Wilton’s Board of Selectmen (BOS) held a special meeting last night, Wednesday, Feb. 11, after coming under pressure to allow the public an opportunity to express their views regarding the possible sale of the historic Gilbert & Bennett (G&B) property in Georgetown.
Attendance at the much-anticipated meeting — billed as the “Gilbert & Bennet[t] Public Meeting — Future of the Town-Owned Historic Building” — filled the Comstock Community Center meeting room to capacity, requiring an adjacent meeting room where more attendees participated via Zoom, along with other remote participants.
The meeting comes at a crossroads for the Town as it weighs whether to sell or retain one of its most historically significant properties while balancing preservation, economic development and Town budget priorities.
The outpouring of public comment — including from many neighbors in G&B’s immediate vicinity and several residents who were students at the school many years ago — revealed deep personal connections to the building, its history and purpose as a community center.
The meeting seemed to be an oasis for many residents thirsting for transparency from Town officials when it comes to the treasured, if troubled, G&B property — particularly for residents uncomfortable with confidential BOS executive sessions or the process First Selectman Toni Boucher has followed up to this point.
Boucher Commits to Open Process
In her opening remarks, Boucher was first to set the tone and assure residents about transparency going forward.
“The Board of Selectmen feels that it’s important that the public be involved in the process, [and] the path forward for the [G&B] property includes community input,” she said. “We want to make sure that all the voices are heard and the process is open and transparent.”
Boucher went on to enumerate “three broad pathways” she said the BOS identified for the property:
- Sell the building with permanent historic preservation protections
- Preserve the land around the building as open space; or retain and stabilize the building
- Identify other alternatives as ideas are gathered
She emphasized that no decisions have been made, and then reiterated her assurances to the public that decisions would not be made by her or the BOS in isolation.
“It is your building, your asset,” she told the audience. “We [BOS] are here to be stewards of it and make sure that we proceed with everybody’s input.”
With multiple references to “future meetings,” Boucher noted Wednesday evening would not be the only opportunity for the public to weigh in.
“There will be more public meetings in the future, because [G&B] is a complex and important asset for our community,” she said.
Selectmen Got the Message, Too
It was clear the BOS membership had also taken concerns about transparency to heart.
Second Selectman Ross Tartell, who served as moderator for the evening, observed how unique the event was.
“Wilton doesn’t often do things like this, where you open it up to the entire community [and] have an opportunity for input that becomes the basis for moving forward,” he told the audience. “It’s a beginning to help us figure out where we want to go, how we want to proceed.”
Selectman Rich McCarty went even further, saying transparency was a “fundamental pillar” of democratic governance, essential for public trust and accountability. Quoting former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, McCarty said “if government is to serve the people, it must be transparent, so that the people may serve as its conscience.”
“An effective town forum like this is characterized by transparent communication, robust engagement from the community, and the assurance that every voice is acknowledged,” he added.
Echoing Tartell and McCarty, Selectman Matt Raimondi offered his own assurances — and even an apology for any perceived lack of transparency by the board.
“You’re hearing from us, we are committed to that [transparency],” he told the audience. “And to the extent that folks feel like that didn’t happen already, I’ll say for myself, I’m sorry. That was not the intention. That’s not what we want, and we’re going to be better.”
Selectman David Tatkow also chimed in, urging that the board’s process “has to continue to be a transparent process” going forward.
Stakeholders Speak
While the public comment may have been the main event for the evening, the first hour and 20 minutes were spent setting the stage. Before residents had the chance to speak, five presentations were given as background and information to the public. (Most of the presentations were not posted with the meeting documents but may be added, and can also be seen in their entirety on the recorded Zoom video.)
- Wilton Historical Society Director Nick Foster traced the G&B School’s evolution from model early-20th‑century facility funded by the Gilbert & Bennett Manufacturing Company in 1915 and serving as District 10’s main school until Wilton centralized its school system, to 1964 when Gilbert & Bennett transferred ownership of the building to the Town of Wilton for $1 via a quit claim deed, with contemporaneous records indicating it was intended to remain a community-serving asset.
