Selectmen Withdraw Backing For

Hook & Ladder Addition

By Jan Howard

The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously on Tuesday to withdraw its authorization of the controversial Hook and Ladder Company No 1 proposed addition of three bays to the existing firehouse behind Edmond Town Hall.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said there were a number of reasons why the authorization should be withdrawn for the addition to the current building.

In addition to a cost of $400,000 for the expansion, Mr Rosenthal said the building has major structural problems, which has necessitated installation of interior bracing. He said he could not see spending $400,000 on a building that would need approximately $800,000 in improvements.

In addition, he said, in order for the addition to go forward, it has to have the support of the Borough Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), which turned down a variance for the addition on May 15, and the Town Hall Board of Managers, which also opposes the addition. The addition also came under fire from some Main Street residents.

Additional changes to the town hall driveway would also be necessary under the proposal, Mr Rosenthal said, which is to be changed to accommodate an external elevator shaft at town hall near the firehouse. Additional changes in the drive would require a costly retaining wall, he noted.

Because Hook and Ladder Company “was not able to resolve issues with these other groups,” Mr Rosenthal recommended the withdrawal of the selectmen’s authorization.

Hook and Ladder has also been pursuing an alternate proposal to build a new firehouse on Sugar Street near Town Hall South.

Mr Rosenthal said he would encourage the company to look at other alternatives, which would include the Sugar Street site where a gift of land has been offered by Scudder Smith and his family at the rear of The Pleasance.

“I urge them to pursue that option,” Mr Rosenthal said.

The Newtown Hook and Ladder Company filed a court appeal of the Borough ZBA decision on June 6 in Danbury Superior Court in which it raised various objections to the Borough ZBA action.

In that decision, the Borough ZBA ruled that the fire company did not need a “side-setback” zoning variance for the Main Street firehouse expansion, and denied the request. The Borough ZBA also decided if the fire company wanted to expand its firehouse, it would need to apply for a zoning variance regarding vehicle parking regulations. The firehouse shares the parking lot of Edmond Town Hall.

To improve its facilities, the fire company wanted to demolish one existing garage bay on the eastern side and replace it with a brick, three-bay garage of 2,750 square feet.

In other business, the selectmen approved a request from Parks and Recreation Chairman Larry Haskel for an appropriation of $5,000 from the surcharge account. The appropriation is for irrigation of the infield at the Newtown Middle School baseball field. Babe Ruth Baseball is paying $16,000 toward improvements at the field to make it more playable.

“This will allow us to use this field much more,” Mr Haskel said.

The work will be completed this fall.

The appropriation request now goes before the Board of Finance for a recommendation and to the Legislative Council. The surcharge account includes fees collected from individuals who use the fields.

The selectmen also voted to support a resolution in support of the state’s smoking ban. As of October 1, all restaurants and bars are smoke-free according to Connecticut state law Public Act 03-45 and establishments with a cafe or tavern permit or the bar area of a bowling alley must be smoke-free by April 1, 2004.