Date: Fri 21-May-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: CURT

Quick Words:

space-needs-Fairfield-Hills

Full Text:

Panel Presents A $20 Million Office Space Plan

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Fifteen months ago, Bill Brimmer and the Municipal Space Needs Committee set

out to find the answer to the space emergency within Newtown's town buildings.

This week, the panel presented its final report to the Board of Selectmen. The

recommendations call for the town to spend nearly $20 million.

At the top of the suggestion list is the construction of a 23,000-square-foot

addition to the rear of Edmond Town Hall at a cost of about $10 million. This

plan would consolidate all town employees at one site, and bring the Board of

Education over from the middle school. Some town offices -- building, health,

land use and parks & recreation -- have been located at Canaan House on the

campus of Fairfield Hills for more than two years after being forced out of a

leaking Town Hall South. The addition would also allow the seat of government

to remain on Main Street, the historic center of town.

The proposed new building would provide a 64 percent increase in usable space

for town employees, a fact that pleases Ben Spragg, whose finance department

has been crammed in the basement of Edmond Town Hall for several years. It was

supposed to be a temporary move, but it ended up being permanent, according to

Mr Spragg.

The proposal also calls for $3.7 million worth of deferred maintenance, which

is work that must be done to the building above and beyond the addition,

including code compliance, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, etc.

The Board of Education would receive 75 percent more space under the plan.

Mr Brimmer said his panel began studying the town's office space needs long

before the recent call by residents to purchase Fairfield Hills. There are

some who believe the town should locate its town hall on that site. At the

last minute, Mr Brimmer's panel opted not to recommend a Fairfield Hills

purchase. First Selectman Herb Rosenthal has been hesitant about the purchase

of the property as have many others who see the site as a huge expense and

liability.

"It makes no sense to go after Fairfield Hills," noted Bob Hall, a municipal

space needs committee member. "It won't solve our space needs problem,

although you could make an argument for buying Fairfield Hills. But I don't

agree with it."

Resident Barbara O'Connor agreed. "It's not a matter of George Washington

having slept there. They were old buildings built in the late 1930s. We would

regret it if we did it," she said.

A second ad hoc committee is still looking at the possibility of buying

Fairfield Hills option, however, and there are numerous residents who want to

see the town buy the valuable land. Resident Ruby Johnson has led the cause,

saying the land is important to the future of the town and its open space

needs. And just this week lifelong resident Sarah Mannix added her name to the

list of those wishing to see the town buy it -- a list that already includes

Dr Thomas Draper, former first selectman Frank DeLucia, and longtime resident

James Osborne.

"I feel the town will regret it if it doesn't buy it. We need a god deal from

the state, and I think we deserve a good deal from the state," Mrs Mannix

said.

The state of Connecticut is trying to sell the 186-acre core campus at a cost

of between $8-12 million. Four private developers are expected to make bids on

the land this summer -- each with plans for residential housing. However,

Newtown will ultimately have right-of-first-refusal on the land.

Renovating Town Hall South

The municipal space needs panel is also recommending that Town Hall South be

renovated and used entirely by the Newtown Police Department at a cost of just

over $5.1 million. Up until now, the police have been using the upper level of

the building. The new recommendation calls for a 328 percent increase in

usable space. This project is not urgent, but should be done within the next

3-5 years, the report said.

The space needs committee had considered a proposal to build an emergency

services facility for police, ambulance and some fire, but went with the Town

Hall South renovation plan in the end.

The space needs committee also recommended the construction of a new Newtown

Hook & Ladder firehouse to replace the failing structure behind Edmond Town

Hall. This project appears to be the most urgent and should be done within the

year, Mr Brimmer said. The proposed new building would provide 115 percent

more space for Hook & Ladder.

The committee has also recommended that the Board of Education use Watertown

Hall at Fairfield Hills for its proposed 5/6 school.

No More Matinees

The Edmond Town Hall addition was recommended despite concerns over parking

and traffic problems it might create. However, the committee appears to have

gotten around that by calling for the elimination of the Tuesday afternoon

matinees. Mr Brimmer said the matinees would be the only block of time during

the week which would create a parking problem. By eliminating the daytime

movies, it would create an additional 90 spaces. The Edmond Town Hall Board of

Managers, which is in favor of the town hall addition, has agreed to the "no

matinee" plan.