From 1962: Option Approval Seen On Bacon Land Purchase

The following article is from about 50 years ago today, published in the Hartford Courant on July 16th, 1962.
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The first step toward construction of the new 16 to 20-room Westfield District Elementary School is expected to be taken this week when an option is signed on some 30 acres of land at East Street and Plumb Road.

The School Building Committee will meet at the City Hall Conference Room Wednesday night ad is expected to authorize Chairman Albert A. Lapping to sign the option to buy the land from the estate of C. Marsden Bacon.

Corporation Counsel Harry W. Edelberg drew up the option and is preparing deeds for the actual purchase. The option will be for four months.

Chairman lapping said Sunday the original price set by the land owners and the committee was $42,500, but the committee decided to buy a 150 food strip of land from Plumb Road to provide access. The strip will cost an additional $500.

Lapping said the committee soon will ask for approval by the Board of Finance and the Common Council for an appropriation sufficient to cover cost of the land purchase.

Later, when school plans have been completed and a cost estimate available, the city probably will be required to issue bonds for construction and furnishings costs. Since the total will be well over the $250,000 limit in city bonds salable without a referendum, it appeared a public vote will have to be taken.

More Borrowing
Mayor Roth has indicated other borrowing will be needed to meet costs of buying Crystal Lake land and other recreational areas. A single bond issue in an amount covering all of these costs may eventually to [sic] go to a referendum.
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The City eventually spent $43,000 to purchase land described in an August 23, 1962 Courant article as "off Westfield Street, Higby Road and Plum Road." Plumb (yes, it should have a b) road formerly went from its current location on East Street all the way through the Bacon land, and came out on what is now called Country Club Road. Ground-breaking for the new school took place in January of 1963, the cost of the building was estimated at $335,000. The final cost was $750,000.
In May of 1963, the new school was named in honor of former superintendent of the Old Town School District, Van Buren Moody.