New Authority Leadership In Place, Ready To Plan

By John Voket

The newly created Fairfield Hills Authority recently completed the realignment of its leadership while bidding an official farewell to one of its key members. Robert Geckle, Sr, the authority’s new chairman told The Bee Wednesday that Andrew Willie was elected vice-chairman of the panel during its most recent meeting.

Mr Geckle also regretfully announced the departure of longtime Newtown volunteer Richard Sturdevant from the authority. About a month ago Mr Sturdevant and his wife Marie relocated to Brookfield.

The couple in recent weeks relinquished positions held in several voluntary capacities including Mr Studevant’s position on the former ad hoc Fairfield Hills Management Committee and Mrs Sturdevant’s position on the Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers.

However, Mr Geckle said he was pleased that Mr Sturdevant kindly offered to remain available in an advisory capacity as needed to the authority, which transitioned from ad hoc status following a legislative initiative allowing Newtown to establish the oversight panel to manage the town owned facility.

At their last meeting, Mr Geckle said the authority members learned from town officials how much money would be available to conduct business at the former state hospital facility in the coming years. He said the group was able to then prioritize a need for three specific studies so members could effectively plan to carry out a combination of environmental remediation, recreational and permitted commercial developments, as well any demolition that might have to occur to accommodate the various projects on the campus.

“Now that we know what our spending levels will be for 2006-2007, we can go to bid for engineering studies on projects like possibly converting and improving Newtown Hall, the construction of playing fields, and whatever demolition may need to occur,” Mr Geckle said. “The town cannot move forward until we know those costs, but once we do, we can see how all those pieces can flow together.”

Mr Geckle said the first crucial and time-sensitive element among future plans may begin accelerating as early as next week. He said the project manager overseeing required soil remediation around all existing structures on the campus will open bids from companies vying to perform the tasks September 30 at 11 am.

“Based on the projected timeline, we are recommending to [project manager] Russell Bartley that the remediation begins no later than November 1,” Mr Geckle said. In recent months, the authority members learned that neither cold weather nor precipitation would significantly affect contractors’ abilities to remove soil possibly tainted with lead and pesticides from around all the buildings at Fairfield Hills.

That project was mandated by state environmental protection officials as a condition of the town acquiring ownership of the facility, which occurred in 2004.

Mr Geckle said that as remediation activities are ramping up, the authority will be designating the “highest priority” to seeing engineering studies completed.

“We have to have those studies in order to be in the best possible position to make informed decisions about projects planned for the site,” he said, noting that any projects commissioned would fall within the guidelines of the town’s Plan for Conservation and Development as well as within the financial limitations of existing bond initiatives already approved by taxpayers.

With those forthcoming studies imminent, the authority also moved to hire New York-based North American Realty Advisory Services to consult with the town on possible real estate activities that could occur on the campus in the coming months and years.

“Their charge is to assist and advise the town on the reutilization of buildings on the property,” Mr Geckle said. “They’ll be looking at market research, and performing economic analyses toward the economic development potentials, possible reuses, values, possible rental rates, and project feasibilities.”

“It’s important for people to know that the master plan has stipulated very stringent guidelines for commercial development at Fairfield Hills,” he said. “So the consultants will be taking a good look at buildings including Newtown, Woodbury, Stratford, and Bridgeport Halls, and the duplexes.”

Mr Geckle said that while town officials and the authority are fielding many calls expressing possible commercial interest in the property, he expects few to even reach the proposal stage.

“The conversations are mostly exploratory,” he said. “My experience is that for every 100 calls you get, you’re lucky to even get a single viable idea.”

In other developments, the authority accepted the offer of former chairman John Reed to step in and head a subcommittee devoted to maintaining and enhancing hiking and trail networks on the property.

“John will focus his efforts to creating guidelines for the trail structure and coordinating with Parks and Rec [the town department that oversees trail management],” Mr Geckle said. “We’re very motivated to see these plans moving forward to give residents access to recreational opportunities on the outlying campus while other activities are going on that will restrict some access to the core campus area.”

On another matter, Mr Geckle said plans to coordinate design and installation of landscaping at and around the entry to Fairfield Hills with Connecticut Master Gardener volunteers is temporarily halted. He said the extensive amount of landscaping and construction required around the management headquarters building will delay any planting and shrubbery installations until early spring 2006.

“We are still very interested in working with the Master Gardeners,” he said. “But by the time all the grading is done and a driveway and parking area is installed cold weather will be settling in.”

Mr Geckle did say that heavy equipment being used for construction will easily dig out planting beds that will be tended by the UConn Extension Service volunteers next spring.