ATHOL – At one time or another over many decades, there has been a Newton in charge of either the Police, Fire or Public Works departments in Royalston.

Now, Geoff Newton, the town’s building inspector, is getting ready to retire his clipboard. He has been on the job for more than four decades, following in the footsteps of his father, who was appointed the town’s first building inspector in 1976.

“I started in January of ‘82,” said Newton, “and I’ve been doing it ever since for the town of Royalston.”

In addition, Newton has also served in the same position in Winchendon since 2016, and before that he was Phillipston’s building inspector from 2004 to 2012. He will also be retiring from Winchendon.

Among the Newtons to work in Royalston include Geoff’s brother Keith, who served as both fire chief and head of the DPW. Their other brother, Wayne Newton, served as the town’s fire chief until 2008, when Keith assumed the role. 

Before taking on the responsibilities of building inspector, Newton worked as a carpenter for both his father and uncle “building houses and doing repair work around the town of Royalston – that’s where I started.”

After Newton’s father suffered a stroke, he said, he started assisting with the inspector’s job.

“I was going out with him after he had the stroke,” Newton explained. “I could understand what he was trying to say, and I knew other people couldn’t. Where he was able to talk, he did good, and when he started to be garbled, I would help him out.”

The town then asked Newton if he would take over the position. At the time he was also driving a school bus and working nights at the Fernald School in Templeton.

During his first 14 years of service, Newton said that the inspector’s office was located in his home. In 1996, when students were moved out of Whitney Hall in South Royalston and into the new Royalston Community School, the building inspector’s office was moved into Whitney Hall.

Plans now call for moving that office, along with other town departments, into the former Raymond School.

Newton said things have changed significantly since he first took office.

“You have a building code, you have a residential code, you have an existing building code, you have a fire code, energy code; they didn’t have all that back then,” he said. “So, when people were building a home, you were there to see the footing and foundation together, then you went in and checked the framing of it, and then you did a final – three inspections. Now you have six or seven because you have to inspect for radon, look at the perimeter drains, check the tie rods for the form boards, hydraulics cemented, seal for the asphalt, see that the drainage pipe is in place, check the rafter vents, check all the stuff for the insulation so that it passes the energy code. It’s a lot more involved.”

When he first started, Newton said people building homes were more susceptible to becoming victims of what he called “fly-by-night” contractors.

“Now, contractors are more supervised by the state,” he said. “They all have licenses, they all have to have their workers compensation, they have to have a certificate of liability, they need their licensing – all that stuff has to be in place. So, most of them are pretty well honest at this point.”

The biggest frustration for Newton as he reaches the end of his tenure is dealing with the owners of unsafe or dilapidated properties.

“This town doesn’t have the money to push enforcement – none,” he said. “I don’t want a blank check, but if I start threatening somebody with a court action, I want to have some money to do that. At one point in our lives, the building inspector had the right to prosecute – to get the person served a summons to show up and get him into housing court. Now the courts want you to have a lawyer, and that takes a lot more money.”

What has motivated Newton to remain on the job for over 40 years? He said it was a desire to give back to the community, “and that’s been a pleasure for me. It really has been a pleasure for me.”

And, Newton said, he’ll miss the job.

“I always told everybody, ‘They’re going to lug me out of here. I’m going to be lugged out, because I love the job,’” he said. “I treat people right. I like the people.”

Newton has committed to serving Royalston and Winchendon until a replacement can be found, and when he finally does retire, for the first time in many decades, there won’t be a Newton in charge of any of Royalston’s municipal departments.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@aol.com.