The Lowell Sun from Lowell, Massachusetts • Page 11

t' THE LOVm Bllhrlca Clwlmtforrf Dtm Tawkifcvry TynfiW JuneS, 1972 mm 'I If Tewksbury sign bylaw violators to be taken to task By LEE WOOD Sun. Staff TEWKSBURY Violators of the sign bylaw have had six years in which to correct their mistakes or file for variances from, the board of appeals under the sign bylaw enacted in 196G. Selectmen ruled the time will run out. June 23, After that date, violators who have not shown the1 intent of at least applying for a variance (or removing the sign by. then) will be taken to district court, no questions asked.

This has ail come aboul because selectmen finally decided enough is enough. For a year now selectmen have been faced with ttie dilemma of what, to do to make people comply with the sign bylaw. Chairman Joseph Whelan fell it best the 'building inspector gel a list of all violators. They, said h'eian, violators could all sink or swim together. This was prevented by the musical building inspector situation after the death of the building inspector ast year.

the current inspector, George Nawn has been at the job of checking for violators for almost a month. He already has almost 100 violators on Main St. alone. This created a second problem. The board of appeals was swamped with for variances.

Since the board must provide a hearing for each variance, it began to look as if nothing but sign approvals or disapprovals would take the time of the appeals board leaving precious little time for anything else. However, selectmen, board of appeals Chairman Robert Grcenleaf, Building Inspector Nawn, and Gerald McDermott, chairman of the. original sign, bylaw committee which formulated the warrant article resulting in the present bylaw, all got together, Greenieaf was told his board could add special meetings to handle just sign variance requests. About 10 violations will be taken care of at such meetings which will probably be scheduled Saturday mornings. Each variance will ge.

given five minutes or so. If no one objects, the sign will get the OK since Greenieaf and most appeals board members do not see any great discrepancies, so bad they deface the town, noted Greenieaf. The main idea of the bylaw, felt Greenieaf, was to prevent gigantic flashings or revolving signs, re: Las Vegas, from being built. in town. "But the guidelines just aren't there," he said of the byjaw.

Neither Greenieaf, Selectman Nawn, or anyone at the meeting wanted a "Vegas strip" it was agreed. Greenieaf flatly stated, "I'm against asking an owner to take a sign down it's not bothering anybody. I feel it's going to be one big bag of worms. I feel it's just too much. We be creating a hardship asking people to take down a $2000 sign.

It's very discretionary in the bylaw what is conforming." Selectman Frank Antonelli' noted, "Keep in mind the. town passed the bylaw." Chairman Whelan gave a brief rundown of bylaw A temporary sign can be four square feet; political sign, eight square feet; residential sign, two square feet; for sale or lease sign, six square feet and contractor or architect sign at construction site, 20 square feet. The police chief must, approve directional or traffic signs; Directional signs also require board of appeals approval. Business and industrial district signs must be no higher than three feet but may be the width of a store front. If there is a second floor to the structure, the three foot high rule applies.

but the sign may only go across the front of the store three fourths of the way. A second sign may be 50 per cent of the width of the front sign. Gas stations and garages can break up their sign square footase but the total of all signs must not be greater than a store front sign. Gas stations may also be allowed one standing sign with board of appeals approval and all illuminated signs which arc kept on after midnight must get board of appeals' approval Nawn has sent out notices so far to SO violators; 34 have replied. For the others, and new ones he spots every day, new notices are going out.

By June 23, he will, send out the third notice so as to have a good court case, should violators fail to file for variances or take the signs down, Nawn's office, in the basement of town hall, will continue to accept appeals board variance hearing applications and accept the money for ad versising the hearings at per appeal. McDermott noted some people have been harassing him for supposedly complaining about their signs. He nolcd, "I haven't complained aboul anybody's June 23 again is the deadline, The appeals board will then lake 60 more days to look Urn ap iHica'tiotis over, Afler that. It's to district court for violator i town By TONI PARSONS Sum Stiff TYNGSBORO The. Tyngsboro and Dunstable boards of selectmen nave requested a meeting for June with the Peppernll board in effort to holt a tri town attempt to do sornethliij about heavy sand and gravel trucks which travel lin ough the town disturbing residents and tearing up roads in their wake.

