Fairfield Hills ‘Friends’ Outline Their Views For The Selectmen

By Jan Howard

The Friends of Fairfield Hills, a grass roots group organized six years ago, has presented a position paper to the Board of Selectmen outlining its mission statement and its opinion on various proposed uses for the Fairfield Hills campus.

Spokeswoman Ruby Johnson presented the position paper to the selectmen at their meeting last week.

Al Roznicki, the opinion paper’s coordinator, said the paper was developed by approximately 12 members of the group’s steering committee in the past year following the voters’ rejection of the Fairfield Hills Master Plan last year.

“It has been revised and rewritten,” he said, and reflects compromises made over a number of years.

He said the paper is representative of the more than 700 people who signed petitions stating they agreed with the Friends’ position on use of the property.

“The number of people who signed petitions is significant,” he said. “We got over 700 people that agree with our position. That’s the significance. We are providing the citizens with a position that is different from that presented by the selectmen.

“We have been involved with Fairfield Hills for a long time. Our position has evolved into some form of compromise,” he said. He said it was felt that following the rejection of the master plan, a position paper was needed to offer a cross section of opinion for the selectmen, Legislative Council, and The Newtown Bee.

The purpose of the mission statement is to educate people on what the Friends believe is appropriate at Fairfield Hills, he said. “It is not to oppose the selectmen. It is only that they do the will of the people.”

Mission Statement

The position paper’s mission statement is as follows: “The Friends of Fairfield Hills is a grass roots organization of concerned citizens urging our municipal government to maintain the quality of life standards established in Newtown over the years. We carefully evaluate proposals developed by consultants and local officials regarding plans for the development of Fairfield Hills and provide factual and educational material for interested citizens as issues are raised.

“Our mission is to educate citizens and communicate our views to local officials regarding the utilization of Fairfield Hills for Municipal, Educational, Recreation and Cultural Activities associated with community needs and to limit commercial/economic development at this facility. As a result, we must convince our town leadership that it is in our best interest to reserve as much land and facilities at Fairfield Hills as we can to meet our growing community and educational requirements.”

The position paper also takes the following stands:

Education

The Friends of Fairfield Hills supports education and states its strong belief that the physical environment, quality teachers, and a diverse social and academic curriculum, are essential in providing students with a superior education. The position paper states, “Recognizing that Fairfield Hills is the geographic center of Newtown, it becomes the prime location for our town’s educational facilities.”

Because the John Reed Intermediate School, playing fields, and recreation areas are there, and especially since the current high school is reaching capacity, the Friends “strongly recommend that a significant portion of Fairfield Hills be reserved for educational requirements, whether that be playing fields or class rooms. It is important that we reserve for future generations sufficient land at Fairfield Hills to provide the environment necessary in the education and development of our future leaders.”

Open Space

Because open space at Fairfield Hills is an extremely valuable natural resource asset, the Friends’ goal is “to see that specific portions of this property be designated, preserved, and protected as real open space.” The Friends agree with Newtown’s 2002 Open Space Task Force report calling for a comprehensive set of guidelines to purchase, maintain, and conserve open space parcels in perpetuity by grants and/or easements. The group agrees that open space at Fairfield Hills should become the central focal point in connecting the town’s trails and park system.

The Friends group supports the recently updated Planning and Zoning vision statement of Conservation and Development to preserve and protect natural resources. It also supports the selectmen, Legislative Council, and Open Space Task Force initiatives to acquire and preserve open space.

The paper states, “We insist that the Master Plan for Fairfield Hills determine, specify, and protect large portions of Fairfield Hills that residents and town committees have said should be set aside as real active and passive open space,” such as portions of the high meadow and edge forest.

Ms Johnson said the town must define what is to remain as open space in perpetuity and what land would be banked for future municipal uses.

Demolition Of Buildings

The position paper notes that the selectmen voted in April and May to demolish nine buildings — Danbury, Fairfield, Bridgewater, Litchfield, Greenwich, Norwalk, Stamford, Cochran, and Yale —  for which no immediate or long-term use has been identified and, therefore, the cost to maintain and insure them would be reduced by demolition.

The paper states, “Town officials have discussed engineering reviews for Shelton Hall and Plymouth Hall to determine whether Shelton should be renovated for a new town hall or demolished and the site preserved for a future town hall and Plymouth Hall considered for community uses…The Friends of Fairfield Hills support honest engineering studies for Shelton and Plymouth and believe that Newtown and Woodbury, the entry plaza pair, and Stratford should be saved if mothballing costs are reasonable.”

