Easton studying farm-fresh school menus
By JOEL C. THOMPSON
Staff writer
Article Last Updated: 12/16/2008 12:44:28 AM EST
A new committee, established to oversee the bidding process for a lunch provider in the Easton and Redding schools, also will explore whether fresh foods from some of the region's farms can be added to school lunch menus.
The Easton, Redding and Region 9 school boards at their annual joint meeting last week agreed to set up the committee both to manage the bidding process for the lunch contract and to address the "farm-to-school" issue that has arisen among parents in both towns.
Sodexho, a nationwide food service firm, has the contract to provide lunches at schools in the two towns. Its contract ends at the end of this school year, opening the way for bids on the lunch program for the coming and subsequent school years.
Alan Katz, the Easton school board chairman, said the ad hoc committee in coming months will help write a request for proposals for a food service firm to provide lunches at the Easton and Redding elementary and middle schools, as well as Joel Barlow High School. Barlow is shared by the two towns and overseen by the Region 9 board.
Katz said both towns are home to several small farms that could provide fruits and vegetables to improve the quality of local school lunches. Details of that program, however, still must be worked out.
The committee will include one member from the Easton, Redding and Region 9 boards along with a parent from both communities, he said.
Kiko Teed, an Easton parent, and Victor
Advertisement
Quantcast
Alfandre, a member of the Easton Land Acquisition and Preservation Authority, have both advocated adopting the farm-to-school initiative and the use of locally grown produce in the schools.
Ann Metcalf, general manager for the Easton-Redding school lunch programs, said Sodexho uses fresh produce from the Northeast region whenever possible and endorses the farm-to-school idea as promoted by the state Department of Agriculture.
Metcalf said farms providing produce to Sodexho must be inspected and approved. Local farms, she added, might find it difficult to provide the volume of produce needed or supply basic foods needed for school menus throughout the academic year, which does not coincide with their growing season.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Courier Endorses South Park Plan
Last week's Courier endorsed the town's proposed purchase of South Park. If you missed it, here it is:
We have been convinced.
The town’s plan to purchase land on South Park Avenue to prevent a high-density housing application from coming to fruition is in Easton’s best interest. The plan, should it receive taxpayers’ approval at a referendum next Tuesday, would have the town purchase 30 acres for $6.15 million. The town would then sell a lease/purchase option to a nonprofit Christian organization that hopes to build a prayer center on the site.
No, the plan is not perfect, as former First Selectman Bill Kupinse said at Monday’s town meeting. But if voters reject it, Easton would be faced with a lawsuit it is likely to lose, resulting in the construction of up to 72 units of cluster housing that would shatter the town’s zoning regulations and open the door for future high-density development.
Faced with that alternative, this deal is a godsend.
The town’s major boards and commissions, representing most, if not all, local elected officials, are behind this deal. Additionally, a study commissioned by the town’s Land Preservation and Acquisition Authority determined that a high-density housing project would cost taxpayers between $3 million and $24 million to cover the cost of educating the additional schoolchildren expected to flood into town.
Even if the New England Prayer Center can’t raise the money to purchase the land in two years, the town can still recoup the money through the sale of the lots. It may be a bit of a gamble, especially in this wretched housing market. However, the land would at least be in the control of the town.
Some are suspicious of who might be benefiting from this deal. Inevitably someone is making money from this plan, but Easton gains as well.
The land in question is a gateway to the town. As we’ve said before, the fate of these 30 acres will impact the future of the entire town.
Vote Yes for the land purchase at Tuesday’s referendum.
We have been convinced.
The town’s plan to purchase land on South Park Avenue to prevent a high-density housing application from coming to fruition is in Easton’s best interest. The plan, should it receive taxpayers’ approval at a referendum next Tuesday, would have the town purchase 30 acres for $6.15 million. The town would then sell a lease/purchase option to a nonprofit Christian organization that hopes to build a prayer center on the site.
No, the plan is not perfect, as former First Selectman Bill Kupinse said at Monday’s town meeting. But if voters reject it, Easton would be faced with a lawsuit it is likely to lose, resulting in the construction of up to 72 units of cluster housing that would shatter the town’s zoning regulations and open the door for future high-density development.
Faced with that alternative, this deal is a godsend.
The town’s major boards and commissions, representing most, if not all, local elected officials, are behind this deal. Additionally, a study commissioned by the town’s Land Preservation and Acquisition Authority determined that a high-density housing project would cost taxpayers between $3 million and $24 million to cover the cost of educating the additional schoolchildren expected to flood into town.
Even if the New England Prayer Center can’t raise the money to purchase the land in two years, the town can still recoup the money through the sale of the lots. It may be a bit of a gamble, especially in this wretched housing market. However, the land would at least be in the control of the town.
Some are suspicious of who might be benefiting from this deal. Inevitably someone is making money from this plan, but Easton gains as well.
The land in question is a gateway to the town. As we’ve said before, the fate of these 30 acres will impact the future of the entire town.
Vote Yes for the land purchase at Tuesday’s referendum.
South Park Vote Today
Wondering about how to vote on today's South Park referendum? Here's last week's solid account of the issue in the Courier, by editor Maggie Caldwell:
Deal is a ‘house of cards’
South Park land purchase plan heads to a vote
by Maggie Caldwell
Editor
With Easton’s zoning regulations at stake, town officials have drawn up a complex land purchase deal that would scrap a developer’s proposal for high-density housing and could keep other builders at bay.
An estimated 70 people came to a town meeting on Monday to discuss the plan for the town to appropriate $6.15 million to buy approximately 30 acres on South Park Avenue — land that for the past decade has been the subject of several applications for high-density housing developments.
The deal involves at least four different parties, a series of intertwining lawsuits and a lease/purchase option between the town and a newly formed Christian organization. The agreement is the result of months of closed-door negotiations among all parties and their legal counsel.
“It’s all a house of cards,” said Ira Bloom, attorney for the town. “If this is approved, the litigation disappears. Everyone settles their own dispute.”
To cement the deal and keep those cards from collapsing, the town needs the go-ahead from taxpayers on the plan. Voters will make or break the deal at a referendum next Tuesday, June 17. The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Samuel Staples Elementary School.
The plan
Should taxpayers approve the appropriation request, the plan is for the town to lease the purchased land to the New England Prayer Center, a nonprofit Christian organization that has been running its operations out of basements and host churches for the past few years, according to Frederick Zarrilli, the group’s president. After two years, the prayer center would purchase the land outright from the town and look to build a “moderately sized” structure to house the center.
The prayer center would be required to pay $300,000 for the lease/purchase option, money the town would keep regardless of whether the group decided to buy the land.
With this plan, not only would Easton’s zoning regulations be preserved and the Mill River protected from the potential environmental hazards of high-density development, but property taxes would not be affected, said First Selectman Tom Herrmann last month.
Even if the prayer center does not exercise its purchase option, the town has the opportunity to rezone the land as one-acre, single-family residential and sell up to 14 lots, Mr. Herrmann said.
Affordable housing
Should it be approved next week, the plan would ax an earlier proposal by the landowner, Running Brook Farm LLC, to build 72 units of prefabricated cluster housing that includes affordable units. The application would have taken advantage of a state statute stipulating that communities must amend zoning regulations to accommodate affordable housing developments, unless the town proves such development would pose serious public safety or health threats.
Town officials have expressed their fear that the forced zone change would open the floodgates for other developers seeking to take advantage of the precedent set by Running Brook.
