2004’s Top Stories In Newtown—

Activities Surrounding Historic Fairfield Hills Purchase Dominated News In 2004

By John Voket

Whether you consider yourself to be one of the most informed Newtowners around, or you pride yourself on being able to function quite well without getting involved in the day-to-day minutia of community news, chances are you are aware 2004 was the year Newtown finally acquired Fairfield Hills. News surrounding events leading up to the town’s August closing on the former state hospital and grounds, the future of activities on, or the pre- or post-acquisition management of the sprawling campus made headlines in virtually every edition of The Newtown Bee this past year.

As such, it is virtually impossible to view the multifaceted elements of the Fairfield Hills story as just one piece among Newtown’s top ten news reports of the year. As a result of this historical happening that took so many years, and the selfless dedication of so many individuals to bring to fruition, this 2004 news in review feature will break out the acquisition and the ongoing management of the property into two of the ten top stories of the year.

1. Taking Ownership Of Fairfield Hills

While the dog days of summer saw residents heading off for pool and beachside relief from the heat, the town quietly completed one of the most significant community investments in its 299-year history. On July 30, 2004, legal representatives inked the transfer of more than 257 acres of property from the State of Connecticut to the Town of Newtown.

The purchase marked a significant victory for the community, and the culmination of years of work on the part of hundreds of public servants and volunteers who effectively blocked the parceling off of land and buildings, helping protect this unparalleled resource for generations to come.

By the second week of January, all parties involved were still cobbling together what would become an even bigger and better deal for the town. That week, State Representative Julia Wasserman announced she was seeking the conveyance of approximately 12 additional acres of land off Old Farm Road in Fairfield Hills.

The conveyance of Old Farm Road could make it possible to alleviate traffic conditions on Route 34 and Church Hill Road, Rep Wasserman said. The land might also offer a possible location for a firehouse or playing fields, she noted.

On February 20, The Bee reported an anticipated closing date for the property was imminent, pending state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) approval of a remedial action plan for environmental cleanup of the property. But the DEP’s review and acceptance of that plan would not occur for several more months.

A representative from the University of Connecticut Center for Survey Research and Analysis appeared before the Board of Selectmen March 1 discussing the benefits of a proposed townwide survey to gauge the publics awareness of, and desires for, the future development of the Fairfield Hills campus.

A massive explosion and fire of undetermined origin, which startled nearby residents late on the rainy night of Tuesday, April 13, caused possibly “hundreds of thousands of dollars” of damage to a three-story wing of Canaan House at Fairfield Hills, which had housed the public school system’s alternative high school program and some town offices.

At 10:54 pm, the town’s emergency dispatch center received a call alerting firefighters to the explosion. Several dozen Newtown Hook and Ladder, Sandy Hook, and Botsford firefighters responded to the scene to find that a large external heating-fuel tank had exploded and caught fire, shooting flames upward about 35 feet. The fuel tank, which contained thousands of gallons of #2 heating fuel, fed an adjacent external boiler for the 208,000-square-foot red-brick building.

In an April 20 report, Allan Platt, a state boiler inspector reported that the fire-damaged boiler was “quite dirty with accumulated soot, indicating lack of cleaning and/or imperfectly regulated combustion.” The condition contributed to the overheating of a chimney vent which dried and eventually set fire to the wood shed protecting the equipment.

“The fire spread throughout the plywood structure and caused the tank rupture/explosion,” Mr Platt concluded. Since Newtown had not yet closed on the sale of the campus, costs related to the subsequent environmental cleanup fell on the state Department of Public Works.

On May 5, Rep Wasserman delivered on her promise to provide not only the 12-acre parcel off Old Farm Road, but also added to the bargain a 23-acre parcel to be used for open space and recreational purposes as specified in the state legislation.

The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously May 17 to authorize First Selectman Herb Rosenthal to contract with UConn’s Center for Survey Research and Analysis to conduct a survey that would address changes the selectmen made in February to the Fairfield Hills Master Plan, which had been defeated in a townwide referendum in August 2003.

The independent survey, which would cost $10,000, would address whether residents agree with the modifications the selectmen made to the plan.

Prior to the vote, Selectman Bill Brimmer said there had been enough confusion about Fairfield Hills, and “we need to zero in on the issues about it.” The phone survey was set to commence on July 26.

On July 20, Mr Rosenthal received written DEP approval of a remedial environmental action plan and the Covenant Not to Sue, clearing the path to expedite a closing on the property in “a matter of weeks.”

