Catering Operator Eyes Bridgeport Hall For Development

By John Voket

A catering and restaurant developer may have his sights set on opening a multiuse or large scale food service business out of Bridgeport Hall on the Fairfield Hills campus once hazardous soil remediation is completed there.

The first mention of an experienced person interested in the possible commercial development of the former state hospital dining hall came at Tuesday evening’s ad hoc Fairfield Hills Management Committee meeting.

Committee member Andrew Willie told fellow officials that he and the first selectman conducted a tour of campus facilities with an experienced restaurateur and catering company operator recently. Mr Rosenthal confirmed Wednesday that the visit to the campus was originally scheduled so the unidentified developer could look over another building.

“I know he originally wanted to look at Stratford Hall, but I guess that wasn’t suitable,” Mr Rosenthal said. “But when we went to look at Bridgeport Hall, he apparently saw something he liked. I thought that it would be way too big for a restaurant, but I suppose a catering facility could operate there.”

During brief discussion on the matter at the ad hoc meeting, committee member Richard Sturdevant pointed out that he believed such an enterprise would be allowed under the provisions of the Master Plan of Development for Fairfield Hills, which was formally accepted by the town planning and zoning commission earlier this year.

In the executive summary of that plan, Bridgeport Hall is designated for preferred reuse for “assembly/office/community,” with either or both private and town sponsorship or investment. Since the town acquired the campus last July, ideas about the future utilization of Bridgeport Hall have been entertained by the Parks and Recreation Department, as well as among members of the ad hoc Culture and Arts Committee.

The master plan also mentions that, “…Bridgeport Hall, while shown as renovated and managed by entities other than the town, [is] envisioned…to meet community needs including the Senior Center, cultural programs, recreation programs and special community events or assemblies such as the Friends of the Library Book Sale.

In recent years, and until last fall, the facility had been used by the Friends of the (Booth) Library as a storage and staging area for the group’s popular annual book sale. However, because of scheduled environmental remediation expected to be in progress in and around Bridgeport Hall, the book sale will be conducted elsewhere on the campus this coming Labor Day weekend.

Mr Willie told ad hoc committee members that the individual was tenacious in his efforts to access the campus to see potential sites for a possible business venture, and that during the tour, the visiting developer went so far as to ask about specific stipulations if he was to go forward with a proposal to open a commercial food service operation at Bridgeport Hall.

“He asked about exclusivity and parking availability, things like that” Mr Willie said.

But ad hoc committee chairman John Reed said the committee has no authority to answer such questions, and reiterated that concerns of this nature would likely continue to come up as other organizations and possible commercial developers begin to consider options on the campus.

“This is another reason why we need to expedite the study,” Mr Reed said, referring to a proposed study of commercial reuse options and possibilities for buildings that will remain intact.

Mr Rosenthal, when contacted Wednesday, said he agreed that since specific commercial prospects were already being considered for Fairfield Hills, maybe it was time to initiate the study.

Ad hoc committee member Judge William Lavery said Tuesday evening, that he was pleased to see someone who was so motivated to bring a revenue-generating enterprise to the campus.

“If someone is positive enough to contact the town three or four times, I suggest we ask him to lay out the plan in writing and have three or four subcommittee members chat with him to start looking things over,” Judge Lavery said.

The committee then voted to have Mr Willie, Mr Studevant, and member Robert Geckle continue exploring and expanding the plan in the coming weeks, and to develop a proposal in writing to be presented to the full group (or the authority) in the coming months.

Earlier during the meeting, Jeff Cugno, the representative from the project management firm O&G Industries, presented a report to the committee that included a task order spelling out the scope of services, schedule, and compensation guidelines, as well as the town’s responsibilities going forward as environmental remediation begins on the campus.

Mr Cugno related that O&G representatives told him that once the soil remediation around all the buildings on campus commenced, that it might take as few as three months to complete the initiative.

In other business, Newtown resident Nancy Gold, who is both a landscape designer and certified Connecticut Master Gardener, provided further updates about her volunteer organization’s plans to assist with the landscaping and beatification at Fairfield Hills. She reviewed a more detailed project plan for landscaping and planting around the engineers and property manager’s headquarters building at the entrance to the campus.

Ms Gold expanded her ideas about the project to include an approximately 60-by-20-foot buffer area between the building and Wasserman Way that would consist of deer-resistant shrubbery and decorative flowers. She was asked by the committee to further refine her plan and return to the next scheduled meeting in August.

Authority Appointments Due

It was also revealed by First Selectman Herb Rosenthal that this week’s meeting of the all-volunteer committee may have been its last. Mr Rosenthal said he hopes to have nominations for the new Fairfield Hills authority completed and possibly approved before the ad hoc committee’s next regularly scheduled meeting in August.

However, the first selectman said it is likely that most or all of the current ad hoc panelists would become members of the non-policy-making authority, which was authorized by a special legislative act in May and permitted by a town ordinance that went into effect earlier this month.

“We may be ready to present candidates for the authority for approval by the Board of Selectmen at our August 1 meeting, so they can be in place before the next [regularly scheduled] ad hoc meeting,” Mr Rosenthal said.

The first selectman said he is pleased and proud of the hard work put forth by all members of the ad hoc group, which began meeting just over one year ago as Newtown prepared to acquire the former state facility, and that each of those members deserves the opportunity to transition to the authority.

“We’ve got a group of people here with an incredible amount of experience, and who individually have shown their willingness to serve the town and its residents selflessly as volunteers, not only on this committee, but in many other capacities over the years,” he said.

Mr Rosenthal said if up to all eight of the ad hoc members are willing to become appointees to the Fairfield Hills Authority, he would be willing to reappoint them all.