By Sarah Opdahl
At their meeting on Wednesday, January 8, New Fairfield’s Zoning Commission approved the modification of a special permit for 302 Ball Pond Road, the site of what was Consolidated School. New Fairfield’s Permanent Building Committee Chair Mr. Don Kellogg clarified the need for a modified plan, saying, “the project as a whole has changed a lot over the past few years, and we are kind of just adapting to current, present-day conditions.” He went on to say that the idea originally was not to have a “balanced site. It was kind of just to fill the basements. But that has since evolved.” The modified plan allows for revised grading to achieve a balanced site, which alleviates the need for pricey imported fill to be brought to the site. The revisions soften the southern plateau’s slope, as was shown to Zoning members in revised drawings and results in a slight net cut of material on the site. No other changes are proposed from the previously approved plans, including the drainage patterns.
Town Engineer Mr. Tony Iadarola weighed in on the project saying that the primary thing he was concerned with was the drainage plans, which should be “feeding the existing proposed pipes to make sure they have not gotten any bigger and the sizing of those types are appropriate.” He also noted that he would like “to put on record” that he requests that all other work be completed as originally planned, including “the utilities will be intact as originally approved.”
When asked about seeding, it was explained that all plans remain intact, and before seeding begins, the soil will be checked for suitability. It was also noted that the entire site, including the existing parking lot, will be left in good condition when the work is complete.
There was a lengthy discussion about the proposed crosswalk on Gillotti Road, which will be moving to the high school’s exit from further up the road. Topics of interest included safety for the students, the traffic conditions on Gillotti Road, and the potential impact on adjacent homeowners. Kellogg noted that the crosswalk location shift followed both the school’s request and observation regarding the natural path students were creating.
Zoning Enforcement Officer Mr. Evan White explained that he worked with school officials to complete a multi-day audit of usage at the start and end of the school day. When asked about the lack of sidewalks, White observed that the children are walking on the grass between a stone wall and the curb. He said “they are walking somewhat in single file,” going on to say, “they have actually beaten the ground down pretty good, you can see the path that they are taking.” Iadarola pointed out, “This is no different than a lot of other not only state-installed crosswalks where there are no sidewalk facilities beyond the crossroads, there are probably about 50 or 60 similar situations between Danbury and New Fairfield. In fact, if you were to look at Danbury High School, one of the largest high schools in the state of Connecticut, actually, maybe in the tri-state area, you have a very similar situation of a crosswalk that was installed by the state when they did all of the traffic work in front of the high school.”
It was noted that there was somewhat of a “disagreement” between Iadarola and Dan Clary, the engineer for the school, regarding whether the speed limit needs to change on Gillotti Road. Clary said, “we would like to see the speeds come down a little bit more before it goes in,” however, “prior to even going to the building committee with this revised plan, I think we came away with thinking that we have resolved this…The plans are ready for installation.” He went on to say, “we think we have done everything we possibly can do on these plans to make it as safe as possible.” While original plans to add rumble strips were scrapped, there will be radar signage on both the east and west of the driveway to reinforce the existing 25 mile an hour speed limit throughout the school zone. There will also be additional street lighting and striping on the pavement. “This crosswalk has every possible feature that it can have to make it the safest crosswalk in town,” Iadarola said. He specified the lighting plan with Clary, noting that a push-button technology for crossing “gives a little more respect to the residents in that area, because it is a heavy residential area.”
In listing current enforcement actions, White explained that issues continue at Mountain View Cemetery, 190 State Route 37, which was originally noted for an unpermitted fill package of an excess amount—essentially all of the fill material that was brought out of the 54 Gillotti Road high school location at over 50,000 plus cubic yards to the cemetery. White worked with other town officials “to try to come up with a plan to bring them into conformity, as well as go forth applying for special permits” but that was never pursued. The current plan is to request a cease and desist on the site. White also noted, “I just got correspondence from the State Health Department and our local town Health Department, on behalf of Mr. Tim Simpkins, for them [regarding] going for a crematorium on site, which requires a special permit approval by the Zoning Commission” for which they have not applied.
The New Fairfield Zoning Commission will hold a special meeting/public hearing on Wednesday, January 29, 7:00 p.m. regarding recreational cannabis.