Fairfield Hills As Central Park

To the Editor,

“We need a town center where families can go to walk around and enjoy.” “Hiking trails!” “No housing!” “Definitely purchase!” These are just a few of the comments written on the Fairfield Hills survey that appeared in The Bee earlier this year.

We have been working hard to come up with a viable plan; one that meets our recreational and economic needs now and for the future. We are committed to saving this beautiful property for Newtown residents to enjoy for years to come. We believe this can be accomplished with a small increase in taxes.

A statement of our goals and our financial plan is being mailed to our many supporters. If any citizen who is not on our mailing list would like to receive a copy, please call one of the phone numbers listed below.

We have found that when people talk about economic development and broadening the tax base, they are only telling part of the story. Our investigation shows that large corporate development does not bring a reduction in taxes – just the opposite. It draws more residents who in turn demand more infrastructure and services. Newtown already has areas designated for economic/corporate development, and we applaud that. We do not feel that Fairfield Hills should fall into this designation.

The Newtown community would benefit most if the majority of the Fairfield Hills property were used for a central park including much needed playing fields, while allowing some buildings to be used for municipal offices, small businesses, service industry, and professional offices. We also recommend land banking a portion of the property for future educational needs.

What can you do? We hope you will read our material carefully, feel free to comment, and make suggestions either by phone, e-mail, or letter. The selectmen have invited all residents to a meeting on Monday, June 26, in the high school lecture room at 7 pm to hear opinions concerning Fairfield Hills; we urge you to attend

Thank you for your interest in our wonderful town.

Sincerely,

Mary Ann Currie

Save Fairfield Hills for Newtown

10 Mountain Laurel, Sandy Hook          June 19, 2000