- Historic District & Historic Properties Commission Chair Lori Fusco gave a presentation explaining G&B’s historic designations with both the National Register and Wilton’s Historic District #6. She has vigorously proposed pursuing two state Historic Preservation Enhancement Grants to fund a preservation-focused “conditions assessment” and a “feasibility study” which would explore adaptive reuse possibilities.
- Former Architectural Review Board Chair Rob Sanders (who mentioned his own time as a student at G&B years ago) urged the town to pause consideration of any sale and follow a structured “open process” similar to Redding’s Wire Mill master plan. He called for creating a G&B planning committee, using the feasibility study recommended by Fusco and extensive public engagement to develop multiple reuse scenarios before a final direction is chosen.
- Sakis Panolis, co‑founder and head brewer of Twelve Gods Brewery, presented a vision for “a landmark reborn,” adapting the G&B school into a “destination” brewery and restaurant, with a “Georgetown Heritage Brewing Center” for exhibits, educational programming and other activities. He emphasized the plan would be privately funded, with a “rehabilitation‑first” approach to stabilize and restore the building.
- Wilton Land Trust President Craig Johnson outlined a concept for partnering with Twelve Gods to acquire and preserve 5.5 acres at the site — including the two adjacent town-owned New St. parcels — as permanent open space for recreational and educational use, potentially including a community garden, walking trail, or gazebo. (Wilton would lose the area that is currently a soccer field.)
Special Meeting, Special Rules
In a memo issued with the meeting agenda, the objectives for obtaining community input were articulated as two-fold:
- “To allow members of the public and key stakeholders to have input and to identify the critical issues, risks, and information needs that must be addressed before moving toward any decision regarding the future of the building”
- “To provide input to the town in order to enable it to begin to determine the best process for deciding on the path forward for Gilbert & Bennett, a process which incorporates informed public input, key stakeholders, and the input from experts on historical properties”
As planned, the discussion was highly structured, not a free-flowing dialog. “Meeting ground rules” published with the agenda indicated speakers would only be allowed to comment on a single “issue, risk, or information gap” with a time limit of 60-90 seconds. In actuality, residents were able to speak fairly freely, and few were stopped for exceeding their time. A handful even took a second turn at the podium.
At Long Last: Community Speaks
Though well over an hour into the meeting, residents had the chance to speak.
They voiced strong, often emotional views on the G&B property and their wishes for it, with several recurring themes emerging. By no means reflecting all of the many comments made, the major themes included (not necessarily in order of importance):
1. Honoring the history and community promise
Several speakers — including Julie Hughes, local historian and archivist at the Wilton History Room, offering her personal opinion; Maryann Rossi, president of the Georgetown Community Association, which installed and operated the G&B Cultural Center from 2011 to 2020; and others — argued the building is not just historic, but was promised to always remain for community use when Wilton acquired the property. A few pointed to a 1998 newspaper editorial by former Wilton Board of Finance member Peter Levin which plainly documented the spirit of the Town’s agreement to keep G&B available to the public. (Boucher maintains the deed contains no such restrictions and the BOS is not bound by verbal promises of past administrations.)
Referring to the heritage room envisioned by Twelve Gods, Hughes said, “Why should the people of Georgetown be asked to settle for just a single little room… when they were promised the whole building?”
One resident noted that ironically, G&B’s auditorium could have served as a more suitable location for the meeting than Comstock, where the audience was split between two rooms.
2. Opposition to a brewery in a residential neighborhood
Neighbors living in the New St. neighborhood appeared in high numbers at the meeting, expressing deep concerns about the idea of a brewery and beer garden anchoring the neighborhood. They spoke about quality-of-life impacts such as noise, deliveries and bar atmosphere. One homeowner said, “We’ve lived here 22 years. I never imagined one day I would stand up here and ask Wilton not to turn a historic building on a historic street into a bar.”
