Utility Infrastructure Sound—

Medical Complex Targeted As New Home For Kevin’s Clinic

By John Voket

Hundreds of Newtown residents utilizing the services of Kevin’s Community Center, a free public clinic currently housed among town offices on Peck’s Lane, will no longer be coming and going with residents seeking building permits or land use applications.

According to a letter of intent to lease Newtown Hall, which was revealed during a public hearing on the lease proposal Monday, the mixed medical use facility would become the new and permanent home of the drop-in center known as KCC.

Upon the finalization of a 40-year land lease agreement with Hawley Realty, the development wing of Hawley Construction Corporation of Danbury, the developer would complete renovations to what officials described as the “shell” of the former state hospital building, complete all hazardous materials remediation, interior outfitting and ADA access to current code.

According to the lease terms, which were read during the hearing by First Selectman Herb Rosenthal, the company would make a one-time $650,000 payment for the 40-year land lease, and could negotiate up to two, ten-year extensions based on current fair market value.

Fairfield Hills Authority Chair Robert Geckle, who attended the hearing, said the eventual gross cost to fully improve the building for its intended use could top $2 million.

“It’s basically a shell with lead paint and asbestos,” he said of the building, adding his expectation that in its developed state, the finished facility would yield about 11,000 square feet of usable space for tenants.

Those tenants are expected to include satellite offices housing physicians and medical support services tied to Danbury Hospital, and would include a pass-through sublease for Kevin’s Community Center. The Town of Newtown would be the primary lessee, maximizing the possibility of accessing state and federal underwriting and grants for the public health clinic, the officials stated during the hearing.

“The hospital has agreed to share the space,” Mr Rosenthal said. “A lot of the specialists at Danbury Hospital also serve Kevin’s Community Center.”

Mr Geckle also took the opportunity to directly speak to a concern voiced at the hearing, related to the state of utility infrastructure on the campus. He assured the selectmen and the public that the utility infrastructure available currently, and enhancements already planned to be in place by the time most of the current lessees occupy their buildings, will provide more than the necessary capacity required.

In a follow-up interview after the hearing, Mr Geckle clarified that the capacity of existing systems was designed to provide more sewer, water, and electrical access than was needed to power the former state hospital, which sustained up to 5,000 patients and staff 24 hours a day.

“At maximum capacity of commercial usage based on the master plan, we won’t come near that,” Mr Geckle assured. Both he and Public Works Director Fred Hurley told The Bee a substantial portion of the water delivery mechanicals and related infrastructure are just about a year old. New electrical service and metering mechanicals are in the process of being installed, and the town is in the final stages of planning to extend natural gas service onto the campus, tied into lines serving the Reed Intermediate School.

Mr Geckle was hopeful even new IT and communications lines could be coordinated as any new utilities are being installed or rerouted around the campus.

While acknowledging there are some cracks that need to be addressed as part of a phased plan of “routine upgrades” in the storm sewer system, Mr Geckle and Mr Hurley said there is still plenty of viable capacity for the current planned uses, especially for primary lease holders and town facilities.

He explained that the authority’s goal in negotiating most if not all of the existing leases providing lump sum payments up front was to minimize or eliminate any taxpayer impact for the routine maintenance and upgrades, as well as other common area improvements as permitted in the master plan.

“Upgrades would be required regardless of whether or not you are doing any commercial development,” Mr Geckle said. “It has always been our goal to offset any taxpayer impact for public common utility improvements by balancing them with commercial revenue sources.”

He said the best case scenario would be to max out commercial usage within the scope of the master plan, and see its related fees and tax income to the town greatly or even fully offset taxpayer spending.

“The bottom line is, Newtown taxpayers write the check when nothing is happening at Fairfield Hills,” Mr Geckle said. “A zero-net tax liability to the people of Newtown cannot be achieved doing nothing.”