A Look Back, March 21

50 Years Ago

■The Northampton Zoning Board of Appeals last night voted to reject a petition for a special permit to allow a new 36-unit housing development requested by Donald Grant. The proposed development, called Eastwood Acres, would have been built near Prospect Avenue and Hatfield Street.

■Three Northampton High School seniors have been named finalists in the 1974 Merit Scholarship program. Judy Cohen, Jennifer Seton, and John Unsworth will compete with other students around the country for 1,000 one-time merit scholarships and 2,000 renewable scholarships.

25 Years Ago

■The Hadley Planning Board will decide Tuesday whether to give preliminary approval to developer Ronald Bercume’s plan to build 40 to 60 luxury homes on the slopes of the Mount Holyoke Range. The plans include building a looping road and houses up to the ridge of the 106-acre parcel next to Skinner State Park.

■George Goodwin has been chosen to receive the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce Millicent Kauffman Distinguished Service Award, Amherst’s version of the Citizen of the Year. Goodwin is a volunteer with the Pioneer Valley Chapter of Habitat for Humanity and other groups.

10 Years Ago

■After hearing loud and clear from city residents that they want more thought put into a proposed new law that would levy $250 fines on property owners who repeatedly fail to shovel their sidewalks, the City Council Thursday postponed its final vote in order to tweak the measure. The proposal would require all property owners to remove snow and ice from sidewalks in front of their property within 24 hours of a snowstorm.

■Mayor David J. Narkewicz has requested $1.675 million in CPA money for a two-part project that would transform Pulaski Park and the steep embankment at its edge down to the parking lot below. “It’s the heart of our downtown,” he said. “These parks are defining features for cities.”