Following the town’s low profile and protracted closing on the campus it was time for a celebration. On September 10, nearly 100 people gathered on the lawn in front of Shelton Hall on the former state hospital grounds to officially commemorate the transfer of Fairfield Hills to the Town of Newtown.

The late afternoon event, which was hastily organized by First Selectman Rosenthal and his office staff featured many state and local officials who played vital roles in helping deliver the property to Newtown residents. Both State Public Works Commissioner James Fleming and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal came to speak on behalf of Governor Jodi Rell, whose last-minute scheduling conflict prevented her from appearing.

The absence of the governor did little to dampen the enthusiastic applause from a crowd that spilled from the seating area to a number of guests who chose to stand on the lawn. It appeared that more than half of the audience represented one or more of the volunteer citizens groups involved in the project, members of which were individually honored with certificates of appreciation.

2. Management Of Fairfield Hills

Even news about the ongoing management of the Fairfield Hills campus has several facets. There is the element related to years of ongoing management by the Tunxis Management Group, a Tomasso Group company that emerged as one of the many players in the drama and eventual undoing of former Governor John Rowland and several other high ranking state officials.

There is the story of the complicated processes that unfolded between elected town officials and the appointed ad hoc management committee charged with overseeing the temporary management of the facility, and advising on its future use. And there is the story of DeMarco, Miles and Murphy, the management group that was thrown into the mix with only a few days’ notice, to take over the day-to-day facilities operation when Tunxis abruptly departed the campus on February 29, 2004.

While each of the three elements had significantly overlapping concerns, each provided its own set of headlines.

During the first week of June, the Board of Selectmen unanimously approved the appointment of John Reed, Robert Geckle, Moira Rodgers, Amy Dent, and Don Studley to an Ad Hoc Fairfield Hills Management Committee. The board would consist of five regular members and three alternate members.

The selectmen also unanimously approved a charge to the Ad Hoc Fairfield Hills Management Committee as follows:

“The members of the committee shall adopt written procedures for the conduct of the committee’s business with regard to managing the Fairfield Hills property and implementing the master plan, subject to the approval of the Board of Selectmen. The committee’s activities will also be subject to the limitations imposed by state statutes, the charter and ordinances of the Town of Newtown, as well as the purchasing and other regulations of the Legislative Council.

“Said procedures of the committee shall include, but not be limited to, the means for soliciting proposals for use of those sections of the property considered for commercial or nonprofit development and criteria for evaluating competing proposals. Any proposal relating to the lease of real property cannot be consummated until all provisions of the charter of the Town of Newtown have been met.

“After a period of one year, the Board of Selectmen may reappoint or disband the committee at its discretion.”

Less than a month later, Former Superintendent of Schools John Reed was elected chairman and Robert Geckle, former chairman of the Fairfield Hills Master Plan Ad Hoc Committee, was elected vice chairman during an organizational meeting of the newly formed Ad Hoc Fairfield Hills Management Committee.

As the new management firm and ad hoc committee began assessing localized priorities on the campus, overall security concerns and the future of Canaan House became central focal points. While town employees survived the remaining chilly weeks following the April boiler explosion with space heaters, central heat to the building would be required in short order.

While town officials wrestled with several costly options including the leasing of modular office space, relocation to vacant commercial space, or a boiler replacement, they continued to make headway in their mission to discourage trespassers, vandals and “urban explorers” from accessing the campus and the attractive nuisance network of tunnels that run beneath the property.

By the end of October, the ad hoc committee experienced some relief when interim property manager Maria DeMarco reported the acquisition of a temporary rental boiler that would bridge the need for heat at Canaan House until occupants were relocated to off-site commercial property in 2005. Officials also celebrated following the first Halloween weekend in recent memory where no incidents of trespassing were logged by local police and security guards patrolling the campus.

As autumn turned to winter, town employees at Canaan House were feeling the warmth from the temporary boiler, and were preparing to relocate their offices to commercial office space the town was negotiating to obtain at a nearly vacant facility on Pecks Lane.

Officials liked the location of the available space in the Kendro industrial and office facility because it afforded both significant economical advantages and provided a relatively low-traffic area for visitors and employees to access town offices. In addition, the company would provide the town with access to existing information technology (IT) infrastructure, phone and computer wiring, and even furnishings including modular workstations and partitions.

