Selectmen Move On Economic Development Proposal, Townwide Survey

By John Voket

The Board of Selectmen unanimously agreed to offer a half-acre town-owned parcel for sale Monday, in the hope of retaining one of Newtown’s largest commercial taxpayers. The resolution to recommend the sale of the 0.58-acre property adjacent to the TUV Rheinland facility on Commerce Road to the Legislative Council and Planning and Zoning Commission was described in the official’s agenda as an economic development initiative.

During a previous selectmen’s meeting, a representative from the international company said acquisition of the parcel was critical to ensure the company would be able to remain in town. The company measures electromagnetic emissions from American-made appliances and equipment in order to help manufacturers qualify to sell the products in other international marketplaces.

The company currently pays about $55,000 in local taxes on more than $2 million in assessed personal property, real estate, and vehicles, according to Assessor Thomas DeNoto.

Up to now, the company has negotiated permission from the town to use the parcel as a buffer because of the electromagnetic signals emitted from some of the company’s testing equipment. Over the past several years, TUV Rheinland has sought renewals of the agreement, but is currently seeking to take ownership of the land.

The land in question is part of a larger parcel provided to the town by the state for economic development and recreational use. First Selectman Herb Rosenthal told fellow selectmen Joseph Bojnowski and William Brimmer, Jr, that the small, isolated lot would never be developed by the town.

“The only person this parcel has any value to would be an abutting property owner,” Mr Rosenthal said. “It’s too small to be a building lot.”

Consequently, the only persons qualified to bid on the purchase, by sealed bid, are abutting property owners, he added.

The parcel is valued at $69,478, which the resolution said would be the minimum bid accepted.

Mr Brimmer said he was supportive of the measure since hearing about it at the previous meeting. Mr Bojnowski made the motion to forward the recommendation for sale to the P&Z commission for review before going to the council for consideration.

In other action, the selectmen decided to hold off on seating a long-range strategic planning committee until after the council provides the selectmen with feedback on the concept, the number of positions, and a proposed charge.

Mr Bojnowski was adamant that the word “advisory” be prominently featured in the charge.

“That would address my concerns,” Mr Bojnowski said. In previous meetings, the selectman said he did not want to see a new committee doing redundant work already being performed by elected or appointed officers.

Mr Bojnowski further stated that any long-range panel should be directed to advise the board of selectmen, and its members should not have the expectation that their recommendations would summarily result in new or amended policies.

Mr Brimmer said he wanted to see a revised charge incorporating the advisory language, as well as having the council’s recommendations. He also suggested the ad-hoc committee might serve the town better if there are eight members instead of the originally proposed 12 to 18 possible members.

Mr Bojnowski then said if the number of members is to be reduced, he would favor an odd number of seats to ensure there would be no tie votes on its recommendations.

Later in the meeting, the selectmen also provided final permission for Newtown resident Paul Lundquist and his company, the Harrison Group, to conduct a telephone survey of random local households on a wide range of quality of life subjects. The results of the survey will be made available to the public, and as boilerplate data for the soon to be formed long-range strategic planning group.

Mr Lundquist, who was on hand, said the survey would likely begin after the budget referendum has passed. The selectmen than unanimously endorsed the offer to conduct the survey, which is being done at no charge to taxpayers.