December pretty much where we were at this point last year. We treaded water for a year. Nothing too dramatic or bad has happened, so I suppose we could say it was a good year.”

The year 2000 reinforced the fact that Fairfield Hills is the one single issue that can shape the future of the town. The issue has had a gravity effect on the community, pulling most other large issues into its orbit. It seems everyone has some stake in the town’s future with the campus. The Board of Education has its sights on a school there, while Parks & Recreation is lobbying for fields and a gymnasium. The fate of Edmond Town Hall also hangs in the balance, as does the future of the town’s other municipal space. Indeed, much is riding on this deal. The stakes are high and people have strong opinions.

“I might call them ripples,” Legislative Council Chairman Pierre Rochman said. “I think it is to be expected. These are very big issues and the ripples are part of the natural democratic process.”

In 2000, the town did finally take full advantage of its right of first refusal, informing the state that it was interested in purchasing the former state mental health hospital. However, that was one of the few aspects of Fairfield Hills where there was consensus. Buying the land was not the issue. What to do with it once it was bought was.

Two visions for the future of Fairfield Hills emerged during the past year. The first, created by the town’s Fairfield Hills advisory committee, said the site needed significant corporate development in order to offset the overall cost to the town. The group calling itself “Save Fairfield Hills for Newtown,” has maintained its belief that Fairfield Hills needs to be more like Central Park and less like a corporate park. Talk around town this past year seemed to favor some sort of combination of the two - something developer Bruce Becker has been pushing for Newtown the past two years. The New Canaan developer has proposed a sort of partnership with the town wherein both the town and his firm take part in a joint closing with the state. It would be a simultaneous purchase so that both parties are assured of what happens to the site, he said.

At the closing, Mr Becker said the campus would be conveyed to Becker and Becker, which would in turn convey 130 acres and some buildings to the town. Newtown stands to pick up Bridgeport, Woodbury, and Newtown Halls and the Yale Lab in the deal. The remainder of the buildings would fall under the ownership of Becker and Becker. Mr Becker’s plan is contingent on his being able to get the property listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This will make him eligible to receive historic tax credits, which bring his costs for the preservation project way down.

 

State Wants

$5.5 Million for FHH

With a $5.5 million “as is” offer on the table from the state, negotiations over Fairfield Hills continued during the fall and early winter. But town officials and residents appear to have grown impatient with the lack of progress. Through it all, Mr Rosenthal has assured them that he and his legal team are handling the situation in a way that will be most favorable to the town. However, recent questions about the viability of an environmental study has some wondering if the town is on the verge of buying a “bottomless pit.” Last month, Newtown residents Barry Piesner and Erwin Potter expressed their concerns about the state’s phase II environmental study, which, by all accounts, was incomplete.

As they point out, the key point in the negotiations between the state and Mr Rosenthal centers around the extent of the environmental contamination at Fairfield Hills. How can we possibly know what we are getting in for if the study has holes in it? they ask.

“Fairfield Hills overshadowed a lot of what went on,” noted Mr Rosenthal, who has come under fire in recent months for his handling of the situation. But given the difficult task of negotiating with the state over Fairfield Hills, he has been forced to remain tight-lipped despite the constant barrage of questions and accusations.

The first selectman is quick to point out that some residents are now having “second thoughts” about whether Newtown should buy Fairfield Hills as a result of questions raised by Mr Piesner.

“I always had concerns about the cost of the project. That’s why I always believed we needed a private development firm to provide ongoing tax revenue to help lessen the cost of carrying the property,” Mr Rosenthal said. “I still think we have to be looking at Fairfield Hills to control our own destiny, but it’s interesting how the winds have switched back and forth. Those who say I was dragging my feet are now saying `don’t rush too fast.’ You get a lot of conflicting advice. I just try to do what is right. I hope they would understand that the town is being cautious and is trying to protect our interests.”

But Mr Rochman wonders if that is so. “Mr Rosenthal has not come out with any position on it. He has not indicated his position. If you’re negotiating to buy something and not of the mind that you’d like to buy it, I’m wondering how one can negotiate under those circumstances,” he said.

