As 2025 winds down and we gear up for 2026, The Newtown Bee as always takes time to review its biggest stories of the year with its Year In Review series in its last issue each year. For the town government of Newtown, this year saw a number of big changes and events, including a change of first selectman at the end of the year.

Castle Hill Road Development

In February, the Borough Zoning Commission approved, with seven stipulations, an application for a cluster subdivision at 20-60 Castle Hill Road at a contentious meeting on February 19. This approval set the road for a long year of appeals as both the developer and a opposing resident group filed to appeal the decision.

In February, the commission voted 4-1 to approve the application, with members Douglas Nelson, David Francis, Richard Davis, and Douglas McDonald voting for, and Claudia Mitchell voting against.

The application was asking for the approval of a 117 home cluster subdivision on 20 Castle Hill Road, while leaving 60 Castle Hill Road, including Reservoir Road, which is part of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route, often locally referred to as the Rochambeau Trail, as part of a proposed open space easement representing roughly 85 acres of the total 132 acres.

The stipulations were:

Area and building lighting shall not exceed LED 3000K, shall conform to the standards set forth in Zoning Regulation 7.10, and similarly be consistent with the Zoning Regulations’ dark sky initiatives.

Thirty feet of land, adjacent to the development’s stone wall, shall include “additional dense vegetation,” as specified by the State Historic Preservation Office. If this area of vegetation cannot be fully accommodated, the applicant shall inform the Newtown Borough Zoning Commission on alternate measures that shall be taken “to avoid or minimize” the project’s indirect effects on the historic site in accordance with the Zoning Regulations’ intention to protect vistas of historic value, Zoning Regulations 4.04.2.

Additional landscaping within the 200 foot front setback area shall be added to limit visibility of the buildings from Mt Pleasant Road.

Additional landscaping within the 100 foot side setback shall be added along Castle Hill Road in the areas of Pumpkin Lane, Cornfield Ridge Road, and Old Castle Drive to limit visibility of the buildings from Castle Hill Road.

A Conservation Easement shall be provided in favor of the Borough of Newtown to conserve the parcels located at 20 and 60 Castle Hill Road and identified in the 20 and 60 Castle Hill Road Site Development and Special Exception applications. Such Conservation Easement shall provide access to the public, for pedestrian use only, for the existing trail along the lake side of the property (and other existing trails). This Conservation Easement is intended to promote the health and general welfare of residents of the Borough of Newtown and shall be granted prior to applying for any permits or commencing any site work on the property.

After the completion of 50% of the proposed units, a status review shall be conducted to evaluate the progress of the development, traffic flow entering and departing the development, and expanding the use of the secondary accessway intended for use by emergency vehicles only.

The number of dwelling units identified in the 20 and 60 Castle Hill Site Development and Special Exception applications shall be reduced by 18 dwelling units to a maximum of 99 units by eliminating units 55 through 70 from the applications. The additional open space produced from reducing the number of dwelling units shall be included in the open space identified in the 20 and 60 Castle Hill Site Development and Special Exception applications.

The developer appealed the reduction in homes, while the residents group appealed the approval itself. Both appeals are still in court.

Stone Bridge Named Scenic Road, Sets Off Appeals

Following a public hearing on February 19, the Legislative Council approved an application to name Stone Bridge a scenic road.

The council approved the application on a 9-2 vote, with Democrat Laura Miller and Republican John Zachos voting against.

Resident Aliya Hafiz, who submitted the application, noted that the section to be designated as scenic constitutes 60% of the total road, double the 30% threshold. She noted that the road was calculated as 2,383 feet up to the Iroquois gas pipeline, but the town only maintains 1,574 of the road.

Developer Mike D’Amato disagreed with that assessment, saying he owns 1,800 square feet of frontage along Stone Bridge Trail. D’Amato is looking to build seven homes on his property at 3 Stone Bridge Trail, of which other road residents have expressed concerns, particularly around blasting of ledge near the gas pipeline. D’Amato agreed to pave up to the driveway to his subdivision as part of the conditions of approval. The section to be designated scenic is the area that will not be paved.

D’Amato also asked the town to enforce its ordinance requiring the applicant to have a driveway on the proposed scenic road.

A letter from Town Historian Ben Cruson believes the road may have been built in the 1750s and is on the town’s first known map, made in 1854. The area’s preserved stone walls from the practice of plow stones to the edges of property to mark borders and keep in animals “affirm the early farming practices of the area inhabitants.

“Stone Bridge Trail is a good example of what many roads in Newtown looked like 200 years ago,” stated Cruson. “It is one of the last surviving artifacts of Newtown’s rural backbone that grew our town to its current standing. A marvel that the road remains highly functional in its relatively unaltered state, and fortuitous that an active horse farm visible from the road harkens back to the farming origins.”

Following the approval of the road, the developer appealed. The case is still in court and was most recently granted a continuance.

