At the Tuesday, January 11, New Fairfield Permanent Building Committee (PBC) meeting, there was a presentation regarding revisions to the proposed bus lot on the current Consolidated property. In reaction to the town Zoning Commission’s July 9, 2021 denial for a special permit for the bus lot, the architects have now revised the bus lot plans to include an exit on Gillotti Road, among other improvements.

JCJ Architecture’s Ms. Christine O’Hare explained that they have been “looking at ways that we can improve the design and the flow of traffic throughout the site as well as the location of the bus lot.” She showed a preliminary sketch that has been drafted in preparing a p ackage to submit to the Zoning Commission for review. The sketch showed what O’Hare described as the biggest change, “the circulation pattern” and the addition of an exit. She explained that “it would be a one-way directional traffic for the buses to enter the bus lot from [Ball Pond Road] and then exit through the existing parking lot and out onto [Gillotti Road]. This…decreases the number of bus trips that would be on Ball Pond Road, as well as accessing the driveway, and it also eliminates the concern that we heard of buses coming out and headlights flashing onto neighbors.” In addition to lightening the traffic load on Ball Pond Road, O’Hare said that the new design pushes “the entire lot back as much as we could. It’s about 15 feet further…we’re trying to move further away from the road.”

In public comment, Attorney Mr. Ray Lubus, who is representing several Ball Pond Road residents, expressed disappointment that the Zoning Commission re-submission that’s in the works continues to be a plan for the Consolidated site. He sees this as a tone-deaf response to the Zoning Commission’s unanimous denial for the location.

In a construction update, O&G’s Mr. Zach Rowley showed photos of the significant progress on the Consolidated Early Learning Academy (CELA) site, including many dried-in areas where interior framing and rough-ins are being completed. The PBC had questions about the thermostats and hot water coils, plus two separate sanitary lines that weren’t picked up. Steel is being erected at the new high school, which is an exciting landmark in its construction.

O’Hare gave a quick update on the furnishings, fixtures, and equipment planning, explaining that a full repo rt on recommendations will be given at the next regular PBC meeting on January 25. The architects have been working closely with school administrators on the final list. In addition, Meeting House Hill School/CELA playground plans are being f inalized and will be presented to the PBC in the near future.

In further public comment, New Fairfield’s Board of Finance Chair Mr. Wes Marsh asked the PBC to keep “communications open so that people understand what is going on” with the budget and the schedule for the two new school buildings. He stressed that this year’s tax increase, related to the debt service for the projects, will be the biggest yet. “I’m on your side, you’re doing a tremendous job,” he said, “we’ve just got to get that communication out so people feel a little bit more at ease when they pay taxes.”

Resident Ms. Kelly Zurzola spoke out against the new high school driveway, explaining that her home is directly across from the exit and that there are headlights shining through the home, and her neighbor’s home, every night. She said that “We were originally told when we complained to the town about the driveway that it was going to be moved down. And now it seems that it’s not going to be moved down.”

The Permanent Building Committee will have met again on Tuesday, January 18. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 25, 7:30 p.m.

By Sarah Opdahl