FARMINGTON CENTER – Demolition continues along Farmington Avenue as outside developers seek to remove all traces of authentic charm and history and try to create an ersatz “Disney” version of the 18th century in Farmington.  Why restore a historic three-hundred year old building when you can knock it down and build a new one?

Historians Gone Hysterical

The folks who created Brick Walk Shops out of historic buildings were crazy! Why put together a village schoolhouse, the old Tunxis Library, and numerous other (painstakingly moved) historic buildings and create a charming shopping area filled with locally owned businesses? Why reuse the bricks from the tiny, old Town Clerk’s building to make a true “brick” walk? A modern strip mall could have been built in its place, with long swaths of faux concrete bricks.  It’s a shame that didn’t happen.

Miss Porter’s clearly has it all wrong, too. Restoring the charm of old is a waste of money.  Why does Miss Porter’s school continue to preserve and restore so many wonderful historic buildings in the village? The 1777 Grist Mill, as one example, was in terrible shape and looked as though it would soon fall into the river, but you have to be in the river to see the beautiful work they have done.  What a waste!

And why are the members of First Church trying to keep the exterior of the Meetinghouse looking like it did in 1772?  A building which, during the Revolutionary War, almost became a refuge for the General Assembly when resources in Hartford became scarce. A building in which the freed Amistad captives were welcomed and their farewell service held before their return to Sierra Leone.  Their worship services are held inside the building, along with community concerts, lectures, weddings, etc.  Who cares about the outside?  Throw some cheap vinyl siding on it, vinyl windows, a faux slate roof, and call it a day.

The Real Heroes

Thank you, “Insite Retail Development” for tearing down a beautiful historic home (The 1799 Lewis House) built by one of our most famous architects and builders, Judah Woodruff, to make way for a faux historic building (a bank next to two other banks no less). The gigantic sign on it is a most authentic touch.

Thank you, “788 Farmington Ave. LLC”, for tearing down a charming, historic building (old Chuck’s Steak House) to build the over-priced monstrosity  named “The Pennington”, a name which ironically means “penny settlement”.  You will easily find twelve up-and-coming hedge fund managers to shell out $760,000 for a two-bedroom condo and up to $850,000 for a three-bedroom condo.

We at the Farmington Mirror are most grateful to these, and all the other developers, as we have NO interest in remembering the town history which made those homes special before you purchased them and let them fall into ruin before our very eyes.

The Townspeople Have It Wrong

Farmington has ONLY SIX organizations which struggle to preserve our town and educate our citizens about its history: The Farmington Village Green and Library Association (including Farmington Library, Barney Library, Memento Mori Cemeterty, Stanley-Whitman House, and Farmington Town Green), The Farmington Historical Society, the Unionville Museum,  The Hill-Stead Museum, The Farmington Land Trust, and the Lewis – Walpole Library.  All of these organizations work tirelessly to maintain what George Washington called a “village of pretty houses”, especially the properties which are not included under the Town’s Historic Districts. Their work doesn’t mean a thing if there is a buck to be made by outside investors.

And what about the townspeople?  Hundreds attended the charrettes in 2014-2015 to give input on the vision for Farmington Center.   Was charm and history the order of the day? Surely the cry went out, “Bulldoze everything.  We want it to look like Blue Back Square, dagnabbit! (Oh, and we want to keep the Bank of America building as we like the look of a concrete garbage can).”

More Demolition!  *Yippee!*

Coming up next — 1 Waterville Road (brown house on corner of Rt.4 and Waterville Road), also known as  820 Farmington Avenue or the Woodford-Newell-Strong house. On January 19, 2018 a demolition permit was applied for by the owners, One Waterville Road LLC.

The Woodford-Newell-Strong house, has origins in 1665, a mere twenty years after Farmington’s incorporation. Its inhabitants lived much of our nation’s history at this major crossroad. The original owner of the property was, in fact, the Governor of the Connecticut Colony, John Webster.

Who cares?

Knock it down!

One of its inhabitants, Susan North Strong, wrote letters about her experiences in Farmington from 1775-1802, including the first time her mother made tea (she boiled it, strained out the water, and served the cooked leaves), and of the colonies on the verge of war (“News has just come that our men highest in authority, or, Congress, as they are called, have decided to be independent of England!”)

Who cares?

Knock it down!

Other inhabitants, Dr. Chauncy and Mrs. Julia Strong Brown, were, in 1841, caregivers for one of the children from the Amistad after the Supreme Court ruled “the Africans on board the Amistad were free individuals. Kidnapped and transported illegally, they had never been slaves.” They gave shelter to a child until she was able to return to her native land.

Who cares?

Knock it down!

Please. Whatever you do.

DO NOT write to Town Hall at the address below on or before February 14, 2018 and oppose this demolition:

Christopher Foryan

Town of Farmington

Farmington Town Hall

1 Monteith Drive

Farmington, CT 06032

foryanc@farmington-ct.org

DO NOT use the following text as a framework for your opposition:

     I am writing in opposition to the demolition of the property known as 1 Waterville Road or, historically, the Woodford-Newell-Strong house. I have been watching as a developer allowed the house fall into ruin; windows broke apart with no effort to seal out the elements, gutters were left in disrepair allowing for water damage. This property is in a highly visible intersection of town and should be preserved in its truest form.

     How is it that  “J. Timothy’s” in Plainville was able to keep the historic integrity of that building on a prominent corner and turn it into a successful business in spite of the fact that the surrounding area is nothing but strip mall? Is our town not capable of even more success?  Can the building not be restored with tasteful additions added?

