A Plan For The Future

To the Editor:

I was most pleased and honored to have served on the Fairfield Hills Master Plan Ad Hoc Committee. It was refreshing to work with people with keen intellect and integrity. But most important, they all cared about the future of Newtown.

The plan submitted specifies that: a) Fairfield, Bridgewater, Litchfield, Yale, Greenwich, Danbury, and Cochran be demolished for playing fields; b) Shelton be demolished and replaced with a new town hall; c) ten new playing fields be constructed to include two regulation baseball fields, two adult softball fields, two youth ball fields, and four multipurpose fields. It has been judged that these specifics can be accomplished with the money approved at the June 2001 town meeting.

The plan further specifies that: a) Norwalk and eight single-family homes be demolished in order to land bank the West Meadow; b) the East Meadow be land banked; c) Kent and Plymouth become town buildings if the town is so inclined; d) Woodbury, Newtown, Canaan, Stratford, Bridgeport, Duplexes, and Stamford be mothballed for private development; e) the administrator’s house be considered for a town museum. The source of funds to accomplish these specifics will be from private investors as well as town funds and federal, state, and foundation resources. The plan also specifies that should buildings mothballed not be occupied within five years they then should be programmed for demolition.

If any group would like to discuss the reasoning behind the specifics listed in the master plan, members of the ad hoc committee are most willing to meet and do so. Accurate information is the best information.

Al Cramer

5 Partridge Lane, Newtown        June 16, 2003