Hello, Wilton. It’s been a hot summer and, appropriately, much of the latest news in town has to do with the great outdoors. But first, we would like to impress upon all Wilton residents the importance of signing up for our new emergency services alert system. If you’ve visited the town website recently, you may have noticed a large Everbridge button at the bottom of every page. You will soon be getting a formal announcement about this service, but you can, right now, register your household by clicking on this Everbridge link, which will take you to a quick form to fill out with information our emergency services personnel need in order to reach you and your loved ones quickly.
Please note! If your information was listed with our previous emergency alert system, Code Red, you must fill out the new contact sheet with Everbridge. Your contact information has not automatically been transferred over to the new service. We hope this explanation from the sign-up page stresses, in the strongest terms possible, how important it is that all Wilton residents register for this service:
“Get alerted about emergencies and other important community news by signing up for our Emergency Alert Program. This system enables us to provide you with critical information quickly in a variety of situations, such as severe weather, unexpected road closures, missing persons and evacuations of buildings or neighborhoods. You will receive time-sensitive messages wherever you specify, such as your home, mobile or business phones, email address, text messages and more. You pick where, you pick how.”
Please read this privacy statement from Everbridge: “Unless in an emergency (for example where we need to provide information immediately to a medical facility), when we rely on vital interests as the legal basis for such sharing, we will act on your instructions or ask for your consent before sharing your information.”
You can register with Everbridge now by clicking this link: Town of Wilton Connecticut — Public Sign In (everbridge.net)
Aquarion Construction Schedule
As the frustrated citizens who live in the vicinity of Old Boston Rd. and State Road 106 know, Aquarion has been working this summer to complete installation of a 36-inch water main through this intersection, causing inconvenience and upset. Unfortunately, the main must pass under three existing water pipes managed by South Norwalk Electric and Water, and these pipes were found to be in dangerous condition. Not only are they 119 years old, but they are also made of cast iron with lead joint pipes. Given their fragility, construction so close to them presents too great a risk.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation, Aquarion and South Norwalk Electric and Water decided, therefore, that these old pipes must be replaced before installation of the 36-inch main at the Old Boston Road intersection can resume. If the necessary approvals are in place, this new construction period will begin on Dec. 1, 2024. The issues around this new development are complex and so we are [linking to] Aquarion’s lengthy announcement about this development, which explains in detail all of the challenges these water pipe replacement projects are presenting. Maps of the work areas and proposed traffic detour routes are included in the document.
We are sorry the delay and irritation must continue for our residents, but we want you to know that we will continue to press state authorities to resolve these mandated projects as quickly and safely as possible. (Route 106 is a state road and the state is the decision-making authority.)
Update from the Town and School Needs Assessment and Priorities Committee
The new committee of town officials, volunteers and advisory members have begun their discussions on how to break down the 15-year infrastructure projects of school and Town government buildings into manageable steps. The next few weeks will be focused on which construction projects to recommend to the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance by December of this year, when budget deliberations begin for FY 26.
But questions around what the future will look like in Wilton have become a sticking point. The committee is in the unenviable position of having to address the urgent needs of today while guessing at the needs of tomorrow. It would be unwise to build or renovate a facility that in a few years’ time becomes inadequate. On the other hand, wasting taxpayer dollars by overdeveloping is another kind of mistake that everyone wants to avoid.
This situation leads to many more questions: Is it right to spend money to replace the windows if the most practical solution is to tear down Town Hall and start fresh? If we keep Town Hall and expand upon it, is it a longer-term savings to add one story or two? With all of the development happening in Wilton, which will inevitably lead to a larger populace, will additional staff be necessary to meet the demands of more residents? Or will less staff be required because advances in technology, like digitized record keeping and online processes, mean a leaner operation, with no boxes of paper records requiring storage space?
As the committee moves forward with care, it is important to remember that in the past decade of stagnant growth and fiscal austerity, Town government was making do with temporary solutions that have now become untenable. Making do can actually be very expensive:
- We have had single employees doing two jobs, closets that have been sacrificed for offices, and conference rooms that were chopped into cubicles. As a result, the Town has lost valuable administrators who’ve joined other municipalities that offered more reasonable workloads in professional surroundings.
Our IT staff operates out of a tightly confined closet, with very little room between them and the walls of hardware systems giving off dangerous levels of heat and electricity. - Accessing a conference room that is now used by staff who work in that space means constantly interrupting those employees’ workflow and productivity.
Three employees in the Annex building are crammed into a single office.
Under state labor law, employers are required to provide employees with a break room, or a place with some degree of privacy for lunch breaks, etc. Town Hall is currently not in full compliance with this rule. Space once used for this purpose was turned into work areas some time ago. - The workforce that makes up our Department of Public Works operates from a separate building from the Department of Public Works administration staff, which greatly hinders the planning, training, and development necessary to keep Wilton’s infrastructure running. And our DPW lacks any overnight facilities that their teams can use in the event of major storms. Unlike many of our neighbors, who have bunk rooms available so that their crews can stay on site as storms roll in, or rest between shifts if a disaster response requires multiple days to manage, our crews have to travel into Wilton. This can be dangerous to them, cuts into their response time, and is grossly inefficient in a multi-day scenario. A bunk room with bathroom facilities for our DPW department is a critical public safety upgrade.
