Automobile Accident at School and Emery Streets Photo: Sanford Tribune, October 14, 1976
By Lawrence Furbish
The Warrant Committee, which set the town budget for submission to the annual town meeting, was prominently featured on the front page. First, clarification was needed for guidelines for 1977 departmental appropriations requests. The committee wanted to maintain its basic goal of a “zero increase” over 1976 funding levels, but at the same time, it left the door open for increased appropriations depending on how well the department head justified his request. Another issue was how to figure surplus funds from 1976 into recommendations for 1977. If a department had a surplus, it could have more money to spend than the amount passed at the town meeting.
Another Warrant Committee issue involved the School Board and the Sanford Teachers Association (STA). The School Board and the STA had begun contract negations in July of 1975, but they had stalled with no progress for over a year. As a result, the School Board had not submitted an article (budget request) to the Warrant Committee. The STA president in a letter stated that the School Board was no longer able to negotiate in good faith and that the Warrant Committee needed to step in and negotiate with the teachers. The Warrant Committee refused saying that they were not in the business of negotiating contracts. Apparently, negotiations between the School Board and the STA were to continue.
The Sanford Planning Board subcommittee had completed four of the five scheduled informational workshops on various aspects of the town’s comprehensive plan which was to be presented at a formal public hearing later in October. The final draft plan was to be presented at the December town meeting along with a proposal to create a full-time town planner position.
A grievance was filed by the local firefighters’ union against the Sanford Fire Commission over a policy stating that all firefighters must live within the town limits of Sanford. The union’s position was that residency restriction was a negotiable item. The parties had met to discuss the issue and Acting Commission Chairman Gary Sullivan said the matter was close to being resolved. By contract, Highway Department employees had to live within seven miles of the highway garage and policemen within 10 miles of the police station.
A $50 reward was offered by an anonymous donor for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever broke into Sanford Junior High School and stole a color videotape monitor valued at $800.
Tribune sports editor Pete Barker expressed concern that Thornton High football fans might outnumber Sanford’s fans at an upcoming game at Cobb stadium. The Southern Division Class A race was a three-way tie between Sanford, Thornton, and Portland. Sanford fans were exhorted to attend this significant contest.
The Tribune in its lead editorial called for action to make the intersection of School and Emery Streets safer. It suggested that citizens who wanted to see the results of inattention and miscalculation or enjoyed the mayhem of automobile races or just wished to view an accident should frequent that intersection. The Tribune’s suggestion was to install stop signs on Emery Street, thus making the intersection a four-way stop.
At Rudy’s Tire Center you could get two snow tires for $71.
Surfine’s Harvest Sale was featuring ground beef for 78 cents a pound and ground pork for $1.18.
At the Hickory Pit you could get a steak dinner for two for $6.95
Sanford Twin City Cinema was running “Murder by Death” and “The Shootist” with John Wayne and Lauren Bacall.
Lawrence Furbish is president of the Sanford-Springvale Historical Society. The Historical Society Museum in Springvale has many resources regarding Sanford’s history. It is open Saturday, 10 am-2 pm and Friday 10 am-4 pm.
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