On Friday, April 11, First Selectman Jeff Capeci visited Newtown Senior Center to discuss development in town and other topics.

Capeci first discussed the proposed developments at Fairfield Hills by WinnDevelopment. A lot of seniors have been interested and following the developments as the proposed apartments will be near the senior center and will have immediate access to the beautiful walking trails on the campus.

Capeci then discussed other developments in town, such as the Vessel Technologies proposal and the Taunton Press building, specifically because of the wellfield near the South Main Street area. During the August 18 storm, the wellfield was flooded and a bridge for the Housatonic Railroad Company was destroyed. The remnants of the bridge are still being cleared, and as a result the wellfield is still offline.

Due to the wellfield not being in service, Aquarion did not issue a “will-serve” letter to Vessel Technologies, resulting in the denial for the proposed 136 apartments at 4 Berkshire Road and 22 Oakview Road.

Capeci said that there is a proposal heading to Planning & Zoning soon regarding the Taunton Press building and turning it into a mixed-use development. Someone from the crowd asked how that would be possible if Aquarion is not issuing will-serve letters.

“In theory, [Taunton Press is] already on Aquarion’s [water], so they might be considered existing service, and it may not impact that particular development. I’m not 100% sure. The demand for housing is a lot greater than the demand, for example, Taunton Press, a business that’s open during business hours, you don’t really have the water consumption that a housing complex would have,” Capeci said.

Capeci then answered someone’s question about the old police station at 3 Main Street. Capeci said he has someone who is very interested in purchasing the property, but needs to consult with members of the Borough Board of Burgesses, as the property falls within Borough limits.

Towards the end of the hour, Capeci and the seniors discussed the new changes coming to the Transfer Station on July 1.

Capeci reminded the seniors that the aerated static pile is up and running and encouraged seniors to recycle their food scraps. A member of the crowd shared that taking food scraps out of the garbage reduces the weight of the bags significantly.

Others raised concerns about adult diapers for seniors who are incontinent. They said the bags are heavy, making it hard to lift into the bins at the Transfer Station, and that the diapers take up a large portion of the bags.

Wendy Devereaux, the senior services assistant, informed the group that Newtown Public Works Administrator Arlene Miles would be coming to the senior center on Thursday, April 24. Devereaux said that she would be able to answer all the questions the seniors had and more.

The next Java with Jeff will be on Friday, May 9, 9:30 am at Newtown Senior Center, 8 Simpson Street.

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