Wilton woman still has big plans for Farmington Diner

WILTON – A local woman responded to concerns voiced by selectmen this evening, saying she still intends to reopen the Farmington Diner in some capacity.

Rachel Jackson Hodsdon of Wilton, was responding to complaints selectmen say they’ve received about the diner building on her property. Hodsdon saved the building from certain destruction after the former owner sold the property, along the Intervale in Farmington, to make room for a new Rite Aid.

“I’ve put a lot into it,” Hodsdon said, “financially and emotionally.”

The diner was moved, with considerable expense and effort, to Hodsdon’s property at the intersection of Route 2 and Cemetery Road in East Wilton on Feb. 8, 2008. Hodsdon had planned at the time to reopen the diner.

A year later however, some residents began to complain that no visible action on the building had been undertaken by Hodsdon. Code Enforcement Officer Paul Montague sent a letter on Feb. 6, asking Hodsdon what her plans for the facility were. When he didn’t receive an answer, the selectmen arranged the meeting.

Hodsdon said she still intends to reuse the diner which she, and many others, consider a piece of the region’s history. She is currently working on refurbishing the building as part of a community project.

“As you guys know,” she told the selectmen, “when you work with the community it takes a lot of time. I appreciate people’s concerns, and I’m willing to do what I can.”

Selectmen received written reports from Hodsdon on what efforts she has undergone to get the diner workable again as well as what her goals are for the future. She assured them that the building is structurally sound and completely inaccessible.

“Our intent is not to threaten you or take your building away from you,” Selectman Chair Paul Gooch assured Hodsdon.

“You better not,” she joked. “You might get it.”

Selectmen also recommended that some efforts be taken with the building’s external appearance, which they believe has been the root cause of many of the complaints. The diner was situated on Hodsdon’s property in such a way that the rear of the building, where a kitchen structure was formerly attached, faces the street.

“It has not improved that area,” Selectman Terry Brann said.

Hodsdon and the selectmen promised to keep one another informed over the status of her project.

“It’s a special place,” she said. “And it’ll be a special place again.”

In other business, selectmen heard a proposal to start a “Third Thursday” festival in Wilton. Organizer Betty Shibles hopes that the practice could bring additional attention and business to the downtown area.