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Newtown Police Chief Responds To Local Data In ACLU Report

By John Voket

Published: Feb 01, 2017 12:00 AM

Newtown Police Chief James Viadero wasted no time nor was he evasive whenÃÂ responding to The Newtown Bee regardingÃÂ details about his department appearing in a new Connecticut ACLU repor...

Closings, Cancellations And Postponements

By Shannon Hicks

Published: Jan 31, 2017 12:00 AM

With snow falling across the region, and the National Weather Service saying the precipitation to continue until well past sunset, local boards, commissions, and groups are finding the need to change ...

Early Dismissal For Newtown Public Schools Tuesday

Published: Jan 31, 2017 12:00 AM

Newtown Public Schools will have an early dismissal on Tuesday, January 31, due to anticipated weather. All afternoon and evening student activities, including athletics, are canceled.

Early Dismissal For Newtown Public Schools Tuesday

Published: Jan 31, 2017 12:00 AM

Newtown Public Schools will have an early dismissal on Tuesday, January 31, due to anticipated weather. All afternoon and evening student activities, including athletics, are canceled.

Closings, Cancellations And Postponements

By Shannon Hicks

Published: Jan 31, 2017 12:00 AM

Police: Witnesses Saw Vehicles Racing Before Three-Car Crash

By John Voket

Published: Jan 28, 2017 12:00 AM

Updated at 6 pm January 28. * * * * * Botsford Fire Rescue Chief Wayne Ciaccia has seen many horrific traffic crashes, but as he approached the scene of a multi-vehicle wreck on Huntingtown Road ...

Police: Witnesses Saw Vehicles Racing Before Three-Car Crash

By John Voket

Published: Jan 28, 2017 12:00 AM

Updated at 6 pm January 28. * * * * * Botsford Fire Rescue Chief Wayne Ciaccia has seen many horrific traffic crashes, but as he approached the scene of a multi-vehicle wreck on Huntingtown Road ...

Yuks Produce Big Bucks: NEF Comedy Show A Hilarious Success

By John Voket

Published: Jan 28, 2017 12:00 AM

A VIP reception featuring tasty inventions from a celebrity chef followed by a nearly sold-out and an uproarious stand-up comedy show may end up becoming an annual signature fundraiser for Newtown Edu...

Yuks Produce Big Bucks: NEF Comedy Show A Hilarious Success

By John Voket

Published: Jan 28, 2017 12:00 AM

Einhorn, Llodra Honored For Supporting NMS Health Center

By John Voket

Published: Jan 27, 2017 12:00 AM

The Connecticut Institute For Communities, Inc (CIFC), represented by President and CEO James H. Maloney, JD, and Melanie Bonjour, program manager for Ã¯Â¬Âve school-based health centers, presen...

‘Timeless Newtown’ Series Updated With ‘Ageism Unmasked’ Book Talks

Longest Day Fundraiser Continues Raising Funds For Alzheimer’s Research

Borough Continued Traffic Safety Discussion, New Cultural District

‘The Isle of Skoo’ Premieres New Assembly Show

PD Open House Planned

Thank you for pointing out the trail access provisions included in the BOS motion—it’s an important clarification that deserves more attention in this conversation. If the development is, in fact, required to provide permanent free public access and commit to ongoing maintenance of this section of the Rochambeau Trail, that is a remarkably beneficial outcome for the town. oIt’s not every day that a private project shoulders the long-term burden of preserving and caring for a public historical corridor at no taxpayer cost—especially one that previously had no formal access, upkeep, or visibility. Let’s be honest: the idea that the only way to protect history is by preventing any development nearby is a rigid and unworkable standard. What’s being proposed here appears to strike a rare balance—historic preservation, public access, and smart development all rolled into one. That’s not a loss its a win. So rather than allowing a handful of voices to derail progress under the banner of “historic purity,” maybe it’s time to acknowledge the reality: this trail is better off with structured stewardship and visibility than remaining an overgrown ghost on old maps. Let’s move forward. Bring in the easement, bring in the public access—and yes, bring in the bulldozers!!! Progress and preservation can coexist. Let’s not let the NIMBY use fear or nostalgia keep us stuck in the past.

