Fairfield Hills And Senior Center Needs

To the Editor:

During the discussions of a Master Plan for Fairfield Hills, the HMA consultants first suggested a new senior center be located on the second floor of Plymouth Hall, but seniors objected to a second floor location for obvious handicap mobility needs. Later, when the consultants recommended that Bridgeport Hall and Plymouth be renovated and managed by entities other than the town, it was envisioned that these facilities could meet community needs, including the senior center (Executive Summary, February 25, 2003, p. 4) perhaps on a rental or lease basis.

The Plan of Conservation and Development recently adopted by the Planning and Zoning Commission reports, “The Town’s 60 and older population increased by 439 persons between 1990 and 2000, representing a 16.6 percent increase in this age group and the 55 to 59 age category increased by 40.3 percent during the same period, indicating a continuation of the growth in Newtown’s senior population.” The present senior center occupies approximately 800 square feet of space, and during the FFH master planning process the center identified a need for approximately 2,500 square feet of space. In 2002, members of the Commission on Aging requested leasing the vacant Grand Union building as a short-term solution (The Newtown Bee February 2002).

The advantage of a Queen Street location for the senior center is that there are stores within walking distance. More recently, eventual reuse of the middle school for senior housing, community movie house, and retail development has been proposed if and when a new high school were constructed at FFH or elsewhere sometime in the future, and the seventh and eighth grades were relocated to the present high school.

Many ideas have been advanced to better serve the seniors of Newtown. The town already provides some tax relief to qualifying seniors, but the overall aging of the population presents a huge challenge. Seniors who have lost their spouses are particularly vulnerable. No serious discussion has been held to address their need for larger facilities. Before the selectmen go forward with the UConn public opinion poll regarding reuse of Fairfield Hills, an important question remains.

How will the town satisfy the identified need for more space for the present senior center?

Surely, we all have a responsibility to answer this question.

Ruby Johnson

16 Chestnut Hill, Sandy Hook                                         June 2, 2004