- Currently, whenever our town buildings need any kind of repair, Wilton must hire outside contractors to address even the smallest problems, which is an expensive way for us to operate. As our town grows and our buildings age, it is fiscally responsible for us to add services like a building maintenance plant with on-staff workers to manage the repair needs and small construction jobs that are constantly required by our schools and Town buildings.
Why Staff a Town Hall at All?
Some members of the public have expressed confusion over why Wilton officials keep talking about the need for more space, or why, in this age of advanced technology, can’t Town employees work from home. Below are some points to consider when understanding how Town Hall operates:
- When a town employee works from home, the number one concern is cybersecurity. They must be able to get into their work computer from their home computer safely, which is difficult to guarantee if dozens of employees are operating this way, sharing and storing their files with personal systems inevitably getting into the mix. If our staff were to move to a remote work environment permanently, the Town would have to install safe hardware and software systems in each of their locales, at high cost.
- Much of Town Hall employees’ work is collaborative, especially in our Public Works and Planning and Zoning Departments where sharing large maps and building plans is necessary in nearly all discussions. It may be possible to work as a group through online meeting platforms, but this is hardly ideal, especially long term.
- Having Town Hall employees work in a honeycombed, isolated system seems counterproductive if we want to create a government that provides a cohesive support system for Wilton and a healthy, robust community.
- We are a public-facing institution. Our Town Hall staff work hard to provide immediate answers and solutions to constituents who come in to manage their business in person, or who want to meet with their elected officials. Moving all interaction between Town Hall employees and the people they serve online would undercut the quality of services in our town.
We are standing in a completely different landscape from where we stood in 2019. Today, there is low inventory of residential real estate in town, Wilton’s schools’ ranking has jumped from where it was five years ago, and large-scale apartment buildings are quickly appearing. We are in a time of growth, with the opportunity to right-size every aspect of our local government, while leaving room for continued expansion. We need to hire the best people for the correct job, build the spaces our staff needs to do their work, and modernize our technology.
The most direct way to understand how immediate the needs are is to take a tour of town facilities. We encourage everyone to continually check [the needs assessment committee] page to sign up for a scheduled site visit.
School Rd. Cell Tower
There is good news for those who have been watching the developments around the construction of a new cell phone tower on School Rd. You may not be aware that Verizon released its commitment to build the cell tower to a new vendor, The Towers LLC, which sent up a collective groan from all of us who are anxious to have greater cell reception in town. The concern was that Towers would have to go through a lengthy approval process by the Connecticut Siting Council, just as Verizon had done, which would delay construction into bureaucratic infinity. But things have moved quickly and there is only one final plan that must be approved before construction can be renewed. Regardless, we have learned that the change in ownership from Verizon to Tower does not change the completion deadline this project is under, which is Feb. 18, 2025. By this date, the cell tower must be up and running with at least one carrier providing service, or the company forfeits its right to finish construction, with the loss of all its building materials. We are hopeful that Towers LLC will get over the finish line in time, for everyone’s benefit.
The Norwalk River Valley Trail
If expansion plans are approved by Wilton’s [Inland] Wetlands Commission and the Planning and Zoning Commission, the nonprofit group, Friends of the Norwalk River Valley Trail (NRVT), will be able to accept construction bids to connect a one-mile section of the trail that stretches from Skunk Ln. to Pimpewaug Rd. This culminates two years of effort between the NRVT Board and the Town of Wilton, who, together, won a $3 million construction grant from the state. Even with the grant, $150,000 needed to be raised from the public to fully fund the project, which was another hurdle crossed. With continued luck and hard work, groundbreaking on this new part of the trail should begin in early 2025.
The NRVT has become one of the most popular and well-used trails in our area and is an amenity that our realtors point out to new residents moving in. As an aside, it is also a trail that is near and dear to my heart because when I was in the legislature I had to pass a law to create this trail, as the land had been reserved exclusively for the construction of the now shelved Super 7 Highway. Highway planners had designed this superhighway to run through several historic towns, including Wilton, which would have completely changed life here. Instead, this beloved Greenway will now be expanded and enjoyed by all.
Street Fair and Sidewalk Sale
Of the 12 years that the Wilton Chamber of Commerce has been hosting the Street Fair and Sidewalk Sale, this year’s event marked the biggest to date. Over 100 vendors, including local retailers and restaurants, set up their booths to entice people to shop, eat, and play. There was face painting, live music, street performers, bouncy houses and so much more to celebrate Wilton as a destination for fun.