 

Housing

The position paper notes that the contract for the purchase of Fairfield Hills contains a condition that Newtown will assume the cost for hazardous waste removal. “As a result, if the housing units are used as residences, the people of Newtown will be subsidizing the clean up and rehabilitation of those houses with property tax dollars…

“Our position is that our citizens should not be asked to accept a cost that does not contribute to the welfare of the general public. We recommend that no housing be built (or existing buildings converted into residential units) at Fairfield Hills. The current housing units should be relocated, if technically and economically possible, otherwise demolished, with perhaps a single house saved for security personnel on the campus and the remainder of that specific area restored to a park-like environment.”

“The housing issue is a compilation of all our thoughts,” Mr Roznicki said. “We should maintain the property for municipal use. I don’t think the town wants to get into leasing.”

Ms Johnson said three polls showed Newtown residents were “very negative about housing” on the Fairfield Hills campus. “People don’t want to be involved in subsidizing housing.”

Fiscal Responsibilities

The Friends state it is the administrative and fiscal obligation of the representatives of Newtown to make decisions based on complete and thorough factual information prior to implementing any plan for Fairfield Hills and to convey that information to residents in a timely fashion. The position paper states, “Decisions should be based on the community’s immediate and long-term needs.

“We encourage our representatives to develop profitable financial plans for those buildings that are structurally sound and have not been designated for our own use. We support the immediate development of a Master Plan for Fairfield Hills and recommend that each individual development be put into priority and implemented as funds become available.”

 

Economic/Commercial Development

The Friends of Fairfield Hills would preserve most of the campus for community needs to be implemented as funds become available. Its position is that only limited economic or commercial development be considered. It would reserve three buildings — Woodbury, Newtown and Stratford — the most likely ones for commercial and/or economic development.

“This was a compromise on our part,” Mr Roznicki said, noting the Friends originally advocated no commercial development on the campus.

The position paper states, “The Friends of Fairfield Hills is not against commercial or economic development; however, we feel the town would be better served if designated commercial sites, such as Commerce Park, were utilized first, reserving the Fairfield Hills Property for future town needs.”

Ms Johnson noted that economic development has a limited ability to lower taxes. “It would take seven Sand Hill Plazas to raise one mill,” she said.

If commercial use and leasing of the buildings is approved, Mr Roznicki said, “It has to have fiscal benefits that would help the citizenry.”

 

Recreation Center

The location of a future recreation center at Fairfield Hills has not been announced, but the Friends’ position is that Fairfield Hills should be the recreation center for the town and that a new recreation facility belongs on the core campus.

Ms Johnson said the group supports the Parks and Recreation Commission’s plan for a recreation center but the future location of the building should be announced.

While the group also supports the construction of seven new playing fields on the core campus, Ms Johnson said that she would like to see a repositioning of the fields, particularly those proposed for the Danbury Hall location.

 

Future Use Of           Bridgeport Hall

(A Community Center)

The Friends “strongly support the preservation of Bridgeport Hall as an income producing town-owned and operated facility.” The position paper states the interior could easily be renovated in stages, beginning with the southern wing and perhaps crossbar, and then proceeding to the remaining northern wing. The group suggests a management structure modeled after the Board of Managers of Edmond Town Hall or the trust that oversees the Meeting House.

Some revenue producing uses for the space the Friends suggest include exhibitions; activities such as NOMAD, square dancing, competitions, dances, wedding receptions and others; and food services.

 

Cultural Arts-                  Plymouth Hall

The Friends state, “Fairfield Hills should become the center for a creative force that will nourish the cultural appetite of its inhabitants and provide facilities for those who wish to explore, expand and demonstrate their artistic abilities. Plymouth Hall has a 500-seat auditorium for the dramatic arts, dance, music, large and small rooms for artists and artisans for working and teaching. Space is available to restore the woodworking shops and to reactivate the bowling alley and snack bar downstairs.

“With assistance of rental income, cultural arts grants and outside funding, Plymouth Hall can be the Center for the Arts in Newtown and the surrounding towns,” the position paper states.

Putting It All Together

The position paper concludes as follows: “Edmond Town Hall, The Meeting House, Bridgeport Hall, Plymouth Hall, and a new Recreation building combined will offer an array of facilities to a variety of potential users. The special features of each building offer unique choices and represent potential revenue for the town. All of the development will not occur overnight. As funds become available, additional sections of the overall plan will be put in place, but the overall Master Plan must represent the needs and desires of its people and planned so that the maximum benefit is provided to the majority of the community.

“One day, Newtown will be a fully built-out and mature community; therefore, it is important that steps be taken now to ensure that it will have the characteristics and amenities of a town representing its people.”