Date: Fri 25-Apr-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Cascella-poll-survey-

Full Text:

Selectman's Poll Shows Concerns About Development And Roads

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

He's not exactly Gallup or Roper, but Newtown's first selectman is polling

random households to get a feel for how residents think their government is

being run.

Recently, First Selectman Bob Cascella's office sent out about 200 surveys to

residents asking their opinion on everything from the effectiveness of

government to the direction they want the town to grow in. The residents were

chosen from the list of registered voters.

The polling was far from scientific, but the answers did indicate, in some

cases, how difficult it can be to satisfy everyone.

A total of 64 responses were mailed back to Edmond Town Hall, and

administrative assistant Carole Ross has been compiling the results.

Mr Cascella wanted to know how residents ranked, in order of importance, the

following issues:

Economic Position - where the town wants to fit in the region.

Development - types and amount of development to reach a preferred balance.

Education - current standards, financial support.

Traffic and Transportation - maintenance of existing and new roads.

Fire and Ambulance Services - quality of service, volunteer vs paid.

Current Services Needs - current town services and structure.

Future Service Needs - determining what the town will need as the population

changes.

Of course, one resident also suggested keeping taxes down as a write-in.

Far and away, residents said development was the area that town government

needed to devote the largest percentage of its time. Next was education, with

economic position, traffic and transportation, fire and ambulance, and current

service needs trailing far behind.

Development

Concerned over the town's rapid residential development, many of those polled

said the town needs to adhere to a plan of development.

"I would like to see development slow down. I realize people have the right to

develop their land as they wish, but the town is being ruined as many other

small towns have learned from their mistakes," said one resident.

While some residents called for more commercial development, others warned

that the town needs to be cautious in the businesses it attracts.

Thirty-eight residents said they believed the town's plan of development

needed to be rewritten; only seven said leave it as is. Most of them said the

current open space policies are enough to protect and preserve the rural

character of the town, and 43 residents said they would support annual budget

appropriations for land acquisitions.

Forty-three of the respondents said `no' to the idea of affordable housing,

while 16 were for the idea. As for attracting professional/office businesses,

45 were in favor, 15 opposed.

Economic Positioning

Fifty of the residents said they wanted the town to remain residential when it

came to its economic position. Eight called for a corporate center, three for

retail, and five for a combination corporate/retail.

"The town needs to actively try to bring industrial and commercial interests

into the community to hold the line on tax increases," said one respondent.

"Our town is rapidly moving away from a charming, residential community to one

that is becoming far too populated. It's hurting our way of life," said

another.

Education

Of the responses, 34 believe the money allocated to education by the town is

sufficient to meet current standards, while 23 said it was not.

"In my heart, I find it difficult to believe that throwing money at a problem

is the best solution," a resident said.

"I believe our school system is weakening and needs additional funding," added

another.

"Hold the line on staff salaries. Divert funds to equipment and programs," one

person suggested.

"More money will not make education better," concluded another.

Traffic and Transportation

Several residents complained about the poor condition of the roads, pointing

to the potholes that have sprung up all over town. About half of them said

they felt more money needed to be spent on road improvements.

"The roads in this town are very poor. The repairs are sometimes just as bad,"

one resident wrote.

"We need to do repairs that last more than six months. Too much is spent on

Band Aids," another taxpayer said.

One person recommended a five-year plan to improve roads with a five-year

freeze on school expenses.

"Anyone visiting our town immediately notices the poor quality of our rural

roads. Many of them are patched up messes. The school system promoters will

always let roads go to pot before cutting a dime from their budget. This has

to change," he said.

Fire and Ambulance

Just about everyone had praise for the service currently provided by the five

volunteer fire departments and the Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps. Most

also said they would prefer to stay with the volunteer service rather than

switching to a paid one. However, some feared that if the current development

trend continues, a paid service might someday be necessary.

Current Needs

As for the services provided by the town, most felt they were adequate and

responsive. However, several said they did not feel the location of town

office buildings was efficient. And, surprisingly, the majority of the

residents polled supported the permanent relocation of town office buildings

at Fairfield Hills. (The state recently offered 22.6 acres of land and two

buildings at Fairfield Hills to the town.)

"Fire, ambulance, police and all town departments should be moved to Fairfield

Hills. Use of the Hills for this should have been negotiated with the state

when it forced the prison on Newtown."

Future Needs

Forty-three residents said the control of growth and development should be the

most important service the town provides in the future, 28 said it should be

education, 20 mentioned public safety, 9 said maintaining public roads and 6

said senior/social services.