Fairfield homeowner cites repeated emergency responses as factor in assessment appeal

At the Board of Assessment Appeals session on March 21, trust representative and homeowner Susan J. Calstrom appealed the assessment on 575 Mine Hill Road (appeal listed in the record as 840/8:40), asking the board to lower the town’s assessed figure (recorded in the hearing at about $1,801,100) to $1,500,000.

Calstrom described frequent police, fire and ambulance responses near her property and said she has compiled a log of those incidents—"36 visits in the past year," she told the board—and police reports. She said the repeated emergency responses, loud disturbances and perceived poor maintenance at the neighboring facility (referred to in the hearing as the Center for Discovery) have made her fearful, interrupted family life and would, in her view, materially reduce resale value.

"It's scary for me," Calstrom said, describing an incident when officers ran up steps near her home while family members were present. She asked whether the neighboring facility could be required to install a fence or otherwise mitigate access to her yard; Frink suggested the board could add police reports and other documentation to the file and present it to the panel.

Frink told Calstrom he would include her submitted materials with his notes and present them to the full board for deliberation and vote. He reiterated the administrative timeline: board deliberation follows, a vote will be held, and the decision will be mailed within seven days after that vote. Calstrom was advised that if the board reduces the assessment, she cannot re-appeal until the next revaluation; if denied, she may seek judicial review.

The board did not rule at the hearing; Frink closed the room 4 session at about 11:28 a.m. and said decisions would be mailed to appellants within the seven-day window after the board’s deliberation and vote.