Security Gates Planned—

FFH Panel Works To Quickly Secure Campus

By John Voket

Maybe they can be referred to as signs of the times.

Within the next few days, visitors to the campus should begin seeing signs that spell out new access policies on the 185-acre main campus of Fairfield Hills.

Residents who use the grounds for recreation and employees who work at Fairfield Hills have been wondering for quite awhile when something was going to start happening with the impending transfer of the facility between the state and the town. Their questions were answered last week when that transfer finally occurred.

Now that the town is in receipt of that all-important deed of transfer, officials can turn their attention to prioritize issues that have been waiting in limbo.

Perhaps to illustrate its priorities, members of the Ad Hoc Fairfield Hills Management Committee devoted well over an hour last Thursday discussing and approving signage and other security measures before spending about 15 minutes ratifying their own by-laws.

The committee approved measures including signage that will be posted at all entry points outlining a campuswide curfew, more strongly worded signage on buildings and other facilities, and limitations on exactly how and where vehicles will be allowed to access the grounds.

First Selectman Herbert Rosenthal even devoted most of the press release announcing the final transfer of ownership to reinforce his stepped-up concern for residents’ safety, and the security measures that will be instituted at Fairfield Hills in the coming days.

Mr Rosenthal said in the release that operation of the campus, including security, was largely discontinued by the state in 1995.

“The State of Connecticut shut down the buildings with minimal maintenance,” he writes.

According to Maria DiMarco, a principal in the management firm the state contracted to maintain the facility and grounds, the state only authorized 20 hours a week for all related maintenance chores. The minimal maintenance schedule barely allowed for the most imminent items to be addressed, Ms DiMarco said. Still, she found the time most weeks to direct workers to seal a few broken windows — a practice she at one point likened to bailing out an ocean liner with a Dixie cup.

But the first selectman as well as members of the ad hoc management committee hope escalating security procedures will stem the tide of vandalism that plagues the campus virtually on a daily (or nightly) basis.

“There have been days when I’ll be leaving the campus, and the next morning when I come back I’ll notice broken windows that were there the night before,” commented town Health Director Donna McCarthy.

Mr Rosenthal said in his release, that “vandalism and unauthorized entry into buildings have become a serious problem,” causing further deterioration to the buildings.

“Essentially, many buildings have become attractive nuisances,” he wrote.

The primary thrust among new measures will be an on-campus curfew, Mr Rosenthal confirmed Tuesday morning.

“Unauthorized public access to the campus will be restricted to from one-half-hour after sunset to one-half-hour before sunrise,” he said.

The release also outlines plans for gating all vehicular access points. “Gates will be installed at the entrance from Mile Hill Road South near the Babe Ruth League fields, the former entrance on Wasserman Way, and the new entrance opposite Trades Lane,” the release said.

According to the document, the first two entrances will be closed and locked during restricted hours, permitting entry only from the main gate, and only after passing through a staffed security checkpoint.

“People who need access to the campus for town business or authorized recreational purposes will use this entrance,” the release states. “Unauthorized trespassers will be prosecuted.”

News of the new procedures was generally well received from employees who work at Fairfield Hills, as well as some residents who go there for their daily exercise. Two women who were walking near the new main entrance said they favored any measure that will preserve the integrity of the campus.

The pair, who said they came to walk at Fairfield Hills, asked not to be identified but appeared unruffled at the prospect of possibly entering the area via a guarded checkpoint.

“We’ve seen the guard come around in his vehicle, but the more guards you see, the safer I think I will feel,” one woman commented.

Town conservation officer C. Stephen Driver said he had plenty of experience with gated access when he lived in Florida.

“Gated communities are very common down there,” he said. “It’s a small nuisance, but everyone felt safer.”

Mr Driver suggested that frequent users might use an identification tag on their vehicle, similar to those used in his former community in Florida going back almost two decades.

“The cars are marked, so they can drive right through the security point,” Mr Drive said. “The guards get to know you because you’re logged in with them.”

Ms McCarthy said the after dark curfew makes sense, even for those who may come to the facility at night to jog or walk their dogs.

“They’ll have to learn to live with it,” she said. “There are so many small liabilities here, small unknown hazards that could cause an injury.”

She said even things like cracked pavement, holes, small stumps, and uneven ground posed a threat to those who venture in after dark.

Board of Education Accounting Supervisor Darlene McKirdy said she would value the increased security, especially on the rare occasion she is required to come to her office in the evening or on weekends.

“Up to now, I feel there has been no control over who comes on the campus,” she said. “At peak times, there is a lot of traffic up here.”

Mr Rosenthal’s release begs the cooperation of all townspeople who come to Fairfield Hills.

“The reuse of the campus will remain a work in progress for many years,” he wrote. “The current plans for security only deal with issues that need to be addressed immediately. Reassessment of requirements will be an ongoing process.

“The Board of Selectmen and members of the committee are acutely aware of the value and uniqueness of the property to the citizens of Newtown,” the release states, “and we ask for your patience and cooperation particularly in the weeks ahead as we work through these critical issues.”