No doubt, Fairfield Hills will play a key role in the November 2001 local elections. In addition to Mr Rosenthal, who is expected to run for a third term, the Legislative Council and Planning & Zoning Commission will be up for election. How the incumbents handle issues like Fairfield Hills in the coming months will go a long way in determining if they will be back in 2002. Still to come, of course, is a town wide vote on the proposed purchase of the property.

 

The Continued

Development of Newtown

The year 2000 also saw a big drop in the rate of residential development in town. For nearly five years, Newtown ranked as one of the state’s fastest growing communities. With the population ballooning to 25,000 residents, the added pressure on the school system was building more and more. But the growth rate has subsided, according to the town’s building department, which, taxpayers are hoping, will translate into less talk of new schools for awhile.

Although the rate of new home construction starts has slowed significantly in 2000, the local level of commercial growth has increased. The projects are providing local firms with new and expanded facilities, as well as providing the town with a broadened property tax base.

New commercial and industrial projects that have been built or are underway include the 10,000-square-foot Fairfield Equine Associates veterinary horse hospital on Barnabas Road in Hawleyville; a 50,000-square-foot self-storage complex being built by CAP Properties Newtown, LLC, on South Main Street; a mixed-use commercial/residential building in Sandy Hook Center being constructed by developer Michael Burton; a 41,000-square-foot warehouse addition to Curtis Packaging Corporation on Toddy Hill Road; the 100 unit assisted living building at The Homesteads at Newtown elderly housing complex on Mt Pleasant Road in Hawleyville; a 7,500-square-foot office building at 15 Berkshire Road, where the Western Connecticut Federal Credit Union is the prime tenant; Robert Mathison’s 6,000-square-foot retail flooring store on South Main Street; an expansion of the Lockwood Lodge assisted living complex at Ashlar of Newtown on Toddy Hill Road, increasing it from 48 units to 56 units; and the conversion of the former Gordon Fraser Gallery on South Main Street into the Fraser Woods School by the Newtown Montessori Society. Also, a 3,500-square-foot Botsford post office is now being built on Botsford Hill Road. Swenson Granite Works also built a facility on South Main Street in Botsford.

 

5/6 School Still

in the Works

With future enrollment numbers projected to continue to increase by both the State and Bothwell reports, the proposed grades 5/6 school becomes a needed reality for the Newtown school district.

The two enrollment reports are indicating that there is a need for the 5/6 school, which will help alleviate overcrowding at the middle school and at the elementary schools. Four modular classrooms were added to Sandy Hook Elementary School in July to help with the school’s population of some 750 students. The middle school is currently home to 1200 students, but was built for 1077.

In April, the school district planned to move to Canaan House to help provide more space for the middle school and to help save the town $55,000 per year instead of leasing commercial space for the central offices. But the move was delayed and the central offices only began moving to Canaan House this month. The empty space will provide four additional classrooms to the middle school.

The proposed 5/6 school has been designed for the Watertown Hall site, 21 acres currently owned by the town, that would house a diamond shaped structure of two levels and two separate academic houses joined together by a media center and administrative offices. The estimated cost of the project is almost $34 million. The school would be able to house 1100 students.

The Legislative Council approved almost $2 million in January for architect fees for the proposed 5/6 school Jeter, Cook and Jepson (JCJ) of Hartford spent the year designing the school and working with the school board to finalize the plans for the school including exterior materials.

In March, Strategic Building Solutions was hired to be the project managers for the 5/6 School project for the town and the school board.

The proposed 5/6 school is expected to go to the State Board of Education in early January for review. The school district hopes to bring the project for a referendum in mid-June.

 

Budget Passes Second Time Around

Last spring, a proposed town budget of $68.9 million – a 2.9 mill or 10.3 percent increase – was turned down by the voters who said they were unwilling to accept such a big increase. Two weeks later, the voters approved a budget that was trimmed by $2.1 million. Another tough budget season approaches as costs are up and the economy seems to be slowing. Only time will tell what Newtown taxpayers are willing to pay.

