Council Hears Out Fairfield Hills Selection Panel

By Steve Bigham

Richard Nuclo has been working with the Town of Newtown since he joined Hartford’s Office of Policy and Management (OPM) back in the late 1980s. Fairfield Hills was his first project, and he took his lumps during the long battle over the Garner Correctional Facility. He knows the town and sees how passionate residents are in trying to maintain its charm.

“A lot has gone on in Newtown. There is a mutual respect between Newtown and the state, and I think it shows,” he told the Legislative Council Wednesday night.

Mr Nuclo was attempting to explain the state’s position on the sale of Fairfield Hills and why price is not the only factor for the state/town Fairfield Hills Selection Committee to consider. In short, he said, the state does care about Newtown, but as residents know all too well, that fondness only goes so far.

“If it were price alone, we could have put up a ‘for sale’ sign and taken the highest bidder. But we can’t just give it to the town either. We’re in the middle somewhere,” said Mr Nuclo, one of eight members of the selection board. “Your wishes have weight. How much, I can’t say.”

Wednesday’s well-attended meeting between the Legislative Council and the Fairfield Hills Selection Committee was an attempt by both parties to get the important issues out in the open. Council chairman Pierre Rochman called the meeting, saying he felt it was important for the selection committee to know how its decision will impact the town’s financial picture. And the selection committee, which is assigned to choose the developer with the best proposal, was there to find out what it was the town wanted in a developer.

This week’s meeting drove home several key points. First, the long wait for a resolution on Fairfield Hills is expected to continue for several more months. Any decision made by the selection committee must then go before the Independent State Properties Review Board for further evaluation. “They may not rubber stamp it. I can’t say how long it will take. Probably months if there are not significant issues,” Mr Nuclo said.

The delays have been frustrating to town officials, who say they are treading water as they wait for a resolution to the question of how best to develop the 186-acre Fairfield Hills site. Decisions on schools, municipal buildings, ball fields, fire houses and police departments are held in the balance as the wait continues. The state’s all-important Phase II environmental study finally got underway this week – several months after it was supposed to have been finished.

If Newtown chooses to buy the property, it will need to match the offering price of the chosen development firm, Mr Nuclo said. Currently there are three firms in the running. Their proposals range from $10-20 million with plenty of stipulations included.

Last month, the town’s Fairfield Hills advisory committee stated that none of the three proposed developers had plans that suited the needs of Newtown. It pointed to too much residential development and not enough commercial development in their plans. Last night, Mr Nuclo asked the council what it felt the town needed. Developers’ proposals could be modified somewhat, Mr Nuclo said.

“Do you want a school in the developers’ plans? You have to tell them. We’re trying to get some sense as to what their revisions should be,” he said, reminding the council that developers will pull out if they have to add too much to their plans. “They’re in this to make money. Unless we strike a balance, this thing is going to fall apart.”

In addition to the need for more ball fields, schools and municipal space, council members also requested less residential housing. “I object to two of the proposals because they seek to create independent communities within the heart of the town,” noted council member Melissa Pilchard. “I don’t want a gated community and we certainly don’t need another library.”

Fellow selection committee members Jack Farrell (of the Department of Public Works) and Newtown residents Herb Rosenthal, Julia Wasserman, Michael Osborne and Charles Wrinn joined Mr Nuclo at the meeting. Two other state representatives to the committee were unable to attend.

Councilman Tim Holian reminded members that buying the land will force the town into a lengthy debate. Time is money, he said, especially when it costs nearly a million a year just to maintain the buildings. “You’re looking at a body that spent 40 minutes trying to buy a patrol car. And the all-time low of 45 minutes discussing the purchase of a $500 file cabinet for the probate office,” he said.

Resident Sten Wilson of 38 Taunton Hill Road made an effort to rekindle interest in building a university at Fairfield Hills. But that idea has long passed us by, according to Mr Nuclo. Universities, bio-techs and Fortune 500 companies (including Microsoft) were all contacted, he said. In the end, it was the three development firms of Becker and Becker, Spectrum Skanska and Wilder Balter.

Council member Don Studley urged the Selection Committee to act quickly “for the sake of the town.” The Board of Education is in need of another school and needs some definitive answers, he said. John Kortze agreed, saying the current economic climate will not last forever.

Mr Osborne and Mrs Wasserman stressed the need for Newtown to understand the potential liabilities associated with Fairfield Hills. The impact to the town will not be the purchase cost. It will be the cost to abate it, keep it up and everything else that goes along with it, they said. Also, beware of a developer who buys the land and then turns around and builds affordable housing under a state law.

 Resident Ruby Johnson, who has led the call for the town to buy the land, thanked Mr Rochman for calling the meeting. “There is skepticism that government cannot act. This has been going on a very long time. At the local level we need to restore some confidence as to what government can do,” she said.

The Fairfield Hills advisory committee is slated to hold a “planning and scoping” meeting November 9 to discuss the latest economic and environmental analysis of Fairfield Hills as a part of the local effort to come to a consensus on the issue.