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WILTON – Residents will be asked to allow the town to accept a $10,000 Community Development Block Grant grant at Tuesday’s special town meeting, for planning purposes in the downtown.
The special town meeting will be held on Sept. 7, at 7 p.m. at the the town office. The selectmen’s meeting will follow.
The town had previously held public hearings on the subject, and recently was notified by the Department of Economic Development that it had received preliminary approval for the CDBG money. Town approval, through a special town meeting, is required to ratify the application and accept the funds. Wilton applied for the grant to pay for a series of planning activities revolving around economic development strategies and low- to moderate-income housing needs in the downtown.
“Everything is strictly for planning with this grant,” Town Manager Rhonda Irish said today.
The money would pay for consulting services, data collection and a comprehensive study of the needs of the downtown, taking into account parking, roads, sidewalk access and community facilities. The project also calls for a look at previous revitalization projects, major draws in Wilton such as Wilson Lake and Kineowatha Park, and the town’s “gateways:” Depot Street, Main Street, near the head of the lake and down at the East Wilton end, and the Lake Road entrance.
The funds will also pay for a study of housing units along Main Street, looking at which buildings are up to code, where owners could take advantage of potential grant funding and at the potential for historical preservation arrangements. On the economic front, planners will research opportunities for the town to explore in the areas of tourism and recreation.
Irish said that committee of residents, town officials and economic development specialists such as Greater Franklin Development Corporation’s Alison Hagerstrom will help guide the project forward.
“We need to get an idea of what we have here,” Irish said.
The town is also announcing the establishment of a pet station near the town’s boat ramp on Wilson Lake. The station, which includes bags for pet leavings and a trash receptacle, was paid for through private donations. Irish said that pet owners not picking up after their dogs was creating a surprisingly large number of complaints, but that the town didn’t want to ban dog walking, a popular and well-established activity, in the area.
“Since I got here, I’ve gotten more complaints about this than anything else, believe it or not,” Irish said.
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