Rail Trail Approved For Rail Crossing

With approval by the State Department of Transportation (DOT), the Newtown Rail Trail has cleared a major hurdle, according to Greg Carnrick, who has been shepherding the project along with State Representative Mitch Bolinsky. The two presented the information to the Board of Selectmen at its September 15 meeting.

The Rail Trail project has been in the works since the 1990s, according to Carnrick. The State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) has previously approved a crossing by the trail of the railroad, and now DOT has approved the crossing as well. This will permit the trail to cross the Housatonic Railroad property, as well as the railroad itself. Carnrick stated he had been waiting for the approval for nine months.

“This was the bottleneck,” said Carnrick.

Carnrick said there may need to be some permitting by the Town of Newtown, possibly Inland Wetlands, but Carnrick said Land Use Director Rob Sibley has been “very supportive.”

Carnrick estimated that the work needed to support the trail would cost approximately $200,000, and would include a guardrail, new fencing, signage, a mile of dirt to lay on the trail, and removal of the railroad track. He would be looking to solicit funding from donors, and has a local business that has stated it will match donations up to $50,000. Carnrick said at one time the hope was to get grants, but he said Monroe has been waiting more than seven years to receive state grants for their trail, and a new round of funding was “never released this year.”

Bolinsky said the approvals and the $200,000 would mark a starting point.

“This is a very exciting project that has been noodled for many years,” said Bolinsky. “The state is also very excited, particularly DEEP. DOT is looking to facilitate it.”

While the trail project has hit a snag in that needed legislation is moved to 2026, Bolinsky said that getting things going and “putting a shovel in” will make the project “real,” and start the donation and grant process.

Bolinsky said he hoped the project would also attract DEEP interest towards remediation of the Batchelder property, a now town-owned property that the trail crosses through but that has contamination on site. Bolinsky said that most of the contamination is capped in the old building, but it is dangerous.

“There’s an eight foot fence and barbed wire there for a reason,” Bolinsky said.

The plan to extend the regional Rail Trail network into Newtown will give residents local access to a recreational resource cherished by walkers, cyclists, and outdoor enthusiasts in neighboring towns. The existing trail network offers scenic routes that wind through forests, alongside rivers, and past historic landmarks along the former Housatonic Railroad line.

Earlier this year, Carnrick initiated discussions with Newtown Parks and Recreation Director Amy Mangold about enhancing the existing trail off Swamp Road, aiming to spark public interest in the broader vision of connecting the trail to Fairfield Hills. Despite receiving positive feedback, a clear path forward remained uncertain due to various challenges involved.

Following months of research and with assistance from Brautigam Land Surveyors, a multi-phase proposal was crafted to allow the trail extension to bypass the Batchelder site until environmental remediation could be completed. Moving forward required approval from both Housatonic Railroad Company and the Connecticut General Assembly, however.

Speaking Of Railroads, Culvert Moves Forward

The Town of Newtown has reached an important milestone in the long-awaited Pootatuck River restoration effort. Housatonic Railroad Company has agreed to an understanding in principle on a plan to clean up the Pootatuck River following a culvert collapse that occurred during flooding in August 2024.

The culvert collapse blocked access to a wellfield owned by Aquarion Water Company, which has caused Aquarion to place bans on outdoor water use, even after the town made available additional water from the Fairfield Hills Campus.

The cleanup has been delayed over 15 months while various parties, including the Town of Newtown, Aquarion, Pootatuck Railroad Company, and National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) negotiated an agreement.

While the town had a plan for the cleanup through NRCS, with an associated cost of roughly $450,000, then-First Selectman Jeff Capeci said the hold up on the agreement was Pootatuck Railroad disagreeing with the part of the plan that would have them truck removed soil from the riverbed out of town, and then truck it back into town later. The agreement came after the town agreed to store the soil locally at locations such as the Transfer Station, Highway Department headquarters, and Aquarion property in town.

This will save roughly $225,000 in costs, Capeci estimated.

“The soil is easy to excavate, but it’s a very large volume that would need to be moved,” said Capeci, who noted that the agreement being settled was “all good news.”

This allows the parties to move forward with the NRCS restoration plan.

“To a large extent due to the persistent hard work of the first selectman and other town officials, Housatonic Railroad believes that agreement in principle was reached on a plan for the first phase of reconstruction work which will restore the riverbed and water flow in the near term without jeopardizing or increasing the cost of full restoration of the washout and resuming freight rail service, which will take more time,” said Ed Rodriguez, executive vice president & general counsel, Housatonic Railroad Company.

Also under the agreement, the width of the stream channel will be increased from 25 feet to 30 feet; and the proposed access road outlined in the plan will be constructed and rail removed as indicated in the project budget.

“These requests are reasonable, and this is a big win for the Town of Newtown because it gets the Town on track to get the Pootatuck River flowing again and dramatically reduces the risk of flooding,” said Capeci. “Our residents and businesses alike can live without the fear of losing their most valuable possessions or their ability to operate. While this is still an early stage and work remains to be done, all parties now have a framework to finally solve this problem and get the Aquarion water wells pumping again.”

