East End residents heard at Town meeting

By Maurice Emery
Editor

There was standing room only at the Littleton Town Hall this past Monday as residents from East End Avenue came to express their concerns on renaming the street after Sam Robinson Sr.

Twenty one residents signed in to be heard by their presence and their voices.  The public hearing was scheduled to allow residents to express their wishes.

Littleton Mayor Mason Hawfield opened the meeting at 7 p.m. He asked the citizens to keep their comment brief.  From the first comment to the last the Mayor heard citizens express why they felt the street should not be renamed.

Long time residents talked about how the street has been part of the town for over one hundred years.  Several people said they have lived on the street for fifty years.  They all seeded to agree that there should be something done to recognize Sam Sr., but renaming the street was not what they wanted.      One resident told the mayor and council that East End carries the history of those have lived and died there and those who have been born there.  Others told the gathering that East End is a landmark that identifies the area where they grew up.  It was their part of town and held a special meaning. 

Vincent Bullock came to the meeting prepared with a petition signed by seventeen residents against renaming the street. 

When Sam Robinson Jr. spoke, after listening to the people talking about how long they have lived on the street and how much it is part of their lives, he offered a compromise proposal.  Sam Jr. proposed that they rename a section of Rt. 158 after his father.  Even if it is a short section by the funeral home, it would still be a way to honor him.

Mayor Hawfield told the citizens that, “We had not intention of disrupting life on East End.”  He said they, the council, would delay any vote to rename the street until they could look into other options. 

The Mayor told them that the renaming of the street was brought up by a town citizen to honor all that Sam Sr. did for the town.  He added that it was not the town’s intention nor did he think Sam Sr. would want the disruption. 

Everyone seemed to agree that Sam Sr. deserved some type of permanent recognition; the issue now was in trying to find a way to do it.  They meeting was then adjourned.