The lease, along with the agreement to move Canaan House staff and offices to the Kendro site, was approved in late December.

The ad-hoc management committee conducted its last meeting of the year December 21. During that meeting, the group focused significant discussion on its own future.

While the persons appointed to the group individually and collectively appeared to want to remain engaged with the future development of the town-owned property, members unanimously agreed to take steps to research and possibly formalize their status as official municipal representatives with certain vested powers.

Chairman John Reed has articulated concerns in the past that in time, the symbiotic relationship currently enjoyed between the committee and the town’s political leadership, especially the first selectman, may change.

“We have an excellent relationship with Herb [Rosenthal] up to now, but what happens when and if we reach a point where we fundamentally disagree on something involving the use or operation at Fairfield Hills?” Mr Reed questioned. “Or what if there comes a time when the person serving as first selectman wants nothing to do with the hands-on management of this property?

“It’s up to our group to lay a foundation that will serve this community long after we have all moved on from our present roles here in Newtown, and at Fairfield Hills,” he said.

3. Newtown’s Dollars And Sense

The year 2004 saw numerous stories about the community’s financial status. We reported on the newly created finance board, and how its members stepped up and worked effectively with selectmen, Legislative Council members, Finance Director Ben Spragg, and a host of other town department heads boards and commissions to hone the annual Capital Improvement Plan.

Those efforts, and many others related to the caretaking of Newtown’s finances, paid off in December when the town realized more than a million dollars in interest savings on a refinanced bond package.

In other finance-related news, on February 2, the Board of Selectmen approved a 2004-2005 budget of $31,811,790 for submission to the Board of Finance. The budget reflected a 5.9 percent increase over the 2003-2004 fiscal year budget of $30,030,015.

In late February, teachers and parents spoke in favor of the proposed $53,368,457 Board of Education budget, which represented $3,661,310 or 7.37 percent more than the current year’s anticipated expenditures. Teachers, administrators, and parents including Amy Cameron urged the Board of Finance to support and approve the plan as it was, terming it a “fiscally responsible budget.” She urged the Board of Finance to pass it to the Legislative Council without further cuts.

In early March, the Board of Finance voted unanimously to approve a proposed 2004-05 budget of $84,359,922 for the combined Board of Selectmen and Board of Education budgets after slicing more than $820,000 from the annual spending package.

Approximately 100 residents attended the budget session at the Reed School.

The Board of Education fared better than the town side of the budget, with $250,000 reduced from its bottom line, as opposed to $570,325 in reductions from the Board of Selectmen’s requests.

 The Board of Finance approved the selectmen’s budget of $31,241,465 and an education budget of $53,118,457.

On April 14, about 60 residents and town and school officials listened as the Legislative Council voted 11 to 1 to approve a proposed fiscal year 2004-05 budget of $84,438,722, including $31,320,265 for town government and $53,118,457 for the schools, a 6.4 percent increase over the current year’s budget of $79,737,162.

In a reversal of the previous year, when it took three townwide votes to approve a budget, voters decisively passed the proposed $84.4 million 2004-05 budget on the first try April 27.

Thirty-five percent, or 5,227, of the town’s 14,958 voters cast their ballots Tuesday, passing the budget decisively by 1,055 votes, 3,141 to 2,086. Sixty percent voted Yes, 40 percent, No.

On a smaller but no less important scale, borough residents came out to vote May 13 on its proposed 2004-05 annual budget of $227,143. The borough budget contained an increase of $42,113, or 22.8 percent, over the 2003-2004 budget of $185,030. At the time of the vote, there were 1,215 registered voters in the borough.

The current budget was “very lean,” according to Borough Clerk Darlene Spencer. “We try to keep taxes as low as possible.” According to Ms Spencer, most of the increase in the proposed budget was for repairs and maintenance of sidewalks and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument and an increase in legal fees.

On October 27, about 30 taxpayers turned out to Newtown High School and in short order approved a nearly $5 million package of bonding initiatives that will finance a new fire department pumper truck and two school heating and air conditioning projects.

According to First Selectman Herb Rosenthal, the Special Town Meeting vote was a necessary statutory formality in that the $4.7 million in low interest borrowing was already approved by town government boards and factored into the 2004-2005 budget.

To help minimize the impact of financing capital and other municipal projects, Mr Spragg and several other town officials went to New York City in early December seeking a further upgrade to Newtown’s municipal bond rating from Moody’s Investment Service.

