The following is an update from First Selectman Toni Boucher. 

Hello, Wilton.

We are in high summer, now, and I hope everyone is staying safe in the heat.

[State of the Town Event]

I’d like to open this newsletter by thanking everyone who attended the inaugural State of the Town event at the Wilton Library on May 29. I would especially like to thank my co-host, [Wilton Public] Schools Superintendent Kevin Smith, whose insight into the lives of our students and the challenges facing them and their teachers and families is always thoughtful. As a parent, raising five of his own children in Wilton gives him a good deal of practical experience and wisdom as well. It was gratifying to see a full house of Wilton neighbors engaged in an amicable, lively conversation that could have continued for hours. Below are some highlights from the evening.

Building Developments

The subject of new apartment buildings going up along Danbury Rd./Rte. 7 and in town center was the first topic raised that evening, and was a major concern for all. A few voices spoke in favor of development and defended the Planning and Zoning Commission as well-intentioned, knowledgeable design and building professionals. They argued that Wilton employers could be advocates for additional apartment complexes to house their workforce. They feel that Wilton might be left behind economically if our downtown does not add more housing.

Most participants, however, expressed dismay and frustration. The building approval process struck many as moving at such a pace, and in such a way, that public opinion has not thus far been considered. People wondered where, when and how they could register their deep concerns over Wilton losing its historic, small-town character. They would also like to ask developers and town planners urgent questions like, how these high occupancy buildings would impact town services, taxes and Wilton’s schools? Traffic was also a major concern as both downtown and Rte. 7 are becoming increasingly congested, even while the majority of the apartments, which will inevitably add many more cars, have yet to arrive. A common refrain from the audience was how to slow development and allow the public to become part of the town planning process. This proved a great segue into reminding everyone how our town government works.

It’s important to note that the Planning and Zoning Commission is an independent arm of our government. Its eight members are voted in by the public every four years and may not serve more than two terms, or eight years in total. Their decisions are entirely their own and made without influence or control from the Board of Selectmen. The Board of Selectmen cannot veto their decisions, nor can their decisions be overturned by an Annual Town Meeting. They have, indeed, a firm grip on our town’s planning. Civic engagement, like running for a spot on the Planning and Zoning Commission, is key to counterbalancing the current agenda of this Commission’s members. There are five seats on this board that will go to a vote in November 2025. Another seat is up for election in 2027.

Another avenue the public may use to express dissatisfaction is to write letters or gather signatures on petitions that expressly oppose development projects, or ask for a text amendment to change a zoning regulation. Such documentation must become part of the public record because, by law, letters and petitions have to be acknowledged at Planning and Zoning meetings. Petitions and letters should be sent to Michael Wrinn, Director of Planning and Land Use Management at Town Hall, and to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Op-eds and letters to the editor can be sent to our local press. Citizens may also take some issues to superior court.

One key hurdle to developers’ plans is the Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA), the town agency that manages Wilton’s sewer lines. Since we lack our own sewage treatment plant, our sewage is sent to Norwalk under the terms of a contract that specifies how much sewage we’re allocated to pass on to their facility. Our limit with Norwalk is already near capacity, and the many future estimated needs put us in hazardous territory. As commercial and housing activity in town grows, their sewage needs will increase Wilton’s flow. There is the anticipated sewage demands of large apartment buildings that are currently accepting tenants, but are not at full occupancy. And there is the sewage from future apartment buildings that have been approved by Planning and Zoning that are either under construction, or have not yet begun building. Based on these predicted calculations, it is clear that we have reached our threshold with Norwalk and must re-negotiate our contract with them for expanded capacity before new complexes can move forward. In addition, any new sewage capacity requested will incur a fee that will be borne by current and future users on the town’s sewer lines. For now, development plans may need to wait for Norwalk to grant more sewer capacity to Wilton.

