Date: Fri 11-Jun-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Cindy-Blackman-Fogliano

Full Text:

Open Space Advocate Sees Newtown Losing Ground

(with photo)

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Cindy Blackman-Fogliano grew up in Stamford, but she's now proud to call

Newtown her home. She's seen it from just about every possible angle you can

imagine.

She's seen Newtown from the middle of the road as a crossing guard for the

school system, as a bus driver and from atop her horse, Handsome Dan. She has

also seen it as a mother of two and as the wife of Daniel Fogliano, chairman

of the Planning & Zoning Commission.

From what she has seen, Newtown is a great place to live and to bring up a

family. But like many residents, she fears it has forever lost its character.

And it's not just as a result of the growth, either.

"There seems to be a lack of understanding of what Newtown is all about.

There's a lot of criticism, but not a lot of positive contributions," she

said.

As a horse rider and president of the Newtown Bridle Lands, Mrs

Blackman-Fogliano is constantly receiving calls from residents who fear the

days of hiking or horseback riding through back pastures are gone. Usually

considered peaceful activities, many of these outings have been turning into

run-ins with homeowners. Subdivisions are going up farther out into the woods,

creating friction between homeowners and those seeking to enjoy the great

outdoors. The disputes usually have to do with property lines and open space.

As Bridle Lands president and owner of a big yellow bus, Mrs Blackman-Fogliano

is well known in the community. She is often approached by residents with open

space concerns.

"There's nobody else to contact. They contact me because I'm the head of the

Bridle Lands," she said. "We need to do something."

And Mrs Blackman-Fogliano and others are doing something. They have proposed

the creation of an open space task force.

"We need to tell people that open space is used for passive recreation. People

don't know their own property lines. They think open space is theirs," she

said. "The taxpayers have a right to use it."

A group consisting of horse riders, forest association members, and other open

space supporters met with the Board of Selectmen Monday night to discuss

creation of the task force. They see a need to enforce open space violations

and to make homeowners aware of their boundary lines, especially in light of

the town's development boom. There is also a need, they say, for land use

boards to hold developers responsible for marking open space before

development begins . Real estate agents should also be held accountable for

how they sell Newtown properties and open space areas.

Judy Holmes, a member of the Conservation Commission, said she would like to

see better markings for Newtown's open space. She would also like to see home

buyers be better apprised of where easements exist around their homes.

"This would help clear up a lot of misunderstandings that are occurring all

over town," she said.

Mrs Blackman-Fogliano called Bedford, NY a perfect example of a town which

markets trail easements as a positive aspect of land ownership.

"Bedford has 200 miles of trails. It's considered an asset to move on to the

trail system," she said.

If created, the open space task force would fall under the purview of the

Conservation Commission, whose chairman Sandy Michaud spoke in favor of the

proposed board Monday night. The Conservation Commission is in charge of all

open space in Newtown.

P&Z chairman Daniel Fogliano said the task force must have the right people on

board in order to be effective.

"We want to make sure the task force is comprised of all special interest

groups -- hikers, walkers, riders, member of Park & Rec, etc," he said.

As Mr Fogliano points out, there are various ideas for what Newtown should use

its open space for. Some want ball fields, others want to keep it for passive

open space.

Plan of Action

The task force's first assignment would be to locate all the existing open

space in town; then, identify all existing open space uses (what are we doing

with it now). From there, the board would determine the town's open space

needs and, finally, amend the town's plan of development to guide land use

commissions into the future.

Currently, the town of Newtown has no accurate map of its open space,

according to Mrs Holmes. That makes it difficult to make any long-range plans,

she said.

The Greenways Committee was formed a few years ago to address many of these

conservation issues. However, the group has reportedly disbanded.