Council Panel Tries To Sort Out Issues Affecting Fairfield Hills Decision

By Steve Bigham

The Legislative Council’s new subcommittee on Fairfield Hills met for the first time Wednesday night at Town Hall South to discuss how in the world Newtown will go about buying the 186-acre campus.

Council Chairman Pierre Rochman formed the committee last week. Its charge: to come up with a process for the council to follow in the development of a master plan for Fairfield Hills should the town decide to buy it. The group is also assigned to help the council determine the kind of development authority it would create to oversee the development of the land.

But with no outline on how to proceed, this week’s meeting came off as more of a brainstorming session than anything else. The group put several ideas up for discussion, hoping that some focus for an actual plan would emerge from the scattershot discussion.

Council member Ruby Johnson wasted little time getting to the heart of the issue. She asserted that most Newtown residents will not agree to buy Fairfield Hills unless they have a “reasonable expectation of cost” and a clear understanding of what the town plans to do with the land and buildings.

Committee Chairperson Melissa Pilchard admits she is still undecided about what to do with Fairfield Hills. Water and waste disposal came to her mind. These are little details, but they are questions that must be answered before going forward, she said.

“At first I was opposed to buying it, then I was absolutely for it. Now I’m concerned about it,” Mrs Pilchard said, admitting there are still too many questions that need to be answered. “When the vote comes to the council, I’m not going to vote for it if I don’t have all the facts – even if they are broad facts.”

That vote could be as early as June, although many council members believe there may not be enough time to prepare for a decision on the issue.

Council member Brian White feared the newly formed committee was getting “bogged down” by too many specifics. He believes the development authority – once put into place – will answer many of the issues at Fairfield Hills.

Mrs Johnson pointed out, however, that the issue of whether or not there will be an authority still has to be decided.

The committee members then diverted the discussion to address the actual purpose of the committee. Doug Brennan used the chalkboard to draw up what he felt was the process that needed to be followed. The end result, he said, was that the council would have a plan to present to the public, who will ultimately get to vote on whether or not to purchase the former state mental health hospital, which lies in the heart of the town. In that plan, according to Mr Brennan, the council will need to spell out estimated costs and redevelopment plans for the site.

Mrs Pilchard admits she doesn’t care if the town generates money from the purchase of Fairfield Hills. She just doesn’t want to lose vast sums of money.

Council member Donald Studley attempted to clear up some confusion about what is in the proposed budget to pay for Fairfield Hills and what still needs to be voted on.

“In the budget, we’ve agreed to pay for one year’s worth of debt service. A second vote will be needed later this year for the bonding,” he explained.

If the bonding package is approved, the town will be faced with more than a mill increase over the next few years. That figure will likely go up as the redevelopment process begins. “Are we willing to sacrifice $3-4 million a year early on?” Mrs Pilchard wondered.

Mr Studley believes it would not be unreasonable for the council to come up with a figure that it thinks the town can afford. He suggested that the town can’t afford to go much higher without significant spikes in the mill rate.

“We could be up to two mills without even doing anything [at Fairfield Hills],” Mr Studley said.

Mrs Johnson replied, “If you’re not careful, you might say we’ll never be able to do this.”

“You can,” Mrs Pilchard said, “but you have to have a plan. I’m worried about the first four to five years when we also know we have all these other things [5/6 school, municipal space needs, etc]. There are lots of subdivisions going up so we’re talking about another school, too.”

The council subcommittee also touched on the proposed commercial park, which was recently proposed by the Fairfield Hills Advisory Committee. Its recommendation calls for 100,000 square feet of commercial space in the center of the massive campus. However, its estimate for the amount of revenue such a corporate park would generate ($1 million per year) seemed low, Mr Studley said.

“They low-balled that figure. That was a very conservative estimate,” noted Mr White, a member of Mr Floros’ advisory committee.

“Maybe it’s cheaper just to level the place,” Mr Studley suggested.

The committee is expected to meet again later this month and plans to bring in experts to answer questions. Mr White suggested Spaulding & Slye of Boston attend to discuss what they might do with the land. The corporate relocation firm made a big impact on town officials this past winter when it presented them with a plan to turn portions of the campus into a revenue-generating park. The presentation convinced skeptics that buying Fairfield Hills might be a viable option for the town.

Mrs Pilchard suggested the council hear from Bruce Becker of Becker & Becker Associates of New Canaan. There are a number of people in town who like his proposal, which called for the creation of a public-private partnership between Mr Becker and the town.

As the night wore on, Mrs Pilchard suggested the meeting be adjourned. “We’re starting to repeat ourselves, so that means we must have gotten someplace,” she said.