'i'lie situation along Hie route in Dutiable and Tyngsboro has; been aggravated by the expansion Log'sr Airport facilities where gravel is now being trucked from Pepperelt via Route 113 in Dunstable and Dunstable Road in. Tyngsboro to Route 3. i "There's a long long trail This group cf smiling teens still shows signs a thon for charity, held in Chelmsford be sum of money for each mils walked. of vim 'and vigor although they have just fore the rains came yesterday, The walk ers were, sponsored and paid a specified passed the 17 mile mark' of a 25 mile walk Indians make move to regain part of Lowell Dracut forest as reservation By PATRICIA WAGNER Sun Staff DRACUT This land once belonged fo them, and 'when they owned it the rivers were clean and the air was fresh, They welcomed the first settlers buck in 1620 and helped them build their colony at Plymouth. They taught them how to plant com, use fish for fertilizer and when the harvest was over bolh red and white men celebrated together end gave thanks to Coil, But, centuries passed and the Indians were pushed farther west or onto reservations.

Missionaries and teachers stripped lliem of their culture' and traditions terming it "civilization" and "progress." The white man brought social diseases to the Indians, looked down upon them as savages and treated them as such, taught them how to scalp another humaii being, and look away their' land. Now the Indians want their land back. They want to revive their culture and traditions and teach them to their children. Chief Onk we ta se, a Mohawk Huron Indian, came to the last Dracut selectmen's meeting requesting they assist the Grea'ter IjUwcII Indian Cuituralists in acquiring a portion of land in tile Lowell Dracut State Forest to set up a small Indian reservation and an Indian Cultural Museum. Chief Onk we ta se, locally known as ward Guilmette, who resides at 551 Textile told the board he has discussed the idea of.

selling up a living museum to the Indians with Director ol the Educational Component of Model Cities Patrick and Megan's reaction was that it would be a great ACCORDING TO GUILMETTE, Mogan feels it 'would be a great educational hoom to have a museum and a small Indian village recreated in the way Indians lived three centuries ago. Chief Onk we ta se fold Selectmen Leo Grondine, Robert Gallagher, Robert Campbell, Dexter Dutney, and Roger Daigle. it would not cost the town or slate any money to turn the land over to the Indians. He said the local Indians would be willing to' clear the land, construct a museum and sel up the village. The Indian chief also noted the land was once part of the Pawtucket Falls Indian Reservation.

Actually the hind would not be given away; it would be relurned to the rightful owners. He staled the Indian village would be lived in. living on a reservation in Maine have shown an interest in coming to visit, provided they have an Indian village where they can stay. Describing some of the history of the Pawtucket Falls Indian Reservation, Gerry Morin, of Dracut, who is part Indian and extremely knowledgeable in Indian history, explained the Wowenocks, who once governed Pawtucket Falls through their Bashabu, were and still are, fho most surprising of Indian "Along the Sheepsee lt in Maine the inhabitants still rcrer to the Wowenocks us the "Super 'he said. "They are the only tribe in North America 'to partial descent and influence frum Ihe pre Columbian Europeans.

In their case the Europeans were Vikings' and later Christian Scandinavians and Northern Germans from Bremen with whom they lost contract during the black plague. The Malo'clte Abnakis called the Wowenocks. Bem den ylik (the Whiles living among us), Morin said, CONTINUING his description of the early New England tribes he "A study of the Sioux, Iroquois or any other Indian nation in no way prepares us for'tho uniqueness of the Wowenocks. John Smith and their Missionary Falhcr Rnslc Insisted they were civilized nnd possessed of an unfathomable intellectual depth," New England tribes he said, "A study of (he Sioux, Iroquois or any other Indian nation in 3D way prepares us for the uniqueness of the iYowenocks. John Smith and.

their Missionary father Rasle insisted they were civilized and possessed of an unfatlwmable'Mellectual depth." Morin contends amazing as Indian history is, there is still the impact of Indians on the present and future. Traversing back to Indian history Morin went on to explain, "The Wowenocks masters of land use. Without chemical fertilizers or poisons, they could grow more food per acre by their highly sophisticated polycullural symbiotic system than we can with our highly polluting monocultural agri business." The Wowenocks have updated their system and proposed it to the Northern Middlesex Area Commission, Morin said. With their system, he explained, environmental enhancement is accomplished by control and recycling of gaseous, liquid and solid wastes with a bonus rider for recycling purely clean hydrocarbon synthetic fuels. This system would give rise to a more efficient and therefore more profitable self sufficient THE PROPOSED museum at Lowell Dracut State Forest will trace the history Df lb.

ffowe nocks as far back 'as their traditions can Bring them to their present band' encampments in Beeancour, Quebec, Canada and Oldtown, Maine, and to a certain extent in Dracut, The problem that exists is whether the state will be willing to turn a portion of the forest on the Lowell Dracut slate line over to the Indian Cuituralists. The Indian cuituralists argue it is in the interest of education, and they have a rightful claim to the land. They have not only contacted the Dracut selectmen but also the local legislators, Sen Joseph Tully and Rep. Nick Lambros. Tully, in a letter to Dracut selectmen, informed them his office lias been in contact with the slate Department of Public Works regarding their projections for the state forest.

