The Fairfield Hills Master Plan Review Committee held a meeting on Monday, August 23, 2010 at the Newtown Municipal Center, Newtown, Connecticut. Mr. Floros called the meeting to order at 7:10 pm.
Present: Michael Floros, Dennis Kyle, Robert Maurer, Michael Mossbarger, Nancy Roznicki, Deborra Zukowski, and Stephen Zvon; Absent: Paul Lundquist, Ben Roberts, Alan Shepard, and Gary Steele.
Public Participation: Andrew Willie, Co-Chair of the Fairfield Hills Authority was present to answer questions reflected within an article in. John Reed, Chair of the Authority, was also present. Mr. Willie said the cost to renovate most of the buildings are prohibited and that engineers have done studies to determine which buildings should be demolished. He said Cochran House is the worst building for contamination (asbestos and lead paint) and that engineers determined the metal support beams were rusting. Two of the duplex homes have been cleaned up, one is slated to be used by Kevin’s Community Center. He said incentive housing is not in the current Master Plan and it would have to go before Planning & Zoning to allow it. He agrees that public input is
important, but that facts must be gathered first. He also said there is no money left in the budget for demolition.
Mr. Mossbarger asked for clarification about the demolition funding. Mr. Reed stated that there’s no money authorized for further demolition. Ms. Zukowski asked about the demolition of Danbury Hall. Mr. Reed discussed the CIP as it relates to the demolition of buildings and the plans for underground electrical. Mr. Willie said there will be a meeting of the Fairfield Hills Authority on September 15th and encouraged members of the committee to attend. He also encouraged committee members to contact Bob Geckle for information.
Ms. Roznicki asked about mothballing buildings and said the Master Plan determined buildings to be demolished and asked how that works if there are no funds to complete it. Mr. Willie explained the costs and necessity of mothballing.
Ms. Zukowski said a developer had estimated $2 million to rehab a building and $2.5 million to actually demolish it. She also asked about the Newtown Youth Academy challenging their assessment. Mr. Reed explained how the NYA believes they are a non-profit, therefore should not be paying taxes and that people are working to get this resolved. He discussed Becker and Becker’s proposals to the State prior to Newtown purchasing the property, that they felt Cochran House could be rehabbed at a reasonable budget. He stated that no one on the Authority can speak on the structure integrity of the building except that it has been proven to contain hazardous materials.
Mr. Zvon discussed his take on the buildings and felt that some buildings could easily be renovated and that most of the buildings can be built from within (encapsulated). Mr. Reed said the assumption of the buildings being torn down came from the Master Plan not identifying buildings to be used. He discussed the liability of vacant buildings. He agrees that for the right money, most buildings could be renovated but feels the current economy would make it difficult to get funding.
Ms. Zukowski discussed the 30 year leases and 99 year leases. She asked if they have investigated different terms in relation to the market place. Mr. Reed said leases are negotiable and would let the market place define it. He felt Bob Barclay is another source to gather information. He said the original purchase stipulated leasing and that the parking is minimized. He discussed land banking for future needs of the Town.
Mr. Reed said the Authority would like to help in any way they can. Mr. Willie said their secretary, MaryJane can provide information to the commission as well.
Rita Willie asked if the committee has walked the whole trail saying it has some beautiful views. She felt the committee should get to know the property and that the whole picture is very important.
Mr. Maurer said that through the years those that have looked at the buildings have determined it was not economically feasible, he thought maybe it should be looked at differently or from a different view. Mr. Reed said there were various reasons and that one variable impacts another. The hospital withdrew for a different reason other than economical feasibility. Mr. Willie noted lease money needed up front in order to complete infrastructure (Parking, etc.). Mr. Reed said the Authority has been flexible with developers.
Approval of Minutes: Ms. Zukowski motioned to approve the minutes of August 12, 2010 as amended. The motion seconded by Mr. Mossbarger. The motion was approved unanimously as amended.
Subcommittees – The committees discussed the structure of the subcommittees. Mr. Maurer motioned to leave the subcommittee list as it is. Mr. Mossbarger seconded the motion. After the committee members discussed the possibilities of combining some of the subcommittees, Mr. Maurer withdrew his motion. Ms. Zukowski then motioned to combine Municipal Administration and Public Safety and that the Ongoing Resource does not need to be a subcommittee. Ms. Roznicki seconded the motion. The motion was approved unanimously.
Mr. Maurer stated he will attend the Fairfield Hill Authority’s meeting on Wednesday, 9/15/10 and asked if others would like to attend. He also invited George Benson, Director of Planning & Land Use, to attend the 9/9/10 meeting. He will confirm his attendance.
The committee set coordinators for each subcommittee. A copy of the subcommittees will be attached to these minutes for posting with the Town Clerk’s office.
Ms. Maurer motioned to adjourn the meeting at 8:30 pm. Motion seconded by Ms. Zukowski. Motion approved unanimously.
The next meeting will be held in the Council Chambers on Monday, August 23, 2010 at 7:00 pm.
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