Winslow School sale approved-This Day In Norwood History-June 16, 1981

Special Town Meeting Approves $325,250 Condominium Conversion, False Alarm Fines, and University Avenue Infrastructure Extensions

Representatives at a special town meeting rezoned the former Winslow School last night and approved its $325,250 sale for medical and other professional office condominiums. No opposition was heard on the voice votes. The 74-year-old brick building and 1.5 acres at the corner of Chapel Street and Winslow Avenue was rezoned from general residence (two-family) to office-research. About 2.6 acres of adjacent playground will remain in town hands. Selectmen signed a purchase and sale agreement yesterday after the proposed developer, high bidder Winslow Avenue Trust, submitted $8,000 to bind the agreement. Representing the developer, Attorney James T. Hilliard said later the town would be paid the full amount less this deposit after the attorney general approves the rezoning action.

Last week, Town Counsel Justin C. Barton raised two objections to the proposed sales agreement — the lack of a down payment and a clause making the sale subject to “all municipal approvals” being given. Barton interpreted that to mean the buyers under a trust represented by Hilliard did not legally have to pay until the occupancy permit, the last town approval, was also issued. However, Hilliard said it was not intended to withhold full payment until the proposed extensive renovations to the school were done and the occupancy permit issued. Hilliard told town meeting the school with about 17,000 square feet of “usable” space would be converted to 10 to 12 condominiums. To be sold and taxed individually, these units will carry a total assessment of between $700,000 and $800,000, Hilliard estimated. The condominium building will employ between 40 and 50 people and provide up to 75 parking spaces, he said, or more than twice the bylaw minimum. The exterior of the school will remain unchanged, Hilliard said, and the buyers will observe traffic flow patterns recommended by the town.

Still, Dianne C. Kearns, a town meeting member from District 9, questioned parking adequacy, saying parking is a problem with all medical office buildings in town since employees take so many spaces. Hilliard said 40 spaces should accommodate employees, leaving 30 or more for patients and clients. The sale at public auction of two portable classrooms attached to the Winslow School – but not included in the proposed sale – was also approved but with some “no” votes heard.

In other action, town meeting approved – again with no audible opposition – the proposed construction of University Avenue extension. Selectmen were authorized to file legislation to permit construction through the Ellis wellfield lands. The estimated $750,000 federal-state funded construction of several thousand feet over an unconstructed public way would run for a portion through wellfield lands. Environmental concerns have now been met since town meeting a year ago blocked the project. “It is a good time now to go forward with this project,” advised Margery H. McKenna, who led the environmental coalition against the project last year. Both Town Manager John J. Carroll and McKenna cited the environmental impact report soon to be advertised in final form as grounds to proceed. McKenna said the report indicates how to avoid or mitigate any damage to the environment by the construction. For example, drainage of road runoff will be contained in closed pipes instead of being allowed to flow along the open roadside. Drainage will be dumped beyond the wellfield area, she said. Carroll also said a University Avenue advisory committee named by selectmen will recommend various environmental controls. The panel will work with Westwood to help create a two-town water resource protection district for the Purgatory Brook watershed, Carroll said. McKenna termed this inter-town cooperation on land use “sort of a first.”

Town meeting last night prescribed $50 fines for owners of burglar alarms which habitually produce false alarms, bringing police to the scene. The fine — stiffer than the $25 called for in selectmen‘s original bylaw proposal – will be assessed after police respond to three false alarms in one calendar year. The amendment increasing the fine to $50 was offered by Paul J. Wasil of District 7. Alfred H. Doherty, a town meeting member from District 9, said he considered $50 too harsh a penalty for what he has found to be the “simple mistake” of not setting an alarm correctly. The amendment was approved on a strong voice vote. Retired businessman Maurice S. Baker of District 3 felt the amount was unimportant. If an alarm is broken, a businessman will want to get it fixed, he contended. Thomas E. Green of District 8 got sympathetic laughs when he asked if the proposed bylaw would apply to false auto alarms. He was told it would not — the voltage of car alarms falls below the minimum. The bylaw was proposed in an attempt to crack down on the repeated false alarms which divert police. According to selectmen, fines totaling $18,825 could have been assessed for false alarms in 1979 — 688 alarms from businesses and nine from homes. That year, police responded to 1,547 burglar alarms, of which only 41 were real, selectmen reported. The remaining 1,506 were the result of careless actions by owners, overly sensitive systems, storms or technical failures, officials said.

A great debate on the future of the Norwood Civic Center looms as the sole issue at the concluding session of a special town meeting at 8 p.m. Thursday. Last night, town meeting disposed of 17 matters on a 21-article agenda but, shortly before 11, decided to hold the remaining four articles — all dealing with the Civic replacement issue — for another night. The permanent building construction committee will report that $2.18 million is available from the sale of the Norwood Civic Center to Norwood Hospital for town meeting to use. The committee wants direction whether to proceed with planning scaled-down facilities at the former Aaron Guild School because the amount of money available is insufficient to completely replace the Civic facilities according to the original plan. The estimated cost of complete replacement is $2.9 million. Proponents of a Civic Center at the Guild School, including District 9 town meeting members Walter J. Grady and Edward F. McKenna, want town meeting to proceed with scaled-down facilities.

Selectmen and the permanent building construction committee huddled with the FinCom, which was looking for information before making a recommendation to town meeting. The meeting provided a taste of the intense debate anticipated when representatives grapple with the Civic issue Thursday. FinCom member Joseph R. Adakonis heatedly disputed the results of a non-binding referendum, which Selectman Walter J. Dempsey had been instrumental in getting on the April town election ballot. Answers to four questions indicated that most voters wanted planning of a Civic Center at the Guild School delayed to see how plans for an area YMCA materialize. Adakonis claimed the only “true referendum” is asking voters questions on a specific plan and location. Town meeting should vote to continue planning a facility at the Guild School and then a single question could be put on a referendum ballot, Adakonis said. Dempsey promised there would be a referendum if town meeting did as Adakonis suggested. The FinCom refused to support Adakonis‘s motion and will recommend that town meeting not appropriate more money for facilities at the Aaron Guild School. Selectmen, who have encouraged cooperative talks with Walpole selectmen about collaborating on developing a YMCA, voted 4-1 to oppose developing the Guild.

During a brief debate on the school issue, Doherty also found no real need to drop Civil Service, claiming an easy “walk-in” exam was available for those seeking to qualify for school clerk jobs. Jean M. Hubbard of District 7 disputed this, saying walk-in exams were not available to both secretarial classifications. Besides, it may be months before those who take an exam get a Civil Service list for appointment, she said. Rudith Berkowitz of the school committee said the proposal is by mutual agreement of the secretaries’ union and the school committee. It aims to put all secretaries on an equal basis and avoid dealing with provisional status employees, she said.

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