FFH Budget Dwindles, Safety Concerns Rise

By Kendra Bobowick

Safety and dollars and cents occupied most of this month’s Fairfield Hills Authority meeting on November 16.

The proposed coming year’s budget is a fraction of what it had been as recently as three years ago, showing a steady decline in requested funding for the authority.

Unfolding the small spread sheet, Chairman John Reed noted the proposed $123,250 for the coming 2012-2013, compared to prior years’ approved funds for day-to-day operating costs, maintenance, security, and expenses at the former state hospital.

To authority members who are newer to the board, Mr Reed noted the budget history starting with the $515,000 operating costs allotted in 2008-2009. In years following, the authority’s funding dropped steadily to a $409,000 budget to $385,000 to the current year’s $240,000.

“One doesn’t need a mathematics degree to see a trend here,” Mr Reed noted. Much of the reductions “are because our budget items have been transferred to other departments.” The Parks and Recreation Department has taken over grounds maintenance, for example, and the police department is now handling a bulk of campus security, rather than a private firm.

“This is certainly a minimalist budget,” said Mr Reed, anticipating that the town would eventually absorb all costs for running Fairfield Hills. “The logic being — this is a part of the town, so why have redundancies for maintenance, etc?”

The nearly 50 percent decrease in requested budget funding passed unanimously.

A conversation that soon led to a motion to request fencing around all brick buildings first began when Mr Reed expressed a sense of urgency about taking buildings down, he said.

Additional deterioration of the roughly 80-year-old structures continued, he said he would want to ask the board for permanent fencing, “but I don’t think we are in agreement about when,” he said.

Member Ross Carley said that in five to six years, “they’ll really be deteriorating.”

Although the authority has no funds to “do anything,” Mr Reed said, “If you think the issue is elevated, all it takes is a motion to make a request…”

Member Brian White said, “I think it’s a consensus of this group that safety is an issue there that the town should address.” He said, “I think we need to go on record that security and safety are issues.”

As discussion followed, Mr Reed asked, “Are we saying that the town identify money?”

“I am saying that the town take action to secure the buildings,” Mr White said.

During the next several minutes members discussed how to word a motion to the selectmen.

Soon, Mr White made a motion “for the cause of health, safety, and welfare of the residents of the Town of Newtown, the Fairfield Hills Authority requests that permanent fencing be installed around all of the brick buildings on the Fairfield Hills Campus.” Ross Carley seconded the motion. All in attendance voted unanimously.

Members also unanimously agreed to recognize resident Harvey Pessin for the past year’s establishment of the Victory Garden located on campus, providing fresh produce to Newtown’s food pantries.

“It was his idea and he deserves recognition,” Mr Reed said.