WILTON – Members of the select board approved moving forward with a grant application for a retaining wall at the foot of Wilson Lake; Town Manager Rhonda Irish proposed hiring an engineer company to oversee the application process.
The grant, offered by Land and Water Conservation, would provide funding up to $500,000 for a project of this size, Irish said, but it is a particularly complicated and lengthy application process. The engineer company is the same one that the town has used to do conduct previous work on the wall, and gave an estimate of $6,900 to complete the application.
“A lot of information is required…To make sure we get everything correctly, I think it’s a small amount,” Irish said.
Hiring the firm would also allow the town to begin work on the application immediately, she said. Funds that have been previously raised for the project can stand as part of the grant match. Final approval to move forward with applying will require a town vote. The question will appear on the Aug. 17 town meeting warrant.
A committee dedicated to looking closer at the broadband situation in Wilton and across the county will be formed after gaining approval from the board. The idea was presented by Irish following input from Greater Franklin Development Council’s Executive Director Charlie Woodworth. The committee will include board representation from five or six towns, including Wilton.
The town meeting is scheduled for Aug. 17 to take place at the former Western Maine Development building next door to the Town Office. Depending on restrictions due to COVID-19, the meeting will take place either in the parking lot of the building, or indoors with ample space for social distancing.
