Fairfield Hills Master Plan Vote Set For August 12

By Jan Howard

The Board of Selectmen voted this week to set the date of August 12 for an advisory referendum on the Fairfield Hills Master Plan. Voting will take place from 6 am to 8 pm at the Middle School on Queen Street.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal explained that the second Tuesday in August has been adopted by Connecticut for statewide primaries beginning in 2004. He said information from State Senator John McKinney indicated that other states hold primaries on that date and have not experienced a drop-off in voter participation from voting in September primaries.

“It was a date I could support,” Mr Rosenthal said, noting there was no other time because of a possible primary in September, the general election in November, and the holidays, after which budget season begins again.

“As yet I have not heard any negative feedback about an August vote,” Selectman Bill Brimmer said.

The Board of Selectmen also voted to adopt the modifications the Legislative Council had made to the Fairfield Hills Master Plan. The council voted June 18 to approve modifications to the document made by the selectmen and added four other amendments.

Mr Rosenthal said copies of the master plan would be published on the town’s website and would be available in the selectmen’s office and the C.H. Booth Library prior to the August vote.

The Legislative Council amendments were entitled “Status of In-Fill Component,” “Building and Use Specific Responsibilities,” “Conflict Resolution Language,” and “Fairfield Hills Authority.”

The in-fill amendment was included to clarify confusion on the issue of the “in-fill component,” an option mentioned in the master plan. In-fill refers to new construction for commercial development. At the Legislative Council meeting, Mr Rosenthal said the master plan does not contain an in-fill component. The only new construction would be for a new town hall. The plan does, however, describe an opportunity for in-fill if Canaan House and Kent are not reused, and would have the potential for new buildings.

The “Building and Use Specific Responsibilities” amendment outlines the Fairfield Hills Authority’s responsibilities, which will vary based upon specific use of buildings and property, and how these responsibilities are shared with the town.

The “Conflict Resolution” amendment was designed to allow the authority to request a joint advisory opinion from the Legislative Council and Board of Selectmen to seek advice as to whether any action is within the scope of its authority or in furtherance of the master plan.

The “Fairfield Hills Authority” amendment discusses the administrative procedures of the authority, written procedures for conducting business, and how income would be used.

In other business, the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to reappoint John Blawie and Paula Stephan to the Library Board of Trustees.

They also voted unanimously to appoint Ann Piccini as municipal agent for the elderly for a term of two years. Effective July 1, Ms Piccini has been acting director of social services.

“I’ve had some very fine comments from elderly people she has worked with,” Mr Rosenthal said.

“I will continue to help the elderly as I have for the past four years,” Ms Piccini said.

Ms Piccini has been employed by the Social Services Department for 13 years, and has been working with elderly services for about five years. She is in charge of administering federal and state programs, such as Title 19 and ConnPace. She also helps the elderly population with applications for state and federal programs.

The Board of Selectmen also voted to appoint Jennifer Johnson and Brigette Sorensen to the new Ad Hoc Cultural Arts Committee. Additional members are needed, and residents interested in serving should contact Mr Rosenthal or their town committees. Mr Rosenthal said the study committee would ultimately be composed of five to six members.

The Ad Hoc Cultural Arts Committee is to study the need for an arts or cultural commission as there is no official town agency in charge of the arts. The committee will also look into what other towns have done.

 Mr Rosenthal also discussed a Connecticut Council of Municipalities (CCM) response to a recent statement by Governor John Rowland that aid to municipalities is not essential aid. According to CCM, there are several court cases where it was decided that state grants to municipalities are considered essential. Mr Rowland noted he has spoken to State Rep Julia Wasserman about the issue.