Allow Voters To Vote On

The Capital Improvement Plan

To the Editor:

Gary Davis, a member of WeCAN, recently submitted suggested changes to the Board of Finance approved CIP and has made a request to the Legislative Council to ask the Fairfield Hills Authority (FFHA) to fund the new CIP request for the $6.8 million Park & Recreation Center/Community Center/Senior Center/pool and $300,000 for lights at a baseball field on Fairfield Hills.

Some town officials have said the two projects were placed in the CIP because they cannot be funded from the original bond issue, so additional monies must be bonded. However, a closer look at the history of Fairfield Hills causes me to question the validity of that premise.

In review of the most recent information available on the town website, the Fairfield Hills Revised Plan Summary dated December 27, 2004, states: “Plymouth and Bridgeport Halls, while shown as renovated and managed by entities other than the town, are envisioned as buildings to meet community needs including the senior center, cultural programs, recreation programs and special community events or assemblies of people such as the Friends of the Library Book Sale.” It also states that “The following guidelines are recommended for potential in-fill buildings: Office use or municipal use (including open space and recreation)” and “Includes Town Hall, High School Academy and Parks & Recreation – Cultural Building (either Plymouth or new building).”

On March 17, 2005, the P&Z approved the revised Fairfield Hills Master Plan. Based on this information on the website, it appears that the senior center, cultural programs, and recreational programs were part of the P&Z approved master plan, leading one to believe that the funds from the 2001 bond issue can be used to fund the Park & Recreation Center/Community Center/Senior Center/pool and the lights for the baseball field. I welcome clarification from our town officials on this.

In reviewing the process by which our Legislative Council approved the ordinance to create the FFHA in 2005, there were some concerns regarding the power and accountability, but Mr Rodgers stated, “ultimately, the council can keep the appointment process in check by amending or rescinding the ordinance in the future.” (The Newtown Bee, May 26, 2005, emphasis added.) It appears that our Legislative Council does have the power to institute a change by amending or rescinding the ordinance that created the Fairfield Hills Authority and can require the town hall project or any other future projects to go through the comprehensive capital improvement process which will allow the voters to ultimately approve the projects on Fairfield Hills. In light of public concern over our current course of action at Fairfield Hills, it is a reasonable concept to allow the voters to annually provide their feedback to our public officials through their votes on the town CIP.

I encourage our Legislative Council to take a hard look at this situation, and the proposal to have the Park & Recreation Center/Community Center/Senior Center/pool and for lights at a baseball field on Fairfield Hills be paid for by money already bonded for Fairfield Hills, and still unexpended, rather than borrow additional funds at this time. 

Po Murray

Member, We Care About Newtown

38 Charter Ridge Drive, Sandy Hook                      January 10, 2007