The following are town meeting minutes that I have typed up from old 1940's Annual Reports. I am missing quite a few years but hope that with the help of the public I can one day have a collection of all the Town Meeting Notes up to the present here for your enjoyment.

If you have any Annual Reports that I can borrow to add to these pages, please contact me at bcolley@snet.net . I will only keep the reports long enought to make a copy of them.

Town Meeting Notes:

October 25, 1946:

It was voted to deed to Dorethy W. Sprague the old town road 475 feet in length lying between Umpawaug Road and the land of Mrs. Sprague heretofore abandoned by the Town of Meeting of Oct. 16, 1945.

Notice made, seconded and carried that the request to deed part of an old town road as abandonded at the Town Meeting of Oct. 7, 1940, to Sarah Tack Ryan be rejected.

October 31, 1947:

The motion was made, seconded and approved that the First Selectman continue to determine the method of working town roads, because of the excellent condition in which the roads are kept.

Mr. Balch, Chairman of the School Committee, proposed the following resolution and moved its adoption:

Resolved: That the Town of Redding does hereby accept the tenative allotment of state aid in the sum $47,250.00 made by the Public School Building Commission of the State of Connecticut to the Town of Redding for the purpose of assisting said Town in the construction of a new elementary school for said town, such tentative allotment to be subject to alteration or adjustment so as to comply with the provisions of Public Act No. 333, amended by the 1947 General Assembly, and to be subject to this express condition, to wit: that any allotment of any kind made to said Town by said Public School Building Commission shall be rendered of no effect if actual construction pursuant to a contract let in connection therewith shall not be started within one year following the date of the resolution, unless the time for starting such construction shall be extended by the Public School Building Commission of the State of Connecticut.

Resolved: That the Board of Selectman of the Town of Redding, for and in the name of the Town, accept, as a gift from the Redding Realty Corporation, a certain piece or parcel of land containing 1.25 acres, more or less, situate southerly of State Highway Route 107, for the sole and exclusive purpose of making and using the same as a public park and recreational area for the common use of the residents of the Town of Redding, and do any and all acts necessary and proper in the premises.

Resolved: That the Town of Redding does hereby accept and express its appreciation and gratitude of Lewis Collins Stone in recognition of his gift to the Town of his copy of the Robert Fulton portrait of Joel Barlow recently placed in the Town House, and be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution, properly endorsed, be forwarded to Mr. Stone by the Clerk of this meeting.

April 10, 1948:

Resolved: That the recommendation of the School Building Committee are hereby approved; and, That, pursuant to Section 421 of the General Statutes of the State of Connecticut, the Town of Redding hereby authorizes the issue of bonds in an amount not to exceed $326,000, and directs that the proceeds of this bond issue be expended for the Redding elementary school project, and that said funds be disbursed upon order of the Redding School Building Committee; and, That the building committee is hereby authorized to enter into such contracts in behalf of the Town as may be necessary for the construction of the Redding elementary school.

The resolution was seconded by Dr. George M. Babbitt, Chairman of the Redding Board of Education.

An amendment was offered by Mr. Davis Tuck, as follows:

In order that the construction of the school shall be carried forward according to the highest standards of the building profession, to eliminate technical delays and to effect the maximum economies obtainable, the present School Building Committee shall be reorganized so as to consist of nine members, including the following residents of Redding who have recognized professional or business experience in the building field:

Mr. George Costello, building contractor; Mr. Charles Banks, legal administrative construction counsel; Mr. William Tierney, structural engineer; Mr. Charles Beeston, architect; Mr. Harold B. Senior, building suppy dealer; Mr. George Banks, contractor. And that this committee undertake immediate analysis of the school building project and to negotiate with the contractor to the end that all possible economies be effected without in any way sacrificing the appearance, the utility or durability of the planned strcuture.

Mr. George Banks asked that his name be removed from the list.

Resolved: That voting on the acceptance or non-acceptance of the proposed new school shall be by all-day ballot on a day appointed by the meeting for the taking of said ballot.

Could not be acted on.

Mr. Hawkins moved that upon the reccommendation of the Board of Finance, $7,000.00 be transferred to the Highway account. The motion was seconded and carried.

Motion made, seconded and carried that upon the reccommendation of the Board of Finance, a sum of $350 be approved as a bonus for the Highway employees.

