At the beginning of May, the Town of Newtown hired a new facilities/project manager to help manage large-scale capital improvement projects. His name is Sean Heslin.

Heslin is a Connecticut native, born in the Hudson Valley and raised in New Milford and ventured out to both coasts. He has experience in farming and construction, as a facilities technician, then a facilities manager, and for the Portland Water District in Maine.

“I’m a certified building operator with a background in energy efficiency,” Heslin told The Bee. “I look after, maintain, and just general repairs on all our buildings’ infrastructure, heating, cooling, all that jazz, but I also am in charge of the project piece. A lot of these capital projects that are coming through…the library project, and the HVAC project, and a smattering of other projects that we have throughout the town that got approved this budget season…Anything that’s building, [or] building operation related, is going to fall under my purview.”

Heslin said that a big reason he was brought on is to help manage the larger capital projects like the new HVAC system at the C.H. Booth Library and the dehumidification project at the Community Center pool. He was also spotted helping out with the high school roof, but explained that he would not have too much of a hand in seeing that through as the Board of Education handles school-related projects.

“I think a lot of towns in Connecticut have found that they haven’t had a great amount of oversight on that stuff,” Heslin said. “Newtown has a staggering amount of buildings.”

He added that Fairfield Hills adds to the complexity of the amount of buildings in town and the management of the property. One of those buildings is the Community Center.

Heslin explained that there was “a certain pressure” to get the Community Center up, adding that all new builds have their own unique challenges. Heslin said that there is a lot of history to the building, how it came about, and the problems that arose during construction.

“I think, again, a big piece of why Newtown has brought me in is history like that,” referencing the Community Center. “I think that seeing projects that didn’t really have the oversight that they needed has led to my role.”

Heslin said he will be a part of the process when WinnDevelopment remodels Kent House and Shelton Hall on the Fairfield Hills Campus. He said he was not sure if he would work with the Planning & Zoning Commission, but most people he has asked to help have been “more than happy” to involve him.

“I think for a lot of the departments in town, too, not having this role, they’re not sure exactly what they can ask of me and rely on me for, so I’ve been meeting with all of the departments and teams,” Heslin said.

Heslin explained that he thinks this position has been “a long, long time coming” for the town. He added that the need for oversight is apparent to him and that capital projects and buildings need a “dedicated servant.” Heslin said that a big part of his job will be to make sure that things are working properly so there are less emergencies that set the town back.

‘I’m Very Excited’

Heslin said he is “very excited” to be working with Newtown and is looking forward to working on these big projects.

In the past, Heslin “chased skiing” up to Vermont and said that the ski industry is like a “municipality unto itself.” The facilities were huge buildings and the trails spanned hundreds of acres sometimes. He said he was looking for “the right fit” ever since he left the ski industry when his two sons were born.

“Ever since I left Vermont, it’s really been trying to find the right fit again,” Heslin shared. “This has been the best fit for me in a long time…I feel like I’m working towards something very important. I feel like I’m helpful and helping people, that’s very important to me!”

He said he is looking forward to being “a part of the town” and to help move the buildings and town infrastructure forward in a way that is “responsible for the taxpayer.” He thinks the town can save some money on these builds.

Heslin recounted the Borough Historic District Committee meeting he attended on Thursday, June 26. He shared that he was a little nervous because he had never presented to a Borough before. He said that the presentation was “wonderful.”

“It’s like four passionate people talking about their local community,” he paused, “that want to talk to me about gutters! No one wants to talk to me about gutters!”

He shared that the Historic District Commission talked about Trinity Episcopalian Church’s roof replacement and the C.H. Booth Library, two “flagships” on Main Street. He said he enjoyed the meeting because of the focus on aesthetics for the town.

Heslin said, “That’s a big piece. I do find value [in aesthetics], and I think a lot of facilities managers and engineers can miss that piece sometimes, and find it less valuable. I do find it valuable to make sure things look good. I have a lot of respect for that. I think it’s wonderful.”

“More than anything else, it’s the sense of community. It’s working with and for the people that are passionate about what they’re doing,” Heslin said about his new job.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.