Tercentennial Committee Dissolves

By Nancy K. Crevier

Following nearly three and a half years of camaraderie, sparring, brainstorming, juggling schedules, and hard work, nine members of the Newtown Tercentennial committee met for the final time Wednesday, December 6, to “tidy up the finances” and officially dissolve the 12-person committee.

The Tercentennial Committee identified and carried out many activities to commemorate Newtown’s 300th year of founding throughout 2005, including a Colonial Ball, reenactment of historical Newtown figures, a Tableau Vivant, and a huge festival with fireworks held at Fairfield Hills in August of that year.

Wednesday’s final meeting included a lively discussion concerning the committee’s tercentennial memorial concept, a redesign of the area in front of Edmond Town Hall. Member Brigette Sorenson presented a final design and cost figures to install six granite benches, granite sidewalk pavers surrounding the seating areas, a centrally located sidewalk paver depicting the tercentennial logo, and landscaping to enhance the sections leading up to the front steps of the building. The concept had been approved by the committee at a previous meeting and delegates have met with town officials for approval of the design, which, said Ms Sorensen, had been expanded upon since several committee members had expressed after the last meeting a “need to cultivate more space” in front of the Edmond Town Hall.

Mae Schmidle, vice chairman of the Tercentennial Committee, was the only member to dissent on the final approval of the memorial space design, expressing concern that the benches, to be engraved commemoratively as part of a future phase of the design, serve only to enhance the town hall, and do not promote the tercentennial year of celebration. “The memorial should be a strong statement about the tercentennial,” said Ms Schmidle. “It should be a striking center of the whole thing.”

Ms Schmidle suggested that a large statue-type memorial placed centrally in the area to the right of the entrance would be a more appropriate remembrance and that the present plans could be expanded yet again to provide the aesthetic artistic balance the building invites. “It is a handsome plan and a good proposal for town hall,” said Ms Schmidle, “but it shortchanges the tercentennial.”

Ms Sorensen replied that a statue had been looked into by the committee earlier and it was found that anything of substance would cost far beyond the funds the committee had left in its account, and that to further expand the area as part of the first phase would also exceed the committee’s funds. The present design, she pointed out, includes a paved area where artwork or some type of memorial could be placed in the future, perhaps by another community group. The present design, Ms Sorensen said, keeps the memorial within the committee’s budget, particularly if the town is able to take on some of the site preparation.

Following further discussion, a consensus was quickly reached by the committee that the present design would be a fitting tribute to the tercentennial.

Because the Tercentennial Committee was designated to exist only for a period of time that expires on December 31 of this year, a delegation of three of the committee members was established with the authority to execute the memorial space plan and see it through to completion. That delegation is made up of Brigette Sorensen, Dan Cruson, and Barbara Kasbarian.

It was voted the funds remaining in the committee’s account would be used to pay for the expenses of the memorial space, with any money left over after that to be donated to the Newtown Historical Society. Because the committee will no longer be active after the last day of this month, the committee’s $18,000-plus account excess, allotted to the memorial space, will be placed in the care of town officials for dispersal.

In the final action of the Tercentennial Committee, a motion to accept the dissolution of the Newtown Tercentennial Committee was made and carried unanimously, a bittersweet ending to a committee that will long be remembered for its dedication to its cause: an unforgettable celebration of Newtown’s 300th birthday.