Date: Fri 21-Mar-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

open-space-Amaral-land

Full Text:

Open Space Deal Sparks Town Interest

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

The town is seriously considering the purchase of a 13-acre property along Elm

Drive and Deep Brook Road, adjacent to Dickinson Park.

The parcel, owned by brothers Daniel Amaral of Newtown and Marcus Amaral of

Monroe, extends in a triangular shape in a northerly direction from the town

park to the point where Elm Drive and Deep Brook Road intersect at the Village

Cemetery. The lot, once used for farming, lies just north of the park's tennis

courts.

The land, on the market for $400,000, has already piqued the interest of at

least one local developer, who has made the Amarals an offer to buy the

property to build houses. However, the Amarals have agreed to give the right

of first refusal to the town. First Selectman Bob Cascella recently contacted

the Amarals, expressing interest. To pay for the land, the first selectman

said he may be able to use some of the $450,000 still remaining in open space

grant money made available to the town by the Iroquois Gas Transmission

System.

"I think this could be a good thing for the town. It's here, and once we own

it, it's ours forever," Mr Cascella said Monday.

Daniel Amaral said he would prefer to see the property in the hands of the

town and believes it would be an invaluable addition to Dickinson Park.

However, he said he'd like to see the town acquire the land first, hold onto

it, then build ball fields and/or tennis courts when the time is right.

Marcus agreed, pointing out that Newtown has let far too many real estate

opportunities slip through its hands over the years.

"Newtown could use something like this, whether they use it for ball fields or

tennis courts or whatever," he said.

If bought by the town, the property would link the open spaces of the park and

The Ram Pasture, owned by the Village Cemetery Association, giving Newtown a

band of park land in the center of town extending from Brushy Hill and Point

O' Rocks roads to the foot of Main Street at its intersection with Route 302.

That is good news for the town's recently formed Greenways Committee, which is

looking to establish a townwide trail system connecting Newtown's major open

spaces.

"My plan would be to divide the property for both multi-use passive use and

recreational use," said Mr Cascella. "The passive use I envision being an

environmental, educational sanctuary for students, with the other 50 percent

for ball fields."

If purchased by the town, the land would likely be turned over to the Parks &

Recreation Department. Parks and Recreation Director Barbara Kasbarian said a

landscape architect would have to be hired to determine what the best use of

the area would be. Mrs Kasbarian said if purchased, the area would likely be

used for a multi-purpose baseball/softball field or a soccer/lacrosse field.

"The people I see out on the streets think it's a great idea for the town,"

Mrs Kasbarian said.

The Amaral brothers, who own Amaral Motors, Inc, and much of the property

around the South Main Street service station, inherited the land in 1993 when

their mother, Mary Helen Eagan Amaral, died.

The Amarals say they would be willing to hold off on selling the property

until the town makes a final decision. Purchase of the land by the town would

require approval of the Board of Selectmen and Legislative Council, but would

not have to go to a town meeting.

When the Iroquois Gas Transmission System agreed to pay Newtown $904,000 in

conjunction with the construction of its pipeline through the town in 1991, it

was on the condition the money be used for the purchase of open space land for

passive usage. However, Mr Cascella said he's received word from Iroquois'

Gary Davis that some of the property could be used for recreational use.

Three-hundred thousand dollars in Iroquois money was used to offset

construction costs of the Treadwell Park pool, $75,000 helped fund the Orchard

Hill nature center, and $100,000 was used to rebuild the Hattertown dam.

Over the past four or five years, there have been several other requests from

residents and organizations to use the money for boat launches, picnic areas

and public beaches. The Newtown Forest Association has been seeking Iroquois

funds for the repair of a dam on Cavanaugh Pond near Echo Valley Road.

The 24-acre site known as Dickinson Park was donated to the town during the

1950s by the late Bertram Strook.