Date: Fri 27-Feb-1998

By STEVE BIGHAM

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Borough-sidewalks

Full Text:

Selectmen Lend Support To Borough Bid New Sidewalks

BY STEVE BIGHAM

The Board of Selectmen agreed Monday to help the borough's sidewalk plans get

off the ground by covering the $10,250 cost for an engineering study.

The selectmen voted to transfer funds from the town's contingency account into

the non-recurring account. The Legislative Council must still approve the

transfer at its meeting next week.

The study will be conducted by the Center for Engineering, Inc, of

Wallingford.

Members of the Borough Board of Burgesses hope to make the center of Newtown

more pedestrian-friendly and are proposing the addition of 3,500 feet of

sidewalk within an inner-loop of the borough.

The project is expected to cost around $200,000, and the borough last year

asked the town to fund $125,000 of it through Local Capital Improvement

(LoCIP) funds. LoCIP funds are made up mostly of state sales taxes, so there

is no added cost to the taxpayer.

The new, five-foot wide concrete sidewalks would be built along the southern

part of the eastern side of Main Street, along the northern side of Glover

Avenue, the western side of Queen Street, and then up Church Hill Road on the

northern side. These added sidewalks would connect with existing sidewalks on

the upper part of Main Street.

Developer Joe Kasper's Newtown Shopping Center renovation plans include the

construction of a sidewalk in front of the commercial center. The borough

sidewalk, to be built sometime later, would likely connect with the shopping

center walkway.

"We want to do this right. We're very proud of our Main Street," explained

Borough Warden Joan Crick last year. "The borough has talked about sidewalks

for years."

Last year, the Board of Selectmen recommended the engineering study to ensure

that the estimated figure is at least in the ballpark. There are some

obstacles for the sidewalk to cross, including the bridging of streams and the

steep slope in front of the Shepard residence at the corner of Main Street and

Glover Avenue.

The borough has said it would contribute $15,000 to the cause, with the

remaining $60,000 to be raised through donations from shopping center tenants,

residents and organizations.

Track And Field Teams Compete At Masuk

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Nighthawk Baseball Team Beats Conference Opponents

Late Goal By Ruddy Lifts Nighthawk Lacrosse Team To Victory, Showcases Chemistry In Midfield

Reed Intermediate Presents Sold-Out Performances Of 'Willy Wonka Jr'

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 27-Feb-1998

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