School Enrollment, Hawleyville, Fairfield Hills—

First Selectman’s Report Prompts Discussion On Multiple Issues

By John Voket

The final Board of Selectmen meeting for the 2008-2009 fiscal year included little discussion about budget-related matters current or future, but the panel heard a laundry list of local concerns during the nearly two-hour public portion of its June 15 gathering.

The opening public commentary spurred some rare dialog between selectmen and members of the public over two issues. Ruby Johnson appeared with a handout detailing demographic interpretations of a report by the Avon consulting firm Planimetrics the town received about one year ago on maximum buildout potential.

Ms Johnson told selectmen that as Newtown sees more growth, especially in condominiums, town officials need to focus more on accommodating a future student population that she extrapolated from the data based on several growth trend factors. But her interpretations of the data were immediately countered by resident Robert Merola, who pointed out that even short-term projections in the report were already diverging significantly from what is actually happening in town.

Mr Merola said Ms Johnson’s data appeared flawed, particularly in regard to the expected growth in housing tied to student population projections.

“I cannot stand by and listen to Ruby’s conclusions,” Mr Merola said. “These are assumptions — you have to look at actuals.”

He pointed to assumptions in the Planimetrics report for 155 new homes being built each year between 2008 and 2010.

“I might be off a year, but that’s 365 [homes] over three years versus, I’m going to guess, about 40 [that were built or permitted], and I think that’s high,” Mr Merola said, adding that student population projections versus actual student trends are also substantially higher in Ms Johnson’s calculations. He also pointed out that the major growth trend in town is expected to be aging individuals, not young people of school age.

Mr Merola also said the likelihood of condo occupants being single “empty nesters,” professionals or young couples without children is much more likely than condominiums being occupied by families with multiple children of school age.

Councilwoman Patricia Llodra, who is also a GOP candidate for first selectman, said Planimetrics’ projections were based on conditions at the time that are very different today. Ms Llodra said she supports reengaging the company to do another buildout survey using current conditions.

Selectman Herb Rosenthal agreed, and said taking a static trend that reflects an overall population growth and arbitrarily applying a percentage to student age residents without taking other factors into consideration was not a valid way to assume student population growth.

“It’s important to remember this is a hypothetical, theoretical study,” Ms Llodra said, while recognizing that Newtown is “not building out to 2030 the way we were back in 1997 to 2007 which is the [timeframe] the core data is built upon.”

Don’t Waste Hawleyville

Hawleyville resident Ann Marie Mitchell appeared to announce that a grassroots campaign called HEAT (Hawleyville Environmental Advocacy Team) established to oppose the expansion of a waste transfer station being operated by the Housatonic Railroad and had launched a website, www.dontwastehawleyville.com.

This prompted First Selectman Joe Borst to announce that the town had received a legal opinion that, he said, will give even more power to town and state agencies overseeing aspects of the proposed transfer station application.

“The state and the town do have the opportunity to contest this,” Mr Borst said. “Some of that power has been delegated to the Planning & Zoning Department to protest what is going on.”

Mr Borst went on to say he did not know how neighboring residents “were going to stand it” if the current capacity of the transfer station was increased four-fold. “It’s just going to be unreal and we’ve got to do something about it. And we’re working very hard to get something done,” Mr Borst said.

The first selectman also pointed out that the railroad’s tipping rates were substantially below that of a similar operation in Danbury.

“The money they are going to make in that facility is going down,” which Mr Borst said would negatively impact the selling price for the Danbury facility that was formerly owned by James Galante and is currently under management by federal authorities.

Ms Mitchell said she realized it was a business opportunity for the railroad.

“I appreciate that [the railroad] is in this to make money. However, we’re in it to preserve the environment — that is our greatest gift,” Ms Mitchell said.

Moving on to communications, Mr Borst announced that a Capital Improvement Plan calendar had been issued, and that the school district would be expected to present its CIP on August 10, while the selectmen would present CIP details on August 27.

Mr Borst then reported to selectmen that he was currently scheduling 30 candidates for interviews for a tick-borne disease action committee, requesting the board rule on whether or not a Southbury resident who formerly resided in Newtown could be considered for service. The board decided the panel should have only Newtown residents seated, while calling on others, including out-of-town residents, on a consultation basis.

Tech Park Grant             Shifted To FHA

The first selectman announced that the state Office of Policy and Management (OPM) issued permission to shift grant funds formerly targeted for developing a local Tech Park to cover town construction and infrastructure projects at Fairfield Hills.

In anticipation of town offices relocating from Edmond Town Hall to new municipal facilities at Fairfield Hills, Mr Borst requested that selectmen attend a June 30 meeting with town hall mangers to discuss details related to the relocation activities.

Other discussion centered on the possibility of constructing sidewalks extending from Newtown High School to the intersection of Berkshire and Toddy Hill Roads. Town Engineer Ron Bolmer showed preliminary plans and told the board that the state was requesting if the town was still interested in participating pursuant to the town contributing 20 percent of the costs.

Mr Bolmer estimated that the town’s portion of the cost might be as low as $75,000, but the state had not prepared solid cost estimates. Mr Mangiafico said if the state was picking up 80 percent of the cost for the roughly one-third of a mile stretch he would support the sidewalk installation.

Mr Rosenthal said when he drives in the area, he often sees high school students walking in the area. “If we get a portion paid for it would be a help,” he said.

Mr Bolmer said part of the state’s motivation for building sidewalks was to help discourage Newtown High School students from parking in the commuter lot adjacent to the Exit 11 ramps on Wasserman Way. Ms Llodra asked if the sidewalks are accepted and built, who would be charged with their maintenance and care.

Mr Rosenthal suggested the state would probably not take over responsibility once the sidewalks were installed.

A short time later in the meeting, Public Works Director Fred Hurley requested selectmen permit the town to use a $103,000 federal economic stimulus grant to fortify the acquisition of solar panels that are planned for installation at the Reed Intermediate School.

“We are already getting five photovoltaic panels for the 5/6 school,” Mr Hurley said of the panels which the town earned through an energy incentive plan sponsored by the state. He said the additional grant would help increase the number of panels to between 13 and 15 or more considering the net cost of the panels is declining.

“You’re looking at getting about a dozen or more at about $8,000 a piece,” Mr Hurley said. “That’s a significant number of panels.”

Mr Hurley said each panel could, in optimum conditions, produce about one kilowatt of free solar power for the Reed School every day.