Another resident drew stark visual images of a beer garden in contrast to children playing on fields:
“Those soccer fields are not abstract green space. They are where kids learn teamwork, where friendships form, where Georgetown gathers. To insert a beer garden… fundamentally changes the character of the space. It shifts it from a community-centered space for Wilton/Georgetown to commercial entertainment. We can do better. We can honor the spirit of what this property was meant to be. Some places are meant for childhood memories, not happy hour.”
Multiple speakers (including P&Z Chair Ken Hoffman, speaking in an unofficial capacity, and at least one person with beverage industry experience) raised concerns about brewery business viability, citing broader trends of a declining craft beer industry, lower alcohol consumption and other lifestyle trends. They raised questions about what would happen if the business failed to succeed and the Town no longer had control of the property.
3. The need for more strategic planning
Residents voiced enthusiastic support for pressing “pause” on any deliberations about the Twelve Gods proposal or discussion about selling the property, and instead pursuing the two grant-funded studies Fusco recommended — especially the feasibility study which could help identify alternative and potentially better uses — as well as a “master planning” process Sanders proposed. As one resident said,
“I don’t know how we’ll end up using this asset, but what I want to see is careful, open, professional planning… My hope is that it would lead us to having alternative plans… and then some kind of process where the town could choose among good options.”
4. Stabilize the building now
Several residents were critical of the Town’s longterm “neglect” of the building and felt the Town shouldn’t delay the work needed to stabilize the building and prevent further deterioration. This would include repair of the leaking roof (currently partially tarped) and mold remediation.
5. Transparency and process questions
As Boucher and the BOS had anticipated, residents’ desire for transparency from Town officials dominated the public comment. Finally feeling “heard,” many said they welcomed the forum as a course correction on transparency, and urged the town to maintain it going forward. Even resident Sara Curtis, who has been openly critical of Boucher’s leadership in prior public meetings, seemed satisfied with the BOS’ latest moves:
“We’ve asked for many things, and I think that just the process, the way it went forward, was poor… but I think this is a start.”
At the same time, a few speakers clearly remain wary and said they hoped the special meeting had not been just “for show.”
On process, some residents described Town officials as “reactionary” both in terms of responding to public pressure for a more open process rather than initiating it themselves, as well as engaging with Twelve Gods before having town input or a strategic vision for the property.
At least two residents questioned why a specific business was presenting such a detailed proposal before any public RFP, and if any promises had already been made.
Later in the evening, Boucher addressed that question.
“I do want to clarify on the process…, we did not invite anyone that didn’t come to us. We have not been out there advocating for the sale of this building at all,” she said. “We’re required, if someone [asks] us to view that facility, we let them view it. So anyone that has an interest, that wants to go through it, can… we will do that fairly, without bias, to anyone comes forward.”
6. Traffic, parking and safety
Parking, traffic volume and emergency vehicle access emerged as a major worry for neighbors on the narrow street. Multiple speakers doubted that G&B could safely accommodate a busy restaurant and beer garden. Nod Hill Brewery was cited as an example of a similar business which requires parking attendants to manage volume.
7. Loss of soccer fields
Multiple speakers noted the proposed plan by Twelve Gods and Wilton Land Trust would result in the loss of the youth soccer field at a time when sports groups already struggle for adequate field availability.
Next Steps
Boucher seemed pleased with the “excellent feedback” from the meeting.
“I think this has been a great evening. I think we all learned a whole lot more than we knew originally,” she said.
She promised further action and more public involvement — though it was unclear how soon that would happen. When Raimondi inquired if the discussion would continue at the next BOS meeting, Boucher said the agenda was already full with budget planning.
“Our next [BOS meeting] is packed… It’s all about budgets and several departments and maybe six or seven DPW projects and bridges,” she said. “So we don’t have that ability, but as soon as we get through some of the budget sessions, we can then have another meeting [to] talk about some of the things we heard tonight.”
Still, Boucher said the next steps were clear.
“We’re going to definitely take all the questions that were asked, we’ll follow up and get you some answers,” she said. “We committed that we’ll have future meeting on this.”
“It’s time for us to pay attention to it [G&B]” she said, “We’re going to continue this conversation. Nothing’s going to be done without the approval of the Board of Selectmen and the public going forward.”