Many individuals and organizations made the fair possible, as noted by Camille Carriero, Executive Director of the Wilton Chamber of Commerce. “The Wilton Chamber of Commerce would like to extend our appreciation for all the volunteers from Wilton CERT, Fire Department, Police Department, WVAC, and the numerous individual volunteers for their time and efforts for our community event. The Street Fair was made possible by the generosity of our local businesses, ASML, LaurelRock, Fairfield County Bank, Caraluzzi’s, Stamford Health and the Wilton Rotary Club. The Wilton Chamber of Commerce is honored to present this annual event for our community and hopes that our residents, neighbors, and friends continue to shop local and support our Wilton businesses!”
UConn Students in Wilton
UConn students have been studying Wilton’s landscape this summer, as part of their design process for a new rain garden they hope to construct in the near future. The UConn Stormwater Corps, a volunteer team of undergraduates, professors, and graduate students, is partnering with the Southwest Conservation District and the Town of Wilton to improve our town’s stormwater management. In collaboration with the SCD, the Corps has been evaluating various town sites to find the locations most in need of better sustainable drainage. Once a location has been selected, UConn students will create a rain garden template to give to the Southwest Conservation District, who will present it to the Board of Selectmen in the fall.
Cricket
Cricket enthusiasts in Wilton have an opportunity to get involved with a local team! Whether you’re a seasoned player or new to the sport, you can join the Wilton Warriors Cricket Club. What started as a pickup game on baseball fields has been formalized by the Parks and Rec Department into a club with an assigned playing space. Practices are held at Lions Field, located at 12 Old Mill Rd., every Monday from 5:30-8 p.m., and practice matches are held at the same time and place on Thursdays. Everyone is welcome to join and learn the game, and no equipment needs to be brought to practices. Those interested can find more information by contacting Vimal Sharma of the Wilton Warriors Cricket Club at 203.613.4655 or by calling Steve Pierce at the Parks and Recreation Department at 203.834.6234, ext. 6.
Pickleball
Our town has several options for enjoying the increasingly popular game of pickleball, with both indoor and outdoor courts available. At Comstock Community Center, one indoor court is available to use by reservation through the Parks and Rec Online Registration System. Booking the court is free once users make an account with Parks and Rec. At Middlebrook [School], four pickleball courts can be found on the tennis courts with two additional temporary courts located on the blacktop with the basketball hoops. Note that the courts are only available outside of school hours. While reservations for these courts aren’t required, we ask that you limit your playing to 90 minutes if others are in line. Plans are underway to establish four permanent courts, with details about location and timing to be announced. To advocate for more courts, provide feedback, or get involved with starting a league, call Steve Pierce of Parks and Rec at 203.834.6234, ext. 6.
Historic District and Historic Property Commission
Wilton has been in existence since the 1600’s and today hosts a National Historic Site, three National Historic Districts, five Local Historic Districts, a State Scenic Road, and five Local Scenic Roads. As was stated in the 2019 Plan of Conservation and Development, “Wilton has significant historic assets from its rural origins, which fundamentally complement its natural environment and contribute to its character, sense of place, and quality of life. The Town will help preserve historically significant structures by reviewing the Town’s administrative process, exploring regulatory or zoning incentives for historic preservation, and educating property owners and the public on the value of historic structures.”
Defending our historic structures often depends on the knowledge and advocacy of the Historic District and Historic Property Commission, whose mission is to educate Wilton residents about the treasures that surround us. When people understand the value of our living history, the hope is they will support the Commission’s efforts to protect it. In that spirit, Wilton residents are invited to the Commission’s meetings and can find their schedules and Zoom links on the Historic District & Historic Property Commission website.
For those who would like to become even more involved, the Commission has five regular members and three alternates, with one alternate position currently vacant. If interested, this link will take you to directions on how to apply.
The Commission received a boon to its efforts when it applied for Certified Local Government Status and won this distinction in 2022. This was an important goal outlined in the 2019 POCD because it opens a whole new category of grants and funding opportunities.
And there is always so much to be done. Below are pictures of the Ambler Farm Yellow House, a town-owned property in serious need of restoration. The original house was built in 1799 and stayed in the same family until 1999, when it and the entire Ambler Farm, was sold to the town of Wilton. This house, and the Raymond Ambler Home, rank as two of the finest Colonial, picturesque dwellings in Wilton. Many significant farm-related buildings, including an ice house and corn crib, the Red Dairy Barn, and the White Carriage Barn exist and are in use today, making Ambler Farm one of the most complete, antique farms in the County.
2024 Wilton Business Satisfaction Survey
The Wilton Economic Development Commission invites business leaders to participate in its 2024 Business Satisfaction Survey. To access the survey, please [visit the] 2024 Business Satisfaction Survey website. For any questions, please contact them via email..
Canine Friends
Town Hall enjoys many visits from our canine constituents who’ve stopped by to pay taxes and get those dog licenses. Belly rubs and doggie treats are always in the offing.
More Town Hall Weddings
Officiating another wedding at Wilton Town Hall. We surprised the happy couple and their family with a little reception and our Town Hall staff joined in the celebration. The couple shared the cake-cutting moment with the bride’s daughters. Congratulations to this happy family.
With warmest wishes,
Toni Boucher
First Selectman
The Town of Wilton