And while the town was unsuccessful in securing a better bond rating, just one week later, investors jockeyed with interest rates arriving at a historic low bid on $12.4 million in bond refinancing over the next 20 years.

Barry Bernabe, a Webster Bank bond specialist who works with Newtown and dozens of other Connecticut communities, trumpeted the good news: “Wall Street went crazy for the Newtown bonds.”

“This series of bonds were issued at a true interest cost [TIC] of 3.98 percent, which is one of the lowest interest rates in the State of Connecticut this year,” Mr Bernabe said via email from his Waterbury office. “In fact, it is below the rate triple-A-rated Darien received for its bond issue last week. Double-A2-rated Newtown received a better rate than AAA-rated Darien. This shows how strong the investment community feels about the fiscal discipline in Newtown.”

In addition, a refinancing of bond initiatives from 1996 and 2000 resulted in $1,058,000 in interest savings to the town.

4. Preserving Newtown’s Open Space

In early April, First Selectman Herb Rosenthal recommended that the town borrow $10 million to fund the purchase of open space. Mr Rosenthal said he planned to have a joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance, and Legislative Council sometime later in the month to discuss a report supporting the initiative, which was produced by Tim Northrop of Newtown, the state director of The Trust for Public Land, which completed the study.

Mr Rosenthal said an approved bonding proposal would give the town authorization to purchase parcels of lands as they became available, without going through the long process of approvals from town agencies and residents.

The Trust for Public Land study recommended a lump sum bonding authorization for open space acquisition to provide Newtown with the most flexibility in pursuing purchases. It notes that adopting such a program now is increasingly important given the uncertainty surrounding the state’s ability to partner with the town and help fund open space acquisition, and the rapid development of Newtown’s remaining vacant lands.

The Board of Finance included $1 million per year for the purchase of open space in its approved five-year Capital Improvement Plan and proposed an increase to $2 million in the proposed 2004-05 budget.

On May 3, Representatives of the Ad Hoc Open Space Task Force made a presentation to the Board of Selectmen focusing primarily on Al’s Trail, an almost ten-mile continuous greenway trail from Reed Intermediate School to Upper Paugussett State Forest, and the need for easements on some properties to connect different sections of the trail.

Martha Wright and Patricia Barkman discussed the need to create a master plan of connecting properties, to research and catalog current open space lands, and to prepare maps of open space parcels in subdivisions.

Following that meeting, Mr Rosenthal said while trails are one part of the town’s open space, he would like to move the maintenance and upkeep of trails to Parks and Recreation and keep the focus of the Ad Hoc Open Space Task Force on the acquisition of open space property.

During a meeting with the Board of Finance in July, Mr Northrup continued his lobbying for land preservation, suggesting the town consider targeting properties not based on size of the parcel, but on their proximity to other parcels of already protected land. He said using digital mapping would greatly reduce the amount of work required to qualify the best parcels for possible acquisition.

First Selectman Rosenthal said he welcomed the support of Mr Northrup’s group to help Newtown reach its goal of conserving at least 20 percent of the town’s land as protected open space.

“We’re considering many different options to reach our goal,” Mr Rosenthal said. “Twenty percent may seem a bit aggressive, but I believe it’s attainable.”

Mr Rosenthal said he favors a multifaceted approach combining up to $2 million in annual town bonding for each of five years, combined with donations, development rights, state and federal preservation grants, life estates, and other programs.

5. Edmond Town Hall Improvements

On May 24, bids were opened beginning a long and ambitious process of renovating Edmond Town Hall. First Selectman Rosenthal said that funding for the town hall project included a $500,000 Small Cities Grant from Connecticut and $1 million appropriated by the town in 2001. He said there may be an opportunity to obtain another $500,000 or $1 million.

He said the town would spend only as much as it needs, however, noting some of the original grant was used for the terrace at the side of the building. The project consists of the construction of a new elevator and stairway on the north side of the town hall to provide accessibility for the disabled and bring the building into compliance with guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act and requirements of the Connecticut Building Code, according to Alan Black Architects of Newtown.

The project also includes new exterior walkways and stairs that will match existing bomanite paving used in the plaza and sidewalks in front of the landmark municipal building. The design also included a new ADA-accessible walkway adjacent to the recently restored marble terrace. Four new parking spaces were to be provided on the north side of the building.

A new emergency generator was also proposed and would be located in the rear parking lot.

