rear of its property at 880 Providence Highway from general residence to manufacturing (84 to 6). Opposition led by District 9 members Robert E. Fitzsimmons and Peter W. Sarnie, alongside Fire Chief Irvin J. Dobson, successfully argued against the change because a gas main easement would legally prevent bottled gas storage on the site.
• Route 1 Business Rezoning Approved: Five acres bounded by Route 1, Neponset Street, and Pleasant Street were successfully rezoned to business use to pave the way for a new auto salesroom.
• Municipal Appropriations: The town appropriated $26,675 for a metal cemetery garage and $7,700 for public works employee workmen’s compensation and sick leave.

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