Move Forward With Fairfield Hills

To the Editor:

As chairman of the 2002 FFH Master Plan Ad Hoc Committee I urge my fellow Newtowners to vote Yes in the August 12 advisory referendum. This plan merits support for several reasons:

Background — In June of 2001, the voters of Newtown approved $20.1 million to prepare a master plan, purchase the FFH property, construct playing fields, provide for municipal and school offices, and demolish and remediate significant portions of the site.

Open, Inclusive, And Responsive Process — An ad hoc committee was formed in April of 2002. It conducted 26 public meetings, three community workshops, one open house tour, and presentations to the Board of Selectmen and Legislative Council. The committee listened carefully to the needs of 45 community groups who took the time to make presentations.

The master plan was the culmination of the work of three committees and several consultants dating back to 1993. All suggested mixed-use for the campus including both recreation, economic development, and public and private participation to make the site useful and affordable.

The committee, the Board of Selectmen, and the Legislative Council unanimously approved the final plan, after modifications from input by both the public and our elected officials.

A Comprehensive, Affordable, And Flexible Plan — The plan provides for all that was approved by the voters in June 2001 within the budget set. Specifically included: purchase of the property, construction of much needed playing fields, provision for town and Board of Education offices, demolition and remediation of unusable buildings, mothballing of usable buildings, and land banking of open space.

The plan meets immediate needs and provides a framework for long-term activities. It emphatically allows future generations to decide on the usage on land-banked areas. The plan provides for both public and private funding of cultural, recreation, economic and education uses.

Controls — The entire campus remains under the control of the town to assure conformance to the plan and appropriate design. The Planning and Zoning Commission must approve the plan before any activities may take place. The commission will also review and approve site plans for specific activities. The commission must also approve amendments to the plan including proposed use of land-banked areas.

The Friends of FFH have presented a “plan.” It is not, however, one that was prepared in an open, inclusive, and responsive manner; it is not comprehensive, flexible, and affordable; and it does not include controls for future activities on the campus.

Move forward…vote Yes.

Sincerely yours,

Bob Geckle

33 Poverty Hollow Road, Newtown                            August 4, 2003