Fairfield Hills Closing Again Delayed
Fairfield Hills Closing Again Delayed
By Jan Howard
It is unlikely there will be a closing on the purchase of the Fairfield Hills campus by April 30.
âWe will have to put it off again,â First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said this week. âWeâre trying to come up with a date. I hope itâs not another 60-day extension.â
Mr Rosenthal met this week with Richard Nuclo of the Strategic Management Division of the stateâs Office of Policy and Management. He was also to meet with officials of the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regarding the townâs remedial action plan for the property.
Though Mr Rosenthal said recently that issues regarding the campus were being resolved, the DEP has not as yet approved the townâs remedial action plan. Once that is approved, the town would also receive from the state a covenant not to sue if the town follows that plan.
Issues about water still need to be resolved, he said. One issue, an ordinance establishing the Water Pollution Control Authority as a Water and Sewer Authority, was recently approved by the Legislative Council.
Aquarian has been chosen as the new management company to run the water and sewer systems.
Before the closing, Mr Rosenthal said he would request a statement from the state regarding its responsibility for repairs as a result of the recent explosion at Canaan House.
âTheyâve agreed to fix everything damaged,â he said, noting work has begun. Also, any equipment damaged or lost as a result of fire, smoke or water damage and not covered by town insurance would be covered by the state, he added.
He said Maria DeMarco and Shenae Draughn of DeMarco, Miles and Murphy, Inc, the company the state Department of Public Works (DPW) hired to manage and provide security at the campus, and Donna Baisley of the DPW have been very cooperative from the date of the incident.
âThey were there from the start,â Mr Rosenthal said. âI can only say good things about that. They have been very helpful.
Mr Rosenthal signed the contract for the purchase of the 189-acre campus on October 20, 2003.