Slowly But Surely, Development Ideas Begin To Stir At FFH
Slowly But Surely, Development Ideas Begin To Stir At FFH
By John Voket
If the converted Fairfield Hills engineerâs residence is any evidence of the kinds of creative reuses that may be applied to surviving buildings on the former state hospital campus, the future may be full of opportunities for large scale developers as well as local entrepreneurs. Ad Hoc Fairfield Hills Management Committee Chairman John Reed spoke to The Bee about possibilities for the future during a brief tour of the new campus operations center at the propertyâs main entrance.
In anticipation of the town Planning and Zoning Commissionâs adoption of the Fairfield Hills Master Plan in the coming weeks, Dr Reed was reserved, but excited at the prospects of developing ideas for the future.
âUntil the master plan is final, we have to keep things in the âlooking aheadâ mode, but itâs never an inappropriate time for building awareness of potential opportunities for users, especially local business people,â Dr Reed said while sitting at a large boardroom table on the first floor of the operations headquarters.
The two-story brick and frame home was in decent shape before town employees and representatives from the DeMarco, Miles and Murphy management firm began sprucing the building and surrounding property up, according to Dr Reed. But with a lot of TLC, some fresh paint, and a few items of furnishing, the building is already looking like a modest professional office.
Currently, the building has one converted bedroom each for security staff, management employees, and the ad hoc committee on its second floor, along with a full bathroom. The ground floor, soon to be outfitted for handicapped access, contains the boardroom and a smaller parlor, which Dr Reed envisions as a more intimate foyer for private meetings.
The large boardroom opens onto an exterior screen porch. The first floor also contains a working kitchen and washroom.
The basement level has exterior access via a bulkhead door, and contains blueprint file cabinets consolidated from throughout the campus and containing intricate plans for virtually all the campus buildings and systems. The buildingâs new furnace, shiny copper plumbing, and plastic sheathed wiring are further evidence of upgrades performed by town employees and outside professionals.
During the February 15 ad hoc committee meeting, Dr Reed said a small parking lot will be constructed alongside the building. Besides accommodating vehicles now forced to park on the roadway, the paved surface will also enhance handicapped accessibility for visitors who will eventually be able to enter the buildingâs meeting room directly from the lot.
Other buildings on campus receiving the attention of management representatives include Newtown Hall, which will likely be preserved for future use. To minimize further weather related deterioration, the committee has directed acting facility manager Maria DeMarco to seek bids on both a heating device for the building, as well as ideas on how to properly ventilate the structure.
âWe want to have heat in by next fall,â Dr Reed said. âWeâll probably have attic fans installed by this spring to aid the air circulation. People need to understand we have to spend some money to keep the investment as desirable as possible for reuse.â
When citing costs, Dr Reed did point out to the full committee that the annual operations budget for the campus has dropped about 50 percent, partly because on-site town employees have been relocated from Canaan Hall to a commercial building on Peckâs Lane.
âThe bottom line is our operations budget went from about $1,063,000 to $551,800,â he said.
Visitors to the campus during recent days have seen the completion of security gate installations at all vehicular entry points. The steel swinging gates are similar to those already employed at town park facilities, and have apparently served those facilities effectively.
This week, State Representative Julia Wasserman and Senator John McKinney will introduce legislation that will likely result in an enabling act that will allow town leaders to craft a management authority that will eventually take over management of the campus, as well as coordinate with project management if other future development projects begin coming to fruition.
As the details of ongoing management responsibilities play out over the coming months, Dr Reed is continuing to consider future possibilities on at Fairfield Hills.
âThereâs no reason not to begin educating the public on the availability of opportunities here, and to begin soliciting ideas about future reuses. It will help to keep the dialog flowing,â he said.
Dr Reed said options range from having a single large-scale company take over the general development phases across the entire campus to allocating certain buildings where individual local merchants can develop small business options themselves.
âWe certainly need the expertise of a professional, either a consultant or staff person, who has the necessary background to be a matchmaker of sorts between the town and potential developers,â he said. âWe need to have someone on board who will help define the issues a developer would need to address, and to determine the market for potentially leasing properties.â
He said ultimately, the firm or individual to be hired will be expected to develop a thorough market analysis of each building. âWe now need a higher level of detail than anything we have seen before,â he said.
âI think the town understands that we will require alternative options to help underwrite the long-term operations of public facilities at Fairfield Hills,â Dr Reed added. âI would be pleased to meet with anyone bringing real ideas for the future of this campus. Those individuals can feel free to contact [First Selectman] Herb Rosenthal or me personally.â