Firehouse Site Is Not Appropriate

To the Editor:

In its August 6 story on the proposed site for Newtown Hook and Ladder (NH&L) [“Hook & Ladder Submits Firehouse Application”], The Bee omitted a number of very important facts that strongly militate against the proposed site:

1. Delays in response — The traffic report which was accepted by the Police Commission states unequivocally that the very large amount of traffic eastbound and westbound on 302 during peak hours would require leaving the light green for up to 90 seconds in order to clear the traffic for the fire trucks to exit the station. However, and in addition, signaling would have to be added at the Elm and Juniper street intersections in order to stop traffic from proceeding east or west on 302 in order for the trucks to exit the station. This will significantly impact traffic patterns on this already busy street and could considerably delay the time it takes for NH&L to respond to emergencies...so much for being a great central location.

2. Destruction of a neighborhood — Apparently no one in town or borough government seems to care that this neighborhood will be destroyed by the construction of the new fire station. The site planning indicates that all vegetation and trees east and west of the station will have to be cut down in order for the fire truck drivers to see oncoming traffic. As such, instead of a woodsy neighborhood, we will now have an industrial/commercial one. Shockingly, Jim Gaston, the warden and also director of the Borough of Newtown Land Trust has “blessed” this destruction. A formal letter to Mr Gaston by residents in this neighborhood asking for explanations relative to this destructive action remains unanswered.

3. Lack of alternatives — This is so patently false that it is almost unbelievable that NH&L and their commissioned cronies who have written reports about the site’s acceptability continue to use it as a sensible reason for building on this site. The most obvious site is Fairfield Hills, and yet the NH&L discount it as being “too far.” Really? Based on what study? As it happens NH&L has not performed any study on time to response from different sites. Interestingly, our independent study revealed that it would take a fire truck 90 seconds to get from Fairfield Hills to the Routes 25/302 intersections, about the same time as it would take them to get out of the proposed site on 302 to that same intersection. We will reserve the balance of our findings for the Inland Wetlands Commission hearing, but they all point to the same conclusion. There are alternatives that are far, far better. For some reason that still escapes all of us, NH&L refuses to consider them.

Well, we refuse to accept this site as appropriate and will fight as long, hard and far as we can to make sure the proposed station never gets built on it.

Francois de Brantes

13 Sugar Street, Newtown                                             August 9, 2010