Rosenthal Defends The Pace Of Fairfield Hills Negotiations

By Steve Bigham

Under pressure from some residents and town officials to act quickly in resolving the disposition of Fairfield Hills, First Selectmen Herb Rosenthal this week sent a clear message to the public: he will not be be rushed into making a decision simply because people want him to.

In a letter to The Bee this week, Mr Rosenthal outlined what he and his staff are doing to ensure that Newtown’s best interests are at the forefront. Most importantly, however, he reiterated that he would not let pressure force him to expedite the process.

“Anyone who has ever been involved in complex negotiations knows that, unfortunately, they take time,” he wrote. “I take my responsibility to protect the town’s interests seriously, and I am determined to make the best agreement for the town that I can. Therefore, I will not be rushed into it.”

In his letter (see page B-17) Mr Rosenthal informed residents that “many things are happening” in an effort to reach a final agreement with the state. Of course, not all of these “things” can be made public due to the nature of the negotiations. Because of this, he indicated, some residents are concerned with the length of time the negotiations are taking. Like in all negotiations, Mr Rosenthal points out, each side needs to play its cards close to its vest. However, in a democracy, that can be difficult, especially in a town full of well-educated people who understand what kind of impact Fairfield Hills will have on the future of the community.

“One of the difficulties of these negotiations is the amount of public discussion that has necessarily taken place,” Mr Rosenthal wrote. “If public comment causes the state to think that there is pressure for me to hurry up and agree to purchase regardless of the terms, there will be little reason for them to compromise.”

The first selectman also used his letter to underscore the fact that he has some qualified professionals on the case. First, there is Russell Bartley & Associates, which has reviewed the recently completed Phase II environmental testing of soil on the 185-acre Fairfield Hills site. Then there are the three law firms working on various aspects of a possible town purchase: Cohen & Wolfe, the town’s general counsel; Pinney, Payne, Vanlenten, Burrell, Wolfe and Dillman of Danbury; and Robinson & Cole of Hartford, the last of which is working on the environmental law issues. In addition, Fuss & O’Neil, an engineering firm, is examining the site’s sewer and water infrastructure.

Some in town have suggested that Newtown may not have the best people for the job of negotiating with the state. They believe Newtown should be able to get Fairfield Hills for very little money. Mr Rosenthal calls those comments nonsense.

Mr Rosenthal also used his letter to discuss the continuing debate on what is the best re-use of the Fairfield Hills property and approximately one million square feet of buildings. Two citizens groups have presented their ideas and numerous individuals have presented their own, as well as the three original developers and a couple of new ones. And while each plan varied in its exact details, the fundamental difference of opinion lay in the amount of commercial development best suited for the site. The group known as “Save Fairfield Hills for Newtown” believes Fairfield Hills should be used mainly as a central park, while the Board of Selectmen-appointed group feels a corporate park is needed to offset the cost to buy and re-develop the property.

“I believe the two plans are about 75 percent similar in that they both call for town purchase and control of mixed municipal, recreational, open space, and commercial uses,” he said. “The biggest differences are the amount of commercial use and whether or not an authority of appointed citizens should manage some or all of the property.”

Mr Rosenthal said people who favor town purchase will have to compromise in order to achieve a supportable plan for the re-use of the property.

“The referendum defeat [this past April] of the annual budget and public comment made it clear to me that we will need to generate significant revenue from this already developed property if it is to be a financially viable purchase for the town,” he said.

As for open space, Mr Rosenthal said there are plenty of available properties in town for open space that “don’t cost $12 million,” referring to the estimated cost to buy, abate, and re-develop Fairfield Hills.

Legislative Council Chairman Pierre Rochman agreed with Mr Rosenthal’s position.

“You can’t rush negotiations. It’s not just buy or not buy. There are a lot of other issues out there,” he said, indicating that the state appears to be dragging its feet.

Mr Rochman added, however, that the town needs to continue its efforts to come up with some plan beforehand so that it is prepared to act when and if the time comes.