Why The Fairfield Hills Negotiations Are Taking So Long

To the Editor,

What to do about Fairfield Hills continues to be a main topic of conversation in Newtown. Selectmen and council members were pleased that over 60 people attended the public forum on June 26 and offered their opinions and suggestions to us. A number of people want a decision now and are concerned with the length of time that the negotiations with the state are taking. Let me assure you that no one wants to make a decision and move on more than I do. However, anyone who has ever been involved in complex negotiations knows that, unfortunately, they take time. The issues in this situation are extremely complicated. The disposition of a state property like Fairfield Hills is new to both the state and the town. I take my responsibility to protect the town’s interests seriously and I am determined to make the best agreement for the town that I can. Therefore, I will not be rushed into it.

I want the public to know that many things are happening to help reach the point of negotiating a good agreement. Our environmental consultants, Russell Bartley & Associates, have reviewed the recently completed phase II environmental testing of subsurface conditions. They are trying to reach an understanding with the state’s consultants on the conditions and how the contamination should be remediated. We have three law firms working on various aspects of a town purchase: Cohan & Wolf, our general counsel; Pinney, Payne, Vanlenten, Burrell, Wolfe & Dillman of Danbury; and Robinson & Cole of Hartford, who are working on environmental law issues. In addition Fuss & O’Neill, one of the leading engineering firms in the state, which has worked on sewer and water issues for the town for years, is examining the extensive sewer and water infrastructure.

Negotiations are normally conducted privately so that each side can avoid letting the other know their position prematurely. One of the difficulties of these negotiations is the amount of public discussion that has necessarily taken place. If public comment causes the state to think that there is pressure for me to hurry up and agree to purchase regardless of the terms, there will be little reason for them to compromise.

There is also the question of the best reuse of the property. Two citizens groups have presented their ideas and numerous individuals have presented their own, as well as the three original developers and a couple of new ones. The Board of Selectmen-appointed Fairfield Hills Advisory Committee worked for 18 months with the help of professional economic, planning, and environmental consultants to develop a comprehensive conceptual plan. Save Fairfield Hills for Newtown, a concerned group of citizens, worked diligently on their own initiative for many months to develop their conceptual plan. I believe that the two plans are about 75 percent similar in that they both call for town purchase and control of mixed municipal, recreational, open space, and commercial uses. The biggest differences are the amount of commercial use and whether or not an authority of appointed citizens should manage some or all of the property. People who favor town purchase will have to compromise in order to achieve a supportable plan for reuse of the property. The referendum defeat of the annual budget and public comment during the process made it clear to me that we will need to generate significant revenue from this already developed property if it is to be a financially viable purchase for the town.

Sincerely,

Herbert C. Rosenthal

First Selectman

45 Main Street, Newtown                     July 11, 2000