Selectmen To Discuss Strategy On Fairfield Hills

By Steve Bigham

The Board of Selectmen has scheduled a closed meeting next Wednesday to discuss town strategy for handling the purchase of Fairfield Hills. First Selectman Herb Rosenthal this week said the meeting was simply an opportunity for him to keep his fellow selectmen informed.

Legislative Council Chairman Pierre Rochman said he was happy to at least see something happening regarding the town’s pending purchase of the 185-acre campus.

“I kind of feel like everything has stopped,” Mr Rochman said. “As the planning board for the town, it is very difficult to have something this big on the horizon and not be able to address it. It’s frustrating.”

Mr Rosenthal has indicated that the negotiations are taking longer than he had expected. Mr Rochman said he wonders who is waiting for what.

Mr Rosenthal has been feeling the pressure in recent weeks from residents and town officials who are anxious to see the negotiations move forward. This week, he reported he is staying the course, working with the town’s hired guns to ensure the town has all its facts when it sits down to negotiate.

Selectman Bill Brimmer reminded residents that the town is not looking to buy any ordinary piece of property.

“This is a 186-acre piece of land with lots of houses and buildings on it, and it used to be a state mental hospital built at a time when they used to dump stuff into the ground,” he said. “We need to know as a town what our liability is going to be.”

Under pressure from some residents and town officials to act quickly in resolving the disposition of Fairfield Hills, First Selectman Herb Rosenthal sent a clear message to the public earlier this summer that he would not be rushed into making a decision.

In a letter to The Bee, Mr Rosenthal outlined what he and his staff are doing to ensure that Newtown’s best interests are at the forefront.

“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 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.