With her ambitious plans for economic development and modernization sidelined last year by the pandemic, Fairfield First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick is determined to move forward.
“I”™m happy to say we withstood (Covid-19) pretty well,” she told the Business Journal. “We”™ve done a lot better than other towns.”
As of May 28, Fairfield had recorded 5,243 total Covid cases and 206 deaths, which Kupchick credited to the fact that “we jumped into action” during Covid”™s early days. That included a Covid-19 relief fund, which raised money to help 47 households with mortgage and rental assistance, utilities, car payments and other living expenses.
The town also afforded restaurants extra seating on sidewalks and other public land and waived many new business fees as Covid was still gathering momentum.
“I don”™t know that we lost a single business” over the past year-plus, Kupchick said, estimating that Fairfield had added 20 to 30 businesses during that period.
Through its Office of Community & Economic Development, a small-business assistance program provided grants to 67 businesses, which she said had saved 124 jobs and created 14 more.
In her State of the Town address in January, Kupchick noted that, for the first time, Fairfield”™s commercial tax base grew from about 9% to slightly higher than 11%.
Fairfield also managed a zero-percent tax increase last year ”” the first in its history ”” with a less than 1% increase this year.
“We had to pivot last year to deal with the pandemic,” Kupchick said. “But now we”™re pivoting back to economic development and bringing new business to town. I”™ve been meeting with developers about a number of commercial sites in town to help Fairfield grow.”
Meanwhile some enduring issues persist. The long-delayed Crossings at Fairfield Metro Center complex ”” a 10-acre project at 219 Ash Creek Blvd. that would include five apartment buildings, along with a 70,000-square-foot retail/office building at 160 Ash Creek Blvd. that would also serve as a lobby for Fairfield”™s train station ”” is still facing an uncertain future, she said.
In addition, 2190 Post Road ”” a 6.2-acre plot that served as a manufacturing facility for Exide Battery Co. from 1951 to 1981 ”” has emerged from years of environmental cleanup and remediation; Kupchick said she has met with leaders of a development partnership that are considering converting it into a medical facility.
Then there is the perennial fill pile saga. Dating back to 2013, the contaminated site, which in turn has contaminated at least 20 sites around town, has involved EPA citations; the arrests of seven people ”” including a former public works superintendent, a head of public works and an environmental contractor that the town hired ”” on charges of conspiracy and illegal disposal of PCBs; and likely was a contributing factor in Kupchick”™s 2019 defeat of three-term incumbent Mike Tetreau.
“That continues to take up a lot of my and my administration”™s time,” she said. “Covid took all the oxygen out of the air, but now we”™re back in the saddle and are chipping away at it again. It”™s cost a significant amount of money.”
About $2.1 million has been spent so far, but ongoing testing and remediation efforts will probably increase that exponentially. Christopher Dewitt, vice chair of the town”™s Finance Board, has estimated the final cost to be at least $10 million, and told a board meeting that he believed “it”™s going to be in the tens of millions.”
“It”™s really unfortunate, because it never should have happened in the first place,” Kupchick said.
On a more positive note, she said that the property at 750 Post Road ”” formerly the home of Joe”™s American Bar & Grill, which sold in November for $3.9 million ”” will probably become a Chick-fil-A, which she said was “really exciting.”
As for modernization efforts, Kupchick said an online permitting process will begin in July for the Building Department, followed by the likes of Zoning, Conservation, Tax Assessment, and Tax Collection. The town is also in the midst of replacing its “very antiquated” website “to link everything together ”” Economic Development, the police, and the fire department all have separate websites right now.”
Kupchick”™s inaugural term as first selectwoman ends in 2023. Asked if she might consider a return to Hartford ”” she spent five terms as the state representative for the 132nd District, which also includes Southport ”” she laughed.
“Yeah, no. I had the job and there was a lot of sitting through long meetings and driving home after midnight. Here I can have a direct impact much more quickly.”
