October 2022-First Selectwoman’s Update

Happy Halloween!

Public Information Session-Proposed Cell Tower on School Road at the Bus Barn.  On Wednesday, November 2nd, Verizon will hold an informational session for their proposed cell tower at the Bus Barn on School Road.  Verizon officials will also answer questions.  The meeting is at 7:00 p.m. in Rm 31 at the Comstock Community Center.  If you are unable to attend in-person, you may participate via Zoom on this link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84432638840.

$3,018,600 LOTCIP Grant Award for the NRVT North Loop.  The Town was awarded a State of CT LOTCIP grant for $3,018,600 for the construction of the NRVT North Loop from Skunk Road to Pimpewaug Road. The Town collaborated on the grant submission with the NRVT, which will manage the construction.  This is the second time the Town and the NRVT have collaborated to obtain a state grant.  The first grant, which included the City of Norwalk, was for the WilWalk section of the trail.  A two-tenths of a mile trail from Wolfpit to an area overlooking the old quarry pond was recently completed.  

Over the last four years, the Town has received an unprecedented $25,000,000 in grants for bridges, trails and the new emergency communications system.  We have applied for additional grants totaling $3.7 million and a working on applications for more bridge projects.  

The Footbridge for the Pedestrian Bridge Arrives this Week.  The construction of the pedestrian bridge has progressed to the point that it is now ready for the installation of the footbridge.  The footbridge, which was constructed offsite, will arrive in the middle of this week in two parts.  Residents, young and old, can watch this week’s progress from the Wilton Center Train Station.

Amenities Master Planning.  The first meeting of the newly formed Amenities Master Planning Subcommittee of the Planning & Zoning Commission is this Tuesday, November 1st.  Amenities master planning is an outcome of the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD) that was completed in late 2019.  Subcommittee members currently serve with the Wilton Athletic Foundation, Friends of Ambler Farm, the Pollinator Pathway, the Parks and Recreation Commission and the P&Z Commission and have prior experience with the Conservation Commission and the Wilton Land Trust.  Four were members of the POCD Working Group. 

The Board of Selectmen (BOS) has asked the subcommittee to prioritize locating a third turf field.  To facilitate their work, we are performing an engineering evaluation of Allen’s Meadows fields 5 & 6 and have asked the State to consider allowing turf on the state-owned land at Allen’s Meadow.  The BOS’s goal is to bring a proposal to the May 2023 Annual Town Meeting.  An organic infill turf field is the preferred playing surface, as it allows for greater use and is environmentally preferable to grass, which requires herbicides and large quantities of water.  For example, according to the Sports Field Management Association, a grass football field in the Northeast requires 1.5 million gallons of water during the season. 

New Trail at Bradley Park.  This past weekend approximately forty volunteers from Friends of Bradley Park led by Dave Cote and Andy Cox and the Fairfield County Chapter of the New England Mountain Biking Association led by Dave Francefort constructed a new trail at Bradley Park.  The trail is currently open for use and should be marked this week.  The project was approved by Wilton’s Conservation Commission and Environmental Affairs Director Mike Conklin coordinated with the volunteers.  Congratulations and thank you to all the volunteers.  

November 8th Election. 

  •       Absentee Ballots.  Absentee voting is still available. The application for an absentee ballot is available on the CT Secretary of State website in English or in Spanish.  A hard copy is also available at the Town Clerk’s Office.  Information on the absentee voting process is on the town website here.  
  •       Polling Locations.   Your voting location is based on the district in which you reside.  Click here to look up your voting location.  The polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. 
  •       Sample Ballot.  A sample ballot is available here.
  •       Early Voting Ballot Question.  Connecticut does not currently allow early voting.  The November 8th ballot will include a question:  Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to permit the General Assembly to provide for early voting?  The Secretary of State’s Office provided an informational pamphlet, which is on the town website here

Update-Eversource/Aquarion New Canaan Ave Road Work.  A temporary layer of asphalt was recently installed on New Canaan Avenue to allow for a smoother road surface during the winter. Incidental road work will continue until mid-November at which time the project will shut down until it resumes in April 2023.  

In April, Eversource/Aquarion contractors will return to perform a curb-to-curb permanent asphalt replacement. That will be the completion of Phase 1.  

Phase 2, which is the construction of pipeline between Old Boston Road and the New Canaan line, will follow.  The detour for Phase 2 will be on Old Kings Highway.  See the map on the last page of the Eversource/Aquarion April 8, 2022 mailing here.  We are awaiting an update on the timing of Phase 2, but it may also continue into November. 

As a reminder this is a State of CT approved project on a state-owned road.  Any residents concerned about natural gas’s inclusion in the State’s Energy Plan may provide comment to CT DEEP, which is holding public hearings in advance of an update to the Plan.  Information is available here.

Mitigation Assistance for Reoccurring Flooding Properties.  FEMA is providing grants to residential or commercial property owners of properties with reoccurring flooding issues.  The Western CT Council of Regional Governments (WestCOG), of which Wilton is a member, engaged a consultant, Dewberry, to help property owners apply for a grant. Qualifying property owners received a letter about the program from WestCOG.  Unfortunately, FEMA is not allowing WestCOG to share the list of properties, so we don’t know the location of impacted properties. 

Energy Assistance Available for Qualified Residents.  Financial assistance is available for qualified residents struggling with their heating bills.  Assistance is available through the State’s Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) and the Community Assistance Fund.  Please contact Social Services Director Sarah Heath at (203) 834-6238 to schedule an appointment to discuss available programs.  Information on the CEAP program is available here

Drought Conditions Have Ended.  Wilton is no longer experiencing a drought.  

As always, if you have a questions or comments, please contact me at lynne.vanderslice@wiltonct.org with questions. 

Lynne A Vanderslice 

First Selectwoman