With taxes continuing to increase, the town finally implemented an elderly tax relief program this past year, which saves those who are eligible up to $1,000 on their local tax bills. An estimated 400 Newtown families benefited from the change.

 

West Nile Scare

This summer saw plenty of talk about the West Nile Virus, which finally made its way into Newtown by late summer. A Newtown horse was found to have died from the virus. However, the area had been hit with its first frost by the time the tests came back. Health officials opted to avoid spraying. Earlier in the summer, town highway crews had dropped larvicide tablets into catch basins throughout town. This seemed to help keep the mosquito population to a minimum.

Upzoning

In September, P&Z members unanimously approved “upzoning,” a sweeping plan that upgrades the zoning designations of an aggregate area greater than 2,500 acres, affecting approximately 2,315 properties, almost 2,000 of which have dwellings on them. Upzoning increases minimum zoning requirements and decreases potential residential construction densities.

The P&Z says upzoning is intended to protect groundwater quality in the several communities situated along Lake Zoar, and to preserve the drinking water quality of the Pootatuck Aquifer in south-central Newtown. Upzoning is intended to prevent the need to expand the municipal sewer system. With upzoning, the P&Z sought to increase minimum zoning standards in order to decrease potential construction densities, and thus decrease the potential for groundwater contamination.

Upzoning is intended to bolster the town’s strengthened aquifer protection regulations, which the P&Z approved in 1999.

The ad hoc Newtown Property Owners Association formed in opposition to upzoning. The association has endorsed a lawsuit filed by six property owners, which challenges upzoning and seeks to have a judge overturn it. The plaintiffs claim that upzoning hurts property values and hinders property owners’ ability to develop affected properties, or to expand existing development.

The association has started a political organizing drive for the November 2001 municipal elections, in a move to unseat P&Z members who favor upzoning and to replace those members with people sympathetic to the association’s viewpoint.

 

Hawleyville Rezoning

To prepare the town for more economic development, the P&Z last April rezoned sections of Hawleyville. P&Z members approved 11 different changes of zone. The commission unanimously approved changing the zoning designations on 29 individual properties in Hawleyville, covering an aggregate area of about 145 acres.

Town officials expect that the economic development of Hawleyville will occur during the coming decade and beyond.

An economic development study, on which the Hawleyville rezoning project is based, describes developmental scenarios for Hawleyville extending toward the year 2017, creating a conceptual framework for growth. The study describes the types of growth that can be expected there due to market conditions, and the limitations on the land due to slopes, wetlands, soils, and floodplains. The 1997 study, which was sponsored by the Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials, seeks to balance the interests of developers, the town, and the region.

Private developers would create the economic growth envisioned for Hawleyville.

In recent months, several companies – including the Pepsi Bottling Company – have expressed interest in moving their headquarters into the Hawleyville area.

 

Ball Field Shortage

In 2000, residents became more vocal than ever about the town’s shortage of playing fields and gym space. As they point out, the growing number of kids in town has forced the Board of Education build new schools and add on to existing ones. We need more fields, they said. Their voices were finally heard by town officials who saw the need to better fund Parks & Recreation and did so, in part, at budget time.

 

Police Chief Fired

Former Police Chief James E. Lysaght, Jr was fired by the Newtown Police Commission last March.

And this week, Danbury Superior Court Judge William Holden was expected to issue his decision on Mr Lysaght’s appeal of his firing. Through the appeal, Mr Lysaght is seeking to be reinstated as police chief.

In firing Mr Lysaght from the $65,280 annual position last March, Police Commission members decided the 51-year-old Sandy Hook resident did not demonstrate the leadership, planning, and management skills necessary for the effective and efficient operation of the police department.

Mr Lysaght’s appeal states the Police Commission fired him without justification, acted arbitrarily, and terminated him without just cause.

The losing party in the appeal is expected to bring the matter to the Connecticut Appellate Court for further judicial review.

Since July 1999, when the Police Commission placed Mr Lysaght on administrative leave, Captain Michael Kehoe has been running the police department.