Discusses Rochambeau Trail And 6 Commerce Road

I've heard that several people are under the impression that the public might be banned from the Rochambeau Trail. Points 2 and 3 from the BOS motion (included in full below) make it clear that public access to the trail is part of the requirements for the developer. From what I understand, it requires free public access to the trail in perpetuity. Technically, this could be argued to be a "payment-in-kind," that attempts to balance public good with overall town growth. We can argue about weather that balance is acceptable and how the trail may be affected, but with the understanding that the trail is expected to be maintained as a publicly accessible trail regardless. July 15, 2024 Board of Selectmen approved motion: Discontinuance of Reservoir Road: Selectman Cruson moved the resolution: Resolved, that the Newtown Board of Selectmen, in accordance with Section 2-115(d)(8) of the Town Charter and Conn. Gen. Stat. §13a-49, and subject to the conditions set forth below, hereby discontinues an unimproved portion of Reservoir Road described as “Portion of Reservoir Road to be Discontinued “on that certain survey map which will be recorded on the Newtown Land Records titled “Map Showing Portion of Reservoir Road to be Discontinued” dated August, 2023 and revised September 15, 2023, and certified substantially correct by Gregory Szyszowski of SLR (the “Survey Map”), said discontinuance contingent and effective only upon the completion of the following: 1. The approval of an application for the development of land in the manner described in a letter from Attorney Thomas W. Beecher to First Selectman A. Jeffrey Capeci and Members of the Board of Selectmen dated May 30, 2024, pursuant to the “Residential Open Space Development” regulations of the Borough of Newtown by the Borough of Newtown Zoning Commission, and construction of that approval project within the timeframes required for special exception approval; 2. The inclusion of the discontinued portion of the road as part of the final Declaration of Conservation Restriction; 3. The conveyance of a mutually agreeable public easement to the Town of Newtown for pedestrian, bicycling, equestrian, and all other passive recreational uses (to exclude the use of motorized vehicles except as may be necessary by the Town or its designee to effectuate the purpose of the easement), and for municipal utility purposes; Be it further resolved, that Castle Hill Real Estate Holdings, LLC., its successors and assigns, shall not use any portion of the discontinued road as a vehicular road or access way to and from any developed portions of the property. Be it further finally resolved, that should any of the foregoing contingencies not occur, then the discontinuance contemplated herein shall not become effective and this resolution will become null and void. From: https://www.newtown-ct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif12216/f/minutes/bos_7-15-24_min-_att_final.pdf

Is this paper road (roads that only exist on paper map but not in reality) even owned by the Town? Many roads that predate the Town's road standards are privately owned and were never accepted by the Town, such as many of the nonconforming roads around the lake communities where the property owners own right to the center line. That is something we had to deal with when working on the Roads Ordinance a few years back. We also had to deal with a private road to run the utilities to the new SHS.

For anyone who wants to know, I cant post a link here, but Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority has an entire website. Look up "HRRA whats in whats out"

I Get It!

It’s important to clarify that while public process matters, so does the right of a property owner to reasonably develop land they legally own—especially when they follow the rules and engage with the town in good faith. The Board of Selectmen (BOS), whether one agrees with their decision or not, did not “give away” anything. The land in question was part of a road that had been unused and undeveloped for generations. There was no public access, no signage, and no infrastructure—just an overgrown path most residents never knew existed. Mr. Ackert calls the discontinuance “illegal,” but state law grants municipalities the authority to discontinue roads, subject to procedural requirements. The fact that this matter is in litigation shows that questions of law are being properly addressed in court—not in letters to the editor. If the court finds procedural flaws, they’ll be corrected. That’s how the legal system works. Real solutions are found through public process and the courts, not through social media outrage. What’s missing from this conversation is a recognition that towns need to balance many interests: history, environment, public access, private property rights, and economic development. And while the newly championed Revolutionary War heritage is important, there are also pressing modern realities: towns need housing, economic vitality, and responsible development. These things don’t happen in a vacuum—they require compromise, planning, and often, yes, change. If residents truly wish to preserve this trail as public space, the appropriate path is through purchase, conservation easement, or formal designation—not by expecting private landowners to bear the burden of public sentiment. If the writer believes so strongly in its value, perhaps they might consider investing in its preservation themselves. We can honor our history without freezing our town in time. Development and preservation aren’t mutually exclusive—but vilifying one side of the conversation only deepens division. Let’s focus on solutions that balance respect for the past with the rights and needs of those who live here now.

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Newtown Police Chief Responds To Local Data In ACLU Report

Closings, Cancellations And Postponements

Early Dismissal For Newtown Public Schools Tuesday

Early Dismissal For Newtown Public Schools Tuesday

Closings, Cancellations And Postponements

Police: Witnesses Saw Vehicles Racing Before Three-Car Crash

Police: Witnesses Saw Vehicles Racing Before Three-Car Crash

Yuks Produce Big Bucks: NEF Comedy Show A Hilarious Success

Yuks Produce Big Bucks: NEF Comedy Show A Hilarious Success

Einhorn, Llodra Honored For Supporting NMS Health Center