Selectmen Waver On Fairfield Hills Survey

By Jan Howard

The Board of Selectmen has decided to look at the master plan for Fairfield Hills to see what modifications it can make to it before making a decision on whether a survey should be conducted to gauge public sentiment on the plan and possible changes.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said this week that the survey has not been rejected by the selectmen, but would be considered again if they were unable to arrive at changes that they feel would be acceptable to residents.

The master plan for proposed development of the 189-acre Fairfield Hills campus was defeated in an advisory referendum in August by 154 votes, 1,238 to 1,084. Only 15 percent of a total of 14,706 registered voters cast ballots.

During the first meeting of the Board of Selectmen’s new term on December 15, Mr Rosenthal noted that he had heard many comments since the rejection of the plan in August and has gotten a sense of a certain sentiment.

“When people are passionately for or against something, they vote,” he said. There are also a great many people who feel that they have elected officials to make decisions regarding community issues.

Selectmen Bill Brimmer and Joe Bojnowski voiced differing views on the need for a survey.

“Timing was not on our side,” Mr Brimmer said of the August vote on the master plan. “I am against any more polling. We’ve had a lot of input. We need to look at the plan, do some modifications, and move forward.”

Mr Bojnowski agreed that the board had been elected to make decisions. However, he said the poll would be helpful in that it would be professional and unbiased.

“It would give a clear indication of what the majority of people feel is the right thing at Fairfield Hills,” he said. “A professional poll would clear away the noise of special interests. Twelve thousand dollars is a fair price for a clear indication of what Newtowners feel.”

Mr Rosenthal said he was “on the fence” about a survey, noting that for several months he felt the survey was the way to go. “I can see both points of view. I think UConn could do an effective job.” However, he noted, “It is more complex than other things they have surveyed. No matter what we do, people will disagree with it. I don’t think it would be an end to the critics on either side.”

At this point in the discussion, Mr Bojnowski said, “I could be comfortable with not doing the survey. In the end, to dig into the master plan takes a lot of work. Some people polled may have no knowledge of it.”

“Fairfield Hills is a plan in action for many years,” Mr Brimmer said. “What we suggest will be looked at, discussed, and tweaked for a long time. It’s time to move forward; 2004 could be the Fairfield Hills year.”

The selectmen agreed to begin discussion of the master plan at their January 5 meeting.

Mr Rosenthal noted that there were just a few issues in the plan that had generated some disagreement. He noted the general framework of the plan had not changed since the beginning in that, “It has always included a mix of uses.”

The selectmen have been considering a survey by the University of Connecticut Center for Survey Research and Analysis since the rejection of the master plan in August.

Roads And Parks

In other business, the selectmen heard reports from Public Works Director Fred Hurley and Parks and Recreation Director Barbara Kasbarian.

Mr Hurley discussed the state of town roads in regard to crack sealing, drainage, overlay/paving, and reconstruction. He said most of the work has been completed except for paving of Buttonball Drive and a bridge on Elm Drive that is to be completed in the spring. Replacement of a bridge on Huntingtown Road is currently in progress.

He said there are 30 bridges that need to be replaced over the next ten years. “They are not dangerous,” he said, but either too narrow or unable to meet current highway standards.

Maintenance of the roads would be ongoing while bridges are being fixed, he said. If this is not done, he said, the roads would deteriorate.

Mr Bojnowski said he has had good comments from residents who are appreciative of the work being done on the roads.

The Capital Improvement Plan includes $2 million a year for the next five years to keep the town’s roads at quality standards.

Mr Rosenthal said the town’s goal is to resurface 20 miles of road each year. The town, however, has been cut three quarters of a million dollars in the last two years between town and state budget reductions.

Ms Kasbarian provided an overview of completed projects at Treadwell and Dickinson parks, renovations and repairs to playing fields, and future projects.

“Over the last year we have accomplished an awful lot of work at the parks level,” she said. “One of our goals is renovation and beautification of the parks.”

She said a major concern is the Dickinson Pond, which was paved over 30 years ago, and reconstruction is needed. “We’re looking at major repairs there,” Ms Kasbarian said.

She said she is seeking funding for a feasibility study of pond renovations versus a controlled pool. She noted that because the area is on a flood plain, however, only renovation of the existing pond might be possible. Without the needed renovations, Ms Kasbarian said, the pond would have to be shut down within two years.

She said another of the department’s goals is to make sure that drainage and irrigation systems are installed on playing fields and that they are brought up to quality.

“Taylor Field is in deplorable condition,” she said, noting that the town needs practice and game fields. She said the football field is overused, and drainage repairs are needed for the softball field.

In regard to a skateboard park, Ms Kasbarian said there are grants that could help with funding. She noted there is also the possibility of using the old tennis court at Fairfield Hills, adding, however,  “There is a lot of research to do.” She said $4,000 has been raised toward the skateboard park. The cost of a state-of-the-art park has been estimated between $100,000 and $150,000.

Ms Kasbarian said the department’s number one need is a maintenance facility. “There is not enough room in our current facility,” she said.

Mr Rosenthal said using the laundry building at Fairfield Hills is being considered, and there is $200,000 in the capital budget for renovations.

Ms Kasbarian said the $200,000 is necessary to make the former laundry building livable for the crew and machinery.

The facility would be shared with the school system. “The building is large enough for coexisting uses,” Mr Rosenthal noted.

Other future projects include replacement of a footbridge at Orchard Hill Nature Center. Ms Kasbarian said funding is in place, and she is awaiting engineered drawings for approval by land use commissions.

Future proposed projects include field construction and a recreation/community center at Fairfield Hills. “We need a center for programs so we don’t have to rely on the schools,” she said. A needs assessment survey is to be done to give the department direction from the public, she noted, and money is encumbered for that.

Appointments

The Board of Selectmen also made the following appointments: Town agent, Joseph Bojnowski; and clerk, Jan Andras. Town attorneys are: David Grogins of Cohen and Wolf, PC; Robert Fuller, land use; Paul Pollack, Zoning Board of Appeals; Robinson & Cole, LLP, bond counsel; and Fred Dorsey of Siegel, O’Connor, Zangari, O’Donnell & Beck, labor.

New appointees to boards and commissions are: Gary Fafard, Lake Lillinonah Authority; Kathleen Chrystie, Economic Development Commission; Robert Mulholland, Public Building & Site Commission; Barbara Bloom, Pension Committee; Michael Leonard, Public Safety Committee; and Frank Catalano, Charter Communications Advisory Committee.

The selectmen also made the following reappointments: Leonore Niedzielski and Glenna Rees, Commission on Aging; Eugene Rosen, Charter Communications Advisory Committee; Donald Collier, Jane Nickerson, and Robert Sibley, Conservation Commission; Lynn McGrath, Board of Ethics; Michael McCarthy, Lake Lillinonah Authority; Anthony D’Angelo and Bruce Kerns, Lake Zoar Authority; Carlen Gaines, Lawrence Haskel, and Jack Ryan, Parks and Recreation; Mark Korotash, Francis Krasowski, Thomas Murtha, Steven Shaffer, and Dunham Smith, Pension Committee; Police Chief Michael Kehoe, Dominick Posca, Kevin Cragin, H. Joy Previdi, Michael Kelley, and Cheryl Wicks, Public Safety Committee.

Also, Andrew Buzzi, Robert Connor, Jr, Frank DeLucia, James Stiewing, and Carl Swanhall, constables; Daniel Honan, HART Committee; Tom Paternoster, ADA coordinator; and Denise Hames, assessor.