HomeMy WebLinkAbout1952-11-20 Board of Selectmen Minutes 260
NOVEMBER 20,1952-continusd;
Each year, the Registry of Motor Vehicles request Police Chiefs of 134 communities
to present a complete report on pedestrian safety.· He said they sometimes call on
the chief when he is busy with budgets, traffic or even with the F.H.I. men and
Chief McKee has always been cooperative.
Col Benchsaid there are three pbints to discuss, 1- the enforcement by' the Police
Department, 2nd., traffic in congested areas, illumination, white lines, etc, which
comes under the Police Department and the Engineering Departments, and third, edu-
cation which means that children are taught how and~ when to cross streets; then in
High School they ~ave trained persons to teach the children to drive ~pr_operly. The
Colonel furthar s~ated that Massachusetts has more autos than all~ the New ~ngland
States together and ~here are more than 1,800,000 ~rivers in Massachusetts so that
we canappreciate the traffic hazard~i~tNon~h Andover and~ they'are~ to be commended
~for going through a year without a fatality. ~He said the police report! is ~supple-
mented by ·their records, and because of this record, North Andever is entitled to
National~recognition~ , , ,,: .... . . .
Mr. Bonzagna, Deputy'Regis.trer-informed those present' that.he' brought the greetings
and-c bngratulation's, of Rudol~hKing, -'egistrar, who 'has been very busy and was
unable to c6me' to North Andover' .He ~aid that Mr. If/~g has made use of-.th~ three
'"E's"l-Engineering department which produce safe' "-ars' and eliminate hazards.
2.' ]~nfcrcement-Chief McKse has. done. an e xcellent';Job"with~' the ~officers in helping
- tO educate people, 'in th~/~A courteous;way, '3; F~ucation- is the tool which can.
and is producing results.. Y6ung children,are ~rain~d While in th~ lower grades.
· ~ He'said'~that"the number of chLTdren killed over aPeritd Of ye~s'.has been'reduced
from 134 to 16~ This :shows what' 6an be~ done ~with'the TM ~h ~-~
shc~..s.that the children are trained and. taught '~o~erl~: ~' o~ ~-- ~-'----'- . /
of the wild.actions o . · ,. ...... ~
.. . f some., young drmvers,.but they now have drivers' of'~"type'.never
seen before..He wanted' to pay high:.'t~ibUte'to Jam~.s "K&efe~ in cMrge ~f' the 'A;A.A.
which' helps Wroth the safet~of-th~e, pede~tri,a._ns!.; He.:said:thab..be~cau.4e of:'~O~h. Andover
. winning ,'thi~ plaqUe,, the gr~d'" award~ to- the:'State 'was .mad~ P~ssible. : ' ::1 ..._~ , .
_Ch, ief' .M~ee spoke 'bric .f~. y. and Said ';t~ey. h. ave"%W~1 offi~mr~ 'on' ~aye ~and"~ha~ :OffiCer'
~.ewis~ ~a~es care of':the '.sch6cls and W~th".~he 'coRpe%ktmor~ :they ~eceive
.' ~schools~. bhey' have bee, n.able:'.to-~ja .good.'Jo~':''.'' ['..>.! . ~ -~../ :"-' ~'
Mr. Th6ms0n. 'felt .that .th~s:..~as:.:al,sptendid '.tri~ut& it0 "~e~ t'o~n ok"N~rth~A~d$~ek- s~' .
to the :Chief of Police%a~d~the'<effective'..m~nner./~.'~[forJement 'b~.'bhe ~hief and'Other
members~ of .the~depa~tm~t~'' .:He' also/me~ti6ned: the cooperation:, of' the 'Education ....
department :a~d: felt .that the.': System- 0f:training~s.tudents, in the" high School'by Mr.
' Donovan' has been..ver~ effectf%e...' 'He.~s~i'd the :'whole '~0-;~-~.~-,.-~ ~-' ...... · ~' -
.... · .: .......... . . ~.--,~,,--:?, ~..~nc?o2ea,t
. Keefe i~.assis~ing us to attain.his services. Mr. Thomson .said that'
...... .. cooperatmon oz. the..Educational Department ~-~ ~; ~--- ..... /-"XU;"~
He then' extended'.his ' · ' ' -, '~ ...., .
congratulations 'and'commendation,~.'~o Chief McKee in':ccnduCting
~ '-' his (depar~tmant. so..,~ effectively.,, . --. ., , '~ ~, ." .. ? f ' : ~ ~ , ,
Mr.'Ftnnerafi ;could'"add,'~th'ingj~or~ ,t'O/w~it'llr.. ihomsoi Had ~id bu"
t..he'J f~lt
all idepArtmen~s; ~ad been:ver~.cooperatiy~..and we were fortunate in 'securing. help .from
were a'-good Part;of[it.('als6;' He. said they always ' -~"
receive t~e cooperation 'of the'Selectmen
and that we ar~;!:fortunat~-~6'.have Chief MCKee as head of.:o~w 'poli~e-department and
'Officer:Lewis.; He m'ention~ Mr;,'c~rty, as~'hf~hWa,, surve,.x&, ,_a..__,~
mennous, amount of work. in keeping' ;,the ~roads clear and thi~ fine ]o~ ha~ ;he]~pedl to: add
to'the safety 'Of ;the":to~wl~;He .said ;that ~about' ?5 Per~:cent of/the 'pupils-atgendin the
Kittredge and High Schobls haVe to cross'the highway bn6 th'W~'W,o ,~* - ' .g' -
accident to children; '~ - / '- ;. :, .' "-~--J',.'Z-- '.' ...... oee. n'a sxng-e
- , -7. ...... ~,~ ¥~= ~cnoo- patrols ann the nxgn school' trainin an~;'
excellent 'cooperation.. - . ,.: . . . g .~ ..s~aid we have
Oeorge. Hancock said hev~s probably the closest one to come in contact ~ith the police'
officers and he.rece~ives every coopergt~on .from~ that d, epartment. He said N6rth Andover
is 'second in the State having the';most State 'highw~2s~' PlymOUth being the' first, and.'
that t'here is consfderable traffi~ al~ the time'th~ough the 'tow~? 'He sa[ d if some
"Jerk', 'hadn',t come from Revere and got himself killed, the town weald hav~ -the same good
record'this year. ~ _..
"I~s.clos~ng~,M=;i Benzagca said that in 19~1' we"had 1,300,000 cars 6~ned byMass.
residents and that there were less people killed by autos in ~1951 than in 1918. The
plaques will be displayed ~n the Police Department and were ~dmired by all present.
Member Andrew F. Coffin was unable to be present at this occasion.