At Fairfield Hills—

Town Slated To Get More Land From The State

By Jan Howard

The Town of Newtown will gain two additional parcels of land at Fairfield Hills through legislation sponsored by Rep Julia Wasserman (R-106) that was passed this week by the state legislature.

The parcels include approximately 12 acres of land off Old Farm Road and 23 acres north of Garner Correctional and bordering land owned by the Potatuck Fish and Game Club.

The donation of the approximately 35 acres “will be a done deal by tomorrow,” Rep Wasserman said Tuesday.

The approximately 35 acres is in addition to about 100 acres at Fairfield Hills and five houses on Mile Hill Road that have been donated to the town since 1998. Deeds for these donated parcels will be conveyed to the town at the time of the closing but are not part of the purchase of the 189-acre campus.

The 12-acre parcel includes the remainder of the Old Farm Road westerly to its intersection with Trades Lane. The conveyance of Old Farm Road will provide the town with enough contiguous land to make it possible someday to alleviate traffic conditions on Route 34 and Church Hill Road.

The parcel is a key piece of the overall Fairfield Hills property in that it includes a bridge over Deep Brook and connects parcels already set aside for the town on the north end of the property with the main campus. The addition of the 12 acres to the town’s holdings would open the way for a north-south road through Fairfield Hills.

Under the state legislation, if the parcel were not used for municipal purposes, it would revert to the state of Connecticut.

The 23-acre parcel is to be used for open space and recreational purposes as specified in the state legislation. If the town does not use it for the stated purposes, does not retain ownership, or leases all or any portion of the parcel, except to the Potatuck Fish and Game Club for recreational purposes, the land would revert to the state.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said in February that the Potatuck Club wants to make sure the area stays secluded and protected as a buffer for the stream and wells on its property.

From 1998 to 2003, Rep Wasserman steered legislation through the state legislature that brought the town approximately 100 additional acres of land: 21.66 acres along Deep Brook, 37.6 acres adjacent to Commerce Road, 34.44 acres south of Commerce Road for economic development, 4 acres south of the power plant, and 3.6 acres west of the high school.

In 1991 the state donated approximately 75 acres as part of the Garner agreement that included Nunnawauk Meadows (45 acres), the property where the Reed Intermediate School is located (22.6 acres), and the sewage treatment plant site (7 acres).

In October the state announced the donation to the town of five houses on Mile Hill Road.

Other Fairfield Hills land is under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Agriculture and the Governor’s Horse Guard.

According to Rep Wasserman, deeds to all the properties donated by the state will be passed to the town at the time of the closing of the sale of the 189-acre campus.

The closing on the property was delayed this spring to await the approval of the town’s remedial action plan by the Department of Environmental Protection and water-related issues.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal signed the contract for the purchase of the 189-acre campus on October 20.

The Fairfield Hills property originally totaled approximately 800 acres. The hospital closed in 1995.