The town’s Conservation Commission shot down Running Brook’s proposal, citing possible threats to public health and safety and environmental issues as grounds for the rejection. Easton’s Planning & Zoning Commission had earlier rejected a previous application by the same developer for an age-restricted 44-unit housing development on the site.
Philip DiGennaro, the developer for Running Brook Farm LLC, appealed both decisions, but opened up to settlement negotiations with the town in March.
The plan for the town’s purchase of the land and its subsequent lease by the prayer center is the result of those closed-door negotiations.
The Easton Land Preservation and Acquisition Authority, charged by the Board of Selectmen to commission a study evaluating the plan, determined that high-density housing would be more costly to taxpayers than the prayer center.
The study determined that Running Brook’s project would cost taxpayers a minimum of $3 million over 20 years, or as much as $24 million over that same period of time, to accommodate the influx of schoolchildren. The prayer center, on the other hand, would offer a net loss of only $299,000 over 20 years, according to Victor Alfandre, a member of the authority. (See other story.)
‘Eggs in one basket’
Many residents at Monday’s meeting expressed their skepticism about the plan, which was ushered through the approval process for all the requisite boards and commissions in less than three weeks.
John Broadbin of Staples Road said he was concerned the town might be “putting all its eggs in one basket” by offering the land to the New England Prayer Center.
“Could another developer be considered?” he asked. “If we’re not tied to one, at least we’re free to recoup the expense or even make money.”
The first selectman said that absent the lease/purchase option, “we don’t have a deal.”
“Certain members of NEPC are involved with the developer,” Mr. Herrmann said. “We are inextricably tied to the bonding of this money.”
Glenn Maiorano of Fair Oak Drive echoed Mr. Broadbin’s concerns, asking why the town must “predetermine” what to do with the land.
Selectman Bob Lessler said there are many interest groups committed to this “intricately structured arrangement.”
“If you take anything out of the equation, it fails,” he said.
The first selectman stressed that the prayer center has only two years to come up with $6.15 million (minus the $300,000 already paid for the purchase option) to pay for the land.
“If not, we can keep the $300,000 and look elsewhere,” Mr. Herrmann said, adding that other development options, including age-restricted housing, could be considered.
Mr. Broadbin also questioned the purchase price of the land. Mr. Herrmann said the figure is not based on the appraisal, but instead on what the developer “thinks is fair” with what Running Brook has put into the land.
Mr. Herrmann also noted that if the prayer center takes ownership, it has the option of selling off parts of the land under the three-acre zoning regulations. If the lots were sold in excess of the purchase price, that money would come back to the town.
“This is set up so they cannot make money off the town,” said Mr. Herrmann.
The first selectman added that the land purchase would not affect the town’s bond rating.
Prayer Center’s credentials
Grant Monsarrat of North Park Avenue and Gowen Dacey of Redding Road both inquired about the New England Prayer Center’s mission.
Mr. Zarrilli said that though the center was officially established in 2006, the group has existed informally for several years. He stressed that the group is not a church and doesn’t look to “steal congregants” from other local religious organizations.
“We are here to support them,” he said. “Our goal is to be a resource to the town, and be available for specific uses.”
Mr. Zarrilli also pointed out the endorsements the prayer center has received from local pastors, including Easton’s own Rev. Craig Carlson of the Covenant Church.
Mr. Monsarrat also asked if the center has any concrete plans to raise the money to purchase the land from the town.
Eric Eitel, a member of the prayer center’s board of directors, said the center is working with the Development Guild, a consulting firm that works with nonprofit leaders to strengthen philanthropic support.
If town votes No
If taxpayers reject the deal next Tuesday, negotiations would break down and Running Brook would move forward with its appeal case against the town.
Attorney Bloom said that the prospects of the town winning the case are gloomy.
In affordable housing cases, the municipality is the party strapped with the burden of proof. Historically, “there is a 70% loss of cases in the court by the towns statewide,” said Mr. Bloom.
Running Brook is represented by Shipman & Goodwin, the pre-eminent law firm representing the plaintiffs in Connecticut affordable housing cases.
Mr. Bloom also noted that the sequencing batch reactor (SBR), the proposed sewage treatment system that was rejected by the Conservation Commission, was approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Further, that same town commission approved the system for an earlier development application on the same site.
“That is getting thrown back at us,” said Mr. Bloom. “The beauty of the settlement is the developer will be withdrawing the case. Running Brook has committed in writing and will withdraw the application to the DEP. That is a very significant piece of information.”
In support of the plan
A number of residents have thrown their support behind the town’s plan to purchase the land. Former First Selectman Bill Kupinse, who dealt with this and prior development applications for the land on South Park Avenue, was among the supporters.
“I strongly recommend we approve it,” said Mr. Kupinse. “You can poke fingers into every little bit of the deal. But it’s a simple matter. We are, in fact, benefiting the town.”
He went on to add that though the plan is not a perfect option, “It takes off the market affordable housing and age-restricted housing in a delicate area.”
Rob Maquat, chairman of the Planning & Zoning Commission, noted that the 30 acres on South Park Avenue is “the last remaining significant property off the watershed.”
Dr. Chris Michos, the town’s health director, said the best news about the settlement is that it removes the SBR septic treatment system from the table. Others noted that the SBR system has proven problematic and untested and posed an imminent threat to the health of the Mill River.
Elaine Spicer of Princess Pine Lane called it a “wonderful plan” and said it is in the town’s best interest to take “control of the land.”
Spreading the word
With the plan being pushed so swiftly through to a referendum, some fear that taxpayers won’t be informed as they head to the voting booth on Tuesday.
Besides coverage in The Courier and other newspapers, a recording of Monday’s town meeting will be shown on public access Channel 79. Additionally, the first selectman and other town officials were slated to speak about the plan on David Smith’s radio program on WICC yesterday.
The town clerk is holding extended office hours for those who need to pick up absentee ballots by next Monday.
More information about the New England Prayer Center is available on its Web site, newenglandprayercenter.org.
Deal is a ‘house of cards’
South Park land purchase plan heads to a vote
by Maggie Caldwell
Editor
With Easton’s zoning regulations at stake, town officials have drawn up a complex land purchase deal that would scrap a developer’s proposal for high-density housing and could keep other builders at bay.
An estimated 70 people came to a town meeting on Monday to discuss the plan for the town to appropriate $6.15 million to buy approximately 30 acres on South Park Avenue — land that for the past decade has been the subject of several applications for high-density housing developments.
The deal involves at least four different parties, a series of intertwining lawsuits and a lease/purchase option between the town and a newly formed Christian organization. The agreement is the result of months of closed-door negotiations among all parties and their legal counsel.
“It’s all a house of cards,” said Ira Bloom, attorney for the town. “If this is approved, the litigation disappears. Everyone settles their own dispute.”
To cement the deal and keep those cards from collapsing, the town needs the go-ahead from taxpayers on the plan. Voters will make or break the deal at a referendum next Tuesday, June 17. The polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Samuel Staples Elementary School.
The plan
Should taxpayers approve the appropriation request, the plan is for the town to lease the purchased land to the New England Prayer Center, a nonprofit Christian organization that has been running its operations out of basements and host churches for the past few years, according to Frederick Zarrilli, the group’s president. After two years, the prayer center would purchase the land outright from the town and look to build a “moderately sized” structure to house the center.
