When The Newtown Bee posted a question on its Facebook page on September 29, online readers were quick to offer input. We wanted to know “What is one small or big thing that would improve Newtown?”

Readers did not hold back.

There were more than 100 responses to the question. Many responses were detailed and some inspired conversations and banter between commenters.

Responses included improving the “downtown feel of Sandy Hook” by renovating older buildings and attracting more business owners and creating a center of town at the flagpole with coffee shops, art galleries, and restaurants; turning Route 25 into a two-lane narrow expressway; turning the Fairfield Hills grounds into a town center with a pavilion for outdoor concerts along with little shops, cafés, and a playground area; and a weekly outdoor concert series at Fairfield Hills, and adding a playground there similar to the one at Dickinson Memorial Park.

Other suggestions included adding affordable housing; installing a traffic circle at the flagpole; offering family retail, residential, and recreational options at Fairfield Hills; having a bulk waste pickup option; stopping overdevelopment and preserving nature; getting another restaurant into the building where Dere Street Restaurant-Bar was; protecting farmland; hosting a music festival at Fairfield Hills; and lower taxes.

Road improvements and adding sidewalks and bike lanes were named as possible improvements. One poster suggested local police should monitor the crosswalks on Main Street near the flagpole and in front of Edmond Town Hall.

Multiple people said adding a Trader Joe’s store to Newtown would be an improvement.

Some of the most “liked” or “loved” responses are below, not in order:

“Filling building vacancies before building new strip malls.”

“Stop overdevelopment and pandering to New Yorkers. I knew Newtown was done for when they let Toll Brothers in. Nice to have the memories of growing up there in the ’80s, so sad to see what it’s turned in to due to poor planning and zoning.”

“Add a coffee shop in Fairfield Hills.”

“A second choice of cable company.”

“Protect our historic buildings and our farmlands.”

“Bring back the train station.”

“Sidewalks throughout the entire borough to encourage walking, enhance safety for pedestrians, and reduce vehicle traffic.”

“Turn Fairfield Hills into a town center. Pavilion for outdoor concerts, little shops for window browsing and cafés to get lunch and picnic there. Maybe a playground area for the kids. Take note from some of the town greens on the shoreline.”

Follow The Newtown Bee on Facebook and keep an eye open for the next weekly question. Responses may be used in future coverage of the paper.

The question posted on October 7 was, “What thoughts do you have regarding potential housing at Fairfield Hills?” The deadline to be included in coverage for that question is October 14 at noon.