The Legislative Council approved the transfer of $29,000 from contingency to contractual services last month to cover cleanup costs for private property at 31 Great Hill Road. A 3,400-square-foot home there was destroyed by fire, June 24, 2011. Neighbors have complained for three years about the unsightly mess, saying it attracts vermin, wildlife, and poses a safety hazard because of an uncovered and rain-filled swimming pool on the property. Demolition was completed last week. (See story.) It would be unremarkable, except for the fact that the town bankrolled the cleanup.

The town chose to step in when the blighted property became ensnared in a financial and legal stalemate. The homeowner pleads an inability to cover demolition costs; the homeowner’s insurance company will not settle the claim, calling the fire “suspicious,” according to Land Use Director George Benson. The bank that holds the mortgage will not assist the town in the cost. When blight issues arise, property owners have always stepped up to do the right thing, Mr Benson said. The Shell Station at Exit 10 is one recent example. Private property owners have always taken care of issues, once confronted. This case, said the land use director, is a rare exception.

After two years of pursuing this matter in court, Danbury Superior Court issued a settlement agreement in May of this year, allowing the town to secure the property. The town did not need the extra expense, but viewed it as a necessity for the safety and welfare of the public. So an amount equivalent to the property taxes of four Newtown households this year will pay for the Great Hill Road cleanup. We should be angry about the unnecessary expense. We should be angry, but we should support our town officials in the decision to make good on others’ responsibilities.

Without town intervention, what is the option? To let urban decay begin, one house at a time? To have friends and neighbors continue to stare at weeds and decaying timbers, and be subjected to health hazards? It is unthinkable, in a town that prides itself on its natural beauty — a beauty that real estate agents say causes potential home buyers to overlook the comparatively high local taxes — that any property would be allowed to get a toehold on blight.

The town and its taxpayers will swallow a bitter pill. Once the bill for demolition is presented, the town will place a lien on the property. But with other liens filed ahead of any the town will place on the property, Mr Benson said he would be surprised if any of the funds were ever returned to the town.

It is doubtful that Newtown taxpayers will want this kind of unsolicited donation for private property improvement to become the rule, rather than the exception. We can hope the town’s view that the Great Hill Road property is a rare case holds true. When property owners take the low road of neglect and abandonment, it is some small consolation to know that we live in a community that will take the high road to facilitate the reclamation of blighted property, especially when public health and safety are at risk.