Playing Ball At Fairfield Hills

By CURT CLARK

Published: May 30, 2008 12:00 am

To the Editor:

I am a published author of research concerning the structure of the English language. I donât write fiction.

Carefully researched, I offer this Fairfield Hills baseball field sequence.

1) 10/13/99: letter to Legislative Council (LC) from officers of Babe Ruth League, âWe believe that a centralized field complexâ¦represents the ideal approach to satisfying the townâs present and future needs for additional athletic fields well into the 21st Century.â

2) 11/12/99: letter to LC from officers of six sports leagues, âWe urge you to make an athletic field complex part of your vision for the future of FFH.â

3) 5/23/01: LC minutes: âMr Studley further inquiredâ¦ (about the proposed seven playing fields)â¦ if this is in addition to those existing at FFH. First Selectman Rosenthal said yesâ¦â The bond issue estimates provided $600,000 for playing fields (plural), and capped the total allowed at $1.4 million. As an LC member, I supported this position.

4) 2007: Town website for FFH shows nine playing fields.

5) 11/17/06: O&G Engineers provide cost estimates, $522,810 baseball field construction; $300,000 demolition Fairfield Hall; (12/31/07: $610,050 and $448,428, respectively) FFH Authority approves plan.

6) 10/17/07: Minutes FFH Authority: âMoira Rodgers asked for clarification that this ball field will be an illuminated field. Mr. Cravanzola (O&G engineer) responded that yes it would have lights.â

7) 12/27/07: Minutes Board of Finance: Park and Recreation representatives request town budget include $300,000 under capital improvements for lights and infrastructure at this baseball field. Is there funding for the lights in the bond issue, asked one board member, but another member quickly responded saying, âa legal opinion was received indicating that lights were not included in the bond issue.â Subsequently, the Board of Finance and the LC approved the $300,000.

8) January 2008: I asked to read this legal opinion. In short, there was never such a legal opinion given. Robinson & Cole LLC, the bond attorneys, stated in a letter to Mr Borst that it had never written such an opinion. The statement that the FFH bond money could not be used for lights at the ball field was unfounded!

9) 2008: High School Interscholastic Sports Department request 2008-2009 budget include $3,533 for a flagpole for FFH baseball field and $1,200 for a windscreen for home plate.

10) 3/08: Superintendent removes request from school budget.

In conclusion, the Park and Recreation leadership sought funding for the baseball field from three sources: the FFH bond issue, the town budget, and the school budget. I publicly supported the baseball field with lights, but I believe the FFH Authority should have funded the total cost from the $21 million FFH bond issue. Exposing this process and total cost, $610,050 plus $300,000 for lights, has angered some recreation supporters.

I continue to support the dedication of FFH for municipal needs like ball fields, but I will also continue to research and inform the citizens of Newtown.

Ruby Johnson

16 Chestnut Hill, Sandy HookÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â May 28, 2008

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Anne, your first paragraph condemning Charlie Kirk’s murder is commendable and appreciated. Sadly, it needs to be said. Newly on campus, a college student I know found himself surrounded by people who thought Charlie had it coming to him, and this student can’t help but wonder if they’d want him dead, too, for holding similar views to Charlie’s. No, this student isn’t a bigot, intolerant or exclusionary—but quite the opposite, as was Charlie Kirk quite the opposite. It seems that, to paraphrase Ronald Reagan, so much of what you know about Charlie Kirk just isn’t so. It makes me wonder whether you have actually listened to a Charlie Kirk Show or to one of his civil debates. I hear the term “Christian nationalist” bandied about these days. I’m a Christian and I’m a nationalist—that is, I’m devoted to what’s in the best interests of our nation--as was Charlie. Does that make us “Christian nationalists,” which you say is “utterly anti-American”?? Charlie had deeply held Christian beliefs that seemed to shape all his actions and speech. As the devout Christian that he was, Charlie would likely have wanted others to see the joy and salvation of holding similar beliefs. (He’d still be alive today if his assassin had followed Christ and the 10 commandments, including, “You shall not murder.”) But, did Charlie ever say that only Christians are welcome in our country? Certainly not that I’m aware of. You talk about the “separation of church and state” in our founding documents. You must be referring to the U.S. Constitution’s first amendment, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” Did Charlie call on Congress to make a law to establish a state religion or to prohibit people from practicing the faith of their choice? Certainly not that I’m aware of. There seems to be a lot of misinformation about Charlie out there. For example, the NY Times recently had to issue this retraction, "A correction was made on Sept. 11, 2025: An earlier version of this article described incorrectly an antisemitic statement that Charlie Kirk had made on an episode of his podcast. He was quoting a statement from a post on social media and went on to critique it. It was not his own statement." I urge you to not just listen to the propaganda, but actually watch some of Charlie’s videos (unabridged) and see for yourself. You might still disagree with his views, but perhaps you will no longer feel the need to call him a bigot, intolerant, exclusionary and anti-American. Perhaps you’ll see for yourself how Charlie was all about inviting his opponents to a civil debate, not about “disregarding, diminishing, discarding, despising, demonizing” others. Perhaps you’ll see Charlie’s example as a way in which we can all treat one another rather than engaging in name calling, intimidation, or violence.

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I had the pleasure of working with Renee for years as an Assistant Town Clerk. Everything she states in this letter is true and if I was still a resident of Newtown, I would gladly vote for her. As an Assistant Town Clerk, the only opportunity for advancement is to run for Town Clerk. Renee has proven her dedication to the community and deserves the chance to serve Newtown in that capacity. I wish you the best of luck, Renee! Ann LoBosco

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Playing Ball At Fairfield Hills

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