The prayer center would be required to pay $300,000 for the lease/purchase option, money the town would keep regardless of whether the group decided to buy the land.
With this plan, not only would Easton’s zoning regulations be preserved and the Mill River protected from the potential environmental hazards of high-density development, but property taxes would not be affected, said First Selectman Tom Herrmann last month.
Even if the prayer center does not exercise its purchase option, the town has the opportunity to rezone the land as one-acre, single-family residential and sell up to 14 lots, Mr. Herrmann said.
Affordable housing
Should it be approved next week, the plan would ax an earlier proposal by the landowner, Running Brook Farm LLC, to build 72 units of prefabricated cluster housing that includes affordable units. The application would have taken advantage of a state statute stipulating that communities must amend zoning regulations to accommodate affordable housing developments, unless the town proves such development would pose serious public safety or health threats.
Town officials have expressed their fear that the forced zone change would open the floodgates for other developers seeking to take advantage of the precedent set by Running Brook.
The town’s Conservation Commission shot down Running Brook’s proposal, citing possible threats to public health and safety and environmental issues as grounds for the rejection. Easton’s Planning & Zoning Commission had earlier rejected a previous application by the same developer for an age-restricted 44-unit housing development on the site.
Philip DiGennaro, the developer for Running Brook Farm LLC, appealed both decisions, but opened up to settlement negotiations with the town in March.
The plan for the town’s purchase of the land and its subsequent lease by the prayer center is the result of those closed-door negotiations.
The Easton Land Preservation and Acquisition Authority, charged by the Board of Selectmen to commission a study evaluating the plan, determined that high-density housing would be more costly to taxpayers than the prayer center.
The study determined that Running Brook’s project would cost taxpayers a minimum of $3 million over 20 years, or as much as $24 million over that same period of time, to accommodate the influx of schoolchildren. The prayer center, on the other hand, would offer a net loss of only $299,000 over 20 years, according to Victor Alfandre, a member of the authority. (See other story.)
‘Eggs in one basket’
Many residents at Monday’s meeting expressed their skepticism about the plan, which was ushered through the approval process for all the requisite boards and commissions in less than three weeks.
John Broadbin of Staples Road said he was concerned the town might be “putting all its eggs in one basket” by offering the land to the New England Prayer Center.
“Could another developer be considered?” he asked. “If we’re not tied to one, at least we’re free to recoup the expense or even make money.”
The first selectman said that absent the lease/purchase option, “we don’t have a deal.”
“Certain members of NEPC are involved with the developer,” Mr. Herrmann said. “We are inextricably tied to the bonding of this money.”
Glenn Maiorano of Fair Oak Drive echoed Mr. Broadbin’s concerns, asking why the town must “predetermine” what to do with the land.
Selectman Bob Lessler said there are many interest groups committed to this “intricately structured arrangement.”
“If you take anything out of the equation, it fails,” he said.
The first selectman stressed that the prayer center has only two years to come up with $6.15 million (minus the $300,000 already paid for the purchase option) to pay for the land.
“If not, we can keep the $300,000 and look elsewhere,” Mr. Herrmann said, adding that other development options, including age-restricted housing, could be considered.
Mr. Broadbin also questioned the purchase price of the land. Mr. Herrmann said the figure is not based on the appraisal, but instead on what the developer “thinks is fair” with what Running Brook has put into the land.
Mr. Herrmann also noted that if the prayer center takes ownership, it has the option of selling off parts of the land under the three-acre zoning regulations. If the lots were sold in excess of the purchase price, that money would come back to the town.
“This is set up so they cannot make money off the town,” said Mr. Herrmann.
The first selectman added that the land purchase would not affect the town’s bond rating.
Prayer Center’s credentials
Grant Monsarrat of North Park Avenue and Gowen Dacey of Redding Road both inquired about the New England Prayer Center’s mission.
Mr. Zarrilli said that though the center was officially established in 2006, the group has existed informally for several years. He stressed that the group is not a church and doesn’t look to “steal congregants” from other local religious organizations.
“We are here to support them,” he said. “Our goal is to be a resource to the town, and be available for specific uses.”
Mr. Zarrilli also pointed out the endorsements the prayer center has received from local pastors, including Easton’s own Rev. Craig Carlson of the Covenant Church.
Mr. Monsarrat also asked if the center has any concrete plans to raise the money to purchase the land from the town.
Eric Eitel, a member of the prayer center’s board of directors, said the center is working with the Development Guild, a consulting firm that works with nonprofit leaders to strengthen philanthropic support.
If town votes No
If taxpayers reject the deal next Tuesday, negotiations would break down and Running Brook would move forward with its appeal case against the town.
Attorney Bloom said that the prospects of the town winning the case are gloomy.
In affordable housing cases, the municipality is the party strapped with the burden of proof. Historically, “there is a 70% loss of cases in the court by the towns statewide,” said Mr. Bloom.
Running Brook is represented by Shipman & Goodwin, the pre-eminent law firm representing the plaintiffs in Connecticut affordable housing cases.
Mr. Bloom also noted that the sequencing batch reactor (SBR), the proposed sewage treatment system that was rejected by the Conservation Commission, was approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Further, that same town commission approved the system for an earlier development application on the same site.
“That is getting thrown back at us,” said Mr. Bloom. “The beauty of the settlement is the developer will be withdrawing the case. Running Brook has committed in writing and will withdraw the application to the DEP. That is a very significant piece of information.”
In support of the plan
A number of residents have thrown their support behind the town’s plan to purchase the land. Former First Selectman Bill Kupinse, who dealt with this and prior development applications for the land on South Park Avenue, was among the supporters.
“I strongly recommend we approve it,” said Mr. Kupinse. “You can poke fingers into every little bit of the deal. But it’s a simple matter. We are, in fact, benefiting the town.”
He went on to add that though the plan is not a perfect option, “It takes off the market affordable housing and age-restricted housing in a delicate area.”
Rob Maquat, chairman of the Planning & Zoning Commission, noted that the 30 acres on South Park Avenue is “the last remaining significant property off the watershed.”
Dr. Chris Michos, the town’s health director, said the best news about the settlement is that it removes the SBR septic treatment system from the table. Others noted that the SBR system has proven problematic and untested and posed an imminent threat to the health of the Mill River.
Elaine Spicer of Princess Pine Lane called it a “wonderful plan” and said it is in the town’s best interest to take “control of the land.”
Spreading the word
With the plan being pushed so swiftly through to a referendum, some fear that taxpayers won’t be informed as they head to the voting booth on Tuesday.
Besides coverage in The Courier and other newspapers, a recording of Monday’s town meeting will be shown on public access Channel 79. Additionally, the first selectman and other town officials were slated to speak about the plan on David Smith’s radio program on WICC yesterday.
The town clerk is holding extended office hours for those who need to pick up absentee ballots by next Monday.
More information about the New England Prayer Center is available on its Web site, newenglandprayercenter.org.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Connecticut's State of the Birds: 2008
The Connecticut Audubon Society has published another landmark study that spells out in great and troubling detail the challenges facing our many native species. This study is also another important reminder of the need for conservation as well as the careful management of the unique resources we already have, particularly in our town, where the remaining farms - as well as remaining woodlands - continue to come under development pressure.
We at CFE urge you to read it, but here's the preamble by the Society's president, Robert Martinez, who also offers a number of prescriptions for conservation (See below): .
