Town Offices Have Always Been

Part Of Fairfield Hills Planning

To the Editor:

With regard to a letter to the editor in the December 1 edition of The Newtown Bee from Paul Mangiafico, town offices at Fairfield Hills were part of every committee’s plan going back to Julia Wasserman’s committee in 1994. Even Ruby Johnson and the Friends of Fairfield Hills always had town offices in their many every changing plans. Not only when the original appropriation and bonding resolution were approved by the voters in 2001, but as recently as last spring, when the current budget was approved, the Board of Finance, Legislative Council, and ultimately the voters approved borrowing $7 million to begin the construction of town office and recreation space at Fairfield Hills. It was spelled out in the budget books given to finance and council members and discussed without opposition. I am carrying out those decisions with the continued agreement of the entire Board of Selectmen. I am not acting on my own behalf.

Beyond the straightforward need for town and school office space which he acknowledged in his letter, the advice we have received from planners, commercial real estate consultants and financiers is that by the town investing in office space at Fairfield Hills, with a town hall as a centerpiece, private investment will follow. This private investment will then help us pay for the senior, recreational, cultural, and school needs there.

By the way, I don’t know where Mr Mangiafico found the erroneous figures about the cost of leasing at Kendro, but the office space is costing the town $210,000 this year for 13,500 square feet so the equivalent cost for 45,000 square feet would be almost $700,000 per year plus a three percent escalator. That is more than the debt service we will pay over a 20-year period for a building we will own at Fairfield Hills. The cost of purchasing the Kendro building would be at least $5 million plus the cost of renovations. It would take one of the few large industrial buildings off the tax rolls, has some existing environmental restrictions, will require a new appropriation and additional bonding authorization. It is not centrally located and has none of the added value of encouraging private investment at Fairfield Hills.

Sincerely,

Herbert C. Rosenthal

First Selectman

45 Main Street, Newtown                                         December 4, 2006