WILTON — On Tuesday, the Board of Selectpersons planned a special town meeting for Oct. 20 to seek voter approval to apply for a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant and possible funding for the waste treatment plant construction project.
The town has been approved to apply for the grant for work on a Kineowatha Park wall to improve safety. The wall runs from the trees behind the dock over to the beach area, Town Manager Rhonda Irish previously said. The grant application is due in November.
By the October date, the town should also know whether the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program can help with any additional grants or loans for the wastewater treatment plant project.
Last month, the board held off awarding a contract for construction because $4.16 million is still needed. The board has until Dec. 7 to award the contract.
If there is funding available, a vote at a special town meeting is needed to accept it.
In other business, the board unanimously accepted a request from Western Maine Community Action to use the boat launch Oct. 24 for the Polar Plunge. The boat launch will be closed that day from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Polar Plunge, now in its third year, is gaining stability, Betty Shible told the board. There is an opportunity for growth from it with downtown churches, the library and businesses encouraged to plan activities around it. The downtown events will take place from 9:30 to 1 p.m. that day.
Site work for environmental testing at the Forster Mill site is well underway and should be completed within the next couple weeks, Irish told the board. Once done, the report will help determine if the town is eligible to apply for federal grants.
Irish asked the board to consider new 5-foot fencing to surround the site for $7,500. The fence provided by a rental company does not cover the front of the building.
Even if the town receives funding, demolition cannot begin for at least a year or 15 months, she said.
Board members expressed concerns about snow from the front of the building’s roof causing ice on Depot Street in the winter and whether fencing would hinder removal.
Board of Selectpersons Chairperson Paul Berkey questioned spending $7,500 if the current fence had been working for two years.
“Now it is town property, the town has liability,” Selectperson Tiffany Maiuri said.
The site has been added to the town’s insurance but the town is expected to reasonably secure the property, Irish said.
The board asked Irish to seek other fencing options and costs.
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