Vehicle Access To Be Strictly Limited For Tercentennial Events

By John Voket

Following a management committee request for clarification of parking and shuttle logistics for Newtown Tercentennial activities taking place at Fairfield Hills August 5 and 6, the first selectman’s office and the event’s co-chair have put forth all information available to date.

Those planning to take their own vehicles to tercentennial weekend activities are warned not to expect free-flowing access and egress to the immediate campus area. And ad hoc management committee chairman John Reed suggested that anyone planning to attend arrive with a “large dose of patience.”

“My concern is that everyone thinks they can just drive onto the campus and park for the activities,” Mr Reed said at a Tuesday Fairfield Hills Management Committee meeting.

Parks and Recreation Director Barbara Kasbarian, who also co-chairs the Tercentennial Committee, told The Bee Wednesday that parking on the campus will be strictly limited to handicapped individuals displaying appropriate vehicle permits, volunteers, and event participants including entertainers, vintage baseball team players, and reenactors planning a Revolutionary War encampment.

For the daylong tercentennial activities, all members of the public are encouraged to park at the high school and take one of the frequently running shuttle buses scheduled to ferry visitors to and from the center of campus.

“Any limited public parking that may be available at the Reed School will be on a first come, first served basis, but we can’t have cars parked along Wasserman Way or on the grass or fields at Reed School,” Ms Kasbarian said. “Once we reach capacity there, we will be directing all other cars to the high school, so to save time, it might be a better idea to go directly to the high school and plan to take the shuttle.”

As the day turns to evening August 6, officials and volunteers are expecting an onslaught of additional vehicles arriving for the planned fireworks spectacular. Ms Kasbarian said visitors coming from the south specifically to see the fireworks can park at the Kendro facility on Peck’s Lane and catch additional shuttles from that location beginning at 6 pm.

Buses from Kendro will deposit visitors to one of the main viewing areas at the rear of Reed School. Additional traffic coming from the north will be directed to limited parking at the Middle School on Queen Street, and possibly behind Hawley School on Church Hill Road.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said those arriving in that vicinity should plan to view the fireworks from the Middle School soccer field. Mr Rosenthal said additional viewing access is planned from a town-owned meadow on Queen Street.

“I’m going to get that field mowed and set up for people to bring their lawn chairs and blankets, I would think that would be the best viewing spot in town,” the first selectman said. “We’ve got three acres there, so I imagine that would accommodate hundreds of people.”

Mr Rosenthal said he consulted with tercentennial organizers and the Police Department to determine if some of Queen Street between Wasserman Way and the Middle School would be closed to vehicle traffic while people are arriving for, and viewing the fireworks display. Additional information will be forthcoming in next week’s edition of The Bee.

Tercentennial organizers are appealing to anyone who may be available and willing to volunteer specifically to assist with traffic control. Interested persons should contact Ms Kasbarian through the Parks and Recreation office at 270-4340.