He then suggested using the roughly 71 acres of a proposed technology park site, which sits across Wasserman Way and the leased agricultural fields from the favored High Meadow site. The tech park is accessible at the end of Trades Lane where the paved surface deteriorates and a rutted vehicle path travels down toward Deep Brook and a small bridge crosses the water into additional fields. The end of Commerce Road on the other side of the brook also leads to the park.

Evident this week as local boards and commissions gathered, were concerns and uncertainty. Parks and Recreation Commission Chairman Ed Marks finds the military proposal “scary.” He said, “They think Newtown is the spot.” Patrick Barczak noted that the Army had also eyed sites in Middletown, but the conversation among recreation officials found no answers Tuesday night.

Later Tuesday, Fairfield Hills Authority members questioned the first selectman, who had attended. “What information can you give us?” asked Amy Dent.

“The information in [The Bee] was based on my meeting October 30,” Mr Borst said. As Ms Dent waited, the first selectman offered more. “We talked about possibilities.” He said facilities in Danbury, Waterbury, Naugatuck, and elsewhere are closing and newer centralized centers will open. The military is looking at Newtown and Middletown, Mr Borst said.

Vice Chairman Andrew Willie voiced a thought that had circulated in a handful of conversations this week. “I heard they wanted to go where they were welcome.” Also hanging in the air without answers this week was the question of eminent domain. Would the federal government go so far as to take the land from the town?

“No,” said State Representative Julia Wasserman in a separate interview. “They said they wanted the town agreeing and didn’t want to go against a town’s wishes.” During the authority meeting, Mr Borst noted, “They have the right of eminent domain.” Mr Willie asked, “They can take it?”

“They don’t want to resort to that,” Ms Wasserman interjected. Mr Borst followed, “They told me they don’t want to use the eminent domain. They want a community that welcomes them.”

The High Meadow, Or Not

“That parcel, I think, is not going to fly,” said Ms Wasserman. “Is that site a good one are you asking me? I don’t think it will fly.” Certain in her opinions, Ms Wasserman is among many town officials reacting to news that the Army would like to place a reserve training center in a meadow on a hill crest that some have described as the second highest point in Newtown. From the hilltop downward, the meadow — at the end of a popular cul-de-sac where residents park and hike — slopes toward Wasserman Way and covers the hillside between Trades Lane and the end of Nunnawauk Road leading to the prison.

Ms Wasserman offered a distinction, noting the site is one issue, and the type of facility is another. While she welcomed ideas for a military training center in town, the location is a problem. “That’s a special place up there. From the point of view of the public, it is not a good choice.”

The public’s opinion matters regarding the building as well. “Do townspeople want that kind of facility?” she asked.

Before the most recent meeting with the military in late October, Army representatives had met with Ms Wasserman several years ago. “We talked details, but never considered that site,” she said this week. “I recommended other sites and I think they should revisit that.” She said, “They need to spend the time and effort” looking into other possibilities. Twenty-plus acres on the corner of Wasserman Way and Nunnawauk Road is one place Ms Wasserman mentioned.

James Belden is president of both the Candlewood Valley Trout Unlimited chapter and the Pootatuck Watershed Association, and also a Planning and Zoning Commission member, but he said his opinion of the proposal did not represent in an official way any of those groups. He noted that the site “is a sensitive” area, adding that if the government “can be a good neighbor” and propose a responsible and low-impact facility, “I won’t oppose.”

Mr Belden believes a property tax-generating use would be preferable, rather than the one-time purchase proceeds of an estimated $7-plus million for an 18-acre piece of Fairfield Hills. He speculated that with school expansion costs, and a slowed economy in mind, “The town is at a critical juncture. A large sum of money up front could be valuable” — more valuable, he said, than the vague prospects for a technology park, which ideally would bring in business and revenue, but so far does not have any clear blueprints or interested developers or buyers. In his view, a technology park means “spend now and hope for tax revenue in the future.” Why spend the time and money developing the site on the opposite side of Wasserman way at the end of Trades Lane, without interested parties, he said, comparing the park to the military proposal.

