WILTON — Facing a shortage of volunteers for the Wilton Blueberry Festival, the Board of Selectpersons voted Tuesday to hire attendants for the festival’s bounce houses, scheduled for Aug. 7-8.
Town Events Coordinator Renee Woodard told the board that supervision at the bounce houses in Kineowatha Park is crucial to ensure safety.
Woodard said the festival still needs volunteers to register foot race runners (three needed), direct the parade lineup (two needed), and assist vendors with setup (six needed).
Selectman Phil Hilton asked Woodard if the town should hire staff members to fill the remaining open positions.
“In past years, we haven’t had help in those (other) areas either, but we’ve been able to make those other areas happen,” Woodard said. “But we cannot make the bounce house area happen without people. We need to be safe and to have it run effectively for the kids up there.”
The board voted 4-0 to hire attendants at $15.50 an hour. Selectman Nathan Hiltz, the board’s newest member, did not attend the meeting.
Woodard also reported that vendors have filled all 42 spaces along Main Street, leaving a waiting list. Food truck sites remain available Friday at Bass Park and Saturday downtown and at Kineowatha Park.
Woodard told the board that the town will not close roads during Friday afternoon’s three road races, though motorists may experience delays. Wilton police officers and firefighters will staff high-traffic intersections to ensure safety, and police cruisers typically lead and follow the runners.
The three road races feature distinct distances, start times and routes:
- Kids’ 1-Mile (5 p.m.): Begins at the Main Street Garage. Runners head east on Main Street to Park Street, loop around Park and Maple streets and return on Main Street to the finish line at the Main Street Garage.
- 5K (5:30 p.m.): Begins at the town garage on Weld Road. Runners head northwest on Weld Road, turn right onto Colby Miller Road, right again onto Orchard Drive before turning right onto Main Street toward the finish line at the Main Street Garage.
- 10K (5:30 p.m.): Begins on Weld Road. Runners head out Weld Road, turn left onto Pond Road, left onto Route 2 and left onto Lake Road, following it as it merges into Main Street toward the finish line at the Main Street Garage.
Board Chair David Leavitt noted that Woodard recently resigned as chair of the Wilton Blueberry Festival Committee.
“We thank you for all you have done,” Leavitt said, “and hope we can find somebody (to fill those) big shoes.”
The board also heard feedback from four residents.
Planning Board member Keith Amato referenced the Board of Selectpersons’ July 7 meeting. During that meeting, Code Enforcement Officer Gary Judkins, who said he was speaking as a private citizen, criticized a local business owner who claims his property includes the town’s Civil War monument site.
The business owner, James Butler of The Square, and Judkins traded strong words inside the hall before arguing outside the meeting room.
Amato urged the board to maintain decorum during public comment, noting that posted guidelines instruct participants to “criticize only ideas, and not people.”
“When it gets uncomfortable, I’d appreciate it if there was a little more control,” he said.
After the meeting, Leavitt said the town is following state law and collective bargaining agreements to address a formal complaint Butler filed seeking Judkins’ termination. Leavitt confirmed that Judkins remains a town employee.
Nancy Merrow, who owns buildings in and near the downtown area, urged board members and town officials to spend more time in the business district.
“I think there’s a disconnect between the Town Office and downtown,” Merrow said. “I suggest that once a month some of you come downtown and walk around — a purposeful walk to try to connect with those of us who have invested time and money downtown.”
Selectwoman Tiffany Maiuri responded that she visits regularly.
“I’m downtown every Thursday, and I walk around,” Maiuri said. “Every single Thursday.”
Resident Jennifer Olsen asked the board about access near the monument site, noting that officials roped off a section where motorists previously made U-turns near The Square.
“There’s pending litigation, and that is all we can say,” Leavitt said.
When Olsen asked if the town plowed the disputed area last winter, Leavitt confirmed that it did.
In other public comments, Dr. Michael Parker warned the board about broken cables on a Fenderson Hill Road safety barrier, calling it a serious hazard.
“It would not stop a bicycle, much less a car in winter,” Parker said.
Leavitt said the board would forward Parker’s concerns to the Public Works Department.
In administrative business, the board set a 7 percent employer match for workers who select the MissionSquare Retirement plan over the Maine Public Employees Retirement System.
The board also approved $6,900 for Sevee & Maher Engineers to continue redevelopment planning for the former Forster Manufacturing Co. site.
The funding covers engineering meetings and coordination with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments and UConn Technical Assistance for Brownfields.
Town Manager Maria Greeley noted that state regulations and redevelopment guidelines have evolved since environmental crews evaluated the contaminated site between 2015 and 2017.
