The Fairfield Hills Master Plan Review Committee
Friday, November 23, 2010 Amended Minutes
Senior Center, Sandy Hook, Connecticut
Mr. Floros called the meeting to order at 7:07 pm.
Present: Michael Floros, Paul Lundquist, Robert Maurer, Ben Roberts, Nancy Roznicki, Alan Shephard, Gary Steele, and Deborra Zukowski; Absent: Michael Mossbarger
Public Participation: ~Kevin Cragin (22 Georges Hill Road), Chairman of The Newtown Board of Fire Commissioners. Mr. Cragin read and submitted a statement on behalf of the Board of Fire Commissioners. He reported that they are not interested in locating a firehouse on the campus but they would like an area for training purposes. Ms. Zukowski asked Mr. Cragin to explain the types of training that the fire fighters would use the property for. Mr. Cragin responded that they train weekly and would use the area to train firefighters in many different scenarios such as: burning, mock car accidents, smoke house, how to use equipment. Mr. Cragin said an area of 1-2 acres should be sufficient. Mr. Floros asked Mr. Cragin if a building on the site would be necessary and Mr. Cragin
said no. Ms. Zukowski asked if the Board of Fire Commissioners would consider redistrictring the fire districts and Mr. Cragin responded that they would not. See attached correspondence submitted as part of the record of the meeting.
Approval of Minutes: Mr. Floros recommended that the minutes from October 25, 2010 and the minutes from November 12, 2010 be tabled until the next meeting.
Walt Motyka: Mr. Motyka distributed 2 documents, “FFH Fairfield Hills Summary of Key Activities,” Dated 11/15/2010 and “FFH Fairfield Hills Master Plan Review Activities,” Dated 11/15/2010. Mr. Motyka stated that he looked into combining emergency services into a single facility on the Fairfield Hills campus. Architects were engaged and suggested that they would need about a five acre parcel to achieve this. Mr. Motyka recently toured the campus with representative from Newtown Ambulance and they picked a site that would possibly meet their needs. They are currently looking at cost estimates. They envision an emergency complex with Newtown Ambulance as the anchor with the fire department on one side and the police department on the other side. Mr. Motyka then discussed the possibility of combining all the town social services into one location at Fairfield Hills. He stressed that the committee should look into consolidated uses on the Fairfield Hills property. Mr. Motyka
suggested that the committee not get too caught up on the design of the campus but instead consider municipal needs. He suggested that the Master Plan considerations be updated to reflect the newest needs of the community. Mr. Floros noted that NYA and Town Hall are locked in but everything else should be on the table.
Mr. Shepard brought up concerns about the sewers in Fairfield Hills. He stated that the town says we have utilities but Mr. Shepard feels that they really don’t. Mr. Shepard stated that some of the existing systems are in such disrepair that the most prudent recommendation would be to start over and not even use the existing systems. Mr. Shepard feels this is an important issue because it will affect how much things cost. Mr. Motyka responded that a commercial developer would be responsible for some of the cost for improvements necessary for their development. Mr. Shepard is concerned that the public would be responsible for fixing the sewer system. Mr. Motyka confirmed that some of the sewer systems on the campus are questionable. Mr. Motyka continued that he felt that the
necessary infrastructure improvements were budgeted for. Mr. Shepard reiterated that the town should be aware of the costs of fixing the infrastructure system to ensure that development goals on the campus are realistic.
Mr. Motyka discussed the state of the existing buildings on the campus. He contributed that it would cost approximately 16 million dollars demolish the rest of the buildings at Fairfield Hills. Mr. Motyka considers that land on the campus to be of more value then the buildings themselves.
Mr. Motyka stated that it is important for the commission to focus on the Master Plan, not where the pipes are going to go.
Mr. Roberts stated that in the past there have been infrastructure issues that were a lot worse than originally thought. He stated that these past occurrences contribute to ongoing concerns about the costs of reusing the current infrastructure or the costs of creating new infrastructure on the property. Mr. Motyka stated that he felt that there could be grants available to upgrade the infrastructure and that the commission should look into ways to obtain stimulus money.
Mr. Roberts suggested that using a range for infrastructure costs instead of a fixed figure. Mr. Motyka agreed and responded that an allowance should be put in to upgrade the infrastructure. Mr. Motyka suggested that a means to create budget numbers for sewer line upgrades would be to figure out how much sewer line needs to go in, not where it needs to go. Ms. Zukowski contributed that the “public feels Fairfield Hills is a money pit.” She feels that it is important to set reasonable expectations for the reuse of the campus.