Mr Belden thought the idea of placing the training center at the tech park site was “not entirely bad. I wouldn’t say no to that” Again, he specified his caveats: “Develop it how we would want it developed — sensitively.” A knee-jerk response of “no” is the wrong approach to the proposal, he said.

“That is hasty,” said Mr Belden. “We should consider the benefits as well as the costs.” Getting back to his caveats again, he said, “But the federal government is going to have to work with us.” He is prepared to talk with the military. Mr Belden warned, “We need to listen and we need to specify what we would like [in order] to be happy as a host community. What do we require?” If discussions get to the details, he said, “We have to be clear about what we do and don’t like.”

Again noting the critical juncture facing the town with finances, for one, he said, “We have to think about what’s going to happen in coming decades. Where are we at today and how can we best set ourselves up for the future.”

With a closer focus, he looked only at land within and adjoining the town’s 180-plus Fairfield Hills acreage, including the tech park, Garner Correctional Institution, the Governor’s Horse Guard, and the canine facility. “We have to look at what’s happening overall,” he said, specifying technology, agriculture, social, economic, and environmental issues. “Anything you do impacts all of it,” Mr Belden said.

Losing A Town Resource

Favoring the High Meadow’s preservation, Newtown Forest Association President Robert Eckenrode was “taken aback” that the military would consider that spot for their training center. The town’s position also caught him unawares. “I am surprised the town would consider something so extensive,” he said.

The meadow ought to be set aside as open space, or for town needs including a place for a school if another one is needed in the future, he noted, adding that the training center is “extreme.” “It is a large-scale project of no real benefit to town as far as taxes.” The meadow under consideration is one of the town’s highest points, he said. “It is a vista. We should, as a town, think about preserving vistas and habitat.”

Making a distinction similar to Ms Wasserman’s, Mr Eckenrode also separates the facility from its proposed location. “I am supportive of them finding a good home, but that site is not appropriate,” he said. “We have an obligation to preserve it as a natural resource.” As an advocate, he said, “We have a responsibility to maintain rural character.” He also sympathizes with the struggle to first purchase, and now execute redevelopment at the former state hospital. Part of that battle has been to protect the site environmentally. Mr Eckenrode said, “We fought long and hard to maintain integrity of natural resources at Fairfield Hills.”

With a stark image in his head, Mr Eckenrode warned, “I hope people realize how important that property is. That place, lit up at night, would be seen from all over town.” He added, “I am not against it, but I want the right location — some are more appropriate than others.”

Speaking economically, Director of Planning and Community Development Elizabeth Stocker also is wary of the proposal. “It’s a one-time payment and it doesn’t seem to go beyond that,” when compared to a similar building on the town’s books for real estate and property taxes. Also present during the late October meeting with the military, she had asked about economic benefits to the community. The military center would need landscaping and maintenance, she learned, but noted “They would be there anyway, private or government.” The proposal is “not a benefit to the community,” she concluded.

Land Use Agency Director George Benson had also attended the October 30 meeting. This week, he said, “I told them it wouldn’t be a popular idea, and I don’t think it’s what we want for Fairfield Hills.”

Hoping to be fair, he noted, “We can’t say no; we’ll look at it, we would have to change the zoning to sell that property.” The master plan for redevelopment does not include military facilities as the proposed future uses for the site, and also specifies leasing, not selling the property as both Mr Willie and Fairfield Hills Authority Chairman Bob Geckle indicated this week.

“It is inconsistent with the master plan,” Mr Geckle stressed. Mr Belden noted, “The master plan can change.”

Mr Benson points out opposition, however. “There are many obstacles and public opinion is part of it.” He also sees environmental problems. The High Meadow area is over an aquifer, he explained. “Anything in that area is a problem.”

Since the October meeting was “the first” and “preliminary,” Mr Benson said, “They might pursue it, or it will die out completely. We gave our opinions. It’s in their court now.”

Mr Borst had sent the early November reply letter, explaining, “It’s just offering an opportunity to discuss this further if that’s what they want to do.”