Rosenthal  Now Favors Town Purchase Of Fairfield Hills

By Steve Bigham

It has been nearly a year since Ruby Johnson kick-started a movement to convince the town to buy Fairfield Hills. Since that time, Mrs Johnson has been joined by hundreds of others who believe buying the land from the state is the only way to go. And this week, yet another Newtowner has joined those calling for the town purchase – First Selectman Herb Rosenthal.

In a recent interview with The Bee, Mr Rosenthal indicated that buying the land might be in the best interest of the town since the alternatives fail to meet the town’s needs. The first selectman said he was disappointed in the proposals set forth by the three prospective developers, stating that each calls for residential development as its revenue-generating means. On the other hand, he does not believe the town should buy the land simply to be used as ball fields. The land is much too expensive for that, he said, agreeing with the findings of the fiscal impact analysis provided by Harrall-Michalowski Associates.

According to the Arthur Anderson report on Fairfield Hills, the current market for Fairfield Hills calls for residential development. However, Mr Rosenthal believes the market may eventually call for a more commercial climate, especially as the Interstate 84 corridor continues to grow. By owning Fairfield Hills, the town will be able to react to that changing climate, he said.

In the past, Mr Rosenthal joined many others who were apprehensive about a town purchase. He saw the merit in a town purchase all along, but also saw the down side of a town acquiring land without a clearly stated purpose for its use. He wondered how a municipality could take on a project of those proportions. The first selectman said he could not ignore the cost and the liability of buying 186 acres and a million square feet of asbestos-laden building space. The first selectman was also reacting to the original Fairfield Hills advisory board, which recommended that the town not purchase Fairfield Hills due to costs and liability. That board was re-commissioned last spring after many residents urged town officials to reconsider their position.

Mr Rosenthal, like others, continues to wonder if Fairfield Hills will end up being an insatiable money pit with hidden costs for myriad liabilities. Despite his concerns, Mr Rosenthal has kept an open mind throughout the process.

“I don’t think I have done a 180-degree turn because I did say the town might ultimately have to buy the property,” he said this week.

In addition, there is still a lot of important data not yet known about Fairfield Hills. First, the state’s all-important environmental study of the campus will not be complete until January. That study will give both the town and state a better idea of what kind of clean-up will be required. The other unknown is price. Each developer has made an offer, but the price of the property will not be known until a final developer is chosen. Newtown would have to match that developer’s offer in order for the state to give its okay, according to Richard Nuclo of the state’s Office of Policy and Management (OPM).

Also, the final results of the Herron-Micholawski economic study for Fairfield Hills are not expected to be made public until later this week. That study is expected to shed some light on the costs associated with the town either buying or not buying Fairfield Hills.

All the talk about using Cochran House at Fairfield Hills as a 5/6 school (to be built by Becker and Becker) appears to have been put on hold. The Board of Education says it desperately needs a new school and does not have the luxury of waiting for a decision on Fairfield Hills. School board members have re-directed their attention toward a 19-acre piece of town-owned land on the other side of Wasserman Way near to Watertown Hall.

“The [school] board may have been more apt to wait – maybe with portables or something – if Cochran House was clearly an advantage, but it doesn’t appear to be,” Mr Rosenthal said.