Mr. Motyka stated that one restriction to reuse of the campus is that a good portion of it is located in the Aquifer Protection District. He stated that you can’t build in the aquifer and that there is only a small area on the property to build. Mr. Floros contributed that there are areas of potential use if we want to reuse existing structures. He went on to state that this reuse will require some infrastructure. Mr. Floros indicated that the group should obtain cost ranges for these areas. Mr. Motyka suggested that parking has been a stumbling block for development and should not be designated but shared. He felt that sharing parking would be a way to reduce the amount of blacktop needed for the property.
Mr. Roberts asked Mr. Motyka what a good cost estimate range would be for infrastructure improvements to support reuse. Mr. Roberts contributed that the cost estimates in the presentation to the Board of Finance stated they were 9 million dollars but the group could change that to a range. Mr. Floros said that if the buildings are torn down the cost could be zero. Mr. Roberts said that there is so much uncertainty. Ms. Roznicki said that things have changed even from the early estimates.
Mr. Motyka says that the current financial situation is tough. He indicated that there are mid-construction parking lots on the campus that can’t be finished because there is no money. Mr. Motyka suggested that Social Services be moved to the campus and recommended taking the smallest building and using it this purpose. Mr. Shepard thinks that it makes sense to use money to upgrade the sewer lines. Mr. Motyka recommends a single building for multiple uses. He feels that a single building for social services and a building for emergency services makes sense. Ms. Roznicki reminded everyone that at one time there were six possible leases, including one medical facility but they all pulled out. Ms. Roznicki feels that Kevin’s Community Center was “left high and dry.” Mr. Motyka agreed that “no one else is stepping in yet.”
Ms. Zukowski suggested that Newtown Ambulance consider a different site and she feels that they should broaden their choices. Ms. Zukowski suggested using the undeveloped land at the corner of Mile Hill South and Wasserman Way. Mr. Motyka responded that the area that Newtown Ambulance is considering is actually similar to the area that Ms. Zukowski suggested. Ms Roznicki asked if using stimulus money would be possible to which Mr. Motyka responded yes. Mr. Motyka stated that combining uses would be better than duplicating and used an example of one dispatcher for all the three (police, ambulance, and fire). He stated that the FHMPRC should consider consolidating things and let the architect design it. Mr. Motyka said that the town needs to start using money more wisely.
The committee needs to decide on the town needs.
Mr. Motyka discussed the plans to provide an underground utility loop on the campus. These plans include burying the power lines. Mr. Motyka contributed that this project has been delayed. He contributed that the FHMPRC should not count on town funds exclusively to bring the underground utilities to fruition. Mr. Roberts asked is the underground power lines were only for NYA. Mr. Motyka clarified that the utility loop was planned to provide power to the whole campus.
Mr. Motyka suggested that the commission come up with ideas that are not currently on the Master Plan. He stated that the group should consider if there anything in the Master Plan that they would like to take out. Mr. Roberts asked Mr. Motyka if he had an opinion on housing. Mr. Motyka responded that he did not.
Mr. Motyka noted that this winter we will most likely “lose” one or two more buildings. He stated that master planning is an important piece of reuse but in the end monetary resources are required to implement the plan. He stated that the FHMPRC needs to figure out how to pay to implement the Master Plan. Mr. Motyka stated that he has received some small grants in the past but the bigger money is in stimulus money. He did not feel that the state was able to contribute much. He reiterated that the key to obtaining funding and support would be consolidation.
Ms. Zukowski asked what the time frame was for the stimulus money, when will it run out?
Mr. Motyka also said that there are lots of matching grants available. He contributed that the problem with these grants are that the grantee still needs to contribute half and those resources need to be available. He used the example, if we give you $500,000 and you contribute $500,000.
Mr. Roberts stated that the Board of Finance document provided a 5 year, 30 million dollar plan to finish the job on infrastructure including bonding. Mr. Shepard asked Mr. Motyka to explain what infrastructure includes. Mr. Motyka responded that infrastructure, for the purposes of the document, includes gas, sewer, water, and electric.
Mr. Motyka said that the group needs to look at alternate funding sources from outside the town. He stated that the group needs strong arguments as to why redevelopment is good for the town, such as, it will bring jobs. Ms. Roznicki had concerns that there are already a lot of commercial buildings in town that are currently vacant. Mr. Motyka suggested that the commission should look at alternate industries and consider what new things are on the horizon. He suggested considering a property tax free zone, at least that way some of the buildings would be used. Mr. Motyka stated, “Think outside of the box.” Mr. Lundquist stated that getting into the needs of the sewer and water now is probably premature but we need to look at it.