Founded in 1898, Connecticut Audubon Society is an independent science-based conservation organization focused on Connecticut’s native birds and habitats. In keeping with our mission, in 2006 we launched a new annual initiative called “Connecticut State of the Birds.” This was a first-of-its-kind report for the state, and it focused on the single major threat to our native birds: habitat loss. As a result, an estimated 50% of Connecticut’s native bird species are declining, and 17% are on the State’s Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern list. That is: 50 out of 290 regularly or annually occurring bird species in Connecticut are State-listed.
Our 2006 report also contains our five specific, science-based recommendations for mitigating these threats and protecting Connecticut’s birds and habitats. In cooperation with the State and other conservation organizations, Connecticut Audubon Society has followed through on all five recommendations, and we are pleased to see that bird conservation in Connecticut is moving forward.
For our 2007 "Connecticut State of the Birds” Report, another group of independent experts described the next most serious set of threats to our native birds. These are specific factors, either man-made or within our control, that kill or injure millions of birds annually and destroy precious habitat. Just one of these, glass strikes, conservatively kills an estimated 100 million birds every year in the U.S. -- and some experts say 1 billion!
Our just-released 2008 "Connecticut State of the Birds" Report, issued February 11, describes possible conservation strategies for six bird species that are in serious trouble -- and for which their Connecticut habitat is critical to their global survival -- to illustrate how complex the problems and solutions are related to habitat protection and bird conservation. These include the Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow (a state-listed “species of Special Concern”), the Blue-winged Warbler (a state-listed “Endangered” species), the Golden-winged Warbler, the American Oystercatcher (a state-listed “species of Special Concern”), the Cerulean Warbler, and the Bobolink (a state-listed “species of Special Concern”).
As you will read in our latest report, there are no "one-size-fits-all" programs or simplistic solutions. The next, difficult steps are to design, fund and implement action plans that address the problems we’ve identified, including changing human behavior, which is probably the most difficult challenge of all. But conservation is a "global" issue that concerns all of us. Right here, right now, in Connecticut, we can and must do something to protect at-risk bird species and disappearing wildlife habitat and the countless plants, insects and other animals that share these same habitats.
Connecticut Audubon Society will continue to work with State legislators, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, other state agencies and other conservation organizations to develop the specific actions required to implement our recommendations and make progress in achieving our common goal of conserving Connecticut’s birdlife and protecting our natural environment.
To ensure that our "Connecticut State of the Birds" reports are both scientifically valid and impartial, we have established a scientific advisory board of distinguished experts in the field. However, these publications and the articles and recommendations they contain are the responsibility of the authors and Connecticut Audubon Society, and do not necessarily imply the endorsement of the other organizations or individuals involved.
Sincerely,
Robert Martinez, President
Connecticut Audubon Society
Fairfield, Connecticut
Connecticut Audubon Society's
"Connecticut Bird & Habitat Conservation Priorities"
1. Preserve Grasslands
--Protect existing grasslands from development.
--Provide farmers with incentives to mow after the nesting season.
--Provide incentives to convert marginal cropland to grassland.
--Key Species: Meadowlark, Bobolink, Grasshopper Sparrow.
2. Manage Land to Create More Shrublands
--Actively manage public land to increase shrublands.
--Provide incentives to private landowners to create shrublands.
--Encourage utilities to maintain power line cuts as shrublands.
--Key Species: Blue-winged Warbler, Brown Thrasher, Towhee.
3. Protect Remaining Beach and Saltmarsh Habitats
--Actively prevent degradation of the limited existing habitat.
--Provide funds for policing during the nesting season.
--Use dredge spoil to create safe artificial nesting islands.
--Key Species: Oystercatcher, Least Tern, Sharp-tailed Sparrow.
4. Slow Forest Fragmentation and Stop Deer Overbrowsing
--Use land acquisition to preserve large blocks of unbroken forest.
--Reduce deer populations in impacted forests.
--Key Species: Scarlet Tanager, Ovenbird, Wood Thrush.
5. Limit Unnecessary Human Threats
--Eliminate feral cat colonies on public lands.
--Promote light awareness programs for major buildings.
--Establish guidelines for lighting on communications towers.
--Support controls on all invasive species.
--Key Species: All migratory and native species.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
January 23 Meeting
Citizens for Easton will hold its first meeting of the new year on Jan. 23 at the Community Room. Our distinguished guest will be town First Selectman, Tom Herrmann, and all are encouraged to attend.
The meeting begins at 7:30.
Meanwhile, the Easton Courier published this overview of Easton earlier this month, with observations by Mr. Herrmann.
Hermann: Changes on the horizon for '08
Maggie Caldwell, Editor January 04, 2008
Though he may be new to his office, First Selectman Tom Herrmann understands that a new year doesn't bring an end to old issues.
Reflecting on the year that has passed and what's going on in 2008, Mr. Herrmann talked about the changes on the horizon for the town of Easton.
Having entered office after a tough election season, Mr. Herrmann sees 2008 as a time for the town to reunite under its common values. Mr. Herrmann, a Republican, Lee Hanson, a fellow Republican who broke with his party and ran on The Real Choice Party ticket, Elaine Hay Spicer, a Democrat, and Paul Michael Skrtich, the Petition candidate, all ran against each other in a race that was tinged with both friendly rivalry and straight-up animosity.
"It was a difficult campaign season," said Mr. Herrmann. "I see 2008 as a time for the town to come together and appreciate what a wonderful town we have."
South Park Avenue
One major issue that has been looming in Easton for several years and may finally come to a head early in 2008 is the proposed housing development on nearly 30 acres of land along South Park Avenue.
Running Brook Farm LLC, a Trumbull-based developer, has filed an application to change the town plan and zoning regulations in order to construct a 72-unit development that includes 30% affordable housing. The Planning & Zoning and Conservation commissions denied the proposal in 2006 saying the public's health and safety would be compromised if a development of this scope were allowed on that property. The land at 18 and 22 South Park Avenue is located along the Mill River, one of only a handful of rivers in Connecticut that is home to wild trout. The town's land use commission said the sewage system for the proposed development could potentially harm the river, which is also part of the region's drinking water supply.
Since that time, the developer has filed an appeal and attorneys for both the applicant and the town have been battling it out in the state superior court in New Britain. The attorneys are expected to make oral arguments to the judge this month and next month.
"Although there have been some attempts to negotiate a settlement, it's running its own course in the courts," said Rob Maquat, Planning & Zoning chairman of the proposal. "Ultimately things are earmarked to be decided by the middle of the year in the courts unless some agreement might be made."
An 8-30g application, named for the state affordable housing appeals act, is typically difficult for towns to fight.
"History has shown in most cases it has been difficult for municipalities to prevail," said Mr. Maquat.
"A developer who has a project with at least 30% affordable housing is not held accountable to a town's zoning regulations," said Mr. Herrmann. "The bottom line is, our longstanding zoning regulations are being challenged. We can expect the town to diligently pursue alternatives that will be in the best interest of the town to prevail."
Morehouse property
Another land use issue in Easton is the development of a master plan for the town-owned Morehouse Road property where the new elementary school is.
Several years ago, the town bought the 127-acre property to build public facilities. Samuel Staples Elementary School, a barn-like structure that has won awards for its design, is the first major development on the site.
"People are a little concerned about what will happen to the remaining large tracts of land in town," said Mr. Maquat. "Easton has farming roots. We are looking to maintain the farming and agricultural heritage."