Resolved: That pursuant to the provisionsof 177i of the 1947 Suppliment of the General Statutes of Connecticut, the Town Clerk and the Board of Selectman of the Town of Redding are hereby authorized to hold sessions to examine the qualificiations of electors and to admit to the elector's oath those found qualified as follows, May 8, June 5, July 3, all of said session to be held between the hours of two and five PM daylight saving time.

May 14, 1948:

George W. Banks presented the following resolution:

Whereas, the Town of Redding, at a special meeting held on the 8th day of July, 1945, appointed a School Building Committee, consisting of:

Leonard Pinover, Earle Balch, Arthur F. Brinckerhoff, Arthur Carlson, J. Bartlett Sanford, Jr, Alex Watt, Jr., principal of the school, ex-officio, and at and adjoined Annual Town Meeting, held of October 19, 1945, added to said School Building Committee the following named persons: Mrs. Bruce Millar and Francis Vaughn and whereas, the said School Building Committee is now organized.

Now, Therefore, Resolved, That the appointment of said Building Committee consisting of the aforesaid members, is ratified and confirmed and said Committee in addition to such general powers as may inhere in a Building Committee, is vested with the following specific powers and duties:

1. To expend appropriations made by the Town and the grant to be received from the State of Connecticut for constructing , furninshing and equipping an elementary school building suitable to the needs of the Town, as such needs may appear to said Building Committee, subject to the provisions of the General Statutes relative to the approval of plans by the Public School Building Committee.

2. No member of such Building Committee shall receive any compensation for his services as such, but the necessary expenses of said Committee shall be paid and included in the cost of the building. The records of the Building Committee shall be open to inspection by any person qualified to vote at town meeting, and upon completion of said building, said Committee shall make a complete report and accounting to the Selectman and the Town.

At this point, Francis Vaughn was recognized by the Moderator and resigned from the School Building Committee and declined to act.

Arthur Carlson was recognized by the Moderator and resigned from the School Building Committee and declined to act.

Mr. Banks then amended his resolution to read as follows:

Whereas, the Town of Redding, at a special meeting held on the 8th day of July, 1945, appointed a School Building Committee, consisting of:

Leonard Pinover, Earle Balch, Arthur F. Brinckerhoff, Arthur Carlson, J. Bartlett Sanford, Jr, Alex Watt, Jr., principal of the school, ex-officio, and at and adjoined Annual Town Meeting, held of October 19, 1945, added to said School Building Committee the following named persons: Mrs. Bruce Millar and Francis Vaughn and whereas, the said School Building Committee is now organized.

Now, Therefore, Resolved, That the appointment of said Building Committee consisting of the aforesaid members,with the exception of Arthur Carlson and Francis Vaughn who have resigned at this meeting and declined to act, is ratified and confirmed and said Committee in addition to such general powers as may inhere in a Building Committee, is vested with the following specific powers and duties:

1. To expend appropriations made by the Town and the grant to be received from the State of Connecticut for constructing , furninshing and equipping an elementary school building suitable to the needs of the Town, as such needs may appear to said Building Committee, subject to the provisions of the General Statutes relative to the approval of plans by the Public School Building Committee.

2. No member of such Building Committee shall receive any compensation for his services as such, but the necessary expenses of said Committee shall be paid and included in the cost of the building. The records of the Building Committee shall be open to inspection by any person qualified to vote at town meeting, and upon completion of said building, said Committee shall make a complete report and accounting to the Selectman and the Town.

George W. Banks presented the following resolution:

Whereas, the School Building Committee estimates the cost of the proposed Redding elementary school building to be approximately $433,000;

Now, therefore, resolved, That the Town appropriate the sum of Four Hundred Thirty-three Thousand Dollars ($433,000.00) for the purpose of constructing , furninshing and equipping an elementary school building and the School Building Committee is authorized to expend said appropriation.

William Gordan then presented the following amendment to the resolution:

Now, therefore, resolved, That the Town appropriate the sum of Four Hundred Thirty-three Thousand Dollars ($433,000.00) for the purpose of constructing , furninshing and equipping an elementary school building, as per plans and specifications as submitted and approved by Town Meeting called April 10, 1948, and to authorize the School Building Committee to expend such appropriation.

After said amendment was duly seconded, it was put to a vote and so declared by the Moderator.

J. Bartlett Sanford presented the following resolution:

Whereas, it is necessary to issue bonds in order to defray in part said appropriation of $433,000.00 for constructing , furninshing and equipping an elementary school building, and an issue of $326,000.00 of bonds will not cause the aggregate net indebtedness of said Town to exceed 10% of its grand list;

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