Mr. Roberts asked Mr. Motyka what he thought of trying to get a community consensus on how to use Fairfield Hills. Mr. Motyka responded that it is difficult to measure the community. He said that they tried over a nine month period and used many methods. Mr. Motyka said that even if you got a consensus each year it may change. Mr. Floros contributed that he didn’t think we will ever get a majority of residents to vote in favor of a plan and a plan that tries to please everyone won’t work.
Mr. Motyka concluded that revising the existing Master Plan, not starting new, would be the best way to move forward. Mr. Motyka suggested adding additional money for infrastructure improvements to the original plan. He suggested getting away from the layout shown on the documents and maps.
Frank DeLucia (4 Hyvue Drive) of the Nunnawalk Meadows community presented. He discussed Nunnawalk Meadows which is run by Newtown Housing for the Elderly. He stated that it is a place that he and the other residents are very proud of. They keep the grounds aesthetically beautiful. Mr. DeLucia also gave some history of the housing development. He said that Nunnawalk Meadows originally received 20 acres of land from the State then, years later, the state gave them 45 more acres. There are a total of 134 housing units with 150 people living in them. There is also a waiting list of at least 150. 80% of the people that live there are either originally from Newtown or are related to people in Newtown. Mr. DeLucia stated that Nunnawalk Meadows is for low to middle income
families and the hope is to expand the housing development in the future. Mr. DeLucia then presented a map of the property and indicated that he would like the town to consider swapping some land. There are trails and undeveloped areas that they would like to leave alone but they need some place to expand. Mr. DeLucia asked the FHMPRC to consider if the concept makes sense for the town. The Newtown Housing for the Elderly thought the issue should be open for discussion. He contributed that the group was dumping leaves and brush on a trail not even knowing that it was a trail until the town called and asked that we dump our leaves elsewhere.
Ms. Zukowski asked Mr. DeLucia if he feels that the properties would need to be contiguous. Mr. DeLucia responded no and that he didn’t think you could do it contiguously. He said he wasn’t sure what the land was zoned but the demand for further expansion is out there. He stated that since the housing is 30 years old the property is in need of some rehabbing.
Ms. Zukowksi asked Mr. DeLucia if he feels people from Nunnawalk Meadows would use Fairfield Hills if more things were there for them. Mr. DeLucia responded that a senior center would be nice but there is always an issue with transportation, even within the Nunnawalk development. He also said that he knows some residents currently use the walking trails at Fairfield Hills. Ms. Zukowski suggested maybe adding some benches to those trails.
Bernie Curran (41 Cold Spring Road) contributed to the discussion on Nunnawalk Meadows. Mr. Curran currently provides transportation assistance at Nunnawalk Meadows. He feels that it is important to begin making long term plans now because it is such a long process.
New Business/Subcommittee Reports:
Open Space Subcommittee: Ms. Zukowski commented that they had a great meeting with the Parks and Recreation department. She provided copies of the minutes to the committee.
Public Participation Subcommittee: Mr. Roberts discussed the plan to bring in an outside consultant to facilitate discussions with the public. The consultant will be coming on December 2nd. Mr. Roberts will send an email out to the committee with further details. Mr. Roberts said that funds will be needed for this plan. He summarized some of the work that the facilitator will do. He said that she will conduct a “microcosm council” consisting of 12 members of the public that will meet over a weekend. This will be followed by two larger group sessions. A group of random people will be invited to participate.
Mr. Lundquist contributed that this will be a community outreach on a qualitative basis but the group will still be doing other focus groups. Mr. Roberts said that it will cost about $6,000 for the facilitator’s basic services. She will also put together a video to show to the larger community that will cost $1500. Ms. Zukowski made a motion to recommend proceeding forward with the facilitator to the selectman. Mr. Lundquist 2nd motion and all were in favor.
Commercial Development and Housing Subcommittee: Mr. Maurer reported that Steve Zvon resigned and that he will be taking over the committees. They will meet as one group next meeting.
Infrastructure Subcommittee: Mr. Shepard said that they are currently breaking down costs and trying to figure out what we are looking at. He said that the sewer and water authority are going to be sending TV cameras down the lines to check on conditions.
Education Committee: Ms Roznicki said she just met with the facilities committee.
Public Participation:
None
Mr. Roberts made the motion to adjourn. Mr. Shepard seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned at 9:34 p.m. ~
Respectfully submitted by Allison Sharlow, Clerk.
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