Roughly 90% of the master plan for the site is in draft form. John Hayes, the town's land use consultant, has been working on the plan and the land use commissions are readying themselves to move forward, said Mr. Maquat.
The plan will likely include a Little League field and water and utilities. Mr. Maquat said, however, that "things are evolving."
Now the town's Police Commission has proposed building a new animal shelter in the most southerly portion of the property. The Planning & Zoning Commission has opened a public hearing on the proposal, which is expected to reopen on Jan. 14.
"The town is trying to close in on an appropriate location for a shelter," said Mr. Herrmann. "All indication is that a location on the Morehouse property would be the most appropriate."
Budget season
A new year means a new budget season, and there will likely be a lot of pressure for the Board of Finance to come up with a budget that features conservative increases.
"It's going to be very difficult to get approval for much more than 5% increases," said Mr. Herrmann, a former Board of Finance member.
He did applaud the work of the board last year, which managed to get public approval of its budget on the first try in years.
A shift in the tax burden last year from upper Easton to lower Easton near the Merritt Parkway has created a dialogue among Easton residents about keeping taxes down. Total Valuation, a Waterbury-based appraisal company, looked at home sales and assessed both the value of the house and the value of the lot. The company determined that the houses in one-acre zoning - which are located mainly in the south part of town - had more value than the houses in three-acre zoning in the northern section of town.
"It appears as if a comparable house in lower Easton increased in value at a higher rate than a comparable lot in upper Easton," said Mr. Herrmann.
Some residents' taxes went up as much as 40%, he added.
The schools will also likely have to keep their budgets tight. This may be difficult for Region 9, however, as the school board there looks to start a project to improve Joel Barlow High School's athletic fields and related facilities to a tune of $7.5 million for phase one of a proposed three-phase, $13.5-million plan.
Other issues
The town faces a number of other issues this year.
The Kronovitter house - The saga of Gladys Kronovitter, a woman who has lived in the same house on Flat Rock Road for more than 60 years until it began to cave in last year, continues.
The town has labeled the house a "hazard to public safety," and is orchestrating its demolition, to take place soon. Ms. Kronovitter, who lives in a donated trailer on the edge of the property, has until November to sell the property and repay the town for the cost of demolition and repay the state for more than $107,000 in back taxes.
Wells Hill Bridge - The replacement of the one-lane Wells Hill Road bridge that was destroyed by a flood in April 2006 has been an issue of contention for some in the town.
The Planning & Zoning Commission supports a plan to build a single-lane, 14-foot-wide bridge. The environmentally sensitive nature of the Aspetuck River, which the bridge crosses, was a major concern for the commission. The area where the bridge is located is also a historic district with antique homes and mature trees bordering the road.
However, the state only offers partial reimbursement for a two-lane bridge. The difference in cost between building a one-lane bridge and building a two-lane bridge with the aid of a state grant is estimated at $80,000 in favor of the two-lane design, according to town officials.
The issue may ultimately end up at a town meeting, where the town could give a vote as to whether it should be a one-lane or two-lane bridge.
Gazebos - Having wanted a gazebo for decades, the residents of Easton may finally get not just one, but two gazebos this year. One gazebo dedicated in honor of two young women who died in a car accident more than 20 years ago may be erected near the Community Center. Another, to serve as a 9/11 memorial, may be built near the library.
Border dispute - Easton has an ongoing border dispute with the town of Monroe that involves two households on the north part of Judd Road. For years, Easton has been charging taxes to the Scott family and the Treece family who lived at the two houses of dispute. However, according to Monroe's tax assessor map, the properties are located in that town.
The Treece family at 580 Judd Road, whose daughter goes to Easton public schools, did some research that indicated the border ran right through their property.
Mr. Herrmann said he is meeting with Monroe's first selectman Tom Buzi to come to some decision over the land. Then the issue will likely go to town meeting and eventually to the state to redraw the border.
Common values
Despite all the issues the town will face this year, Mr. Herrmann said the people of Easton should remember their common values and work together to retain the small-town bucolic character of the place they live.
"We are the guardians of the region's water supply," he said. "Protecting the water supply also protects our rural lifestyle. We value education and want the best for our children. We all work hard to live here and want every tax dollar spent responsibly."
The meeting begins at 7:30.
Meanwhile, the Easton Courier published this overview of Easton earlier this month, with observations by Mr. Herrmann.
Hermann: Changes on the horizon for '08
Maggie Caldwell, Editor January 04, 2008
Though he may be new to his office, First Selectman Tom Herrmann understands that a new year doesn't bring an end to old issues.
Reflecting on the year that has passed and what's going on in 2008, Mr. Herrmann talked about the changes on the horizon for the town of Easton.
Having entered office after a tough election season, Mr. Herrmann sees 2008 as a time for the town to reunite under its common values. Mr. Herrmann, a Republican, Lee Hanson, a fellow Republican who broke with his party and ran on The Real Choice Party ticket, Elaine Hay Spicer, a Democrat, and Paul Michael Skrtich, the Petition candidate, all ran against each other in a race that was tinged with both friendly rivalry and straight-up animosity.
"It was a difficult campaign season," said Mr. Herrmann. "I see 2008 as a time for the town to come together and appreciate what a wonderful town we have."
South Park Avenue
One major issue that has been looming in Easton for several years and may finally come to a head early in 2008 is the proposed housing development on nearly 30 acres of land along South Park Avenue.
Running Brook Farm LLC, a Trumbull-based developer, has filed an application to change the town plan and zoning regulations in order to construct a 72-unit development that includes 30% affordable housing. The Planning & Zoning and Conservation commissions denied the proposal in 2006 saying the public's health and safety would be compromised if a development of this scope were allowed on that property. The land at 18 and 22 South Park Avenue is located along the Mill River, one of only a handful of rivers in Connecticut that is home to wild trout. The town's land use commission said the sewage system for the proposed development could potentially harm the river, which is also part of the region's drinking water supply.
Since that time, the developer has filed an appeal and attorneys for both the applicant and the town have been battling it out in the state superior court in New Britain. The attorneys are expected to make oral arguments to the judge this month and next month.
"Although there have been some attempts to negotiate a settlement, it's running its own course in the courts," said Rob Maquat, Planning & Zoning chairman of the proposal. "Ultimately things are earmarked to be decided by the middle of the year in the courts unless some agreement might be made."
An 8-30g application, named for the state affordable housing appeals act, is typically difficult for towns to fight.
"History has shown in most cases it has been difficult for municipalities to prevail," said Mr. Maquat.
"A developer who has a project with at least 30% affordable housing is not held accountable to a town's zoning regulations," said Mr. Herrmann. "The bottom line is, our longstanding zoning regulations are being challenged. We can expect the town to diligently pursue alternatives that will be in the best interest of the town to prevail."
Morehouse property
Another land use issue in Easton is the development of a master plan for the town-owned Morehouse Road property where the new elementary school is.
Several years ago, the town bought the 127-acre property to build public facilities. Samuel Staples Elementary School, a barn-like structure that has won awards for its design, is the first major development on the site.
"People are a little concerned about what will happen to the remaining large tracts of land in town," said Mr. Maquat. "Easton has farming roots. We are looking to maintain the farming and agricultural heritage."
Roughly 90% of the master plan for the site is in draft form. John Hayes, the town's land use consultant, has been working on the plan and the land use commissions are readying themselves to move forward, said Mr. Maquat.
