The Tilson Family And The Town

To the Editor:

In response to Justin Scott’s letter “Who Pays For Development Profits?” Yes! I understand that with 40 new homes there will be more kids joining the school system. It will also generate more taxes. I have lived in Newtown my entire life and I have not yet had any children. My personal real estate taxes were $11,220 last year and I am sure they are due to increase this year. And that is not including my automobile taxes.

Mr Scott states there is a wiser, more generous way to use land, by donating it to Newtown Forestry. I have a lot of respect and do give credit to those who have done so. However, I am not so sure that the majority of them were at my stage in life. Obviously they were well enough off that they did not need the money from the land profit. Hypothetically, lets say a resident owns 15 to 20 acres. It may be land locked, wet lands, not buildable, not sub-dividable… What would you do with it? Why not donate it to Newtown Forestry? You would no longer be liable for taxes. You would get a tax break come April 15 for the donation, and your name will be remembered forever on one of those pretty Newtown Forestry signs. Not a bad idea, eh Mr Scott?

I think if your family lived in town for over 200 years, you would have a better understanding. We sold 50 acres for Newtown High School for $80,000. Not a bad deal for Newtown.

How many acres of land are between Exit 10 and 11 on I-84? My family got next to nothing for that land from the State of Connecticut. The State moved multiple Tilson family homes two times for the construction of I-84. There are two gas pipelines going through our property in two different sections of town, Iroquois and Algonquin. A few years after the Tilsons sold the land for Newtown High School, Tim Treadwell, the selectman at the time, tried to condemn the land for a new town dump. To avoid having a dump behind our home, we were forced to sell it rather than keep it for the future. This was done to avoid the condemnation. Imagine today having a dump in full view from I-84, Newtown High School and the Newtown Fairfield Hills property.

Mr Scott does not seem to think my family works. He states that years from now when our diesel trucks rust away, where will we be? Well, we have no plans for purchasing new diesels. I myself prefer the 2003 red Viper convertible. I do have three nieces and a nephew. My oldest niece is an honor student at Newtown High School and she will be going to college. My nephew is also an excellent student and a freshman this year. They will both need money for their college education. And the word “young’ uns” was never in our family’s vocabulary. I am not so sure that the turkeys and turtles will disappear. There are 40 one-acre lots in our 65-acre sub-division. That leaves a lot of land and trees for turkeys to roost and turtles to turtle.

I think, Mr Scott, you would have better use of your time writing your books instead of responding to letters in The Bee. Then I would not have to respond to rebut yours and others. Maybe I have inspired you to write another book. One about rural life in Connecticut with its farmers, diesel pick-ups, wild animals, turkeys, turtles, non-working, uneducated families and their “young’ uns”! If you need any more inspiration, come on over and spend the day with me.

Charles Tilson

85 Alberts Hill Road, Sandy Hook     August 11, 2001