Problems And Solutions At FFH
Problems And Solutions At FFH
To the Editor:
Our leaders insisted the town should act as developers of Fairfield Hills and businesses would flock to utilize the old buildings. Seven years later, one building, Newtown Hall, has been leased and the Newtown Youth Academy (NYA) is under construction by a private individual.
Problem #1: Our leaders have committed $10.5 million to convert Bridgeport Hall into a town hall. Problem #2: They have contracted to provide utilities and parking to the Newtown Youth Academy by its planned opening date, November 1. Problem #3: They have contracted to provide utilities and parking to Newtown Hall, leased to Hawley Realty. Problem #4: They have run out of money; $1.5 million remains from the sale of the homes on Mile Hill South. Estimates predict they need $1â2 million for the demolition of Greenwich Hall and construction of parking spaces and $4-6 million for utilities and time is running out.
Solving the problems: They have considered: 1. Have a private party utilize cheap labor to demolish Greenwich House and construct the required parking for the town hall, baseball field, and NYA in order to avoid the law known as the Davis-Bacon Act, which requires municipalities to pay prevailing wages for projects exceeding $400,000. The town would then lease back the parking lot. 2. Ask P&Z to revisit the approval of the NYA and increase the amount of land for the NYA and have that owner build the needed parking facilities and the town would lease the parking lot from him. 3. Assign the Highway Department to do the trenching for the utilities loop; have the Sewer Authority provide much of the funding needed, but that still doesnât provide all the needed money. 4. Default on their contractual agreements.
Solutions: #1. Our leaders could use portions of the $10.5 million reserved for the new town hall and rush to build the required parking spaces by November 1. #2. They could ask citizens for more money, or #3 they could propose several solutions and allow the citizens to vote. Donât count on that one.
Our town needs new leaders for FFH and a realistic plan that includes long-term planning based on a solid cost/benefit analysis. The New York Times recently reported that the high school graduating Class of 2008 is the largest ever produced in the US. Twenty-five or 30 years from now we must plan for not only a new high school, but also more municipal facilities. If not at FFH, where will the land be found?
The day of reckoning has come.
Ruby Johnson
16 Chestnut Hill Road, Sandy Hook                             May 14, 2008