A Solution To

A Longstanding Problem

To the Editor:

Over the past few years there have been many letters to The Bee on whether Bridgeport Hall should be used for a new town hall. Most of them have been strongly opposed to the idea for several reasons…sentimentality for present town hall, lack of need, cost, priority in list of town needs, etc. What we should all do is look at the situation as it exists today and has existed for many years. Unfortunately, this requires discarding sentiment and looking at reality.

Many years ago the present building, a beautiful but unwieldy structure, became too small and inaccessible for the many town offices. Some went to the basement of Town Hall South, and some of those then went on to Fairfield Hills and then on to Peck’s Lane. The Board of Ed went from the middle school to Peck’s Lane where it is nowhere near any of the town schools. The Peck’s Lane building is on a remote back road 3.4 miles from town hall. Anybody with any amount of town business has to know where all these places are and then use valuable time and gas to get there, adding to traffic congestion and pollution. As an example, six years ago I had to get a simple permit to put a small shed on my property. This process required getting signatures at about five or six offices at Edmond Town Hall, Town Hall South, and Canaan House (Fairfield Hills) and then returning it to the originator. This is totally unworkable in this day and age.

The town now owns a unique solution to this longstanding problem, and that is the Fairfield Hills campus. Where it stands in the priority list with school expansion and other items can be discussed, but it should be a high priority, and the opportunity should not be lost. An article in the last Bee (“Taxpayer Cost To Stop Town Hall Project Tops $1 Million Mark,” November 23, 2007) indicates that a number of preliminary contracts have been signed on Bridgeport Hall. This was done partly because of a need to “get on with it,” because the buildings to be saved on the campus can be seen to be deteriorating quite fast with lack of maintenance. I hope any review Mr Borst, the new first selectman, does of the Fairfield Hills plan will not delay any projects too long and run costs up, especially if signed contracts are voided.

I would ask anybody opposing a new town hall at Fairfield Hills to drive around to the various present town offices, if you can find them, and visualize a new person in town trying to find them or a person having to chase around on a regular basis to these locations. Bridgeport Hall is in an open, attractive area with easy access (Wasserman Way) from all directions. It is the long-term answer to a bad situation that has existed for too long.

Yours truly,

Howard F. Bowles, Jr

2 Old Castle Drive, Newtown                             November 26, 2007