Management Firm To Give Up Fairfield Hills Job

By Jan Howard

After February 29, Tunxis Management will no longer be performing property management services for the campus at Fairfield Hills as agent for the Connecticut Department of Public Works (DPW).

In his letter to First Selectman Herb Rosenthal, Tunxis Management Company Vice President David J. Bell wrote, “I understand that Fairfield Hills may be sold to the Town of Newtown in the near future, and I would like to help DPW with this transition should it take place before our exit.

“Our intention is to fulfill our obligation to the very end of our contract and exit this property on good terms with both DPW and the Town of Newtown,” he wrote.

“This has thrown the DPW into a tizzy,” First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said during a Board of Selectmen’s meeting Tuesday, noting the department is “scrambling” for a solution.

At present, Mr Rosenthal said, the town is a tenant and it is up to the state to decide what to do about management of the property. He said this was of concern because the town and state may not finalize the sale of the property by February 29 [see related story].

Mr Rosenthal said Tunxis has been providing management services for the state on a month-to-month basis.

State Rep Julia Wasserman (R-106) said this week that the DPW would provide a replacement for Tunxis for management of the property.

Ann Ficeto, managing attorney for the DPW, said this week that DPW employees might take over management of the campus in case the town and state have not finalized the sale of the property prior to the Tunxis departure.

According to Ms Ficeto, the Tunxis pullout has to do with money the company says it is owed by the state.

“There was a contract in place,” Ms Ficeto said, “but they went through all the money.”

She said Tunxis has billed the state for an additional $439,821.54, which if paid would be considered an addendum to the contract, which by order of state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal requires contractors to sign sworn affidavits declaring any gifts they and their employees have given to state officials for ten years before signing their state contracts.

Tunxis Management, a Tomasso Group company, recently gave up a major contract on a Norwich property rather than sign an affidavit. The Tomasso Group, one of the state contractors that provided gifts or favors to Gov John G. Rowland, is being investigated by a federal grand jury.

A proposed law currently under review by the government administration and elections committee would require contractors to sign sworn affidavits regarding gifts they have made.

 Mr Rosenthal said the town is currently considering how the town would manage the campus for maintenance and security once it takes ownership.

Mr Rosenthal said Connecticut Water currently manages the water system at the campus. The town’s Water Pollution Control Authority is currently working out details of a contract with a water company to manage water and sewer issues once the town owns the property.