Newtown seeks to maintain ‘life in balance’ image, says first selectman

Newtown First Selectman Dan Rosenthal carefully cultivates a moderate image ”” something he said he shares with the town.

“I”™m generally happy with my first two years,” said Rosenthal, who, running unopposed, was elected to a second term on Nov. 5. “I try to work with whoever has the best idea, listen to both sides, take a middle-of-the-road position.

“As my grandfather said,” he continued, invoking former Newtown First Selectman Jack Rosenthal, “there”™s not a Republican way or a Democratic way of plowing a road.”

A Democrat like Jack and his father Herb ”” also a former first selectman ”” Rosenthal said he believes the majority of the town”™s roughly 29,000 residents feels the same way.

“Our elbows might get a little sharp around election time,” he said, “but we generally all work together for the benefit of the community.”

One of the bright spots of Rosenthal”™s first term was the long-awaited opening of the Newtown Community Center at 8 Simpson St., across the street from the first selectman”™s office. The 35,210-square-foot facility includes: six multipurpose activity rooms; a commercial kitchen; an approximately 5,000-square-foot banquet room; a six-lane, 25-yard pool; and a zero-entry activity pool.

The building also houses a 9,450-square-foot Senior Center. Rosenthal noted that while it had about 350 to 400 members when it opened in July, it now has more than 900.

The entire project was funded through a $15 million gift from GE made in the wake of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting: $10 million to design and build the facility and $5 million to underwrite at least five years of operating expenses. The town bonded another $5 million for the Community Center and an additional $3 million for the Senior Center.

Both centers and Town Hall sit on the 185-acre Fairfield Hills campus, which is still evolving from its origins as a psychiatric hospital to an area with a wide range of uses, including walking trails, soccer fields, tennis and pickleball courts and the not-for-profit sports and health facility the Newtown Youth Academy.

Rosenthal has been looking to develop several of Fairfield Hills”™ extant buildings, which so far has resulted in the renovation of the 9,000-square-foot Stratford Hall, once the hospital”™s library and executive dining hall, into a craft brewery. (Originally called Asylum Brewing Co., it will now operate as Newsylum.)

The town ponied up some $180,000 for that work, though Rosenthal said the brewery”™s owners are bearing the lion”™s share of the cost. Newtown is also retaining ownership of the building, with Newsylum operating under a 30-year lease. Following several delays, it is expected to open in January.

“We”™re running out of time” with some of the other buildings, Rosenthal said. “They”™re decaying quickly.”

Nevertheless, how ”” or even whether ”” to develop those buildings remains a bone of contention for some. The first selectman has held two town forums on the issue, with another two to take place in January and February. He said feedback from those sessions will shape questions on an April 2020 budget referendum.

While the first selectman has been seeking mixed-use development on the campus, that has been a hard sell for some of the roughly 2,800 respondents to a survey on Fairfield Hills”™ destiny. The basic theme of those results, Rosenthal said, was that “they”™re opposed to introducing any kind of housing here, but they still want something that will generate revenue.”

Another debate surrounds the future of the former Inn at Newtown at 19 Main St. The approximately 25,000-square-foot building, which sits on three acres, dates back to 1850. Its latest iteration closed in January 2016 after nearly 20 years.

Developer Frank Caico has proposed demolishing the structure ”” which is not listed on the Connecticut or federal historic register ”” and replacing it with three apartment buildings totaling 40 units. Opponents have cited its historic value and questioned whether such construction would fit in with Main Street”™s generally old-fashioned appearance.

Rosenthal declined to take sides on the issue, saying only that he hoped the solution would be one that “takes the right approach and makes sense” for the area.

Groundbreaking took place on Nov. 20 for the new police station to be built at 191 South Main St. (Route 25), a $15.1 million project that will include modern equipment and room to expand over the next 30 to 50 years.

The town”™s police had long since outgrown its space at 3 Main St. Rosenthal noted that the need for a new station had first been determined 20 years ago. What will happen to 3 Main after the police move to their new home in about a year has yet to be determined.

Newtown has also recently embarked on an ambitious road-paving plan. While in previous years it repaved two or three miles a year, since 2017 it has repaved close to 40 miles, he said.

“We have 275 miles of road, which is the second- or third-largest in the state,” he said. “If you”™re going to work or the store and your car is bumping all over the road, that sends a negative signal about the town.”

The town also works closely with the Newtown Forest Association to preserve its acres of woodland, Rosenthal noted. The 59-square-mile town “is still 40% undeveloped,” he said, “and we”™re still 8Â½% commercial.

“Yes, we”™ve had some development over the years, but there”™s no urbanization of Newtown going on,” he said. “What we strive for, and I believe we have, is life in balance.”