The plan will likely include a Little League field and water and utilities. Mr. Maquat said, however, that "things are evolving."
Now the town's Police Commission has proposed building a new animal shelter in the most southerly portion of the property. The Planning & Zoning Commission has opened a public hearing on the proposal, which is expected to reopen on Jan. 14.
"The town is trying to close in on an appropriate location for a shelter," said Mr. Herrmann. "All indication is that a location on the Morehouse property would be the most appropriate."
Budget season
A new year means a new budget season, and there will likely be a lot of pressure for the Board of Finance to come up with a budget that features conservative increases.
"It's going to be very difficult to get approval for much more than 5% increases," said Mr. Herrmann, a former Board of Finance member.
He did applaud the work of the board last year, which managed to get public approval of its budget on the first try in years.
A shift in the tax burden last year from upper Easton to lower Easton near the Merritt Parkway has created a dialogue among Easton residents about keeping taxes down. Total Valuation, a Waterbury-based appraisal company, looked at home sales and assessed both the value of the house and the value of the lot. The company determined that the houses in one-acre zoning - which are located mainly in the south part of town - had more value than the houses in three-acre zoning in the northern section of town.
"It appears as if a comparable house in lower Easton increased in value at a higher rate than a comparable lot in upper Easton," said Mr. Herrmann.
Some residents' taxes went up as much as 40%, he added.
The schools will also likely have to keep their budgets tight. This may be difficult for Region 9, however, as the school board there looks to start a project to improve Joel Barlow High School's athletic fields and related facilities to a tune of $7.5 million for phase one of a proposed three-phase, $13.5-million plan.
Other issues
The town faces a number of other issues this year.
The Kronovitter house - The saga of Gladys Kronovitter, a woman who has lived in the same house on Flat Rock Road for more than 60 years until it began to cave in last year, continues.
The town has labeled the house a "hazard to public safety," and is orchestrating its demolition, to take place soon. Ms. Kronovitter, who lives in a donated trailer on the edge of the property, has until November to sell the property and repay the town for the cost of demolition and repay the state for more than $107,000 in back taxes.
Wells Hill Bridge - The replacement of the one-lane Wells Hill Road bridge that was destroyed by a flood in April 2006 has been an issue of contention for some in the town.
The Planning & Zoning Commission supports a plan to build a single-lane, 14-foot-wide bridge. The environmentally sensitive nature of the Aspetuck River, which the bridge crosses, was a major concern for the commission. The area where the bridge is located is also a historic district with antique homes and mature trees bordering the road.
However, the state only offers partial reimbursement for a two-lane bridge. The difference in cost between building a one-lane bridge and building a two-lane bridge with the aid of a state grant is estimated at $80,000 in favor of the two-lane design, according to town officials.
The issue may ultimately end up at a town meeting, where the town could give a vote as to whether it should be a one-lane or two-lane bridge.
Gazebos - Having wanted a gazebo for decades, the residents of Easton may finally get not just one, but two gazebos this year. One gazebo dedicated in honor of two young women who died in a car accident more than 20 years ago may be erected near the Community Center. Another, to serve as a 9/11 memorial, may be built near the library.
Border dispute - Easton has an ongoing border dispute with the town of Monroe that involves two households on the north part of Judd Road. For years, Easton has been charging taxes to the Scott family and the Treece family who lived at the two houses of dispute. However, according to Monroe's tax assessor map, the properties are located in that town.
The Treece family at 580 Judd Road, whose daughter goes to Easton public schools, did some research that indicated the border ran right through their property.
Mr. Herrmann said he is meeting with Monroe's first selectman Tom Buzi to come to some decision over the land. Then the issue will likely go to town meeting and eventually to the state to redraw the border.
Common values
Despite all the issues the town will face this year, Mr. Herrmann said the people of Easton should remember their common values and work together to retain the small-town bucolic character of the place they live.
"We are the guardians of the region's water supply," he said. "Protecting the water supply also protects our rural lifestyle. We value education and want the best for our children. We all work hard to live here and want every tax dollar spent responsibly."
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Newcomer's Reception
This Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m., we'll be holding our annual Newcomer's Meeting. There will be refreshments, children's activities and an opportunity to meet the leaders of our town government and civic organizations. We hope you can make it - and please, bring the kids.
What's a "newcomer's meeting?" We've held this for a number of years and it's simply an opportunity for us at CFE to welcome those new to the community.
What's a "newcomer's meeting?" We've held this for a number of years and it's simply an opportunity for us at CFE to welcome those new to the community.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
The Times Weighs in on Easton
In case you missed it, here's the Times write-up of our town a week or so ago. Nice job by the writer, C.J.Hughes.
Living In | Easton, Conn.
Town at One With Country
Wendy Carlson for The New York Times
TRANQUILLITY This 18th-century home on Adams Road is set back from the road, like many Easton historic buildings.
*
By C. J. HUGHES
Published: November 11, 2007
A RURAL, landlocked town in north-central Fairfield County, Easton has well-kept antique homes, high-performing schools and areas with close-knit neighbors.
More often, though, its residents define themselves by what they don’t have.
For instance, they don’t have the types of developments that sprang up in the 1990s next door in Weston, which the 2000 census found to have 169 homes per square mile. Easton, population about 7,000, had 92 homes per mile in that census. Since then, 437 have been added, according to the town clerk’s office; the average is now 107.
Also, density isn’t expected to skyrocket anytime soon. Almost 40 percent of the town’s 28.6 square miles is protected open space, and another 44 percent is watershed land, which has development restrictions.
What Easton also isn’t, residents say, is Fairfield, which has streetlights, highways, strip malls and car-packed business districts. Indeed, Easton’s zoning code, unchanged in 66 years, bans commerce altogether, save for the random cafe or gas station whose lot predates World War II.
Together, these factors result in a community that is strikingly rural, where working farms coexist with suburban tracts, and where quiet is prized.
“After 10 o’clock at night, the cars kind of stop, and you hear nothing but crickets,” said Scott Spurr, a resident. “And because there’s not so much ambient light, you feel like you are out in the country, even though you’re like 50 miles from New York.”
Ranking Easton comes easily to Mr. Spurr, who has lived in Newtown, Westport and, most recently, Fairfield, where he owned a three-bedroom colonial. It had 1,450 square feet and a one-third-acre lot, but with the family growing it felt cramped. Also, he said, it was on a noisy street near Fairfield’s downtown.
A brief search led him across the border to Easton, where he bought a 1932 colonial with three bedrooms, two baths and 2,400 square feet of space. Though the lot is only half an acre, it feels much larger, because the lot next door is empty, said Mr. Spurr, who works for a financial services company.
The house, which he shares with his wife, Liz, and a son and daughter, cost $525,000 in 2004, but the couple invested $50,000 to replace the vinyl siding with cedar, remove old wallpaper and repair the garage doors. The house could sell today for $700,000, Mr. Spurr said, basing his estimate on recent sales nearby.
“I’m not against all development,” he said, “just want to keep the rural character. I’m glad the farmers here resist selling out.”
What You’ll Find
In recent years, however, some properties have changed hands, like Running Brook Farm, a 28-acre patchwork of fields about half a mile north of the Merritt Parkway.
But the zoning board has been resistant, too. Two developers who first offered plans for the farm site, Toll Brothers and AvalonBay Communities, were rejected over concerns about density.