Cell Phones and Social Media in the Schools

Another top topic of concern was phones in the schools and social media among students in general. Superintendent Smith discussed how this has become a policing issue for teachers, particularly in the high school. If teachers ban phones from their classrooms, students may ignore the edict and then battle lines are drawn, with so much instruction time lost. Moreover, even without their phones, students still need access to the internet while learning, as it has become inextricably tied to the curriculum as a teaching tool. If the point to withhold cell phones from students is to curtail distraction, schools would have to ban the internet altogether, which is not feasible in today’s learning environment. Still, school leaders are looking at all available options to combat this issue, like having students drop their phones into bags that block cell phone transmissions while they are in the building. Some parents worried aloud that they would not be able to reach their children during the day, and that students would not be able to call 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency. It was generally agreed that the pressure on parents to give in to demands for a cell phone was intense, especially in an age when every other student in their child’s class had one.

There is no ready solution to these quandaries, but it did open the discussion to how adults model their relationship to the internet. As many recent books, articles, podcasts and the U.S. Surgeon General — who wants to put a warning label on social media platforms — have shown, addiction to social media bears a strong causal relationship to anxiety and depression. This is true not only for young people, but for society in general. A study of schools that banned cell phones from their campuses showed a marked decline in bullying. During an emergency drill, students without cell phones evacuated the building in markedly shorter time than their peers who had access to their phones (Brian Lehrer Show, June 20, 2024 with guest, reporter Amy Zimmer).

As much as we may feel that students cannot go through the school day without their phones, Dr. Smith said students’ mental health is a more serious problem. It is a shocking and terrifying fact that six Wilton High School students attempted suicide this past year. A committee of parents, teachers and school administrators has been recently formed to study how a district-wide ban on phones in the school can be affected. But to Dr. Smith’s point, the work begins at home with parents modeling healthy ways to live with technology.

In other school news, parents asked for more STEM classes and a more active robotics program. Explicitly, parents said the schools need to serve a wider range of interests among their students beyond the traditional scholar-athlete. Dr. Smith had some great news to share that a committee of science and technology educators and parents had been formed, with employees from ASML joining as consultants, to devise an expanded high school STEM curriculum and clubs, after school activities and opportunities for our science and technology driven students. At Cider Mill [School], ASML donated a program called “Mad Scientist,” which provides after school fun filled with experiments and scientific exploration for elementary school students. At Miller-Driscoll [School], more math and science classes were added to the curriculum in 2023-2024.

As was said, the first inaugural State of the Town generated a vigorous conversation which generated further discussion as the evening wore on. People expressed a desire for more State of the Town forums throughout the year. We are gratified by this enthusiasm and will work to make future events possible.

Eversource Rate Increase on July 1

Another delayed impact of the COVID pandemic is about to hit Connecticut homes this July when Eversource bills will increase by an average of $8-$13 for standard service customers. Part of this increase is due to resuming regular operations after years of keeping electricity rates lower during the shutdown, when halting collections from accounts that were in arrears was also in effect. As Connecticut resumes its full recovery, Eversource maintains that it needs to make up these lost revenues.

It is fortunate that energy supply rates, as set by the regulatory agencies, are going down beginning July 1. The jump in costs will be seen in the Public Benefits portion of your bill, where every household is charged a pass-through contribution fee to pay for the state legislature’s mandated policy goals. A pass-through fee means that the straight cost of these goals is passed to the consumer, without adding expenditures like overhead or administrative fees. These state mandated policy goals include projects like renewable energy subsidies, purchasing carbon-free electricity, and funding solar and electric vehicle incentives. Public Benefits also helps with bill relief for 1-in-5 Eversource customers.

The company is aware of the rate shock the public will experience, and are working with state leaders to develop a systemic rate treatment plan that will even out increases in years to come, shielding Connecticut households and businesses from the volatility we’re experiencing today.

Aquarion and Rte. 106/New Canaan Rd.

If there’s construction on the roadways, it’s a sure sign it must be summer. Residents along a stretch of New Canaan Rd./State Rte. 106 contacted the First Selectman’s [office] recently seeking relief from the ongoing traffic disruption and detours caused by phase two of Aquarion Water Company‘s water main replacement project. While this is an extremely important public project mandated by the state and on a state road — leaving town leaders with limited jurisdiction — all of us at Town Hall are keenly aware of the significant ongoing inconvenience to the affected neighborhoods.

The First Selectman’s office and senior managers recently met with Aquarion’s executive management to stress the need for Aquarion’s contractors to strictly abide by all local and state regulations with regard to daily starting and closing times and traffic control. We also agreed to a schedule that could allow Aquarion to complete this project sooner than was planned. Finally, the water company committed to sending notices on the work disruption to the residents on Rte. 106 that are affected. The Wilton Police Department will take corrective measures if the regulations pertaining to starting time, ending time and detours are violated.

