Donald Road

Donald Road is a street of the Riverview Park area in East Billerica, running about 1,500 feet west from George Brown Street, parallel to Jordan Road and Whipple Road. It was laid out on "Shawsheen River Pines, Billerica, Mass., Unit No. 1," drawn in May 1947 by John Thomas Brown, surveyor, of Twombley Avenue, North Billerica, for Harry and Jeanne Shotz, approved by the town's Board of Survey on June 2, 1947 and recorded on June 4, 1947 (Plan Book 70, Plan 88). The plan replatted part of the old Riverview Park lots of 1912 in house lots of 7,500 square feet, 75 by 100 feet. Donald Road, 40 feet wide, is the northern of its two long streets, running from the road then marked Salem Road, now George Brown Street, past Coolidge Street to Norman Street, now Norman Road, with Jordan Road one block south. A second sheet, Unit No. 2, drawn in August 1947 and recorded on August 28, 1947 (Plan Book 71, Plan 40), laid out the lots on the north side of Donald Road, with Marilyn Road, Freddy Road and Hershon Row running off Salem Road. Donald, Jordan, Marilyn and Freddy are given names, but the plans do not say whose, and the origin of the names was not found.

The assessors date one house on the street to about 1945, and most of the others to the 1960s and 1970s. Donald Road and Jordan Road were on the list of streets offered for acceptance at the annual town meeting of 1971, but they were not among those accepted. The Highway Department graded the street in 1972 and 1975. On May 13, 1976 the annual town meeting accepted "the laying out of Donald Road in accordance with a plan on file with the Town Clerk a way 40' wide and 1504' more or less long." The Street Acceptance Committee moved to add $5,550, since there was no drainage system and the road needed "2-1/2 inch hot top by 16 ft. wide x 1250 ft.," but the amendment was lost and the street was accepted without it. It was graded again in 1978.

References

1. Annual Report 1971: warrant Art. 90, accept streets including Donald Road and Jordan Road
2. Annual Report 1971: Art. 90 vote, streets accepted (Donald and Jordan Roads not among them)
3. Annual Report 1972: Highway Department, streets graded, including Donald Road and Jordan Road
4. Annual Report 1975: Highway Department, streets graded and graveled, including Donald Road
5. Annual Report 1976: May 13, 1976, Donald Road accepted, 40 by 1504 feet; $5,550 amendment lost
6. Annual Report 1978: Highway Department, streets graded, including Donald Road