But What Of Fairfield Hills? –

5/6 School Bids Go Out In Anticipation Of June Vote

By Steve Bigham

The Board of Education and a handful of architects Wednesday updated the Legislative Council on the latest information on plans for the proposed 5/6 school. Project schedules were detailed and it was announced that bids for the project went out this week.

Project manager David Valerie said school officials were hoping to schedule a June town meeting to approve the $33 million plan and requested that the Legislative Council take a final vote in May.

But it didn’t take long for what was in the back of the minds of many at the meeting to come to the surface. Some council members are concerned about the relationship between the 5/6 school and Fairfield Hills and how the success of the former might affect the fate of the latter. There has been some support to presenting both the school and the purchase of Fairfield Hills to the public in one bonding package. This week, however, it remained clear that the town still did not know when it would have a firm grip on the Fairfield Hills issue. It has also become clear that town officials probably will not be able to finalize a deal with the state to buy the campus in time for a June town meeting.

The issue arose late in the evening when council chairman Pierre Rochman asked, almost in passing, what might happen if the project were delayed (until September) to give the town more time to rectify Fairfield Hills, the 185-acre former state mental health hospital campus that many believe the town should purchase.

Mr Rochman is one of many council members who are concerned about having to go to the voters twice. They do not want to jeopardize the fate of Fairfield Hills for the sake of the 5/6 school.

“We may not have Fairfield Hills nailed down until the fall. What if we can’t go to a town meeting until November or December?” he asked.

Mr Rochman’s question drew the expected response from Superintendent of Schools John R. Reed. He pointed out that the council has been kept informed of the process all along and for it to back away now, just as the school board was at its doorstep, “I would totally be against,” he said. “We thought Fairfield Hills would have been resolved by now.”

Professionals for the project quickly jumped in to answer Mr Rochman’s question more directly, saying that any further delays would increase costs.

Council member Melissa Pilchard wondered if the school board had given any consideration to what might end up at Fairfield Hills if the town does not buy it. The 5/6 school is being proposed for a site directly across the street from the Fairfield Hills campus.

“I’ve heard people saying, ‘forget Fairfield Hills, just do the school,’” she said.

Dr Reed, who has seen the 5/6 school delayed by a year already, took exception to Mrs Pilchard’s comments, suggesting she was implying that school officials were being “cavalier” with the safety of children simply to get the school approved.

Council member Will Rodgers refuted Dr Reed’s claim and urged the school board to always keep Fairfield Hills in mind.

“If you want to solidify me against the 5/6 school, marshal forces against Fairfield Hills,” he said. “I hope we get support from the school forces. I’d like a little help on Fairfield hills. I think it’s in the school’s best interest.”

Dr Reed agreed, saying the last thing Newtown needs is an “either/or discussion.”

School board member Vincent Saviano assured the council that the Board of Education is in full support of Fairfield Hills.

“I don’t think there’s a polarization. Trust us, we are working together, but we are concerned about the timeline,” he said. “Part of our concern is that we don’t know what’s going on with Fairfield Hills.”

That appears to be everyone’s concern of late.

“I don’t have a feeling Fairfield Hills is imminent,” said school board member Lisa Schwartz. “A year ago we put money into the town’s operating budget and still nothing has come to fruition, so extending [the town meeting] by another six months could be a risk.”

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal attempted to soothe anxieties late in the evening, saying he and state officials were getting close to an agreement on price and conditions for Fairfield Hills.

“Ideally, I think it is better to have both projects go out at the same time, but the Board of Selectmen has no intention to have a delay in going to a town meeting for the 5/6 school. We are not going to request that,” Mr Rosenthal said.

Mr Rochman said the council needs to make a formal decision on what it wants to include in the bonding resolution put before the town. At its April 25 meeting, the council is slated to discuss whether or not to combine both Fairfield Hills and the 5/6 school into one bonding package.