Trespassers Causing Problems At FFH, Eichler’s Cove

By John Voket

Trespassers at Fairfield Hills and misinformed residents trying to gain access to privately owned Eichler’s Cove are making trouble for Newtown officials as the combination of balmy weather and spring break school recesses drive people outdoors seeking diversions.

This week, ad hoc Fairfield Hills Management Committee Chairman John Reed voiced a stern warning for anyone aspiring to follow in the footsteps of trespassers who apparently were forced to climb through an upper floor window in one of the boarded up buildings earlier this week to gain entrance.

“We’re temporarily doubling private nighttime security and increasing local police patrols on the campus, with orders to arrest and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law anyone found on the property or in the buildings after dark,” Mr Reed told The Bee Wednesday after learning of the incident. “But as much as we’re upset about the break-ins after such a long period of inactivity, our greater concern is for the safety of these individuals.”

Both Mr Reed and acting facilities manager Maria DeMarco said in separate interviews this week that winter weather, which continued throughout much of March, has taken an even greater toll on deteriorating buildings than expected. Both officials feared that anyone going near the buildings, and especially into the buildings, would be putting themselves at great risk for injury.

“The bottom line is, trespassers or not, we just don’t want to see anyone hurt,” Mr Reed said. “People should be reminded that all the buildings have likely been cleared of furnishings and debris, and the tunnels beneath the facility have been permanently sealed. So it’s just not worth the risk of getting hurt or worse.”

Falling Debris

On a related subject, Mr Reed and Ms DeMarco have made preliminary requests to members of the community using the campus for legitimate recreation to steer well clear of all buildings, and even some areas of the grounds that have become subject to falling objects, including some large and dangerously heavy tree branches.

“I’m not sure if we’ve suddenly got a lot of trees that are diseased, but there are an alarming number of falling branches around the trees in certain areas of the campus,” Ms DeMarco said Tuesday. “And with the progressing deterioration brought on by all the precipitation during the winter, and all the freezing and thawing, we’ve been seeing numerous incidents of falling masonry and parapet fixtures in the past few days.”

“We’re really asking people to maintain a minimum of 50-foot setback from the perimeter of all buildings,” Mr Reed echoed. “Right now safety concerns override any curiosity people might have, and there is no reason to get any closer than that to the buildings.”

In the near future, the Ad Hoc Safety and Security Committee will be presenting a plan to cordon off segments of the campus, which will be undergoing remediation and demolition procedures, Mr Reed said. He anticipated those processes will begin no later than June, and those who use the campus may be asked to restrict what may have otherwise been accessible areas.

Once the work begins, he said regular uses may indeed be restricted from vast areas that up to now have been completely accessible between dawn and dusk. He said the areas affected may shift as contaminated soil removal and possible building demolition begin, and residents should consider the campus overall to be a working construction site.

“We all look forward to the day when the campus will be a completely accessible area again,” Mr Reed said. “But until the work is done, which will take place over a significant period of time, we have to ask people’s consideration in adhering to the temporary restrictions we must put in place for everyone’s health and safety.”

Eichler’s Cove Concerns

Earlier this week, First Selectman Herbert Rosenthal was dealing with trespassing issues of a different kind. He said that local families who may have heard about the possible town’s acquisition of the Eichler’s Cove marina and beach have been showing up there expecting to use it.

“The town is at a very important stage in negotiations for what could be a wonderful asset for the community,” he told The Bee Wednesday. “But we’ve actually had people showing up there expecting to use the beach, and walking around down there. People need to be respectful of the fact that this is still private property, and that their going onto the property is putting the entire negotiation process at risk.”

The first selectman said he would hate for the actions of a few, however unintended, to ruin the only possibility the town has of acquiring recreational property for everyone to use at some point in the future.

“Neither the town nor the residents have any rights to that property until and unless we are able to complete successful negotiations to acquire it,” Mr Rosenthal said. “And right now those negotiations are in jeopardy because people keep going down there.”

Mr Rosenthal said that even if the town negotiates the successful transfer of the property in the coming weeks, the owners will absolutely continue to operate the marina and facilities this season and possibly longer. Any developments regarding Eichler’s Cove will be widely publicized in the local media, on the town’s website, and through other means, he said.