 

Newtown Man

Murdered on I-84

In the glare of floodlights late on the night of April 25, state forensic scientist Dr Henry Lee and a large team of state police investigators meticulously reconstructed the dynamics of the shooting of  Mark Rebong of Newtown on westbound Interstate-84 in January. The detectives walked along Exit 2 A/B, watching, measuring, and photographing the slow progress of the black Jeep Cherokee as it was driven through the area where Mr Rebong was shot once in the head late at night while driving to work at the nearby Danbury Hilton and Towers. In reconstructing Mr Rebong’s murder, state police were seeking to determine the possible ways in which he was shot.

Investigators are trying to learn if Mr Rebong’s shooting death was a case of road rage, a drive-by shooting, or a revenge killing. State police have discounted robbery as a motive.

Mr Rebong was the son of Dr Efren Rebong, a psychiatrist at Danbury Hospital.

State police ask anyone who may have been traveling near westbound Exit 2 A/B between 10:30 and 11:15 pm January 17 and may have witnessed the shooting to contact them at 800/376-1554, or 203/267-2200, or 203/267-2226. A $100,000 reward has been posted.

 

Playground Torched

Police are continuing to investigate who intentionally burned down a playground under construction at Treadwell Park in October.

Someone entered the Sandy Hook sometime on the foggy night of October 25 and set fire to the newly constructed Adventure Quest playground for small children, leaving the $15,000 facility a charred, molten shambles.

Police and fire investigators were at the foggy scene on the morning of October 26, inspecting the destroyed playground and seeking clues to who ignited the equipment and how it was done.

The playground’s destruction prompted a flood of donations to rebuild the facility.

 

Bank Robbery

Fleet Bank on Queen Street was the scene of a bank robbery in March. Eric Duffey, 28, of Norwalk, received an 18-month jail sentence on a charge of third-degree robbery in a plea bargain agreement in Danbury Superior Court in August. Duffey, who was unarmed when he entered the bank, stole almost $10,000 from a teller.

 

NHS A Blue Ribbon School

Newtown High School was named a Blue Ribbon School this year. The school received the honors at the end of May. Teachers Jeanetta Miller and Allison Zmuda gathered information and put the report together with Principal William Manfredonia. The three went to Washington D.C. in September to receive the award.

The 255 member Class of 2000 said good-bye to Newtown High School in June. But when school opened in August, the largest freshman class of 365 entered for their first year of high school.

 

New Changes

In Government?

In 2000, the Legislative Council formed the Charter Revision Commission, which has been charged with studying the town charter to determine if any revisions need to be made. Headed by chairman Bill Sheluck, the 12-member board is expected to complete its study by Memorial Day.

At a hearing last month, some residents called for sweeping changes in the town government, including a few who want to see the town hire a town manager and do away with the first selectman form of government. However, many of the charter panel question whether or not the town is ready to absorb the kind of changes some want to see.

 

The Homesteads

Some of that growth envisioned for Hawleyville has already begun with the construction of The Homesteads at Newtown, an elderly housing complex being built on a 60-acre site on Mt Pleasant Road in Hawleyville.

The developers plan to open an initial 100-unit assisted living building in February. Condominium units also are under construction.

 The Homesteads project resulted in the extension of sanitary sewers and a public water supply to the development, setting the stage for future development in Hawleyville.

 

Dispatch Center

In the coming year, the town plans to physically combine its fire/ambulance dispatching now done at Edmond Town hall with the police dispatching now done at the police station in a new combined dispatch center to be constructed within the police station. The new facility is intended to streamline responses to emergency calls. The town’s Emergency 911 facilities will be physically consolidated.

 

NHS Girls Win Hoop Title

The biggest sports story of the year occurred last February when the NHS girls’ basketball captured its first-ever league title, defeating New Fairfield, 46-45. Senior Kate Ryan’s basket in the final seconds proved to be the game winner. For more on that, see this week’s sports section.

Bee reporters Steve Bigham, Andrew Gorosko & Tanjua Damon all contributed to this article.