The First Selectman

Says ‘No’

To the Editor:

A year ago, a High School Space Needs committee was appointed with the goal of determining how to deal with the negative effects of its rising student population. “…there was a greater sense of anonymity,” as the number increased, reported the assistant principal in the November 5 Newtown Bee.

Recently, the committee directed School Superintendent Pitkoff to ask the first selectman to allow the construction of a 500-pupil building on the Fairfield Hills (FFH) campus using the land at the corner of Wasserman Way and Mile Hill South. All students would be offered one semester at the new building with appropriate programs to build a sense of security, self worth, and establish a feeling of belonging to the student population. That would have reduced the student population each semester at the present high school to about 1,200, a number consider ideal for this age group.

Newtown High School, located on Route 34, opened in 1969; a large addition was added in 1998. This summer, renovations to the previous shop areas increased school capacity to 1,600, but the current enrollment is 1,622. Projections indicate enrollment will increase to 1,850 or more by 2012. How will the town accommodate more students at Newtown High as the town continues to absorb more families? Is one large high school the best way to serve all students?

Monday night, November 8, the Space Needs Committee abandoned its efforts to address student anonymity after the first selectman denied its request for the unused land. Reportedly, a school building on that site was not compatible with his plan for FFH. Readers will remember the proposed master plan was defeated in August 2003. Now, the selectmen have declared, repeatedly, they will present their own plan to the Planning and Zoning Commission, and the public will have no vote or voice.

The selectman did offer the Kent House site at FFH. To use that site the 238,407-square-foot building would have to be demolished at enormous costs (estimate, $2.5 million) for the town and Board of Education and would require two to three years.

The chairman of the Board of Finance attended the Monday meeting. When asked how much money could be allocated to a new building, he circumspectly answered he didn’t know.

The committee then discussed other options — buy land someplace else, construct a building on the newly renovated playing fields, enclose the patio to increase cafeteria size, enclose a small courtyard, make classrooms out of the swimming pool area, construct a building on stilts over a parking area, do nothing, etc.

Most importantly, the seven men and one token woman, the teacher representative, abandoned the original goal. With only four members of the public present, they felt little pressure to pursue the best interests of the students and the community.

Once again, our leaders are unable to undertake long-range planning. They are unwilling to use Fairfield Hill for immediate and future town needs preferring instead to say “no” to the welfare of future high school students.

Ruby Johnson

16 Chestnut Hill Road, Sandy Hook                   November 10, 2004