Aquarion Water Company relies on the Town-owned Fairfield Hills Water System to provide supplemental water in the event of an extreme drought or large fire. Moving forward with the NRCS plan will improve both flood resilience and local water security for the Newtown community. The project is expected to go out to bid this fall, with work to begin in the spring and be completed by the end of June.

Democrats Win Big At Election

The Democrats had a clean sweep of most of the elected boards on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4.

Democrat Bruce Walczak beat out incumbent Republican Jeff Capeci for first selectman, 5,183 to 4,110. Capeci will have a seat on the Board of Selectmen alongside Democrat Paul Lundquist, who drew 5,093 votes. Republican Charlie Gardner received 4,065 votes.

Walczak commended the entire Democratic Town Committee and other candidates for their hard work and said the team was “running on all cylinders” towards their success.

Saying he felt “numb” after realizing he had won, Walczak said that in his career he has had “lots of new assignments.”

“I guess I’ll approach this the same,” said Walczak.

Capeci took a minute to talk with The Newtown Bee after it was clear he had lost the race for first selectman. Capeci said, “We campaigned hard, and I just don’t think it was in the books for us. It’s a Democrat state ... Things that are going on in Washington, I think people voted based on party affiliation and not necessarily my record, and that’s disappointing to me.”

When asked about how he believed the past two years went for him, he said, “I thought they went well, and I hope I put the town in a better place than it was when I got it, and I wish Bruce very well in running the town the next two years.”

Capeci still has a seat on the Board of Selectmen, and he hopes to “do what [he] always [does], advocate for [his] constituents.” He wants to fight for lower taxes and development that is “in keeping with our beautiful town.

“Obviously, I’m disappointed, but the voters have spoken, and I honor that, and I thank all of the voters who voted for me and Charlie, and I look forward to working on behalf of the town as a volunteer going forward. I will still be the voice for those who voted for me, and I thank them so much,” Capeci said.

A surprise upset was Democratic challenger Renee Weimann beating out longtime Republican Town Clerk Debbie Aurelia Halstead, 4,878 to 4,396.

Halstead had served in the position of Town Clerk for 18 years since she was appointed by former First Selectman Herb Rosenthal in August 2007 to replace retiring Town Clerk Cindy Curtis. Halstead had been assistant town clerk prior to that, since 2005.

The Board of Finance moved from a 3-3 tied board to a 4-2 Democratic majority board.

All four Board of Education members seeking seats received them, but Democrats retained a majority.

The Legislative Council moved from a 7-5 Democratic majority to a 9-3 Democratic supermajority.

Rock This Democracy/No Kings Rallies

Rock This Democracy conducted six rallies during spring, summer, and fall in 2025, protesting the actions of the federal government while celebrating democracy.

The group’s first event was held in Edmond Town Hall on February 22, when hundreds of Newtown residents and those from the surrounding area packed into the building’s gymnasium for an event blending music, art, and discussion. The second was in April 17, and additional rallies were conducted on May 5, June 14, July 17, and October 18. The last rally gathered 1,000 residents, and as part of the No Kings protests, over seven million Americans joined 2,700+ events in all 50 states, according to the No Kings website, though some conservative leaning media sources disputed those numbers.

Alex Villamil, in June, having seen increasing attendance at the organization’s events, said Rock This Democracy has exceeded his expectations. He said there is a definite need as they thought there was back in January, when they first started planning events, but that need has “really just compounded itself the past few months.”

“It’s just every single time we have a rally, more and more people show up,” Villamil said. “There’s a definite need for people to express themselves and that’s pretty evident.”

Villamil said the police department gave them a phone number to contact people to hire for safety, which they have done before. However, the more rallies they had, the more Villamil said they realized their events were peaceful enough to require a decreasing police presence.

A vast majority of Rock This Democracy’s events have been held on Main Street, particularly around the Main Street Flagpole. Balancing safety with the business of this area is incredibly important to them.

Matt Crebbin said they want to hold rallies there because the Main Street Flagpole is an iconic symbol of Newtown, and from their perspective, it does not make sense to find a place out of the way for hundreds of people to rally.

“Part of the movement we’re talking about is that citizens are speaking out and exercising their free speech in the public square for others to see,” Crebbin said.

However, he added that they still must consider safety, especially for that area. To that end, they have worked through communicating with people before and during rallies to maintain safety guidelines provided by the police and to stay away from the streets.

Villamil said they continued to make police aware of the rallies even as they needed less of a police presence, and that they appreciate the support the police have given them.

To the issue of safety and the presence of large amounts of people around Main Street businesses, the Legislative Council briefly considered an assembly ordinance, but a motion to send it to the ordinance subcommittee for further review was voted down, 9-2, with one abstaining.

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Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.