Then, last year, after a local developer, Philip DiGennaro, bought Running Brook from its original owners, the board rejected his proposal as well. He wants to build 72 two-bedroom condominiums on the site, with about a third of them designated as affordable.
Board officials based their rejection on concerns that wastewater could harm the trout in the Mill River, which abuts the property, according to Robert Maquat, the zoning chairman. The developer has appealed, and is taking his case to court next spring, said Matthew Ranelli, his lawyer.
Not that Easton’s agricultural heritage seems threatened. On a recent afternoon, a blue tractor rumbled down Center Road, while across Sport Hill Road, children strolled away from Silverman’s Farm cradling pumpkins. To pick up organic beets from an unsupervised roadside cart, buyers were trusted to put $1 in a metal box.
Farmhouses, too, are numerous, especially 18th- and 19th-century center-chimney colonials, accented by low stone perimeter walls, peak-roofed wells, and a red barn or two. Unlike homes in nearby historic towns, most of these sit a comfortable distance from the curb, whether along Church, Adams or Judd Roads.
age 2 of 2)
Cul-de-sacs that radiate off these streets are laid out with homes built over the last decade, as evidenced by three-car garages, hipped roofs and Palladian-style front windows. The newer houses also often have eye-catching views — for instance, the homes at the end of North Park Avenue overlook Easton Reservoir, one of three sizable reservoirs in town.
People seeking a more close-together community head to Easton’s southern section, south of Beers and Flat Rock Roads, where Capes, split-levels and ranches line neat lawns. Here, extended families can be found settled a short drive apart.
Joan Winter, a freelance writer, lives in a 1950s house with four bedrooms, three bathrooms and 3,000 square feet, on just under an acre. In 1996, the property cost $275,000, but Ms. Winter and her husband, Alpheus, spent $200,000 on an addition, a new roof, an oil tank replacement and a driveway.
Today, the house, which the couple share with their two daughters, could sell for $600,000, Ms. Winter said, based on the fact that “neighbors tell me they will buy it for that much.”
But she wouldn’t sell, because it’s such an ideal place to raise a family, she said. “You have neighbors, so you don’t have to import your kids’ friends.”
What You’ll Pay
The average sales price in Easton from January through October was $856,000, said Jonathan Deak, an associate with Prudential Connecticut Realty, who cited data from the Consolidated Multiple Listings Service. This will buy a four-bedroom colonial built in the 20th century, with three and a half baths and about 3,200 square feet.
Despite nationwide slowdowns, prices in Easton are holding their own; 2006’s average sales price was $834,000, Mr. Deak said. Activity has also been strong, with 72 transactions this year through the end of October, matching that of all of last year. And homes are selling slightly faster, with an average time on the market of 101 days, versus 105 in 2006, he said.
With such high price points, Easton doesn’t offer many starter homes; buyers tend to be trading up from earlier properties, according to brokers. They also tend to work in New Haven or Danbury, though there are New York commuters drawn to houses about 30 percent cheaper in Easton than in lower Fairfield County, they say.
Indeed, a 5,000-square-foot house in New Canaan can cost $3.5 million, Mr. Deak pointed out, while a similar-size one in Easton might go for $1.3 million.
Taxes, though, are slightly higher. Easton’s mill rate, the basis for calculating taxes, is now 21, versus 17.1 for Fairfield. The annual tax bill on a 3,000-square-foot Easton house would most likely be $8,000, while a similar one in Fairfield might be $7,000, brokers said.
The Schools
In 2005, students at the Samuel Staples Elementary School began the year in a new 121,000-square-foot structure with a gambrel roof, rising from the middle of a former corn field.
Last year on the Connecticut Mastery Test, 91 percent of fourth-graders met or exceeded standards on the math exam; 84 percent did so in reading and 81 percent in writing. Statewide, those numbers were 62, 57 and 65 percent.
Grades 6, 7 and 8 are taught at Helen Keller Middle School. (Keller used to live at the house at 163 Redding Road.) Enrollment is 377 this year.
Joel Barlow High School, which serves Redding and Easton, offers 14 Advanced Placement classes, including studio arts, statistics and biology. Ninety-seven percent of graduates go on to college, according to Allen Fossbender, Easton’s school superintendent. On the SAT last year, Barlow students scored an average of 558 on math, 557 on reading and 561 on writing, versus 512, 510 and 511 statewide.
What to Do
Easton is laced with walking trails, many on the 1,017 acres of the Aspetuck Land Trust, which includes Trout Brook Valley. Or you can always drive to the Aspetuck Reservoir by way of a turnoff along the Black Rock Turnpike, to behold a body of water glittering like a jewel in a thickly wooded valley.
Still, Easton residents pay a price for their wilderness: the closest supermarket to southern Easton, Shaw’s, is a 10-minute drive away in Fairfield.
Nights out, too, require trips down the road. One option in Fairfield is Barcelona, a Spanish restaurant located in the Merritt Parkway Motor Inn, also known as the Hi-Ho Motel. It is open year-round, but its heated outdoor terrace stays open late into the fall.
The Commute
Easton does not have a Metro-North Railroad stop. For many residents, the closest one is Fairfield’s, on the New Haven line. Permit parking, which is open to non-Fairfield residents and costs $170 for a six-month pass, is difficult to come by; the waiting list for a spot was 3,377 names long on Oct. 16, said Cindy Placko, manager of the Fairfield Parking Authority.
On weekdays, five trains leave Fairfield between 7 and 8 a.m., with the fastest arriving at Grand Central in 71 minutes. A monthly pass is $308, slightly less if bought online.
There are plans for an additional Fairfield station, to be built closer to Easton by late 2009, Ms. Placko said.
The History
At dawn on Dec. 14, 1807, a fireball tore through the skies over Easton (which was then part of Weston), followed by three explosions. It was North America’s first recorded meteorite strike, according to Benjamin Silliman, a Yale professor who studied the event.
But he had a tough time finding pieces. Residents thinking they contained gold had subjected them to “all the tortures of ancient alchemy,” he told a local paper in 1807.
* 1
* 2
Living In | Easton, Conn.
Town at One With Country
Wendy Carlson for The New York Times
TRANQUILLITY This 18th-century home on Adams Road is set back from the road, like many Easton historic buildings.
*
By C. J. HUGHES
Published: November 11, 2007
A RURAL, landlocked town in north-central Fairfield County, Easton has well-kept antique homes, high-performing schools and areas with close-knit neighbors.
More often, though, its residents define themselves by what they don’t have.
For instance, they don’t have the types of developments that sprang up in the 1990s next door in Weston, which the 2000 census found to have 169 homes per square mile. Easton, population about 7,000, had 92 homes per mile in that census. Since then, 437 have been added, according to the town clerk’s office; the average is now 107.
Also, density isn’t expected to skyrocket anytime soon. Almost 40 percent of the town’s 28.6 square miles is protected open space, and another 44 percent is watershed land, which has development restrictions.
What Easton also isn’t, residents say, is Fairfield, which has streetlights, highways, strip malls and car-packed business districts. Indeed, Easton’s zoning code, unchanged in 66 years, bans commerce altogether, save for the random cafe or gas station whose lot predates World War II.
Together, these factors result in a community that is strikingly rural, where working farms coexist with suburban tracts, and where quiet is prized.
“After 10 o’clock at night, the cars kind of stop, and you hear nothing but crickets,” said Scott Spurr, a resident. “And because there’s not so much ambient light, you feel like you are out in the country, even though you’re like 50 miles from New York.”