Aquarion Water Restrictions

Until Oct. 31 this year, Wilton is under a mandatory water restriction schedule. Sprinkler irrigation systems for lawns and gardens are allowed to run twice a week, maximum. Not only does this policy save billions of gallons of water every year, it also trains the yards in our area to become drought resistant.

Each home’s two days are determined by the last digit of the home’s address:

  • If the house number ends on an even number, water only on Sundays and Wednesdays, between 12-10 a.m., or 6 p.m.-midnight.
  • If the address ends on an odd number, water only on Saturdays and Tuesdays, during those same hours.
  • If there is no house number, water on Sundays and Wednesdays.

Gun Violence Awareness Day

On June 7, town leaders and gun safety advocates gathered on the steps of Town Hall to commemorate Gun Violence Awareness Day. Second Selectman Josh Cole read our Town Proclamation declaring our community’s commitment to combat gun violence. Superintendent of Schools Kevin Smith, said in his remarks, “…our children are particularly vulnerable. Schools, which should be places of safety and learning, have all too often become the sites of unspeakable violence. Just last year, there were over 100 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, resulting in dozens of fatalities and countless injuries. The toll this takes on our youth, on their sense of security and well-being, is immeasurable. Today, let us honor the memory of those we have lost by taking meaningful action to prevent further tragedy.”

Wilton’s Chief of Police Thomas Conlan reminded those in attendance of Connecticut’s common-sense gun laws that have kept citizens safe, while supporting police officers around the state. Prohibitions against assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, strict background check regulations, laws against open carry firearms, strong gun safety storage laws, requirements that ghost guns, regardless of how they were acquired, be registered with traceable serial numbers, have all contributed to Connecticut having one of the lowest rates of gun violence in the nation. For police everywhere, gun violence is a threat they face every day and is deeply personal.

Chief Conlan brought this home when he said, “…I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to remember Bristol Officers, Lt. Dustin DeMonte and Sgt. Alex Hamzy, who were victims of gun violence on Oct. 12, 2022. They will not be forgotten.”

Bond Auction Update

It was only a few short weeks ago when several key moments happened in quick succession that shaped Wilton’s financial future. As we all know, the Town budget passed that included immediate infrastructure repair needs listed as bondable items. Then the Board of Selectmen, with expert guidance from Wilton’s CFO, Dawn Norton, passed a new policy requiring unspent funds from the previous fiscal year to go into a reserve fund only to be used for emergencies or for a one-time expense that would otherwise become a bond item. This caused a little extra monetary pain in a year when taxpayers were already seeing exceptional budget hardships. Previous fiscal practices had allowed excess funds to be used to hold down Wilton’s property taxes. But town leaders felt a change in policy was imperative, as uncomfortable as it may have been.

Fast forward a week later to a meeting with Moody’s Rating Service where we lobbied hard for our worthiness to retain their Aaa rating. Several days later, Moody’s granted us their coveted Aaa, citing our new Excess Fund Balance Policy, and our budget passing with such strong public support, as reasons for their approval.

Finally, last week, we put our bond list up at a bond auction, where investors bid against each other by offering their best terms to buy bonds like ours. Because our list was relatively small, even with our newly minted Aaa rating, we were told to expect no more than three bids. But, in fact, we had nine, and in the swirl of competition came away with borrowing terms that are as favorable as any we could have ever hoped to achieve. It was like watching rows of happy dominoes falling perfectly into place. I share this story as a way to say thank you and congratulations to the people of Wilton. When Wilton pulls together and chooses to do the hard things first, great things happen for our town.

Sustainability Award

The Clean Transportation Coalition of Western Connecticut, a U.S. Department of Energy Partnership to Advance Clean Energy Nationwide, recognized our Police Department this week for [its] commitment to green energy after transitioning to an all Hybrid Police Patrol vehicle fleet. It took five years to acquire all of the 14 hybrid police vehicles, but the benefits, as Chief Conlan explained in his acceptance speech, will be long lasting. These hybrid vehicles get a 41% increase in miles per gallon over traditional gas-powered patrol cars, which creates enormous savings for the environment and for the Wilton taxpayer. When all of the calculations are done, the fuel savings amount to $15,000 to $20,000 per car over a five-year period. Congratulations to the Wilton police force for this award. And thank you for your determination in staying with this project for so long and for your foresight in investing in something that has such a huge payoff for all.

