While the Town is still looking for a site to put the town garage on, First Selectman Frank DeLucia is still looking with favor upon the possibility of purchasing the Finch site on Route 25, the $150,000 tract rejected at the February 13 town meeting.

***

Nelson B. Denny of Wills Road, Newtown, was the guest of honor at the second annual Book of Golden Deeds Dinner last Friday evening at the Hawley Manor Inn. This event, sponsored by the Newtown Exchange Club, was attended by close to 100 people who turned out on a snowy evening to take part in this salute to a longtime local resident and good citizen of the community.

***

The Conservation Commission decided that it could not make a definitive review of the Department of Transportation plans for the relocation of I-84 in preparation for the second Rochambeau Bridge span unless an environmental impact statement from DOT and maps showing profiles and grading plans are submitted. Preliminary DOT layout maps of the area were sent to the commission by E. Steever of the Water and Related Resources Department of DOT with a letter asking for in-depth comment on the proposal by April 7. At the Monday, March 17 meeting, the commission decided that the onus is on DOT to produce an up-to-date environmental report, and plans showing additional relevant information. Until these things are available, the conservationists said, they were hesitant to offer a review of the proposal.

***

Mrs Daisy Lawrence, the world’s first Girl Scout, was guest of honor at the Girl Scouts Birthday rally of the South Newtown Neighborhood of Girl Scouts Wednesday, March 12, in the Middle School cafeteria. Troop 109 presented Mrs Lawrence with a corsage provided by the Four Seasons florist shop and Troop 500 presented her with a birthday cake from Mrs Anderson’s, which she took to Buckingham Gardens Convalescent Home, where she is a resident. Mrs Lawrence presented a figurine made by her aunt, Juliet Lowe, founder of the Girl Scouts, to the Southwestern Connecticut Girl Scout Council, and it will be on display in the Council headquarters in Wilton.

***

Plans for “Newtown Now,” the annual community variety show sponsored by the Newtown Rotary Club scheduled for Saturday, April 5 at 8 pm in the Newtown High School auditorium, are now being finalized. “With Newtown’s own Roger Sprung as master of ceremonies, we can forecast a full evening of family fun,” said Charles Yorio, club president, at a recent planning session.

***

A resolution exempting the Town of Newtown from its own zoning regulations, petitioned by the members of the road crew, has been placed on the call of the March 31 special town meeting, at Newtown High School at 8 pm. The action by the road crew is seen as a push for a town garage on the Stefanko property in Sandy Hook. Efforts to have that property approved as a garage site fell through last year with the Planning and Zoning Commission’s disapproval of the proposal.

***

Last week the telephone in 487 homes in Newtown rang as The Bee conducted its first public opinion poll. The question asked, from a selection of numbers which were picked at random from the phone directory and not recorded, was, “Do you think that Frank DeLucia is doing a good job as the first selectman for the Town of Newtown?” The results are as follows: yes, 187; no, 134; no opinion, 148; and 18 people declined to answer at all.

MARCH 24, 1950

The Alexandria Room of the Edmond Town Hall was filled on Monday evening with interested residents of the town and borough, who were present for the hearing held by the Zoning Commission of the Borough. The purpose of the hearing was to consider the applications of Willis McNab and Walter Bounty, seeking reclassification of their properties on Church Hill Road from residence to business, to permit erection on the site of a shopping center to be known as the “Market Place.” Judge Paul V. Cavanaugh, chairman of the Zoning Commission, presided at the hearing, with F.H. Duncombe, secretary, as clerk. Following an explanation of the Borough’s zoning regulations and the procedure at hearings, Judge Cavanaugh introduced Alexander W. Allport, who in his capacity as general manager of the Newtown Company, Inc., explained at length the plans of his company to erect a shopping center on the proposed site, on which the Newtown Company holds an option pending decision of the Zoning Commission in regard to reclassification of the property.

***

The Republican caucus in Newtown, scheduled to follow the adjourned session of the annual town meeting last Thursday evening, finally called itself to order at 10 o’clock at the close of the lengthy town meeting. Chairman W.W. Holcombe, town chairman, opened the caucus, and called for nominations for town chairman. He was nominated by H.H. Cutler and Representative George M. Stuart was nominated by Walter A. Reynolds. At this point, H.R. Geiger was asked by Mr Holcombe to preside in his place and a vote was taken by ballot, Mr Stuart winning by a count of 213 to 145. The tellers were Walter A. Reynolds, H. Edward Vollmers, Edmund M. Foster, and Ervin C. Stickles, Jr. Mrs Horace Sanford was nominated by Harry Greenman to succeed herself as vice chairman and was elected by a voice vote.

***

The voters of the town of Newtown set a tax rate of 25.7 mills at last Thursday evening’s adjourned session of the annual town meeting, doing so at the end of more than two full hours of lengthy discussion and involved parliamentary procedure, which finally required the casting of the deciding ballot by the moderator in order to break a tie vote.

***

A new drive for funds is being conducted by a committee of the Newtown Veterans Memorial Building Association to finish the new building and its interior and provide plumbing and heating.

***

There is one common ground between those who favor and those who are opposed to the regional school. That is a realization of the urgent need for more adequate facilities to properly educate the youth of Newtown, in grades seven through 12, inclusive. In other words, if the referendum on April 8 votes for dissolution of Regional District No. 3, there remains a moral obligation in Newtown, particularly on the part of those who are opposed to the regional school, to provide a new local high school with exactly comparable educational facilities.

***

There was a good crowd of ladies and gents at the bowling match held at the Edmond Town Hall alleys last Sunday afternoon, when Bill Kayfus, as anchor man for one of the teams, took two out of three from anchor man Ed Casey’s team.

***

 An interesting session of the Great Books Reading Group was held at the Cyrenius H. Booth Library on Wednesday evening, March 15, when Books I to VIII of the Confessions of St Augustine were discussed under the leadership of Mrs F. Willard Johnson. The background for the discussion was furnished by Mrs Mortimer Smith, acting as historian, and Mrs Bradley Randall, as biographer.

 

MARCH 20, 1925

The Upham Benefit Association of Upham Food Products Company held a masquerade dance on St Patrick’s night, March 17. Over 75 couples attended and all report a very enjoyable time. More than 15 girls, employees, from Newtown attended the dance.

***

The residents of the Borough were delighted when the news became current on Friday last that Miss Mary E. Hawley had purchased the Newtown Inn property in the heart of the Borough, comprising the large hotel building and some four acres of land. Miss Hawley has not disclosed what she will do with the property, but it is a satisfaction to all that the Inn has passed to her control.

MARCH 23, 1900

Herbert Conger had a litter of 14 young rabbits added to his stock this week.

***

A meeting of the Newtown Library Association is called for next Tuesday evening, March 27, in the library room at 7:30 o’clock. The object of this meeting is to consider and decide the question of securing the title to the land on which the new library building is to be placed.