By mid-September, however, First Selectman Rosenthal he is taking a local architect to task for postponements plaguing the project in its initial stages, contending that avoidable delays may have jeopardized access to up to $1 million more in grants for the renovation.

Mr Rosenthal’s concerns came to light following an Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers meeting at which the project’s architect, Alan Black, revealed the possibility of further delays and cost increases. That report combined with other intermittent delays in earlier stages of the project repeatedly raised the ire of Mr Rosenthal, who said at least a few of the holdups may have been avoided if the architect did his homework before the project was initiated.

“If there were any delays in these initial stages of the project, it’s because the architect doesn’t understand the process,” he said. “He [Mr Black] submitted plans for review without them being signed off and sealed by the structural engineer. And somehow, the contractor completed a temporary ramp in front of the building without the necessary footings, and without anyone pulling a permit.”

By year’s end, even the Town Hall Board of Managers was growing impatient with progress on the extensive renovation project. On December 13, Mr Black told the Town Hall Managers that the foundation adjacent to the town’s finance office has an eight-foot variance from the level of the foundation near the gymnasium.

He also suggested that rocky and unstable soil consistency in the area of excavation will likely require special support infrastructure to sustain the weight of an elevator shaft and permit contractors to work safely in the area during the construction.

Mr Black told commissioners that the excavation has been further delayed while he obtains bids for the additional work from companies that specialize in such procedures. Two of the four bids he is expecting, one from a company in New York, and another from Oxford, have come in at $74,000 and $137,000, respectively.

Commissioners expressed a combination of shock and frustration upon hearing about the two bids. But Mr Black reassured the group that the bids seemed high, and that he was confident two additional bids he was waiting for would be lower.

“Frankly, I find these prices to be absurd,” Mr Black said. “We’re talking about [shoring up] 20 feet of wall here. I expect it to come in at a much more reasonable cost.”

Following this report, Town Hall Commissioners voted to dispatch a registered letter that one source said put Mr Black on notice. The source alleged that any further delays might force the Board of Managers to initiate the process of relieving the local architect from his duties on the project.

6. New Town Ordinances

During his report to the Legislative Council on May 5, First Selectman Rosenthal discussed the Board of Selectmen’s recommendation for an ordinance prohibiting the use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), dirt bikes, and other motorized vehicles in town parks and open space lands.

“They do damage to trails and Forest Association lands,” he said.

Mr Rosenthal noted that he had received calls and letters regarding noise caused by the vehicles in residential areas. A noise ordinance would need the approval of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). He noted a noise ordinance sought by the Borough had been rejected by DEP.

On June 23, the Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to recommend to the Legislative Council an ordinance requested by the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) that would create a design review board for commercial development.

The proposed board would review the appearance of proposed new commercial buildings and major modifications to existing commercial buildings in regard to architectural and site aesthetics. The board would function as an advisor to the P&Z.

P&Z Chairman William O’Neil presented the request, noting his commission needs help from people with architectural and landscaping background to work with developers before they present their plans to the P&Z.

Mr O’Neil said design guidelines that would be established would not be mandatory. “We cannot force this on builders,” he said. However, he added, “Most builders are anxious to work with the town.” He said that would be most likely to happen if builders could meet first with a design review board before their plans have been finalized.

“We can make it so builders will work with us. They would have a much more constructive conversation with a design review board,” he said.

In August, more than 60 residents turned out to a public hearing to support the modification or termination of the proposed ordinance banning the off-road vehicles from town roads and properties.

Town resident Kevin O’Neill, who spoke to The Bee at length prior to that meeting, distributed a packet of information to each council member that included statistics, safety information, and his proposal to create a town-owned ATV track or trail system, from which the town could earn revenues.

He was one of several residents who said they would not only be willing to support such a venture with tax dollars, but would also staff a local nonprofit ATV riders group that would help maintain and supervise the operation. Mr O’Neill said his rider group would be called NOHVA, the Newtown Off Highway Vehicle Association, and would welcome four-wheel quad operators, as well as dirt cycle enthusiasts.

While the group was primarily representative of those opposing the ordinance, at least three residents went on the record in support of it.

On September 1, the ordinance restricting certain off-road vehicles from town-owned land that brought ATV enthusiasts out in force for a recent public hearing passed the Newtown Legislative Council. Modifications to the amount of fines for violators and the inclusion of snowmobiles among the types of vehicles prohibited were added and approved after discussion.

