Selectmen Consider Some Changes To FHH Master Plan

By Jan Howard

The Board of Selectmen this week took its first look at modifications it might suggest for the master plan for Fairfield Hills.

At the board’s Monday meeting, attended by about eight residents, each selectman outlined his thoughts on what might make the document more acceptable to residents.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal explained that the master plan allows for projects to be developed at Fairfield Hills rather than requires them. “We are not required to do all these things,” he said. The plan is a document that would evolve over several years, he noted, with property left for the future.

He said the plan offers an opportunity for various groups to come forward and meet the challenge, such as for development of a cultural arts center or community center.

He said once the plan has been modified it would be forwarded to the Planning and Zoning Commission, which would hold public hearings.

The first selectman said while there is no intention to have another vote on the master plan, everything will be voted on as pieces of the plan are proposed.

“We need to have something begin soon,” he said. “The buildings are deteriorating by the day.”

 Selectman Joe Bojnowski said he still favors some kind of poll to determine the thoughts of Newtowners about the master plan.

The selectmen have been considering a survey that would be conducted by the University of Connecticut Center for Survey Research and Analysis, but recently decided to look at the master plan to see what changes they could make to it before making a decision to go ahead with a survey.

“We need some kind of dialogue,” Mr Bojnowski said. For a small amount of money, a survey would give “peace of mind” that the master plan would be something “the people of Newtown would be comfortable with and what the people want.

“We’ve listened to a lot of ideas,” he said. “It’s time we get on with it. It’s time to do something to move the process forward.”

 Mr Bojnowski said the master plan would evolve over the next 20 to 40 years. “More involvement of the people will occur,” he noted, as new projects for the property are proposed.

Despite comments by resident Wayne Addessi during voter participation that a downtown area be developed at Fairfield Hills, Mr Bojnowski said it would not become the center of town. He said the history of the Queen and Main streets and Church Hill Road area make them the commercial center of town and “what’s needed there is more effort” to make it more of a downtown. When that occurs, “It will be a vibrant part of town,” he noted.

In regard to Fairfield Hills, he sees some modest professional or commercial use there. “I want Fairfield Hills to be an interesting place,” he said. Some potential users might be doctors, lawyers, accountants, and a Danbury Hospital facility.

“The primary objective should be municipal use,” he said, including a town hall, ball fields, community center, and other such uses.

Mr Bojnowski favors more demolition than recommended in the plan. “It has taken eight years to get to this point,” he explained, noting the buildings are deteriorating. “To restore is very difficult. It could be five to ten years before it could be done. It would not be a pretty sight in five to ten years.”

He said some governing body should be involved in development of the site within the Planning and Zoning master plan.

Mr Bojnowski would make modest adjustments to the master plan. Plymouth Hall, slated as a community center, should be demolished, he said. “A new facility should be constructed as opposed to restoration.”

While he would recommend that Stamford Hall be demolished, he said, if mothballed, its designation as a dormitory should be changed to another use. Single-family homes should be demolished, he added.

Among his preferred options, Mr Bojnowski said Shelton House should be demolished and a new town hall built. The old entry to the campus should be improved with walkways and landscaping. “It would be the beautiful entry we all used to know.”

He said Stratford Hall, which served as a library, “looks like a tornado hit it.” However, it has beautiful architecture that needs to be retained. “We should begin the process of preserving that building.”

Mr Bojnowski said, “Fairfield Hills is part of the character of Newtown and is definitely unique.”

Selectman Bill Brimmer outlined three options for a town hall: constructing a new town hall, renovating Shelton, and using Newtown or Woodbury halls for town hall use and keeping the selectmen’s office at Edmond Town Hall.

While he favors a new town hall, Mr Brimmer said, what the town favors is renovation of Shelton. “This is the more popular option to the people.”

Mr Brimmer supports demolition of seven buildings as recommended in the master plan, but said he would consider Mr Bojnowski’s suggestion that additional buildings be demolished rather than mothballed.

“I feel the Police Department should move to Fairfield Hills,” Mr Brimmer said. “If we have a municipal center there, the police department should be there, too.” He added that Hook & Ladder should also relocate to Fairfield Hills.

