In Planning FFH’s Future,

Watch Out For The Pits

To the Editor:

Can anyone provide me with an answer to my following question?

Part 1. In the March 20 issue of Voices Weekender I learned from an article titled “Farmland Bill Could Be First Step in Preserving Training School Land” that there is now a bill, HB 5203, before the State Committee on the Environment, which could be the first step in creating an agricultural conservation easement on 1,100-plus acres at the Southbury Training School site. Southbury has a Land Trust president, Tom Crider. The article told that preserving the land is consistent with the Connecticut state goal of preserving 130,000 acres of farmland and so far only 48,000 acres have been designated as such. The Town of Southbury is hoping to reach their goal of preserving 20 percent of its open land by 2012. First Selectman Bill Davis noted, “Open space increases the quality of life and the rural character of Southbury.” Mr Crider pointed to the 8,000 acres of farmland lost to developers every year and the trickledown effect of that loss to the decline of locally produced food.

Part 2. Two days earlier, on March 18, on page one of The Newtown Bee it was announced that a developer has made an official proposal to build apartments in the Cochran House on the Fairfield Hills campus. This comes just after three meetings with Newtown residents about what they would like to see the Fairfield Hills campus be used for. The overwhelming majority of attendees opted for keeping it rural, keeping it for sports and cultural events, land banking for future town use, for community-supported agriculture and the existing scenic and safe walking trails already extensively used by many people who are passionate about their love of walking there.

My question? Well it is not really a question. I just pray that Newtown citizens are aware that our beautiful campus could possibly be spoiled forever. In order for these apartments to be built there, the five-year FFH development plan would have to be rewritten to include housing on the FFH campus. Once that happens, there will be no stopping any developer who wants to build housing there. In regard to the pie-in-the-sky offerings by the developer, Merchant Equity Group of New York City, I quote an experienced negotiator. “When dealing with developers, beware. They end up with the cherries and you get the pits.”

Rita Willie

51 Butterfield Road, Newtown                                    March 23, 2011