Priorities For

Fairfield Hills

To the Editor:

Does a new town hall service the immediate and urgent needs of our children, our families, our elderly, and our businesses?

Now that we know that the bonded money can be utilized at Fairfield Hills for alternate projects, it needs to be capitalized upon. We have to stop looking at the town hall as a priority issue because some of us were asleep when the process of approving the measure went through. Utilizing already bonded money from Fairfield Hills, we can address the problems without increasing our debt disproportionately. Most importantly, we will be able to address the needs of our schools now. Good schools give our children the competitive edge they need to enter into the college of their choice, and are directly related to our property values. That affects all of us, young and old.

Next, consider the following problems that we have incurred as a result of closing Dickinson Pond.

1. Using Treadwell (which has become severely overcrowded and a potential health issue).

2. Going out of town to other facilities such as Brookfield and Monroe.

3. Forcing people to make significant financial commitments such as purchasing a pool or joining a private club so that they have a place for their children to go during their summer months.

4. Parents with multiple children have had to drop some of their children at Treadwell and the rest at Dickinson because Treadwell cannot accommodate all of them at once. Parents rely on the camp programs during the summer months also to address their child care situations. Because people cannot coordinate the timing of the two camps, it has forced them to seek alternate and more expensive childcare solutions. Another strain on our community.

Children need physical activity to maintain their bodies strong. They need outlets so they do not get into trouble. They need to enjoy the carefree summer months in a pool facility so that their brains can function at a higher capacity during the school year.

Consider also the economic impacts. A community facility at Fairfield Hills would bring back dollars to our parks and rec that our Newtown residents are now spending to use the facilities out of town and also bring in dollars from people in adjacent towns. When people go out of town, they patronize the businesses out of town. This hurts our own businesses. It affects the disposable income available to us, and finally affects what we are able to do for our children and schools.

At Fairfield Hills, a paved walking, biking, rollerblading path prompts the need for a place to stop and get refreshments, a small sporting goods store, a walk in clinic, etc. We could be a town with two centers of town. Doesn’t this also alleviate our traffic problem in the center of town?

Finally, today’s seniors are vastly more active that in the past and they deserve a senior center that fits their lifestyle.

Desiree Galassi

151 Huntingtown road, Newtown                              January 8, 2007