At the latest Economic Development Commission meeting on Tuesday, November 19, Bronson Hawley visited to talk to the commissioners about the Mary Hawley Public Service Award. As readers may recall, the first award was given to Gordon Williams in August.

Hawley said about the award, “As we all know, volunteerism is the backbone of society, really … The award serves two very important purposes. First of all, at least for me, selfishly, it brings back Mary’s memory every year to everybody. What she did for this town is incredible. I doubt very much there’s any town in this country that a woman has done so much for … this award serves as a vehicle for promoting volunteerism by recognizing prolonged individual commitment to selflessly serving the community and its citizens.”

Hawley is inviting readers to nominate individuals for the award when the nomination period opens on March 3, 2025. It will close on May 2. Any questions can be directed to Hawley at Bronson.oaklawn@gmail.com or to Maureen Crick Owen at maureencrickowen@gmail.com.

After Hawley’s presentation, the EDC moved to discuss Fairfield Hills and the mystique surrounding the redevelopment. Due to the Fairfield Hills Authority not meeting quorum at their last meeting, an unofficial meeting was conducted. EDC vice chair Barbara Snyder and commissioner Bruce Walczak approached the Fairfield Hills Authority about creating a FAQ sheet that would be available on the town website so the general public could stay up-to-date on the redevelopment of the historic hospital campus.

Snyder said, “I don’t want to speak for myself. I don’t want to speak out of turn. I don’t want to be giving any misinformation to anybody that then will be misinterpreted or given to somebody else.”

Walczak added that Fairfield Hills Authority seemed “open to” a fact sheet residents could access, especially as WinnDevelopment continues to push forward with the redevelopment of Shelton and Kent House.

John Voket, the director of Newtown’s Economic and Community Development Department, explained that the meeting with WinnDevelopment on Friday, November 15, was “an exploration on how the town is going to move forward with the acquisition … As a matter of fact, I just saw an email within the hour of the MOU.” A MOU is a memorandum of understanding.

WinnDevelopment’s next step is to secure a vendor to conduct laser-measuring of either Kent House or Shelton. WinnDevelopment was pleased with the state of Kent House during their last visit, but did not have time to view Shelton.

Other Developments

The EDC recently started working with MAP Agency and WingCat Web Design to finish creating newtown.org, a website for business owners and visitors alike to get a feel for what Newtown has to offer.

Voket is thrilled to be working with both companies as they “live in town, they work in town, they’re invested in the town.” He expects the website to be finished by the “first quarter.”

Voket also announced at the meeting that Newtown was one of seven applicants that received funding for the “town-owned 28 Glen Road site.” The funding comes from the Naugatuck Valley COG Phase 2 Assessment grant.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.