BOS to EDC on New Wilton Signage Proposal: Two Important Stakeholders Need to Be Consulted First — Residents and State DOT

While the Economic Development Commission is anxious to help the town find its way with regard to signage, the Board of Selectmen said that not only do state officials need to be consulted first, but residents also will need to weigh in on whether they like what they’re going to be seeing erected along state roads.

EDC Chair Joseph Favarolo gave a presentation to the Board of Selectmen on Monday, Oct. 21, including a general outline for plans to seek approval from the state to erect a series of large signs along Rte. 7/Danbury Rd. and Rte. 33/Ridgefield Rd.. Other “way-finding” signs will also be put on Belden Hill Rd. and possibly Rte. 106/New Canaan & Wolfpit Rds.

The signs will potentially be five or six feet high, and five or six feet wide — something First Selectman Toni Boucher thinks may draw opposition from some residents.

“This is a big decision and I think we need to proceed deliberately,” Boucher said, suggesting a public hearing be held to present the details to residents.

“Quite frankly, if it’s not something the public likes, we’ll be hearing about it for years,” she said.

While Wilton currently has some way-finding signs in several places directing people toward the Town Center, Favarolo said they’re inadequate.

“Most people don’t even know that this exists,” he said, sharing a photograph of one of the signs that he described as “tiny” and “pitiful.”

“I don’t want to use the word ridiculous, but that’s what comes to mind,” Favarolo said.

Attracting Visitors

He and the EDC argue that way-finding signage will play an important role in bringing more visitors — particularly shoppers and diners — to Wilton Center. 

“The need for improved signs is embedded in the Master Plan, the POCD,” he said, “and it’s embedded in the two thorough surveys,” which were done by the EDC.

A 2023 survey, with 39 businesses and 240 residents responding, said that signage was a dire need of business owners. A similar survey in 2024 of 59 business owners “found likewise,” Favarolo said.

“Planning and Zoning is going to be changing its regulations to tackle the sign study problem,” he said, but this will be limited to the signs that are outside of businesses, or in town-owned areas.

“They will not tackle signs that are on state roads, which is on Rte. 7 and Rte. 33,” he said.

Favarolo said that he and Boucher met with Lt. David Hartman of the Wilton Police Department, who is the town’s designated Local Traffic Authority and will be guiding them along in the process.

“The ultimate approval authority is the Connecticut Department of Transportation,” Favarolo said, with the intention to put together a “business case” in order to seek state approval to erect the signs.

“I believe we tried this a few years ago with Connecticut DOT and it did not get approved,” he said, confident it will be different this time.

Not So Fast…

Before the BOS can authorize seeking that approval, however, several questions still need to be answered.

“For the state, they’re just gonna want to know exactly what type of signs we want to do, what it’s gonna look like,” and exactly where they would be placed, according to Frank Smeriglio, director of the Wilton Department of Public Works.

While he was able to offer some preliminary ideas, Favarolo emphasized that some things were still in the planning stage. He was unable to say at this time how many signs would be needed, where specifically where they would be placed, and just exactly what designs and verbiage might be put forward.

Asked about examples, Smeriglio suggested that a sign off exit 37 on the Merritt Parkway advertising the town of New Canaan was a likely example of what kinds of signs they’d be seeing in Wilton.

Boucher suggested they might want to do a field trip and possibly see mock-ups of signs.

Favarolo said that part of the work, once the signs are completed, would involve following some metrics to judge whether or not the erection of the signs was worthwhile and fruitful.

In Other Business… (psst. including Cell Tower Update)

Among the remaining business items on the BOS agenda was an update on the long-awaited School Rd. cell tower that has been installed but not turned on. Boucher gave an update on the tower’s status — including why the project has been delayed and an estimate on when the tower might possibly be powered up.

Following two CT Siting Council delays, and a scheduling issue between Eversource and Town attorneys for the better part of a year, Wilton was finally able to produce an easement agreement for a revised lease with Verizon Wireless, a.k.a. Cello Partnership. The easement will allow Verizon access to a gas line and overhead electric.

“We worked really hard on unclogging that barrier,” Boucher said, who said that once the easement is approved and provided to Verizon, the “best guess” for the cell tower to go live is March 2026 “based on what they know today,” she said, adding that the date is “100 days past their original goal of having it turned up in mid-December 2025.”

Selectman Josh Cole brought up the fact that some of the documents didn’t match the map that was presented to the BOS, with different names in several cases.

He noted the changes, however, and the BOS unanimously approved the agreement.

“We’ve waited a long time with this,” Boucher said, “and we don’t want to hold any of it up.”

The BOS also gave approval to several contract items on its docket, including school and other projects.

• The board approved $93,500 for a chiller at Cider Mill School. 

• Approval was also given for $99,500 for design work associated with the Wilton High School library roof and roof top unit replacements.

• The board also approved $65,600 for design work at the Middlebrook School‘s art rooms.

• Approval was also given for $170,500 for a contract agreement between the Town and the National Water Main Cleaning Company for an infiltration and inflow project initiated by the Water Pollution Control Authority.