Ranking Easton comes easily to Mr. Spurr, who has lived in Newtown, Westport and, most recently, Fairfield, where he owned a three-bedroom colonial. It had 1,450 square feet and a one-third-acre lot, but with the family growing it felt cramped. Also, he said, it was on a noisy street near Fairfield’s downtown.
A brief search led him across the border to Easton, where he bought a 1932 colonial with three bedrooms, two baths and 2,400 square feet of space. Though the lot is only half an acre, it feels much larger, because the lot next door is empty, said Mr. Spurr, who works for a financial services company.
The house, which he shares with his wife, Liz, and a son and daughter, cost $525,000 in 2004, but the couple invested $50,000 to replace the vinyl siding with cedar, remove old wallpaper and repair the garage doors. The house could sell today for $700,000, Mr. Spurr said, basing his estimate on recent sales nearby.
“I’m not against all development,” he said, “just want to keep the rural character. I’m glad the farmers here resist selling out.”
What You’ll Find
In recent years, however, some properties have changed hands, like Running Brook Farm, a 28-acre patchwork of fields about half a mile north of the Merritt Parkway.
But the zoning board has been resistant, too. Two developers who first offered plans for the farm site, Toll Brothers and AvalonBay Communities, were rejected over concerns about density.
Then, last year, after a local developer, Philip DiGennaro, bought Running Brook from its original owners, the board rejected his proposal as well. He wants to build 72 two-bedroom condominiums on the site, with about a third of them designated as affordable.
Board officials based their rejection on concerns that wastewater could harm the trout in the Mill River, which abuts the property, according to Robert Maquat, the zoning chairman. The developer has appealed, and is taking his case to court next spring, said Matthew Ranelli, his lawyer.
Not that Easton’s agricultural heritage seems threatened. On a recent afternoon, a blue tractor rumbled down Center Road, while across Sport Hill Road, children strolled away from Silverman’s Farm cradling pumpkins. To pick up organic beets from an unsupervised roadside cart, buyers were trusted to put $1 in a metal box.
Farmhouses, too, are numerous, especially 18th- and 19th-century center-chimney colonials, accented by low stone perimeter walls, peak-roofed wells, and a red barn or two. Unlike homes in nearby historic towns, most of these sit a comfortable distance from the curb, whether along Church, Adams or Judd Roads.
age 2 of 2)
Cul-de-sacs that radiate off these streets are laid out with homes built over the last decade, as evidenced by three-car garages, hipped roofs and Palladian-style front windows. The newer houses also often have eye-catching views — for instance, the homes at the end of North Park Avenue overlook Easton Reservoir, one of three sizable reservoirs in town.
People seeking a more close-together community head to Easton’s southern section, south of Beers and Flat Rock Roads, where Capes, split-levels and ranches line neat lawns. Here, extended families can be found settled a short drive apart.
Joan Winter, a freelance writer, lives in a 1950s house with four bedrooms, three bathrooms and 3,000 square feet, on just under an acre. In 1996, the property cost $275,000, but Ms. Winter and her husband, Alpheus, spent $200,000 on an addition, a new roof, an oil tank replacement and a driveway.
Today, the house, which the couple share with their two daughters, could sell for $600,000, Ms. Winter said, based on the fact that “neighbors tell me they will buy it for that much.”
But she wouldn’t sell, because it’s such an ideal place to raise a family, she said. “You have neighbors, so you don’t have to import your kids’ friends.”
What You’ll Pay
The average sales price in Easton from January through October was $856,000, said Jonathan Deak, an associate with Prudential Connecticut Realty, who cited data from the Consolidated Multiple Listings Service. This will buy a four-bedroom colonial built in the 20th century, with three and a half baths and about 3,200 square feet.
Despite nationwide slowdowns, prices in Easton are holding their own; 2006’s average sales price was $834,000, Mr. Deak said. Activity has also been strong, with 72 transactions this year through the end of October, matching that of all of last year. And homes are selling slightly faster, with an average time on the market of 101 days, versus 105 in 2006, he said.
With such high price points, Easton doesn’t offer many starter homes; buyers tend to be trading up from earlier properties, according to brokers. They also tend to work in New Haven or Danbury, though there are New York commuters drawn to houses about 30 percent cheaper in Easton than in lower Fairfield County, they say.
Indeed, a 5,000-square-foot house in New Canaan can cost $3.5 million, Mr. Deak pointed out, while a similar-size one in Easton might go for $1.3 million.
Taxes, though, are slightly higher. Easton’s mill rate, the basis for calculating taxes, is now 21, versus 17.1 for Fairfield. The annual tax bill on a 3,000-square-foot Easton house would most likely be $8,000, while a similar one in Fairfield might be $7,000, brokers said.
The Schools
In 2005, students at the Samuel Staples Elementary School began the year in a new 121,000-square-foot structure with a gambrel roof, rising from the middle of a former corn field.
Last year on the Connecticut Mastery Test, 91 percent of fourth-graders met or exceeded standards on the math exam; 84 percent did so in reading and 81 percent in writing. Statewide, those numbers were 62, 57 and 65 percent.
Grades 6, 7 and 8 are taught at Helen Keller Middle School. (Keller used to live at the house at 163 Redding Road.) Enrollment is 377 this year.
Joel Barlow High School, which serves Redding and Easton, offers 14 Advanced Placement classes, including studio arts, statistics and biology. Ninety-seven percent of graduates go on to college, according to Allen Fossbender, Easton’s school superintendent. On the SAT last year, Barlow students scored an average of 558 on math, 557 on reading and 561 on writing, versus 512, 510 and 511 statewide.
What to Do
Easton is laced with walking trails, many on the 1,017 acres of the Aspetuck Land Trust, which includes Trout Brook Valley. Or you can always drive to the Aspetuck Reservoir by way of a turnoff along the Black Rock Turnpike, to behold a body of water glittering like a jewel in a thickly wooded valley.
Still, Easton residents pay a price for their wilderness: the closest supermarket to southern Easton, Shaw’s, is a 10-minute drive away in Fairfield.
Nights out, too, require trips down the road. One option in Fairfield is Barcelona, a Spanish restaurant located in the Merritt Parkway Motor Inn, also known as the Hi-Ho Motel. It is open year-round, but its heated outdoor terrace stays open late into the fall.
The Commute
Easton does not have a Metro-North Railroad stop. For many residents, the closest one is Fairfield’s, on the New Haven line. Permit parking, which is open to non-Fairfield residents and costs $170 for a six-month pass, is difficult to come by; the waiting list for a spot was 3,377 names long on Oct. 16, said Cindy Placko, manager of the Fairfield Parking Authority.
On weekdays, five trains leave Fairfield between 7 and 8 a.m., with the fastest arriving at Grand Central in 71 minutes. A monthly pass is $308, slightly less if bought online.
There are plans for an additional Fairfield station, to be built closer to Easton by late 2009, Ms. Placko said.
The History
At dawn on Dec. 14, 1807, a fireball tore through the skies over Easton (which was then part of Weston), followed by three explosions. It was North America’s first recorded meteorite strike, according to Benjamin Silliman, a Yale professor who studied the event.
But he had a tough time finding pieces. Residents thinking they contained gold had subjected them to “all the tortures of ancient alchemy,” he told a local paper in 1807.
* 1
* 2
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