“Fairfield Hills should not be just a daytime center,” he said. “It should have some things to ensure day and night activities, such as a cultural center and police department. It should be a living, breathing center.”

He said the town should be cautious, however, about how uses are mixed, noting that commercial and business development may be a problem if too much land is utilized for school use.

He said he would like to see Danbury Hospital have a health care center there.

Previous surveys regarding the property “make interesting reading,” Mr Brimmer said. However, he noted, between the surveys and workshops that were held, there has been a great deal of comment on uses for Fairfield Hills. He said he is not in favor of spending $12,500 for the proposed survey.

Instead, he suggested a public session with a panel comprised of the Board of Selectmen; Robert Geckle, chairman of the Fairfield Hills Master Plan Ad Hoc Committee; Will Rodgers, chairman of the Legislative Council; and consultant Dick Harrall of Harrall-Michalowski Associates.

“The master plan will be a work in progress as the years go on,” Mr Brimmer said. “There will be tweaking and changes,” he added.

Mr Rosenthal said he agrees with his colleagues overall, though he may disagree on some points. He said the inclusion of a new town hall in the master plan “for better or worse may have tipped the scales in the vote,” bringing about the master plan’s defeat.

“People were opposed to a new building,” he noted, and favored renovation of Shelton. However, he said, “I’m not certain if we should renovate or build a new town hall.”

He suggested that the town have an architect and engineer examine the building to provide definite costs of renovations or demolition and building of a new town hall. “I do think that while people favor renovation, we need to present more accurate data and what is most effective for people that have to work there,” he said.

If a new town hall were to be constructed, Mr Rosenthal said, “We would maintain the same architectural style as what is there.”

Mr Rosenthal raised concerns about drainage and the high water table at the Fairfield Hills campus. “It must have been a very wet property,” he said. Because of that, it might not be possible for any new buildings to be constructed with basements.

Mr Rosenthal favors demolition of the seven buildings recommended in the plan, which have no reuse established. Mothballing is very expensive, he said. In addition, the lack of heating and air conditioning has caused the buildings to deteriorate. He said Canaan House and Greenwich House are in the best condition because they have been used since Fairfield Hills closed.

He did not agree with tearing down Plymouth Hall, which may have recreational uses, but agreed with Mr Bojnowski that Stratford Hall is an architecturally beautiful building. He noted that there are a number of potential uses for Bridgeport Hall, because of its open floor plan.

The idea of Hook and Ladder moving to Fairfield Hills would need to be discussed with the fire department and the Board of Fire Commissioners, Mr Rosenthal said. If the town ever has a paid fire department, Fairfield Hills might be the place for it, he added. He is not opposed to relocating the police department to Fairfield Hills.

Mr Rosenthal said he agrees on a mixture of uses for the property. He noted, however, any private uses would need to be compatible with public uses, and would help pay for the public uses. He said a facility, such as a care center, could provide lease or tax revenue.

In regard to Edmond Town Hall, Mr Rosenthal said the Board of Managers has been urged to consider what would happen there if municipal offices moved out. He said a previous study indicated an addition would be more expensive than renovating an existing building or constructing a new town hall at Fairfield Hills.

In reality, he said, to add more employees and more public use of Edmond Town Hall would increase traffic and parking concerns that already exist there. “As a practical aspect, I don’t see it,” he said.

Mr Rosenthal said he would consider a survey based on the changes the selectmen make in the master plan and possibly a public forum.

During a voter participation session at the beginning of the meeting, Wayne Addessi spoke in favor of establishing a central business district at Fairfield Hills, noting that Newtown should have a downtown similar to that of Ridgefield where people can gather, do shopping, and go to lunch. In Ridgefield, the down town area is the third largest taxpayer, he explained.

Mr Rosenthal said the master plan allows for artisans or crafts shops along with offices in five brick duplexes on the property. “It could be a gathering place there,” he said.

Resident Ruby Johnson spoke on several Fairfield Hills issues, including private commercial uses, use of Bridgeport Hall as an income generator for the town, and a Danbury Hospital facility, as well as school space needs.

Mr Bojnowski noted that if the people in the room were asked to vote on the master plan, it would be hard to get a yes vote. “That’s the dilemma of Fairfield Hills,” he said. “It’s hard to reach a consensus.”