Date: Fri 13-Dec-1996

By ANDY GOROSKO

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Camelot-P&Z-Hattertown

Full Text:

42 Lots Are Approved Off Hattertown Road

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

In a unanimous vote, the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) has approved the

controversial "Camelot" residential subdivision consisting of 42 building lots

on 110 acres west of Hattertown Road and north of Purdy Station Road.

P&Z Chairman John DeFilippe and members Thomas Paisley and Heidi Winslow voted

in favor of the home-building project at a December 5 session.

In endorsing the project, Ms Winslow said she believes the development

application meets the town's land use regulations.

Mr DeFilippe also endorsed the development plan, but mentioned some fears

about the project.

"I'm apprehensive about the size - 42 lots," he said.

The development project meets applicable town drainage requirements, Mr

DeFilippe and Ms Winslow agreed.

In response to nearby property owners' concerns raised at a September public

hearing, the developer of Camelot later agreed to improve sight lines at a

hazardous intersection to improve traffic safety in the area.

Those improvements will involve regrading embankments along Hattertown Road to

improve the sight lines for motorists who leave Purdy Station Road and want to

travel either northbound or southbound on Hattertown Road. The developer also

will make drainage improvements on Hattertown Road.

Gerald Cavaliere and Sons, Building Contractors, Inc, is the developer.

During past discussions of the development project, resident Jack Halapin of

Purdy Station Road sought and received intervenor status from the P&Z.

Intervenor status allowed him to comment on environmental aspects of the

project.

Mr Halapin then said there is a significant traffic safety issue posed by the

Camelot development. There have been almost 100 traffic accidents in the area

during the past nine years, he said. Mr Halapin asked why the P&Z doesn't

consult with the police on traffic safety issues when subdivision proposals

are submitted for P&Z review.

Mr Halapin claimed the development will adversely affect drainage in his yard.

He also predicted the development will create a traffic safety problem at the

intersection of the proposed Merlin's Lane and Purdy Station Road, a

prodiction that was later rebutted by a traffic engineer for the developer.

In September, residents living near the Camelot site voiced concerns that the

development would pose problems with traffic safety, water supplies, and

drainage.

Larry Edwards, an engineer for the developer, has said the Camelot project

will pose no adverse effects on public health, safety or welfare.

Roy Meadows of Poverty Hollow Road has said that wetlands on the development

site contain the headwaters of the Aspetuck River. Those headwaters should be

protected, he said. That river eventually feeds into a downstate public water

supply.

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Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 13-Dec-1996

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