Date: Fri 26-Sep-1997

By ANDY GOROSKO

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Congregational-Savings-Bank

Full Text:

Church Membership Approves Sale Of Property To Savings Bank

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

After their Worship Service on Sunday, September 21, members of Newtown

Congregational Church unanimously voted to authorize the sale of church

property at 41 Main Street to Newtown Savings Bank for $550,000.

Also, church members approved transferring about three acres at the rear of

the lot to the Borough of Newtown Land Trust for $1. The three acres will be

preserved as open space land.

Church members authorized their board of trustees to take the actions

necessary to carry out the terms of the land sale and transfer.

Newtown Savings Bank has gained Borough Zoning Commission approval to expand

its bank at 39 Main Street to 41 Main Street. Commission members unanimously

approved the bank's site redevelopment plans intended to expand bank

facilities while preserving the historic character of Main Street.

The bank is scheduled to be in its expanded quarters by late fall 1998. The

bank has a budget of up to $3 million for design and construction.

Demolition of the old parsonage next door to the bank at 41 Main Street is

expected soon.

The bank will consolidate quarters here for its board of directors, accounting

section, and operations unit.

The Conservation Commission has approved wetlands aspects of the bank's

redevelopment plan.

Also, the Borough Zoning Board of Appeals has granted five zoning variances to

Newtown Savings Bank for the project.

Faced with the need for more space and a desire to stay on Main Street, the

bank in 1996 offered to buy the Newtown Congregational Church's property at 41

Main Street for $550,000. The church property includes a 13,980-square-foot

church house, a deteriorated parsonage, and a small house at the rear of the

lot.

Under the redevelopment plan, the bank will acquire the church property, join

the Borough of Newtown Historic District, demolish the decaying 1815 parsonage

and build a replica of the parsonage to house bank offices. The new office

space behind the parsonage facade will be linked to the bank by a new

addition.

The bank plans to lease the three-story church house back to the church for

five years with an option for an additional five years, providing time for the

church to build a new church house on its property on West Street. The old

church house, which was built in 1948, then would be used for bank operations,

but it probably also will contain rental office space and a community room.

Currently, the church house contains a nursery school and the Newtown Youth

Services offices.

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Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 26-Sep-1997

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