Reed Sees A Challenge:

Bringing Fairfield Hills To The Public

By Kendra Bobowick

A web page, a speaker’s bureau, opinion pieces, or possibly a time slot on Channel 17.

All options are aimed at bringing a better comprehension of plans for Fairfield Hills to the public.

As the former superintendent of Newtown Schools, authority member John Reed knows the significance of an open line of communication with the public.

“It’s a priority for us,” he said.

Noting a personal observation from his years with the school system, he said, “You could go to the Commission on the Aging, Parks and Recreation, or any entity in Newtown and ask if they also thought they could improve communication, and I think they would have an enthusiastic yes.” Referring to his time as superintendent, he continued, “I know the need to [reach out to the public] and I wanted to contribute to that dialogue.”

He and authority member Andrew Willie focused on ways to make the authority’s work accessible to residents and presented their thoughts to the full board this month. The general thinking is, “We can do better,” said Mr Reed, who offered the authority several options for improvement.

During the May 15 authority meeting, Mr Reed started with the Internet. He said, “Today, any organization’s web page is a major vehicle for connection and dialogue with the public.” As he thought out loud about ways to reach residents, he further considered a cyber connection, explaining that the current website could be improved. But how?

Taking his thoughts one step further, he said, “Should we have our own web page? We ought to look at the whole ball of wax.” Currently, the authority’s information is what Mr Reed calls an “appendage” of the town web address. “We don’t have the staff” to maintain a new or updated website, he said.

As described in a flyer he had handed to authority members, he and Mr Willie compiled several recommendations for outreach. According to this paperwork, current web postings need a review to determine areas for improvement. An improved site can keep residents informed of opportunities to become more involved with Fairfield Hills. Regarding a website, Mr Reed ran down the list printed on the flyer, starting with reviewing the current web content regarding Fairfield Hills and next determining how this can be improved.

Mr Reed mentioned the possibility of recruiting a high school student to help with web details. The site can then be used to educate the public about opportunities to be part of the campus, according to the flyer. As has been mentioned during authority meetings in the past, Mr Reed again noted the possibility of residents sponsoring benches that will eventually be scattered around the former state hospital grounds.

Other outreach ideas that Mr Reed proposed earlier this month involved forming a speaker’s bureau.

He said, “If you have large gatherings or small gatherings, we’ll be there.” He proposes that residents or organizations can ask an authority member to speak at either large or small gatherings to discuss the authority’s responsibilities and plans.

Offering another suggestions for reaching the public, Mr Reed asked if members should write opinion pieces for this newspaper. Hosting informational forums is also a means of reaching residents, he said.

Lastly, Mr Reed considered television — he pondered whether the authority members should investigate the option of securing airtime on channel 17, which is local programming.