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Public hearing held for amended property maintenance, zoning ordinances

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Residents gathered for a public hearing Tuesday evening to discuss a change in the Property Maintenance Ordinance.

WILTON – A public hearing was held Tuesday evening prior to the Selectboard meeting for two amendments to the Building and Property Maintenance and the Zoning Ordinance, concerning the appearance of property in Wilton.

The Building and Property Maintenance Ordinance is being amended to include Residential II in its regulations, expanding the portion of the town covered by the ordinance.

In addition, item A.21 Performance Standards in the Wilton Zoning Ordinance Site Plan Review was changed from “The amount of dust, noise or smoke produced.” to “the amount of dust, noise, smoke or odors detectable at the lot line.”

“This should give us more backbone to encourage property owners to keep their space cleaned up,” Code Enforcement Officer Adam Cote said.

Offensive properties are given a three-letter notice to get cleaned up before owners are brought to any legal proceeding. This is Cote’s first year as Code Enforcement Officer, in a half-time position rather than the previous quarter position, which Selectboard Member John Black noted should make a significant difference in the work accomplished.

“Before having this ordinance there was nothing we could do to help property owners get cleaned up,” Selectboard Chair Tiffany Maiuri said. “This is how we can help people get on the right track.”

In other news, Town Manager Rhonda Irish gave an update on the Forster Mill, reporting that asbestos and hazardous liquid removal will begin May 1. The Department of Environmental Protection is funding the removal, though the project continues to expand as more hazards are found. Irish recommended applying for a Brownfields Revolving Loan program which could help with the fees.

“So much is happening behind the scenes. I know people want to see things happening with the exterior of the building, but a lot has been going on inside,” Maiuri said.

The board approved researching a grant that may allow a boat dock to be installed at Kineowatha Park. The dock would potentially be installed to the left of the beach area in a protected cove and would hopefully bring more foot traffic to the park.

If pursued, the dock could bring in more revenue for the park with boaters using the snack shack or renting kayaks and would also cut down on the mill foil by keeping boats in the lake. A rental fee would be charged with a maximum of ten boats at a time.

“It would be a long term investment but I think it would be good for the town,” Black said.

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2 Comments

  1. The Wilton Select Board should consider rescinding
    their decision on granting boat docks on Wilson Lake near Kineowatha Park for this reason – the proposed cove area is a nesting habitat for the protected species, the well loved Maine Common Loon.

  2. Having grown up in Wilton when it was a pretty nice little town with lots of activity I am glad to see you are working hard to keep it cleaned up. I recently had a chance to drive through the dead space between Jay and Livermore Falls, and you don’t want Wilton looking like that disaster!

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