Police Headquarters Update

And speaking of police headquarters, it is anticipated that the steel top ceremony, where the last piece of steel is installed after all of the town personnel who made the building possible have signed it, will take place in July, 2025. Occupation of the new building will begin in late fall of that year.

Cell Tower Update

When will the cell tower on School Rd. be ready? This a question I get practically every day at Town Hall. The land has been surveyed and mapped, but the certificate of operations changed firms. This delayed the process as a new application needed to be submitted to the state’s Siting Council. Nonetheless, the current certificate holder has 18 months to complete the work, or be forced to forfeit the project and lose all of the construction costs that have been invested. Needless to say, there is great incentive to get the tower finished on their part and we will keep reporting on their progress.

Girl Scouts’ Gift Box

5th Grade Wilton Troop 50390 has created a weatherproof “Borrowing Toy Chest” that will live at the new Merwin Meadows playground. Visitors are invited to play with the toys while enjoying the park, and then leave them for the next visitor. The chest can be found near the check-in area, but a secret code is needed to unlock the top (we understand the word ‘PLAY’ will work). Inside, balls, jump ropes, water toys, frisbees and more will be found. All of these toys are donations this Troop collected after much publicity and canvassing of family, friends, local businesses and neighbors. Donations are still being collected! Bring your items directly to the toy chest or drop them at Comstock Community Center after Merwin Meadows closes for the winter and the Borrowing Toy Chest is brought inside. Thank you to Wilton Troop 50390 for this thoughtful, fun contribution to life in our town. Avery, Darien, Gigi, Kregg, Amy, Jada, Jillian, Lena, Dhaanve, Zoie, Alice, Sarah, Penelope and Cara, your work will give hours of delight to many kids in Wilton and will really help the new Merwin Meadows playground become a great success. Your Bronze Award is well-deserved!

Judy Zucker’s Plaque

Judy Zucker’s daughter, Ellen, was in town to attend the plaque unveiling ceremony which named the community room in the Senior Center at Comstock in Judy’s memory.

America 250 Celebration

The governor’s office is looking ahead at our country’s 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, by organizing The America 250 Celebration task force. Business, civic and nonprofit groups across the state will be invited to take one day each in 2025-2026 to sponsor an event in their town that celebrates America’s founding. It will be a calendar year of special occasions leading up to the birthday bash on July 4, 2026. Director of Parks and Recreation Steve Pierce will be Wilton’s point person to this task force. Wilton will be setting up its own America 250 committee and will ask all town organizations and business to join in the plans. We will keep you apprised as America 250 takes shape.

Weddings

June is typically wedding season and Wilton’s Town Hall is fast becoming a popular Wilton wedding chapel. We have been delighted to sprinkle our workdays with a little love and romance. Brides are given a red rose for the occasion, staff are on hand to take plenty of pictures, and there’s always a little cake. Aren’t these couples lovely?

July Fourth 2024

On Thursday, July 4 (rain date July 5) Parks and Rec will host [its] popular annual festivities starting with the Freedom Run Road Race at 8 a.m. that starts from the Wilton High School stadium. Register [online]. The Republicans versus Democrats softball game kicks off at noon. Then the dance party starts at 5 p.m. with a guest DJ, and will last until the fireworks start at 9 p.m. at the high school football fields. Food trucks will be on hand and attendees also bring their own picnic. Wilton fireworks display is so popular that many people from our region flock to our town. So, come early for a great viewing spot and enjoy visiting with your neighbors. The event is free but there is a parking fee. Parking tickets for the Fourth of July are going fast so be sure to get your tickets soon. Buy a parking pass here. A big thank you to the Kiwanis Club for [its] generous donation of the American flags that have been placed on all of the lampposts downtown.

I look forward to seeing you at our quintessential small-town celebration of our nation’s founding. Aren’t we lucky to live here?

Toni Boucher
First Selectman
The Town of Wilton