Last Chance—

Fairfield Hills Survey Deadline Is Friday, May 27

By Kendra Bobowick

The deadline to participate in the Fairfield Hills survey concerning the future use of the roughly 180-acre campus and buildings is this Friday, May 27. Fairfield Hills Master Plan Review Committee members will be weighing the public’s comments and survey results as they make their final decisions for recommendations on changes to the master plan for redevelopment.

Recommendations will then be assessed by the Board of Selectmen. Residents can still complete the survey Friday “through the end of the day,” Mr Lundquist said. The survey will be closed at midnight.

Regarding results, he said, “I expect we will see clear answers to what people don’t want. As for what people do want, I think we’ll see ideas and themes [emerge].” His group will then “weigh that input among everything we are considering for our final deliberations.”

The review committee’s task is to “reflect back on the current master plan and determine what aspects are worth revising, changing, or adding to.” Mr Lundquist explained that the current 2005 master plan for campus reuse is a “point of reference,” but the review committee “has the latitude to think beyond the current plan to reflect today’s thinking on issues that have come up in the last five years.”

“Lightning rod” topics within the survey questions include housing, commercial and economic development, and the idea to sell rather than lease viable buildings, committee Chairman Michael Floros noted during a meeting Monday, May 23. “These topics are passionate,” based on the feedback he is getting so far.

Also Monday, Mr Floros learned that roughly 750 people took the 30-minute survey online, and about 50 paper copies have been completed.

“Do you think we’ll crack 800?” he asked. Interviewed later, Mr Lundquist confirmed, “Seven hundred, fifty is a good number; I would have been satisfied with 500.” Eight hundred survey-takers was his personal goal he said, anticipating his last reminder for residents to spend the half hour completing the questions.

He urges people to participate. “[Fairfield Hills redevelopment] is an issue important to Newtown for many, many years to come, and this will set the town on its course.” He added, “This is an opportunity for residents to weigh in on the future of Fairfield Hills.”

E-mail reminders and prompts on the committee’s Facebook page are also promoting a last push before the May 27 deadline.