Fairfield Hills 101

To the Editor:

It has been the goal of Save Fairfield Hills for Newtown/Friends of Fairfield Hills to work with the town in making the best possible use of the Fairfield Hills property for all of Newtown.

In doing our research and conducting surveys of townspeople we quickly concluded that this beautiful property in the heart of Newtown should not be turned into housing or paved over for commercial development. We found by keeping most of this property as open space, both our aesthetic interests and our financial needs were accommodated. Our research surprised us when we found that commercial development, in most cases, creates a heavier tax burden. It makes sense that open space does not require infrastructure — schools, roads, water/sewer demands, etc.

We also understand and support the many needs of community organizations, and we know our selectmen face tough decisions with weighing the budget against these quality of life needs.

We stand ready to assist our selectmen in navigating these issues. We have been involved from the start; we have worked tirelessly to educate the citizens as to the potential uses for this property, and our only reward is to save Fairfield Hills for Newtown.

Nancy Roznicki

For the Friends of Fairfield Hills

169 Hanover Road, Newtown                                     March 26, 2004