     The parcel attached to 1 Waterville Road  at 1 Canal Path (also up for demolition) was built in the 1950’s (cluster of small white houses).  Can newer structures built within the regulations of Farmington Center be built without demolishing 350 years of our town’s history?  

     I urge you to deny the demolition permit and demand that the owners endeavor a new strategy for the parcel.  I assure you that, if that building is destroyed, the business in the new building will get no business from me or anyone I know.

Please don’t send that.  Because, who cares?

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Ever prepared, Hugh Drake wheeled out his Billy Goat F18 leaf blower with a 6 – inch discharge and an air velocity close to 200 mph. “It’ll only take me a minute to get the job done,” he said, flashing a boastful smile.  “These leaves won’t know what hit ’em.”  Editor’s note: Mr. Drake was fined $50 last year for violating CT General Statutes (CGS) 19a-335 – “Nuisance on Highway” for blowing his leaves onto the road.

Setting stakes in the ground, Noah Tall said, “Total control is the only option. These leaves are headstrong. They will go anywhere they want. I like to set up a perimeter fence along the roadside.  I use the Tenax 4′ UV stabilized poultry fence with the .75″ hexagonal mesh.  Not only does that prevent blowback but the mesh is too small for leaves to become trapped in the fence itself. ”

New transplants from West Hartford, the Dintnos, mistakenly bagged their leaves last year. “We just want everyone to be the same.”

Meanwhile, Ray Cands praised his Power Dynamics 28 in. 24-Tine Leaf Claws. “Not only do they allow you to grab a huge pile of leaves in one go, the rake head makes it easy to gather up those stray leaves at the bottom of the pile.  I want to make sure I get every one I can.”

Earl E. Frost notes, “I prefer the leaves in spring. These leaves are worthless to me now. Sure they provided shade during the spring and summer and they were beautiful when they changed color, but now they’re dried up. I’m ready for spring again.”  When asked about how he handles the leaves he added, “I live in a 55+ community.  They do it for me.”

Teetering atop the branches of her oak tree, Wendi Agivup shook the branches furiously.  “These. Leaves. Take. For. Ever. To. Fall!  I can’t figure these leaves out. Why can’t they be like all the other leaves?”

Overwhelmed by the whole process, Russell Ingleaves admitted he prefers outsourcing. “I use a service for leaves,” he said. “I don’t want to have to deal with all the drama.”

One resident, Lee Vitanature, likes to keep it simple.  “Let the leaves fall and return to feed the earth,” he said as he stopped to admire a butterfly in his milkweed patch. “The leaves have a purpose. Why try to undermine them? We should be supportive and let them be what they are. ”

! The 2017 fall leaf collection is tentatively scheduled to begin Monday, October 30, 2017 ! 

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In a letter to the editor of the Valley Press, FHS Building Committee member, Justin Bernier and Town Council member, Jon Landry proposed “The way forward for FHS”.   In this they suggested, “A permanent building commission would also leverage a deep pool of talent right here in town. Farmington is home to many engineers, project managers, financial experts, educators and executives with experience and judgement to guide large projects in a voluntary capacity.” That makes perfect sense and that is exactly who was on the Building Committee in the first place:

  William Wadsworth, Chairman and “Founder of Hartford”

          Mecheal Hamilton, Board of Education Member

          Johnny Carrier, Project Manager

          Jean Baron, Educator

          Hilary Donald, Architect

          Dan Kleinman, Attorney, Land Use and Development

          Justin Bernier, Financial Advisor

Since reason and sensibility are no longer the order of the day, perhaps something new is in order.

A Modest Proposal

Farmington High School

• The high school will close and the property sold. The land will be zoned commercial and no cap will be placed on building height. A casino would be nice. The displaced students will be given vouchers to attend any school they can get into. Those 9th and 10th grade students who are not accepted will spend school hours eradicating invasive plant species from within Town borders (especially Japanese Knotweed and Oriental Bittersweet). Uninvited freeloaders are not welcome. 11th and 12th graders who are not accepted to outside schools will have to find employment (see casino option).

Police and Fire Departments

• The police department will be disbanded. The Town has enough gun owners who can settle disputes. If they wish to form a volunteer militia, they may do so, but they will be responsible for their own equipment and uniforms, which must be a male romper in warm weather.
  The fire departments will remain. However, a use fee will be charged to homeowners who still cannot understand something that Homo erectus figured out a million years ago.

Sewers

• An output meter is to be placed on each dwelling to quantify the amount of crap they send to the treatment plant. No one wants to pay for anyone else’s crap.

Garbage

• All garbage shall be disposed of on the homeowner’s property. This will encourage the use of more eco-friendly packaging and products as each citizen will be forced to live in their own garbage.

Road and Sidewalk Fees

• A GPS tracking device will be placed on each vehicle. Fees will be charged based on the mileage put on roads with the Town borders. Higher fees will be charged for crossing bridges. Sidewalk fees will be likewise based on usage and will be paid to the homeowner who is responsible for the maintenance of said sidewalk.

Fall leaf-pickup

• Leaves will be required to stay on the property upon which they were grown.

Taking steps such as these will ensure that no one has to pay for anything for which they have no need. Citizens who rely on lawn signs as their sole source of local news can gamble their stockpiled tax dollars at Foxwoods Farmington.

The post An Even Better Way Forward appeared first on Farmington Mirror.