7. Newtown Property Values And Revaluation

Anyone who owned a home or property in Newtown in 2004 likely had two things on their mind: continuing to enhance the value of that property in an extremely hot real estate market, and waiting for the eventual bitter pill of revaluation figures on those rapidly escalating property values.

With the prospect of ramping up the next townwide revaluation looming, Newtown welcomed its new assessor in late summer. Thomas DeNoto came to the assessor’s office at a good time, considering his department was integrating new technology and readying for the three-to-four-year process of preparing and executing the revaluation of more than 12,000 real estate parcels.

 “This is the regular recurring activity of bringing assessments in line with current market values,” he said. “And no matter where you live, it’s an unavoidable practice.”

Unfortunately for most Newtown homeowners, the upward market trend, which continued unabated until late in the year, also continued to add value to virtually every piece of real property in the community.

“Unfortunately, the analysis of any given market places a burden either on the residential or commercial property owners” Mr DeNoto said. “And Newtown has a high residential base where new construction especially has appreciated measurably. As your property values have increased, your assessment will likely increase proportionately relative to your investment.”

The first evident sign that the revaluation was imminent came Tuesday, November 2, when the Newtown Assessor’s Office began employing a photographer in town as part of revaluation preparation. According to Assessor DeNoto, the photographer remained busy through December capturing images of more than 4,650 houses throughout the community.

By November, after an unusually long period of increasing sales, low inventories, and lightning fast turnovers — even in the million-dollar-plus category — the Newtown real estate market began softening, providing better opportunities for buyers.

According to Newtown Town Clerk Cynthia Simon, as of October 21, there were about 8,800 total real estate transactions accounted for in Newtown so far in 2004. Those transactions included purchases and sales, liens, refinancing activities, quit claim deed transfers, and any other legal actions tied to properties in town.

It was a fair guess on her part that as the market goes into its traditional fall-winter seasonal slowdown, that the numbers would not come close to the 2003 real estate activity volume, which topped more than 12,000 transactions.

Mr DeNoto noted that the real estate boom in 2003 was the storm before the calm.

“Admittedly, 2003 was an unusually busy year,” Mr DeNoto said. “While the recession was peaking across the country the Newtown housing market was running at an all-time high.”

He said that according to data posted in real estate publications, he noticed the typical 30- to 60-day turnaround for most Newtown real estate sales started creeping up in recent months to a 60- to 100-day holding period by early November.

“And now the wait could be as much as nine to 12 months on high-end properties [over $750,000],” he said. Local real estate agents confirmed this trend running into mid-December.

8. Need In Newtown

While the Newtown Salvation Army service unit counts just a few active officers, it may be responsible for delivering to the community its most sobering numbers on the escalating level of need in Newtown. In a Newtown Bee feature on the local agency, Army Unit Chairman Barbara Bigham revealed that demands for financial support to service programs and the needy had doubled in 2004.

“We had been averaging about $1,000 per month in various forms of assistance for several years. But in 2004, our average monthly requests have topped $2,000,” she said. “That either means we’re going to have to bring in more money, or cut back on assistance.”

Local Salvation Army unit leaders knew that $3,346 would be coming to their coffers through direct mail campaigns. But if they failed to raise at least another $16,000 through a two-weekend bell ringing campaign, a number of local residents, many with young children, would suffer to some degree.

Besides operating one of two local food pantries, the Salvation Army provides most of its assistance to individuals and families beset by personal, health, or financial situations.

“Besides funding purchases beyond the items donated for the food pantry, we also provide energy assistance for heat and electricity, we help purchase medical or home health supplies and equipment,” Ms Bigham said.

Similar and startling news about need in Newtown was reported by Dr Z. Michael Tahweh, founder of Kevin’s Community Center. In late December, the nonprofit health clinic for under and uninsured town residents determined though 2004 records tracking that every second visitor requesting health care services during the clinic’s Wednesday afternoon shift was a new patient.

Since its inception, Dr Taweh said Kevin’s Community Center has drawn a significant number of patients. “We’re really reaching out to anyone who has been downsized out of a job, and out of insurance coverage, or those who just can’t afford to keep carrying interim coverage,” Dr Taweh said.

“We’re only here a few hours, but we have been seeing an average of eight to 14 patients each week. And almost half of the patients we see every week are first-time visitors.”

