At its Wednesday, Mar. 18 meeting, Wilton’s Economic Development Commission (EDC) welcomed a new member, Mike Hanauer, and continued its work on a number of familiar topics and initiatives:
- Commercial Signage Regulations Update: Commissioner Marty Avallone informed the EDC about the Planning and Zoning Commission‘s latest discussions about updating the Town’s zoning regulations. P&Z plans to prepare a request for proposals (RFP) for a consultant to conduct the work, which would include commercial signage regulations. The EDC is advocating for changes to signage regulations based on feedback it has received from local business owners— particularly those who do not have prominent, street-facing locations.
- EDC Jobs Board: Commissioner Phil Fitzgerald reported “no real momentum” on the Instagram-based jobs board the EDC launched last fall. While he hypothesizes that lack of awareness is a factor, he also noted that a lack of job openings in the current market environment may also be hindering momentum. The EDC resolved to boost awareness of the jobs board, along with the EDC’s business directory.
- America 250 Celebration: Commissioner Donna Peterson noted that no announcements have yet been made by the Town for events marking the nation’s anniversary this year. While planning is being led by Parks and Recreation Department Director Steve Pierce, the EDC says its role will be to “amplify” events once announced.
- “40 Things We Love About Wilton”: Commissioners continued to debate their approach for updating the “40 Things” brochure that currently serves as a brand identity piece for the town, reflecting “a cross section of what Wilton is all about: community, family, education, respect for the environment, preservation of history and service to others.” The desired update, led by Commissioner Tom Shimko, will involve the work of Wilton High School students, who will be tasked with creating the content to showcase Wilton’s best assets. Commissioners are scheduled for a kickoff meeting with WHS teacher Maria Breece and her students on Mar. 27 to define the project’s scope and objectives.
- Restaurant Week: Commissioners revisited the concept for a Wilton restaurant week designed to drive traffic to Wilton restaurants. EDC Chair Joe Favarolo stressed the need to keep the event simple and “not over-engineer it,” but rather to allow restaurants to decide how they would like to participate and what to offer to guests. The event would be separate from the upcoming “Taste of Wilton” event in April, sponsored by the Wilton Chamber of Commerce, which the EDC will also support through its social media.
- Wilton Center directional signage on state roads: Commissioners continued to discuss their goal to obtain new wayfinding and gateway signs for Wilton Center along state‑owned roads like Danbury Rd. Commissioner Andrew Warren emphasized that moving the project forward would require significant time to coordinate with Town staff, state transportation officials, Wilton police and potential vendors. Commissioners agreed they should seek clarity on whether the Board of Selectmen is willing and able to fund the effort before investing time in design work or state approvals.
Starteryou
In addition to new Commissioner Mike Hanauer, another newcomer on the EDC’s agenda was Michael Berlingo, founder and CEO of Starteryou, which he described as “a student‑focused job and career platform that connects local high school and college students with meaningful part‑time, internship, project and early career opportunities.” The company is based in White Plains, NY.
Berlingo attended the EDC meeting to pitch the new platform, which officially launched in January and which he reported now has roughly 10,000 students, including some from Stamford and Greenwich school districts, and 350 employers already working with the service. He explained Starteryou’s “niche” is matching businesses with “helpers” or “contractors” looking to get real-world work experience, but not necessarily full-time professional employment.
More than half of the jobs are paid, Berlingo said, and employers are not just local, but rather “from all over.”
While the commissioners did not discuss any specific next steps, Favarolo congratulated Berlingo on Starteryou’s launch and thanked him for the introduction to the business, noting that the EDC’s own jobs board and future student career initiatives could present opportunities for collaboration.
I am sure everyone realizes we no longer have a movie theater, a Starbucks, have lost many clothing stores and other retail outlets. What exactly is Economic Development? Does it include building our retail establishments? Or pushing them out of Town Center? Are we building an amphitheater to blast residential, taxpaying condominium owners out of their homes? Or as a facade to build a parking lot for the apartment complexes who do not have enough parking? Are we building a playground because the apartments have no room for playgrounds? How much did we spend building Schneck’s Island only to have it taken away from us so a playground can be built down the road as some sort of booby prize. A playground with no parking and high liability with a pond and no life guard? It makes no sense.