A group of residents of the Poverty Hollow area met last week with a professional planning consultant, John Hayes, to discuss the effect of a cluster development on Quiet Valley Farm which could result in 300 housing units. The planner suggested “that residents urge that an impact study be made of the effect of such a major development upon the facilities of the town, and the land’s ability to support such a concentration of housing,” the residents later said.

***

Mrs Shirley Lawrenson, chairman of the Newtown Committee on Aging, reminds Bee readers tha the offices of Carol Stensland, Municipal Agent for The Aging, and Joan Morris, the committee’s part-time outreach worker, have been relocated in the new multi-use center on Riverside Road to Sandy Hook.

***

Who’s wishing for more snow? The hundreds of people that attended last year’s Newtown Sleigh Rally are hoping for a good snow cover for the Second Annual Newtown Sleigh Rally, to be held at Dickinson Park on Sunday, February 25, at noon.

***

When the Democrats swept into office in the last town elections, one of the Republicans who got bumped out of office was longtime Zoning Board of Appeals member Jim Smith of Littlebrook Lane, who was also the board’s chairman. Mr Smith’s tenure on the board ended on January 1, and he was considered by many to be one of the finest elected officials in town. Among those who felt this way are two ZBA members, Carl Beck and Victor Marino, and because of their feeling, Mr Beck has tendered his resignation from the board to allow for the appointment by the selectmen of Mr Smith, to fill his vacancy. Mr Beck’s term will end January 7, 1980.

***

Building committee members of the Newtown Congregational Church urged the Board of Selectmen Wednesday to consider reopening discussions about the purchase of the church’s property and buildings next door to Edmond Town Hall. Robert Hamilton, chairman of the building committee, member Waitt Hinckley and Joy Martin, church moderator, met with the selectmen this week as a follow-up to a letter sent to First Selectman Jack Rosenthal in December.

***

The Board of Selectmen began acting on budget recommendations for the fiscal year 1979-80, this week, including a recommendation for a reduced selectmen’s budget which also would raise the salary of the first selectman from $21,000 to $25,000 a year.

***

Prior to its regular meeting next Wednesday night, the Legislative Council will hold a public hearing in the Alexandria Room of town hall at 7:30 pm. The hearing will be on two proposed ordinances: one which would exempt the Newtown Ambulance Association from property tax liability; and the other one, which will forbid building permits for any property on which back taxes are owed.

FEBRUARY 19, 1954

One of Newtown’s important real estate transactions is announced in the sale of the 14-room mansion and 140-acre tract of property on and adjoining Mount Pleasant Hill by Mrs William T. Cole to Richard F. Gretsch, executive vice-president of the Housatonic Public Service Corporation. Mrs Cole is the widow of William T. Cole, former president of the Fabric Fire Hose Company of Sandy Hook.

***

A subject of vital intrest to all those who desire to explore developing trends in education will be discussed on Friday evening, February 26, when Samuel G. Atkinson, regional director of the National Citizens Committee for the Public Schools, addressed the Newtown Citizens Committee on Education on “The Citizens Role in Curriculum Building.”

***

 Speaking not in any official capacity but as a fellow Newtowner, Peter Knaur, son of Mr and Mrs Karl Knaur of South Main Street, Radio Free Europe (RFE) correspondent and chief of the Linz, Austria, news bureau for that agency, who is home on leave, capivated an audience of more than 100 people with his first-hand account of conditions in Europe, at a meeting held in the Cyrenius H. Booth Library on Tuesday evening. The meeting was held under the auspices of the Newtown League of Women Voters and Mrs Edmund Neary, president, introduced Mr Knaur. Stating there is now no reason for a war in Europe, Mr Knaur pointed out that one existed nevertheless. The so-called cold-war which now exists is different from regular war in that it has no casualty list, and he feels that it is our duty as citizens of the United States to see that there is none. One of the main factors in this effort is RFE.

***

 A second evening of discussion on the United Nations charter and its proposed revision which is expected to take place in 1955, was held Monday evening at the home of John Angel on Old Mill Road in Sandy Hook. The discussion was led by Eric van Lennep of Bridgewater who conducts a public relations consultant’s office in New York.

***

Richard F. Burdett, treasurer of the Newtown committee for the 1954 Heart Fund campaign, has reported that, at the end of the first week of the drive, a total of 128 contributions, amounting to $555, has been received. This is about ten percent more than had been received at this time last year, he said.

***

Robert Gifford was discharged from the Army last week at Camp Kilmer, N.J. During his three years in the service, he served with the 19th Infantry Regiment and the 55th Military Police. He was rated a corporal at the time of his discharge.

***

An all-day dairy meeting dealing with herd management will be held by the County Extension Service on Wednesday, February 24, from 10 am to 3 pm in Edmond Town Hall. The following evening, Thursday, February 25, the Extension Service will sponsor a meeting for poultrymen at Stepney Fire House, Route 25, at 8 o’clock. A discussion on poultry management and demonstration of boning a chicken will make up the program.

FEBRUARY 15, 1929

The new $100,000 operating pavilion of the French Hospital, one of the buildings proposed to be erected under the hospital’s current drive for $1,250,000. will be dedicated to the memory of Dr Charles H. Peck, it was announced yesterday by Dr Robert H. McConnel of 65 Central Park West, president of the hospital’s medical board and chairman of the special committee soliciting funds for the memorial.

***

Rev Harry A. Studwell of Sandy Hook has purchased a new Pontiac sedan from the firm of Lillis & Hurd of Sandy Hook.

***

Miss Jennie Honan, a teacher in the Sandy Hook school, is ill with the grip. Mrs Harry Bradley is substituting for her.

***

J. Hobart Warner, a student at Wesleyan University, sustained a fracture of the big toe while playing handball.

***

On Wednesday evening several friends of the popular RFD carrier, James B. Nichols, called at his home to help celebrate Mr Nichol’s birthday. Throughout the evening several varieties of games were played.

***

A.E. Brinton has installed a large size Thatcher pipeless furnace in Trinity Church.

***

The Bartlett Tree Expert Company of Stamford has been trimming up the shade trees for W.A. Upham in the Upham’s Japanese Tea Garden grounds at Hawleyville.

FEBRUARY 19, 1904

There is a prospect that Newtown may have a central telephone exchange located here, if the citizens take hold of the matter in an energetic manner. Maurice H. Nutting, an affable representative of the Southern New England Telephone Company, was in town Saturday and went over the question with a number of local citizens.

***

There was an exciting time at the home of Michael Honan in Taunton last Saturday morning, between 3 and 4 o’clock, when Mr Honan and family awoke and found their chimney was all ablaze. The neighbors were quickly aroused and responded promptly, and for an hour and a half had a hard fight to save the house. Two bucket brigades were formed and after about an hour and a half had the fire all out.

***

Jesse A. James, the popular agent of the New York and New Haven road at Hawleyville, fell in his yard Sunday, breaking his left arm near the elbow. Dr A.L. Schuyler was called and attended to the fracture.

***

Thomas Cavanaugh of The Boulevard has recently purchased two cows of P.H. McCarthy. Mr Cavanaugh prides himself on his dairy and at the creamery he has the record of having the best milk delivered there.

***

There was a very pleasant social dance at the home of Mr and Mrs R.G. Spencer on Botsford Hill last week Wednesday evening. Peck and Conger furnished the music.