Letter Writer To Way Off Base

To the Editor:

I have just finished reading the letter in last week’s Bee from one Paul Fortugno regarding “Public Money for Private Child Care.” Although I find Mr Fortugno’s weekly critical letter maligning one town agency or another amusing, I must say he is way off base on this one.

First, unlike the other two or three child care centers in Newtown, the Children’s Adventure Center is not a private organization. In fact, for 35 years, the Adventure Center has been a delegate agency of the Town of Newtown as well as having not-for-profit status! True, CAC is one among several agencies that the town contributes toward the medical benefits for and this is augmented by contributions by individual staff members and the agency itself.

The Children’s Adventure Center is not a renter, as Mr Fortugno implies. The fact of the matter is that the building that houses the multipurpose center, was originally conceived, designed and about to be built by grants and donations secured by the Children’s Adventure Center board for their use. During the process, seniors felt that they should be included and they urged the Board of Selectmen to go to a town meeting to appropriate town taxpayer funds to enhance and enlarge the proposed CAC building to include an area for the seniors — and thus with the town meeting appropriation of money, the multipurpose center was created and the addition of the Senior Center was considered a wonderful idea at the time.

Now, 25 years later, with an increase in town population, both CAC and our seniors are busting at the seams. Both need and deserve more space. True also is the fact that seniors have been clamoring for space for years and again, I say they deserve it. But they are certainly not the forgotten group and are remembered in this year’s budget request to the tune of nearly $225,000. As the rapport between CAC and seniors is fine and they “co-habit” wonderfully together, my wish would be for Mr Fortugno to catch up on historical facts before authoring his next scathing, misinformed weekly tome to the Letter Hive. In my opinion, the biggest holocaust is the destruction of town agencies by letters from misinformed people who desperately need a purpose in life.

Respectfully submitted,

Tom Catalina

Board of Directors,

Children’s Adventure Center

59 Butterfield Road, Newtown                           February 13, 2004