Newtown Is ‘Not Interested’ In A Military Base

By Kendra Bobowick

Town officials must “wait and see” what the Department of the Army will do about locating a military training base in Newtown.

Thursday morning First Selectman Joe Borst explained that he spoke recently with Army Corps of Engineers contact Diane McCartin, project manager for the proposed Newtown Reserve Center. She has put together a report indicating Newtown’s wishes: the town “is not interested” in selling land to the army for the purpose of building a training base per Department of Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC) requirements. She sent the report to Washington, Mr Borst explained. “Now, we wait,” he said.

In past months the Army had indicated interest in first the High Meadow at Fairfield Hills — the broad open area of fields along Wasserman Way across from the white split rail fenced area of the Second Company Governor’s Horse Guard.

The town said “no” to that proposal, and Mr Borst indicated that the Technology Park site at the end of Commerce Drive, also accessible from the opposite direction by traveling down Trades Lane near the Reed Intermediate School until the lane turns to a rutted gravel path, might be a possibility. Officials soon decided that the Tech Park site also was not viable. Conservation Commission and Economic Development Commission members advised against selling that land to the army and losing a parcel intended for Newtown’s economic growth, among other concerns.

Could the Batchelder property in Botsford be a possibility? In this case, the army declined. Per BRAC guidelines, the training base needed to be adjacent to the horse guard land. Batchelder — the former smelting plant, now a brownfield site — is across town near the Monroe border.

Mixed reactions from the public have alternately favored or argued against locating a military training base in Newtown.