Will The Town Prioritize Open Space?

By Kendra Bobowick

As Land Use Deputy Director Rob Sibley clicked through slides describing the methods, uses, and means of acquiring and protecting Newtown’s as yet untouched natural swaths of land, after noting the town and state’s history of preservation efforts and future goals, he turned the lights back on to speak with the Board of Selectmen.

Regarding the town’s greenways and preserved spaces, First Selectman Pat Llodra noted efforts of town staff and volunteer commission members’ work, asking, “Are we making progress?”

Mr Sibley’s presentation had highlighted Newtown’s collective open space efforts past and ongoing. He noted the land trusts, easements, open space purchases, donations, and other means of acquisition. He described town departments’ work to inventory, catalog, and map properties, its benefits, expenses, and uses in the community. While various departments and commissions oversee aspects of open space, and different groups serve as stewards to both public and privately owned properties, Selectman Will Rodgers broached a concept that would “give more muscle” to various parties involved with Newtown’s open space natural resource, he said after the meeting.

On Monday night, he addressed Mr Sibley, saying, “I think the success has been a bottom-up process of volunteers and staff and I would suggest, and like for you and the Board of Selectmen to consider, if a top-down direction might be helpful to the various entities working on acquisition to ratify the procedure.”

He explained in a following conversation, “I really mean, bring it forward and formalize the separate parts.” Currently, a handful of separate entities — the town departments, several volunteer commissions, and private land trusts such as the Newtown Forest Association, for example — all have a hand in open space protection.

“We have wonderful results with open space, but it has been dependent on the personnel.” He feels his board could coalesce the various pieces. “Make sure the left hand knows what the right is doing,” he said. Open space’s elevated importance has occurred “because of excellent personnel,” so far, but with changes in staff and town administrators, open space priorities “can be haphazard in how it happens.” Mr Rodgers suggested that selectmen “give the players some leverage and back up.”

Mr Sibley admitted that the open space process had always seemed “hat-in-hand.” Liking Mr Rodgers’ ideas of a top-down approach to open space, he said, “Open space is as important as any other issue. Mr Rodgers offered a decisive and bold statement. I am very excited that they want me to look at that.”

While he entered Monday’s meeting and gave a presentation that he had intended to be informative, Mr Sibley said, “Never for a minute did I think they would talk about such an overarching concept.”

On his list of wishes are town open space mandates.

He hopes to bring departments’ efforts together regarding open space. “It’s really about getting to the table where major decisions are made. I think we’re in a golden moment, and maybe this is where we strike.”