First Selectman Says Costs And

Details Will Accompany

Fairfield Hills Recommendation

To the Editor:

The purchase of Fairfield Hills, the geographic heart of our community, would help us to both provide for and control our future. It helps provide for our future with land and buildings for much needed office space for town and school purposes; recreational facilities including fields and trails; future school sites and facilities for alternative high school and pre-school education; public safety facilities for fire and ambulance; open space; and perhaps the potential for compatible forms of economic development to broaden the tax base.

The purchase helps us to control our future by allowing us to control our own destiny rather than being at the mercy of a developer who purchases the property from the state, and from state uses of the property that are not in the town’s best interest.

I would like to try to correct some misconceptions that appeared in the Friday, April 27, Editorial Ink Drops. After two public studies of Fairfield Hills, the first, a two year task force headed by Rep Julia Wasserman and Richard Nuclo of the State Office of Policy Management, the second, an 18-month study conducted by the Selectmen’s Fairfield Hills Advisory Committee, and a 15-month joint state-town selection committee process that resulted in three comprehensive redevelopment proposals, all widely reported in the press, it is hard to believe that anyone in Newtown, let alone the council and selectmen, can “know very little” about Fairfield Hills.

Over the last two years, the selectmen, retained HMA, as planning and economic development consultants; Russell Bartley & Associates along with TRC for environmental testing and analysis; Fuss & O’Neill, as professional engineering consultants for water, sewer and infrastructure issues; and three law firms, Cohen & Wolf, general counsel; Pinney, Payne, Valenten, Burrell, Wolfe & Dillman, advice on issues related to development agencies; and Robinson & Cole, environmental law and bond counsel. These experts have assisted Councilman Don Studley and me in our negotiations with the state, consulted with selectmen and the council and this Wednesday, May 2, they will meet with the selectmen and council again. A number of their reports have been disseminated to town officials, the press and public.

I have previously stated that I intend to recommend that the town purchase Fairfield Hills as long as an agreement beneficial to the town can be achieved and we can be protected against any known or unknown catastrophic environmental claims.

My recommendation will be specific as to costs and details related to purchase. I will only request funding for redevelopment for items where we will submit firm estimates and detailed explanations from our expert consultants. These include ball fields and multi-use trails at Fairfield Hills, ball fields at Newtown High School, code updates and ADA compliance at Edmond Town Hall, renovations to a building or buildings at Fairfield Hills for municipal and school offices and other offices, recreation or public safety needs, and demolition of buildings. If our consultants cannot develop accurate estimates for any of these items then I will not request funding for them until they do.

The motion passed by the selectmen at our April meeting indicates that our request for funding will include funds for a master plan which is required by P&Z regulations before any redevelopment of the property can take place. I will not recommend an authority to manage Fairfield Hills. Since we will only be requesting funds for municipal and recreational reuse of the property, an authority is not needed at this time.

After the master plan has been completed by the town and approved by Planning & Zoning, if some future commercial redevelopment of part of the property is called for, an authority can be created to implement that part of the plan and would require council and town meeting approval before any implementation could take place.

The selectmen plan to make a formal request for funding to the council for some or all of the items I have mentioned by the end of May, as long as the conditions I have outlined can be satisfied.

Sincerely,

Herbert C. Rosenthal

First Selectman

45 Main Street, Newtown                      May 1, 2001