To the Editor:

On November 6th, a Yes vote on the state ballot gives us a say before any state-owned open space property in town is sold, swapped, or given away. This is particularly relevant to Newtown because this has already happened here. In 2014, the Connecticut State Legislature, with support from the then First Selectman and Land Use officials, transferred about 34 acres of land slated for town open space without a town meeting or referendum. This was legal, and more than $4 million worth of land was transferred from intended public open space into private hands.

Right now, that developer is asking the Town of Newtown to use the Deep Brook open space (near the dog park) as a conduit to transport construction trucks, fill, and equipment. The current First Selectman and Land Use officials support this use of open space and green-lighted the project by speaking on their behalf. No plans, bridge or road engineering, remediation after using open space, nor erosion and sediment controls were offered to the Conservation Commission. No Inland Wetlands Commission nor Aquifer Protection Agency review is expected. The town’s precedent for protecting open space resources is short-sighted at best.

Residents using the open space will navigate truck traffic, emissions, and noise adjacent the brook for the reportedly four months it will take for this one phase of the developer’s project to be complete.

For Deep Brook’s sake, let’s hope that protective plans, which any other developer would be required to provide, are submitted and put to use. And for our sake, let’s vote this fall to ensure the legislature gives us a say in what happens to open space in the future.

Respectfully submitted,

Ann Astarita

Former Newtown Conservation official, former Chair of the Newtown Conservation Commission

Citizens for Public Commons Inc

P.O. Box 473, Botsford         September 21, 2018