1997 REPORT AFiNUAL Palmer Massachusetts PALMERPUBLIC sill 0010 5049 4 3' ABOUT THE COVER In 1884 the Town ofPalmer built a new schoolhouse in the vicinity ofthe Wire Mill which satisfied all the school requirements in that section oftown. The school was patterned after the new schoolhouse in Thorndike, a model two room building with ample light and ventilation. $2,500 was appropriated for its construction but the actual cost was as follows: M $ 200.00 Land J Converse W H $ 2.00 Surveying Brainard $ 44.75 Grading Lot R L Goddard $2,014.09 Building Madison & Lyman $ 112.00 Furniture S S Taft $ 64 50 Grading Lot George Griffin & $ 15.10 Settees Chairs Loomis Bros Total $2,452 44 In 1925 Clifton H Hobson, Superintendent ofSchools, recommended that the Town erect a new school to care for pupils living between this section ofTown and some other designated street such as Knox and Thorndike Mr Hobson considered the current school and the portable was less than what the Town should have In 1926 the old wooden section ofthe schoolhouse was bought by Jospeh Lachowski and moved by Frank Chudy onto a lot adjacent to the school The roofofthis building was raised and a second story was added thus converting the old "Wire Mill Schoof into what is now the four apartment building at 24 Roosevelt Street The two room corrugated metal portable school that was also a part ofthe school building was bought by Mr Murphy and moved onto South Main Street to the empty lot just over the bridge where it became a repair shop for canvas roofs for automobiles. During 1926 a new eight-room, two-story brick schoolhouse was constructed to replace the original wooden structure and the first classes occupied the building in December of that year. The contractor for this building, now officially named "Quaboag School", was the Roy Construction Co ofSpringfield The cost for the new building was as follows: $ 52,500.00 Building $ 1,576 02 Furnishings Total $ 54,076.02 This school served the youth ofthe community for many years It's roll changing from a grammar school to a secondary school was because the need arose However, in the early 1940's, when the gasoline shortage was invoked, the classrooms reverted back to their original grammar school status and they remained as such until the final closing in June, 1991 After 71 years, this building was razed on April 3, 1997. Digitized by the Internet Archive 2015 in https://archive.org/details/annualreportoft1997unse_1 1 INDEX SPECIAL TOWN MEETINGS/ANNUAL TOWN MEETING 20 ANIMAL INSPECTOR 150 APPEALS, BOARD OF 145 ASSESSORS, BOARD OF 73 AUXILIARY POLICE 75 BUILDING INSPECTOR 138 CABLEVISION ADVISORY COMMITTEE 159 CEMETERY COMMISSION 169 CIVIL DEFENSE 171 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT 136 CONSERVATION COMMISSION 153 COUNCIL ON AGING 160 DOG OFFICER 151 ELECTRIC AND GAS INSPECTOR 139 FACTS ABOUT PALMER 4 FOREST FIRE WARDEN 11 FINANCE COMMITTEE 156 GOVERNMENT DISTRICT & REPRESENTATIVES 3 HEALTH, BOARD OF 146 MILK INSPECTOR 149 HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT 108 HISTORICAL COMMISSION 162 HOUSING AUTHORITY 158 LICENSE COMMISSION 164 MEMORIAL PAGE: JAMES HALEY J. 1 AUTHUR GOUVIN R. 2 OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES APPOINTED BY SELECTMEN 10 PALMER ARTS LOTTERY COUNCIL 165 PALMER PUBLIC SCHOOLS 115 PALMER REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY 166 PARK DEPARTMENT 112 PATHFINDER REGIONAL VOCATIONAL TECHNICAL HIGH 122 SCHOOL DISTRICT PLANNING BOARD 143 POLICE DEPARTMENT 76 PLUMBING INSPECTOR 141 PUBLIC LIBRARY 133 RECREATION COMMITTEE 167 SAFETY COMMITTEE 168 SANITARY LANDFILL ALTERNATIVE COMMITTEE 148 SEALEROF WEIGHTS AND MEASURES 142 SELECTMEN, BOARD OF 17 INDEX TELEPHONE NUMBERS 6 TOWN ACCOUNTANT 172 TOWN CLERK 57 TOWN COLLECTOR 66 TOWN OFFICERS 7 TOWN TREASURER 72 TREE WARDEN 109 VETERANS' SERVICES 154 VITAL STATISTICS: MARRIAGES 58 DEATHS 61 WATER POLLUTION CONTROL FACILITY 110 JAMES HALEY J. April 20, 1924 - November 7, 1997 Bom in Monson, James moved to Palmer as a young man, where he met his wife, Carolyn Branford Haley, who passed away in 1989. They had three sons, James Jr., Scott, and Bruce, and seven grandchildren. James was a Palmer Post Office employee for 30 years, retiring in 1987 as a supervisor. He was a U.S. Navy Seabee veteran ofWorld War II and received the Victory Medal, Asiatic Pacific Medal and the American Area Ribbon. He was a member ofthe Thomas Lodge ofMasons in Palmer, the Revere Chapter Order of the Eastern Star, an active member ofthe Palmer American Legion Post 130, a member ofthe Palmer Finance committee, and a Palmer Little League coach. He was a devoted family man who will be missed by all the lives he touched. ARTHUR GOUVIN R. May 23, 1923 - March 29, 1997 Born in Westerly, Rhode Island, Arthur moved to Palmer at the age oftwo and remained a resident ofPalmer ever since. He married Shirley (Sankey) in 1985 in Monson He had two sons. Kevin and Ronald, both ofPalmer from a previous marriage. Arthur worked at Gouvins Garage on Walnut Street, Palmer along with his father John and his brothers Henry and Albert since he was approximately 18 years old. He enjoyed working on cars up to the time he became ill with health problems. Arthur served with the Highway Department as a mechanic during the early seventies and retired from the Palmer Fire Department in 1986 after serving the Town ofPalmer for thirty years, the last ten years as 1st Assistant Chief He also belonged to the Monson's Bellman Antique Fire Department for three years which he enjoyed very much. He was also active on the Finance Committee, Safety Committee and the School Disposition Committee.