Wilton board approves drug-free Safe Zones, supports GFDC

WILTON – The Selectboard unanimously approved designating several Safe Zones throughout Wilton at Tuesday’s meeting, labeling parks and other areas frequented by children as areas where drug trafficking activity could see harsher punishment.

At the request of Police Chief Heidi Wilcox, the board designated several area parks, including East Wilton, Village View, Bass Park, the Backus Memorial Field and McGillicuddy Park. All of those areas see a number of children on a frequent basis, Wilcox said. The board also designated the Wilton Free Public Library, the Western Maine Play Museum, three licensed day care centers and a kid’s only fishing area as Safe Zones.

Upon being certified by the municipality and posted, the zones can result in aggravated charges and stiffer legal penalties for those caught trafficking or furnishing drugs within 1,000 feet. Aggravated charges may carry larger maximum sentences and mandatory minimum sentences.

Wilcox said that the areas would be posted as Safe Zones with signs. She suggested those signs could be paid for with some drug forfeiture money that it is anticipated the town will receive.

“I think it would be very appropriate to use these drug forfeiture funds to buy these signs,” Wilcox said.

Kineowatha Park has already been designated a safe zone, town officials noted. Per statute, schools already can trigger aggravated charges and do not needed to be designated as safe zones. Other areas could be added to the list later, Wilcox said, and the board gave her approval to add additional, qualifying locations where children are known to gather.

Selectman Tom Saviello, who was involved in discussions regarding similar legislation while a senator, noted that despite the name, the Safe Zones do not necessarily correlate to a lack of drug-related activity. Instead, the zones merely can force more significant penalties. Parents still need to pay attention to their kids in the zones, he said, and realize that the designation represented an enforcement advantage rather than a safety one.

In other business, the board unanimously supported the drafting of a letter to the county commissioners indicating their support in having Greater Franklin Development Council receive $40,000 from the county’s Tax Increment Financing district for operating expenses through the end of the fiscal year. GFDC, the county’s economic development program, was historically funded at $60,000, half out of the TIF, but cut back in ensuing years. It was not funded as part of last year’s budget process.

GFDC Executive Director Charlie Woodworth outlined his organization’s activities in the past year, including the work on the Broadband program. Woodworth noted that he would be meeting with Rep. Bruce Poliquin and USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue regarding that plan as part of a round table in Farmington on Wednesday.

Saviello spoke in favor of drafting the letter, saying that Woodworth had been integral to the negotiations with Central Maine Power regarding the New England Clean Energy Connect. Board Chair Tiffany Maiuri agreed, saying she had been impressed by the Broadband report.

“We have something happening here in Franklin County,” Saviello said, noting that the county TIF was created in part to stimulate economic development.

Woodworth said he was approaching several of the larger towns. Farmington and Carrabassett Valley had previously indicated their support for funding GFDC through the county TIF.