Tonight's decision by the Danbury Planning Commission to deny Bethel the ability to build a water tank on property owned by Bethel for more than half a century was short-sighted and unfair.
The commission ignored the extraordinary efforts undertaken by the town to fully address the concerns of the neighboring residents.
It ignored the fact that Bethel has been a good neighbor in allowing Danbury to locate their water storage within the town limits of Bethel.
It overruled the written testimony in support of Bethel's project by many of Danbury's residents including Danbury's fire marshall.
It ignored the fact that Bethel had included in the plan a new fire hydrant that would improve the safety for Danbury neighbors.
It allowed six opposed residents to deny the entire downtown section of Bethel the water it desperately needs.
Bethel will review the decision and consider future options.
Matthew Knickerbocker
Bethel First Selectman Matthew Knickerbocker's monthly Brown Bag lunch will be rescheduled to Friday, September 28th from noon to 1:00 p.m.
