WILTON – The Wilton Selectboard met Tuesday evening and first voted to unanimously approve the minutes from the last meeting as is.
Board Chairperson David Leavitt opened the floor for public commentary. Dennis Landry spoke of concerns about how the money became available for the Blueberry Fest.
“The town really needs the Blueberry Fest; a lot of business people, without it, they’re almost having a hard time to make it financially because Blueberry Fest brings in, sometimes, almost half of what they make for the year,” Landry said. “So, I think it’s good, it’s just how we did it.”
Leavitt assured Landry that all the funds for the Fest are being documented; that there is an itemized list that will be public record.
“I hear your concerns about how the money side of it was handled,” Leavitt said. “But on the accounting side of it, the town manager is right on top of it.”
The next item on the agenda was an update on the Blueberry Fest provided by Town Manager Rhonda Irish.
“The brochure is going off for printing in a few days; I think all of the activities have been planned there,” Irish said. “The farmer’s market will be there that day. There are approximately 25 crafters or so that will be downtown. It will go from the area of the play museum up to just past the monument. We’ll close off the monument area from noon to 6 p.m. things are all set as far as the planning of it.”
Donations are still being sought to cover all the costs of the festival.
Selectboard member Tiffany Maiuri made a motion to designate the town manager and municipal officers helping with the Blueberry Fest to be covered for liability reasons since the individuals working aren’t covered by an organization.
The vote to approve was unanimous.
The next item, a liquor license renewal for Ambition Brewing, was approved unanimously.
Ambition Brewing also made a permit request to extend their liquor license with outdoor seating temporarily for the Blueberry Fest, proposing two options.
Leavitt expressed safety concerns about extending seating to the centerline of the road.
Maiuri motioned to approve the request for extended seating with the contingency that Ambition Brewing will wait until after the parade to extend the full 30-foot distance to the centerline, beginning with an extension of 18 feet for morning activities.
The selectboard voted to approve unanimously.
The next item on the agenda was the police department report from Chief Wilcox, who reported that long-vacant positions have been filled.
The board moved on to the recreation fee schedule and updated parks and facilities use policy.
Maiuri motioned to accept the fee schedule, with change from $50 for building rental to $75 for next year, as presented.
The vote to approve was unanimous. Finalized updates to parks and facilities use policy will be voted on at the next meeting.
Consideration of the remote meeting policy for the selectboard presented some discussion of defining a remote meeting or hybrid meeting, and Maiuri spoke in favor of the hybrid meeting option.
“Even if this didn’t come forward, we were setting up for a Zoom meeting because we like the participation we got from citizens,” Maiuri said.
The policy will be reviewed and brought to a vote at the next meeting.
For consideration, Irish presented the cost estimate of the East Dixfield Cemetery stone work at $3,475 for 14 stones.
Maiuri motioned to cover the cost from the East Dixfield Cemetery account, with the cost of the epoxy glue for the stones coming out of the regular cemetery account.
The vote to approve was unanimous.
The next item on the agenda, the consideration of the sale of town-owned properties, was met with the happy news that there were no newly acquired properties. There is a property on Prospect Street that Irish suggested be put up for auction.
Maiuri made a motion to sell the property on Prospect Street starting at the minimum bid it went up for the last time it went to auction with the same company.
The vote to approve was unanimous.
Consideration of committee appointments and selectboard representatives to committees began with annual appointments. No changes were made.
Maiuri motioned to accept the annual appointments as presented. The vote was unanimous.
Maiuri also motioned to approve the remainder of appointments listed, excepting the selectboard committee appointments until the next meeting due to absence of two selectboard members.
The vote to approve was unanimous.
There were no changes in the county and animal control contracts, and the other contracts presented were from the county regarding the payment for municipal fire going to Washington Plantation, whether it’s fire or rescue services, and the solid waste agreement so the residents of Washington plantation can use the transfer station.
Board member Phil Hilton moved to accept and sign. The vote to approve was unanimous.
The town manager’s report provided a brief paving update and the town will start accepting credit card payments over the counter soon. The service should be available by September, according to Irish. Irish also made suggestions regarding the county and municipal collaboration on American Rescue Plan Act funds, including broadband, a texting program for emergencies and economic development.
