Newtown’s Rooster Heads To A New Roost

By Steve Bigham

Some towns have white elephants and some towns have white roosters. Few towns have both. Last week, the transporting of the town’s giant white rooster highlighted the Parks & Recreation Department’s move from Fairfield Hills to Town Hall South, the municipal building with a storied past, which critics say is Newtown’s own white elephant.

With the purchase of Fairfield Hills looming, town officials and citizens are hoping the campus won’t become the town’s newest and largest white elephant.

Next Tuesday the Legislative Council will hold a special meeting to hear from Bruce Becker of the New Canaan development firm Becker and Becker. He has promised to discuss his development plans for Fairfield Hills in partnership with the town.

But enough about Fairfield Hills. What’s the story with this rooster?

According to Parks & Recreation Director Barbara Kasbarian, the nine-foot rooster once stood proudly above the crowds at the Danbury Fair, which closed its doors for good in 1982. The rooster happens to be the Newtown symbol.

“The Parks & Recreation Commission bought it for 300-plus dollars at an auction. Ronnie Greenman was on the commission then, and he was involved in antiques,” Mrs Kasbarian explained.

Mrs Kasbarian said the rooster is a bit cumbersome and takes up a lot of space. However, the expressions on kids’ faces when they first see the rooster make it all worth it, Mrs Kasbarian said.

The rooster has also made several appearances in the Labor Day Parade.

Parks & Recreation held a contest to name the rooster soon after it was purchased. The winning name: Beau.

New Quarters For

Parks & Rec

The Parks & Recreation Department is now located in the former building department at Town Hall South. The department was closed last Friday as it moved out of Canaan House and back into to the building it occupied nearly four years ago.

Several town offices were once located at Town Hall South; however, flooding and general deterioration of the building forced employees to evacuate. They were temporarily moved to Canaan House on the campus of Fairfield Hills.

The lower level of Town Hall South no longer leaks and, thanks to some renovations and a fresh coat of paint, appears to be habitable once again. The town’s social services department was moved into the building earlier this summer.

First Selectman Rosenthal said the town’s land-use department is expanding and would move into the vacated Parks & Recreation space just across the hall in Canaan House.

There is no word yet on whether or not Parks & Recreation’s move will be permanent.

The future of Newtown’s municipal space remains up in the air these days as the town tries to decide whether or not it wants to purchase Fairfield Hills and its more than a million square feet of space.

The Parks & Recreation Department has had its eye on Plymouth Hall on the campus of Fairfield Hills for some time.

Plymouth Hall, with its 52,270 square feet of space, once served as the recreational facility for the hospital’s residents and staff. It comes complete with gymnasium, auditorium, bowling alley, canteen, music room, and numerous rooms for arts and crafts. Several kilns still remain in the building.

Mrs Kasbarian sees Plymouth Hall providing residents with the kind of recreational facility never before seen in this town. Her department often receives calls from new residents who are surprised by the lack of municipal recreation facilities in Newtown.

“Plymouth Hall would serve more members of the community. We would be able to offer more varied programs. We wouldn’t have to rely totally on schools for our space. We could offer daytime and nighttime programs with no worries about cancellations,” Mrs Kasbarian said.

Currently, Parks & Recreation relies nearly 100 percent on the schools for program locations. Often, programs are cancelled due to school activities, which take precedence. Mrs Kasbarian says Plymouth Hall would allow Parks & Recreation to expand its current list of programs and hold them all in-house. In addition, she said, the facility could provide residents with treadmills, free weights, bikes, rowers, etc.

But no one expects that to happen anytime soon.

“I think we’re going to be here for quite a while,” Mrs Kasbarian said.