According to the most recent state  Department of Social Services statistics, Newtown registered 87 food stamp recipients. That report showed 19 residents in Newtown were receiving Temporary Family Assistance, four elderly and 15 disabled individuals were receiving a state supplement, seven individuals get general SAGA cash assistance and 46 were receiving general SAGA medical assistance, while Medicaid assistance was sought by 759 clients in Newtown.

According to the DSS, 605 residents received HUSKY A benefits and 99 qualified for HUSKY B coverage. Of that total, 439 clients are age 19 or younger. The report showed 202 seniors were enrolled in the CONNPace initiative.

9. Newtown Gears Up And Heads For The Polls

Incumbent state legislators faced little controversy and only modest competition from a crop of newcomers in the November election, but many residents were fervently promoting their presidential candidates of choice with signs, banners, bumper stickers and lapel buttons. But the upcoming election was not without its issues from an administrative standpoint.

Newtown Town Clerk Cynthia Simon and officials from the Registrar of Voters office all had their hands full preparing for what they thought would be an onslaught on unregistered presidential voters heading to Edmond Town Hall to cast ballots on election day.

In preparation for the election, Ms Simon spent a significant amount of time dealing with the Secretary of the State’s Office, and Registrars of Voters Karin Aurelia and LeReine Frampton logged several 12-hour days in anticipation of what they surmised would be the highest voter turnout in history to local polling places.

By the Tuesday before Election Day, Ms Simon had logged 972 absentee ballot requests, but was certain by November 2, those requests would surpass the 1,120 she logged during the last presidential election in 2000.

On Election Day, traffic at the polls was brisk through much of the day. According to First Selectman Rosenthal, the total number of votes cast by machine in the presidential election of 2000 were surpassed by 5 pm. “At 5 pm we had registered 11,160 votes against the closing number of 11,089 in the election of 2000,” he told The Bee.

An uncharacteristic slowdown of voters after the dinner hour contributed to the final percentage coming in at just over 86 percent of the 16,598 registered voters in town. And in a surprise development, unregistered walk-ins looking for presidential ballots were about half the number that turned out in 2000, with only 230 casting their top of ticket votes by paper ballot.

When all was said and done, a roster of familiar names all came out on top at the local polls November 2 with incumbent Democrat US Senator Chris Dodd, Republican Congresswoman Nancy Johnson, Republican State Senator John McKinney, and GOP State Representatives Julia Wasserman and DebraLee Hovey all posting decisive victories. Nationally, Republicans also celebrated as incumbent President George W. Bush was returned to office for four more years.

10. Newtown’s Economic Development

The Newtown Economic Development Commission’s new Business Incentive Plan was accepted for review by the Board of Selectmen on August 20. The initiative was proposed to provide modest, short-term tax abatements for companies that relocate and develop new facilities in town, or existing companies that expand or improve their facilities.

A new and different twist to similar proposals that were never fully implemented in town is to provide some relief to companies that may have modest facilities but a significant inventory of taxable personal property, according to EDC Chairman Chet Hopper.

Mr Hopper said that even though the proposal has a new benefit element, the idea of providing incentives for local business development has been around for some time.

“These plans have really been offered since Colonial times,” Mr Hopper said.

Although a similar plan was proposed several years ago, it did not meet with the approval of all town boards so it was suspended, Mr Hopper said. But the latest incentive proposal used state guidelines to enhance it, modify it, and simplify it, he said.

In other economic development news, town and economic development officials celebrated the awarding of a half-million-dollar grant that First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said would cover most of the costs for establishing what he is now referring to as the Newtown Technology Park. The town was notified of the grant award September 22.

“The grant was a total and very happy coincidence,” the first selectman said, just a hour or so after receiving the call about the windfall from State Representative Julia Wasserman’s capitol office.

The $500,000 comes in the form of a STEAP grant (Small Town Economic Assistance Program), an initiative, Mr Rosenthal explained, that gives smaller communities strategic funding for targeted economic development projects.

“This is a grant we hastily applied for just a few months ago, and comes from the same program that is funding our Sandy Hook streetscape improvements,” he said. “Thanks to the quick work of Liz Stocker, our community development director, we were able to qualify for this program again.”

Mr Rosenthal said the award came as a surprise just two days after the Board of Selectmen unanimously voted to approve contracting the Monroe-based engineering and land use company Spath-Bjorkland Associates, Inc to complete the first and second phases of the tech park development plan. He said this latest grant would pay for much of the preliminary work to establish the area located between Commerce Drive and Wasserman Way.