Number Three Newtown Rates Number One With Local Officials

By Nancy K. Crevier

“I’m not surprised that we got that recognition,” said Newtown Police Chief Michael Kehoe when he learned that Connecticut Magazine had rated Newtown the third best town in Connecticut in which to live, for towns with a population between 25,000 and 50,000. Ranked on quality of education, cost of living, crime, leisure and cultural activities, and economy, Newtown was only edged out by number one Westport and Glastonbury at number two.

What makes Newtown great, said Chief Kehoe, is the public safety aspect. “We do what we can to reduce crime and make it a safe place to live, and I think we’ve accomplished that,” he said. Additionally, said the chief, people in Newtown tend to be very friendly and open, desirable attributes for a town to have.

The magazine survey took into consideration major crimes committed from 2004 to 2006 per 1,000 population in coming up with results. The survey also viewed the economic strength of each community by the 2009 Public Investment Community (PIC) score. This formula takes into account the unemployment rate, the equalized mill rate, and per capita aid to children. A higher number indicates less need in the community. Newtown’s PIC was 135, Glastonbury’s was 127, and Westport’s PIC was 166. Cost of living was based on the median price of a single-family home in 2008 and the beginning of 2009 — $500,000 in Newtown — as well as the local property tax burden.

“What’s really significant to me are the factors used to make up the ratings, including education, recreation, library, health and safety, and cost of living,” said Newtown Selectman-elect Pat Llodra. “These are the things that Newtowners value and are the qualities that make our town so great. It is nice to be recognized by Connecticut Magazine, but we have always known that we are a special community,” Ms Llodra said.

It is definitely the people who make Newtown a top-ranking town in which to live, is Social Services Director Ann Piccini’s opinion. “For my department, it’s the volunteering and the help to needy families in town. Everybody is very generous. People here go beyond the call of duty,” said Ms Piccini.

Ben Roberts, whose business, Conscious Financial Directions, is located in Sandy Hook Center, was a little surprised at the number three ranking, as well, but not so positively as the chief of police. “So far as education goes, we’ve been struggling in Newtown in regard to educational space, and I’m not sure our cost of living is the best value around,” said Mr Roberts. However, there is much to praise about the town, he added. “I love all of our green places, like the Paugussett State Forest, Rocky Glen State Park, and Holcomb Hill, to mention a couple. I would add our many trout streams to the list of natural assets that make the town very special,” Mr Roberts said. The lack of big box stores and fast food restaurants sets Newtown a step above, he said, as well as the architecture scattered throughout town and the many great people in town.

“There are so many wonderful things that come to mind about living in Newtown,” said Parks and Recreation Director Amy Mangold, but what she and the Parks and Recreation staff agreed upon is that the town offers a lot for families. “There’s a great sense of community here,” she said, “and facilities and activities for all ages.”

Library expenditures per capita, theaters, museums, festivals, historic sites, newspapers, and state parks and forest were among the criteria used to grade towns in the Connecticut Magazine survey regarding leisure and cultural activities.

Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson said, “First of all, it’s the people that make Newtown a wonderful place.” Not just the people who live here are fabulous, but the educators, as well, she emphasized. “We have been able to hire excellent people who stay with us. We have no trouble retaining teachers. And as a district, we really have had continuity. I’ve been here only two years, but Dr John Reed was superintendent for 20 years, and Dr Evan Pitkoff was here for five years.”

The great emphasis on holding to the core value that all children can learn well makes Newtown schools stand out, said Dr Robinson. “Plus, we have a very supportive community,” the superintendent added.

For a town to receive good grades in schools, the survey considered the 2007 to 2009 CMT results for fourth through seventh graders, CAPT results for 2007 to 2009, SAT scores for 2006 through 2008, and the percentage of high school graduates who continued onto colleges. The average SAT score for combined verbal, math, and writing scores in Newtown was 1619 out of a perfect 2400, not so far behind the score of 1696 for second ranked Glastonbury students, and just ahead of fourth rated Cheshire, with a score of 1624. Westport SAT combined average scores were 1784.

Every town has its pluses and minuses, and every person has a reason for why they choose to live in one town over another. So whether a survey places Newtown third, first, or tenth, it is enough to know that for many, the hometown is always the number one town.