ALTHOUGH HE DID NOT comment directly on the question of whether the Indian cuituralists would be given access to a portion of land he did state, "I would like to assure you Dracut will not be denied their access to the forest, but rather, wili enjoy the expanded, facilities of the same," Another problem exists in thai the new proposed extension of Route 213 will cut directly through the state lorcst, and it has been unofficially reported that when this occurs the state will completely lake over the land for educational purposes connected with busing children from the Boston area to the Lowell Dracut State Forest. Possibly, in order fo get a section of land the Indian Cuituralists may be forced to go before the stale legislature themselves with a bill. nuisance The problem of complaining residents lies mainly' in the towns or Dunstable and Pvngsboro. Tho major complaints in both towns center on nuise caused by rumbling trucks in the. early morning hours and expensive damage done to the roads.

The secretary to the Tyngsboro 'selectmen reported in a telephone Interview that the June 8 meeting stemmed from a joint meeting held with Dunstable about two weeks ago and' with snme or the trucking companies 'Involved; It was reported few of the trucking com panies were present at' the meeting, but those who were there were asked to pass the word la oilier Iruckers to cooperate and use Lowell Road in Dunstable as an alternate Since Lowell Road becomes' Dunstable Road Tyngsboro, tills pattern of travel' would alsrf aid Tyngsboro. ACCORDING TO the secretary of the Tyngsboro selectmen, it is hoped the June 8 meeting Will aid in getting truckers to travel through' the town at. a later hour. This seems to be'! the main bone of contention of residents in. the' town, who complain the gravel trucks travel through the town at 5 a.m., waking and disturbing, residents.

The secretary said tli'c selectmen made it ptain a meeting between the three towns would have to be pursued by either Dunstable or Tyngsboro. The secretary also noted selectmen hoped any input' from Dunstable and Tyngsboro would bring about results in.eventuHlIy lessening complaints from residents in the three towns. On the of Reute 113 in Dunstable, Highway Superintendent Jehu Debarbian said earlier he cannot say in dolars the. tremendous burden imposed on the town for patching. The pattern proposed to truckers at the joint meeting between Dunstable and Tyngsboro was to take Lowell Road in Dunstable with a full load and to return on Route 113 empty through Dunstable.

Because no alternate mute is proposed Tor the center, trucks would have fo continue through the center loaded and' empty, Selectman George Tully of Dunstable rc purled it was suggested to truckers they find additional alternative routes through Nashua, N.Hr, for example in order to lessen traffic Lowell Road. IN DUNSTABLE, however, the selectmen admitted there' has been less gravel truck travel on Lowell Road since the shut down of Blanciiard Hill Farms, Inc. After a controversial bearing on May 15, and a special meeting of the select the owner, John Kenny, was denied' an application for a gravel removal permit at Blachard At an earlier heurlng in DunsLablu, Leo Du inont another gravel pit owner sought an application far a permit to continue to haul 30,000 yards of gravel a year. At 40 residents showed up at that hearing to oppose the permit. Despite the long list of resident complaints, selectmen issued a permit to Dumont, though selectman Robert Kennedy of Dunstable, nad said earlier it was doubtful a permit will be reissued because of the wishes made known by residents in opposition to the permit, ill ilium iiiinini ft mill To meet tonight DRACUT The Drug Action 'Committee will meet tonight at 8 ro.

at the Dracut Senior High School. 1IIIIIIIII1III1IIIII11IIIIII11IMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII1IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Despite heavy rainfall Sunday, today water ban still in force in Billerica BILLERICA Selectmen have declared a water ban, effective until further notice, limiting the use of water outside the home, between the hours of 4 10 p.m. daily. The bah remains In force despite the heavy rainfall Sunday and earlier today. Chairman Ralph Bacon of the town's wafer commission, and Public Health Director Dnn ald Bassett have received appeals lor water frnm householders complaining of their limited water supply in their homes, which amounts to a trickle from faucets at the end of the day.

