Best Laid Plans

Weston and New Fairfield get around to new projects

When considering your best laid plans, you often wonder why you never got around to certain projects – fixing that leaky faucet or writing that novel. And the best advice that you can give yourself is probably, “the best time to do it was yesterday, the second-best time is now.” It is in that spirit that we talk about two towns who are diving into projects that might inspire you to get started on the next big project in your municipality.

New Fairfield looks to create a town green

It’s something of a New England tradition to gather on the town green for cheer or merriment during the holidays, to come together for civic engagement, or as a regular place for things like Farmers Markets or concerts. According to the Wikipedia page, not only is the New Haven green the most famous example –citation needed – but Lebanon has the largest green in the United States.

But believe it or not, some towns and cities don’t have one yet, New Fairfield being among them. But a recent state grant will allow them to move forward in converting a downtown parcel into the public space of their dreams. According to figures drawn from the Danbury News Times, the nearly $500,000 in grant money will cover half of the estimated cost of this project, which is made up of two parcels behind Town Hall.

Town of Weston sidewalk first

Sidewalks are also something of a commonplace piece of infrastructure throughout the country, so when News 12 reported a ribbon-cutting this past September for the town of Weston’s first ever sidewalks, it seemed a tad out of place. But First Selectwoman Samantha Nestor is noted as saying “this is a historic moment for the town.”

This project too was funded through grants from the state, and contained 5,500 feet of sidewalk near town center and school road. Quoted in the report, First Selectwoman Nestor said, “Our first sidewalks bring so much to the community. They are recreational spaces as we said, they provide safe access to our municipal and school campuses, and they also increase traffic to our local businesses.”

It doesn’t quite matter that so many towns and cities had both town green’s and sidewalks before New Fairfield and Weston took the plunge respectively. What mattered is that they had projects in mind that they thought would improve their town and they got the job done. It’s a reminder that towns and cities across the state can think about things they don’t currently have, and ask how to get it done – and there’s no better time to start than right now.