Time To Rethink

What We Like About Newtown

To the Editor:

Newtown has never been a centralized town and that is one reason why the center has never been significant. Most newcomers seek this rural way of life. Continuing in that vain, and encouraging a rural lifestyle and the historical preservation of the town center through zoning rules and regulations over past years, including P&Z rezoning Fairfield Hills as one zoning lot, it seems peculiar that there is a movement to abandon the town center through both relocation of the town hall and encourage the commercialization of the large open space at Fairfield Hills (FFH).

It is also interesting to note the results of past planning and zoning decisions were to avoid commercial development of the town on a large scale. Past budgets had encouraged small government and very careful spending.

If we had just torn down the buildings at FFH upon acquisition, we could have avoided millions of dollars of expenditures for security, mothballing, and consulting studies. We just would have a small expenditure for interest on bonds and a beautiful open space. Instead of buying small parcels of open space around town with the $10 million ($2 million per year allocated for open space over five years), we could have spent that money at FFH for environmental remediation and teardown and we would today be enjoying a fantastic open space.

Now our elected officials are arguing about what we thought we were bonding for five years ago rather than rethinking what we have learned over the last five years. Of course it’s frustrating to them that no one is interested in commercial development at the site. They suggest that a town hall relocation will spur commercial development. Could that be a dream too?

Rather than rethinking redeveloping the town hall at its current site, double deckering the gym to create offices, providing for underground storage, and resolving many space issues through new technology, they suggest we renovate a building in the center of the campus with high ceilings covering over an acre of ground. While focusing on the per square foot cost of renovation one wonders if they have considered the costs of subsidizing the old town hall or the costs of operation of the new space with high heat and cooling costs due to high ceilings and a one-story building. All of this doesn’t sound environmentally friendly.

I hope all of us will rethink what we like about Newtown and then use these thoughts to carry out a sound financial plan for the town hall and Fairfield Hills.

Sincerely,

Gary Tannenbaum

Pond Brook Road, Newtown                                      January 22, 2007