Newtown Sports Center—

Town Considers Hawleyville Sewer System Expansion

By Andrew Gorosko

Town officials are reviewing whether it would make financial sense to extend a sanitary sewer line to a Mt Pleasant Road site, where a developer has proposed the construction of a major private indoor/outdoor recreational sports complex, known as Newtown Sports Center.

Developer SEPG, LLC, of Brookfield has a purchase option to buy a sloping 33.4-acre site at 93 Mt Pleasant Road, where it wants to build the proposed sports complex in a M-2A zone. (See related story.)

An initial construction phase would include indoor and outdoor sports facilities, as well as office space. Future phases of the four-building project would include office space and industrial space. One version of the overall project has been proposed to enclose more than 320,000 square feet of space. The site, which would contain an estimated 500 parking spaces, lies west of Whippoorwill Hill Road.

The developer has yet to submit formal applications for the project to the Inland Wetlands Commission (IWC) and the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z). The developer is initially seeking approval from the Water and Sewer Authority (WSA) for a sanitary sewer extension to the site.

The project has gained the Economic Development Commission’s (EDC) endorsement as a form of local economic development. The EDC is encouraging the town to extend a sewer line to the sports complex site.

The town built the initial leg of the Hawleyville sewer system in 2000-01 to support economic development projects. So far, that sewer system has been linked to the 100-unit Homesteads at Newtown assisted-living complex and to the 96-unit Liberty at Newtown age-restricted condominium complex. The sewer system also is slated to connect to the planned 178-unit Woods at Newtown age-restricted condo complex.

Depending upon the specific Hawleyville sewer system expansion project that the town would pursue, the cost of the project might range from $3.08 million to $5.23 million, according to Fuss & O’Neill, Inc, of Manchester, the town’s consulting engineers.

To gauge the financial practicality of extending a sewer line to the sports center site, the WSA is seeking to learn what other Hawleyville commercial properties would be interested in connecting to an expanded sewer system. The WSA is having an appraisal firm determine how much the WSA could charge the sports complex and certain other Hawleyville businesses to connect to an expanded sewer system.

Also, the WSA is seeking to learn whether the town government would be willing to contribute toward the construction of a Hawleyville sewer system expansion.

The Board of Selectmen is seeking an economic development report from the WSA on whether it makes financial sense for the town to now expand the sewer system to serve a sports complex.

SEPG has agreed to extend until September 20 the period during which the town researches the financial implications of a Hawleyville sewer system expansion.

WSA members discussed the topic at an August 16 session.