Officials Making Room For Ambulance Garage At FFH

By Kendra Bobowick

“I think we can have the framework of a lease in place in the next 60 days — no reason we can’t,” said Fairfield Hills Authority Chairman John Reed regarding the Newtown Ambulance Association’s interest to lease land and build a new facility on the former state hospital campus.

Both the town attorney David Grogins and the association’s private council Fran Pennarola have become involved with the lease discussions that have progressed since late last year. Among concerns noted as recently as Tuesday this week, Mr Reed said, “There are certain issues related to their financing and building approvals that need to be addressed before executing a lease.”

He wants to be sure that “regardless of good faith” efforts by both parties, nothing goes wrong that could “bog down the project” for several years. Despite the “normal” lease concerns, he said the ambulance association is “part of the family” in the Newtown community. “They are an essential member because of the value and importance of their service, and the quality with which they provide it.”

On Tuesday afternoon lease subcommittee members Jim Bernardi and Mr Reed discussed a communication from Mr Grogins “pertaining to the possible content for a lease between the Town of Newtown and the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Association,” state the closed session’s minutes. As he relayed to the full authority Wednesday, the minutes indicate that they talked about items including common area charges, possible insurance requirements, utility charges, damage or destruction issues, default, sewer and water charges, and hazardous waste.

To the authority the following evening, he said, “I told [ambulance association President Bruce Herring] that we’re close.”

He also noted, “I think they have the right answers for most of what we questioned.” Among concerns were insurance coverage for anyone inhabiting the building, including the ambulance volunteers and contracted entities. “We wanted to be sure they all are under insurance,” said Mr Reed. “Lawyers want to be ready for worst cases…”

Mr Herring had also expressed to Mr Reed a desire to get into buildings 50, 51, and 52, which are visible from Mile Hill South after turning off Wasserman Way. Those buildings stand on the site on that corner across from Reed Intermediate School’s playing fields where the ambulance garage would sit on roughly three acres. The parcel sits between Wasserman Way and Keating Farm Road that runs through the center of the campus. Experts need to assess remediation cost estimates for demolition of those homes, for one, Mr Reed explained. All costs are carried by the ambulance association.

In, January Mr Herring started the year by saying to the authority members, “Show me the lease!” He had said, “We sent [the authority] a letter requesting a lease … show me the lease,” he repeated, eager to acquire a new home to expand the association’s cramped Main Street location.

With preliminary architectural drawings in hand, Mr Herring opened the black and white renderings for authority members to see after handing out a smaller 8-by-11-inch sketch for them to keep.

The proposed one-story, 12,500-square-foot building would face Mile Hill South Road, with its back to Norwalk Hall. Authority member John Madzula is the plan’s architect.

Mr Reed had a preliminary draft motion prepared, approving a parcel designation of no more than three acres.

“There are things I think need to be on the table,” said Mr Reed. “I don’t see a problem designating an area with conditions…” He would later observe, “I think everyone was supportive of the ambulance proposal from the get-go. It’s central, and when dealing with life and death situations, it’s important where it is placed.

He said this week, “[The authority] is 100 percent for them coming here.”

As listed in Mr Reed’s draft motion in January, he was seeking appropriate site plan approvals from town agencies, a timeline so that the town does not have a parcel set aside without the knowledge of when it might be occupied, means of mortgaging or financing for the project to include on the association’s bill, site abatement, locations for infrastructure, complete construction costs, and the understanding of the impact of a possible construction of a new police station nearby.

“I don’t think they’re big barriers; it’s simple, but not simple,” said Mr Reed.

After discussions and speculation about how the project’s details would work out, authority member James Bernardi moved to make the draft motion a part of the record and approve the designation of no more than three acres at Fairfield Hills. “I move we accept the designation subject to conditions.”

Mr Herring explained that the association would begin fundraising.