Low pressure Is felt In homes on high elevations, 1 such as Bear Hill, Manning Road, Fox School Lane und other locations where the increased usage of water particularly during the six to seven supper hour period dwindles the supply. Thts situation is difficult lo understand, householders complain to officials, since the town recently added to Ihc water system with construction of a seven million gsliun stnndpipc. The huge green tank is practically in the back yard of new homeowners, THIS IS TRUE and possibly reasonable to expect nn water shortage with the 1969 addl Pine Street pond flooding problem nears solution TEWKSBURY The usual case at selectmen meetings is thai people are complaining aboul one thing or another to the lown fathers. At present, there is a controversy over the Marsha Dean Drive area concerning a proposed housing development drainage which will fill up a private pond owned hy Mrs, Thelma oM5 Pine St. The pond Is or her property near her home, Al the lasl meeting Ihe highway department engineer still hadn't returned with a new flow plan possibility study for tho drainage system as requested by selectmen, Nevertheless Mrs.

Whitehouso told selectmen, "I want, to thank you gentlemen. Everyone Is doing all that can be done to relieve flooding of my pond." The engineer report should be due soon. Meanwhile the builder has hnllcd construction until a solution can be found, tions to the water system. However, Ralph Bacon tells the townspeople, the effort to provide water for the next 15 to 20 years, is very hard to sell to the voters. The accelerated growth of the.

town, with some 5(H) new homes added each year, means there are that many more water services to the homes each year. Thus the addition to the system in 1909 has reached its capacity. "Obviously additions musL be planned for the next two decades. To plan lor immediate needs is not enough," Cliairman Bacon explains. The two water storage facilities, the Chelmsford sergeant believed dead, is No.

Vietnam POW CHELMSFORD An army sergeant believed killed in action in South Vietnam three years ago has turned up in a prisoner of war letter. The Chelmsford GI is one of IS American prisoners who hns signed a letter asking for withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam, according to the Viet Cong's Gia Phong Press Agency. The Vict Cong last week, for the first time, acknowledged they arc holding SPf Donald A. MacPhail, 24, who had vanished on a rccou naisance mission on Feb. 8, 1989.

ACCORDING to the news agency, the prisoners signed a letter addressing themselves lo Congress and asking for continued peace negotiations to end the war. In addition, (hey asked for the return of American prisoncrsi wari The hitter, according to Gia Pitong Press, also criticized Nixon's decision to. blockade North Vietnamese porls. McPhail's 24 year old wife, iChnrlolte, tnid his parents expressed great joy when they heard Don was still alive. "We huve been walking on elnud nine," said Basil MncPlinll of Dnlton Chelmsford.

When his son disappeared Army 'officials told his fnmily the other members of his patrol unit were killed. two standpipes, full So the tap means water Hows into the system Irom the top, with loss ol pressure as level diminishes when Hie capacity of the system is reached, and that is now. If you do not have enough treating capa city to keep the standpipe filled to Ihe top, then the pressure is lowered, affected by elevation, as mare and more people use water. With the warm days comes filling or many swimming, pools, cars, sprinkling new lawns and landscaping of recently constructed homes. These are part af the overall problem, until improvements are made," said Bacon.

THE REQUEST FOR funds in the annual town meeting whs a tremendously urgent diic which failed hy one vote. "The town's economic condition is a factor. So is the rapid and unpredictable growth of the town," Director Donald Bassett adds, Engineer Helgc Anderson of Camp, Dresser MeKec, accompanied hy a group of staff engineers, and Chairman Bacon, meeting with selectmen prior to the annual town meeting, presented a revision of the town's water planning. Un lorlunalely few townspeople were there. A formal report was later made available and presented in the town meeting, by Chairman Bacon, The critical situation again comes before the voters in the special town meeting of June 19.

Bomb threat charge against Chelmsford youth continued AYER Thomas Crmvell, 19, ol 345 North Road, Norlh Chelmsford, charged by Wcstford police with threatening to bomb' the Imnie of Mrs. Valerie Volz, G5 Plain Road, We.stford, wis granted a continuance lo June 7, )973, ordered to post surely bond of (1,000 and 'pay court costs of $25. Ci'owell was a passenger in an automobile operated by Donald Dunn, 20, of Berr'it Una, Tyngsboro, wlw was charged with four offenses. Dunn was found guilty of operating with defensive equipment, and was fined tlO; he was nlso found guilty of ornllng wltlwut licens In possession, and had the charge placed on flit,.