Town Gets Extension From State For Fairfield Hills Deal

By Steve Bigham

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal last week officially requested an extension of the 60-day period it was given to negotiate a selling price with the state over Fairfield Hills.

The 60-day deadline came and went Wednesday with no reply from the state’s Department of Public Works. However, Mr Rosenthal is not concerned. He has already received verbal assurance from state officials that the town would be given ample time to work out a deal. And, as the first selectman points out, the state has still not proposed a price.

In his letter to Public Works Deputy Commissioner P.J. Delahunty, Mr Rosenthal indicated that Newtown is still interested in negotiating an offer for Fairfield Hills. He pointed out that both the town and state are still performing their “due diligence” on this “very complex” transaction including an analysis of the soon to be completed Phase II environmental study.

Mr Rosenthal continues to negotiate with state officials behind closed doors.

The 185-acre former state mental health hospital closed its doors for good back in December 1995 during an era of patient “de-institutionalization.” The facility once housed more than 3,000 psychiatric patients.

The cost of Fairfield Hills has not yet been disclosed, although town officials expect the purchase cost to be about $5.5 million. The biggest costs facing the town would be re-development of the campus. That figure could reach $17 million.

Earlier this year, the Fairfield Hills Advisory Committee recommended that Newtown purchase Fairfield Hills from the state in order to ensure control over future development there. In addition, it said, ownership of the campus would address major town needs such as a town hall, school site, and fields. The committee also recommended that the costs of developing and maintaining the site be tempered by some economic development.

The selectmen and council must now decide how to finance such a massive undertaking and then when to send it to a referendum. Residents are expected to vote on the purchase of the 185-acre campus with its one million square feet of space by late summer or early fall.

The advisory committee’s recommendation will also suggest that the town create a development authority to oversee the redevelopment of the land prior to purchase. This would require council approval of a new ordinance creating such a body. The development authority would be similar to the Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers or Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) in its autonomy and independence from local political control.

Last week, the Legislative Council’s ad hoc committee on Fairfield Hills made three recommendations. First, it suggested that a non-profit group like Kings Mark be asked to do a free environmental assessment of the campus; second, that the council’s finance committee be asked to determine how much money the town can afford for purchase and development of the property; and third, that a public hearing be scheduled soon to solicit comments from the public.