Wilton’s potential for economic growth discussed

WILTON – If you want economic vitality to come to your town, you’ve got to make major investments in your town.

That was the overall answer to the question of how to get more business development here from the experts who spoke at an economic forum hosted by Wilton town officials and the Greater Franklin Economic Development Corporation on Monday.

Using the town of Richmond as a model, Darryl Sterling, a former director of Economic and Community Development for that town of a similar size and manufacturing history as Wilton, walked the 30 or so interested attendees that included town officials, representatives of Maine’s congressional delegation and local business owners, through the planning, grant writing, tax increment financing uses that had benefited Richmond.

An action plan with goals and priorities were set, a committee was formed and TIF and other grant funding and partnerships were nailed down in the course of the economic turnaround in Richmond. Filling a manufacturing space that was once a shoe making plant before it deteriorated was a top priority.

Within four years of the shoe plant closing it morphed into the Richmond Business Center where Hodgdon Interiors, a boat design supplier found a home, among others. Meanwhile, improvements to the town’s infrastructure, such as new sidewalks, new lighting, welcome signs and building facade improvements were made using a Community Development Block Grant and TIF funding. Buildings condemned downtown were made new-looking again to encourage new businesses to take root. Trees were planted, pocket parks installed in once-vacant lots and now, in progress, a large public park with walking trails.

An investment of $3 million in grants and $15 million in private investment created 200 new jobs in three years, from 2007 to 2010, Sterling said. Promoting the town continues with an eye towards the much larger, worldwide international market.

Just outside the second story of the Bass-Wilson Building at Calzolaio Pasta Company where the forum was held, the Three-Ring Binder Project’s bright orange wires are strung between the utility poles that run right down Wilton’s Main Street. The binder project built 1,100 miles of high speed fiber optical network connection potential through the rural regions of Maine with $26 million in federal funds and $6 million in private funds.

Binder consultant Josh Broder said that the town’s advanced technological potential towards retaining and attracting new businesses seeking fast data connection was a real advantage. Needed was a contract with a telecommunications company to activate it and connect it to businesses and homes.

His associate Aaron Paul noted that fully a third of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, the market value of all goods and services produced within a country in a year, is due to modern infrastructure.

Reduced costs for businesses, the town and residents could be realized by sharing costs of connecting into the fiber optic cable. For the most competitive provider pricing, the town would be best suited to cluster or have as many businesses – the bigger the better – sign on as users to the project. As an example of the fiber optic’s speed capability, a high resolution photo would take less than one second to pass on to its recipient any where in the world. That could mean a whole lot of time-saving, cost-saving work for a company, he said.

“As a marketing tool, that’s what Wilton can provide to attract businesses,” Broder said. Advanced telecommunications infrastructure will make Wilton more competitive with other communities that don’t offer it, he said. “It can be part of your sales pitch.”

Foster Regional Applied technology Center Director Glenn Kapiloff spoke of the 18 programs on the Mt. Blue Campus in Farmington offered to between 320 and 400 students from five area high schools who take them each year.

Many of the intensive courses are in the area of advanced technology with students successfully completing them earning college credits. Composites, computer technology and biotechnology are among the unique course offerings, with the ultimate hope that those students will come back to their hometown and open a business here. Businesses and interested residents are encouraged to tour the center the first Thursday of each month to find out what training and equipment is available.

Alison Hagerstrom, executive director of the Greater Franklin Economic Development, noted two of Franklin County’s largest employers, Jarden’s and Barclaycard together employ 506 people in Wilton. TIF funding is available and KeyBank just invested $2 million at its Wilton branch downtown. Expenet owners have expanded their business downtown and a children’s museum has decided to settle here. Bass-Wilson building owner Randy Cousineau is looking at investing in 10 apartments on the fourth floor and a hydro project at the foot of Wilson Lake at the building. Barclaycard is also looking into investing in its current home at the former Bass building on Weld Street.

Town Manager Rhonda Irish noted that there are well over 100 businesses in Wilton, with a number of recreational, cultural and service-oriented opportunities here now.

“There are a lot of assets here,” Hagerstrom said. “A good base to grow from or to start a new business.” The series of forums will continue in May that will include development ideas and marketing.