News From The Wilton First Selectman's Office, Sept. 13, 2024

Press release from the Town of Wilton:

September 13, 2024 - 7:03pm

News from the First Selectman’s Office - September 13, 2024

Hello, Wilton. This edition of the newsletter will primarily focus on the storm recovery efforts in town. There is still much to be done, and we’d like to thank everyone who reached out to our office asking how to volunteer with clean-up. Insurance and liability issues prevent members of the public from working on municipal projects, but we encourage anyone who is interested to get in touch with the YMCA, the NRVT and the local businesses downtown who were badly affected by flooding from the river.

Amenities that Have Reopened

With non-stop effort by the Parks and Recreation department, these are the places in town that are cleared for public use:

The Walking Trails through Merwin Meadows Park

The Varsity Baseball Field

The Guy Whitten Field

The Varsity Softball Field

The JV Softball Field

The JV Baseball Field

Middlebrook Fields 1, 2 and 3

The trails on Schenck’s Island are usable again but be advised that all of the standing water has attracted mosquitoes in droves. Please remember to protect yourself and your pets. Below are two pictures that illustrate, for the history books, just how intense this storm was:

Closed for Repairs

High School Track and Field

The Fire Department and the Department of Public Works joined the Parks and Rec crews to move 20 yards of mud off the high school track and field, clean the drains and surface wash the areas. Their combined efforts shortened the recovery of these areas by several weeks and saved the town thousands of dollars. Below are before and after pictures of this work:

Board members at the most recent Board of Selectmen meeting voted their approval for Steve Pierce to hire professionals to restore the field and lay down new turf so that it will be playable within the next week. Another firm is scheduled to professionally clean and restore the track in the next 2-3 weeks.

The Beach and Pond at Merwin Meadows

The Soccer Field at Merwin Meadows

Lions Park

Update from the Governor

Governor Lamont has officially requested that President Biden declare Western Connecticut a major disaster area and that the three counties most effected by the storm be approved for the Individual Assistance Program and the Public Assistance Program. If the amount of storm damage costs surpasses the federal threshold, federal relief funds could be released through these two programs. The Individual Assistance Program reimburses homeowners and businesses for some of the costs to repair uninsured private property, while the Public Assistance Program reimburses state and local governments for costs to repair public property and infrastructure. To assess the damage costs, staff from the Connecticut Division of Emergency Management, the State Homeland Security Office and municipal officials have been taking experts from FEMA and the Small Business Administration around the state so they could view the storm damage in Fairfield, Litchfield and New Haven Counties firsthand. This week, the state and federal Survey Team was in Wilton, where they were taken on a tour of damaged areas, including Scribner Hill Road, by representatives from the Wilton Planning and Zoning Department, the Parks and Recreation Department, the Department of Public Works, and the First Selectman’s Office. Using the collected data, the FEMA preliminary damage assessments for the Public Assistance Program has begun and is scheduled to continue all next week. Further, the governor is requesting that FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program be implemented in our state, which helps state agencies and local municipalities take steps to minimize the impact of future storms. Here is a link to the governor’s press release with more detailed information on his request.

As was highlighted in a recent town announcement, Governor Lamont has launched a state funded program to help small businesses with recovery costs from the storm. These funds are separate from any possible FEMA reimbursements. The Connecticut State Funding for Flood Recovery grant opened on September 3rd and will continue to accept applications until the $5 million allocated for the program is exhausted. This link will take you to the Women’s Business Council webpage where more information and the application portal can be found.

We are pleased to learn that a few of Wilton’s small businesses that immediately signed up have already received reimbursement for their damages. We understand that funds are still available and we encourage all eligible business to apply as soon as possible, before the funds are depleted.

Immediately following the storm, 30 state roads and 5 rail lines were closed or delayed. At least 23 of them have now reopened, and 4 rail lines are operating on schedule. To follow the progress of road crews, the Connecticut Department of Transportation has created an interactive map that allows the public to track where the recovery work has been completed.

Finally, the IRS has announced that it has deferred some filing deadlines for those affected by the storms. This is the link to their official announcement.

Flood Insurance Information

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has a webpage devoted to the National Flood Insurance Program with information on local flood maps, flood regulations and flood insurance. This can help property owners assess their risk of flooding, the building codes and other statewide policies that are in place to curtail flood damage, and the limitations and options for flood insurance. There are also links to federal (FEMA) disaster assistance pages. National Flood Insurance Program (ct.gov)

Department of Consumer Protection

In the wake of the storm, when so many property owners need help with repairs, and many relief organizations may be soliciting donations, the Connecticut State Department of Consumer Protection has sent out this warning about scam operations that thrive under such circumstances.

Aquarion Update

As was reported in a previous newsletter, Aquarion has had to delay its work fixing the water transmission main on New Canaan Road (Route CT-106) because of the fragile antique pipes that were found there. The new schedule will be as follows:

Week of November 4: Temporary paving of route CT-106 from Old Boston Road to Carter Street

December 2-9: Detour in effect; SNEW to connect and activate 24-inch main, abandon 18-inch mains

December 9-20: Detour in effect; Aquarion to install 36-inch main through the intersection

Detailed information on the revised project can be found at www.aquarionwater.com/wilton

A positive development is that the CT DOT is paying closer attention to the Town and residents’ concerns and providing better oversight since they provided Aquarion with the permit to perform this project, which is on a state road. We hope that the roadway will become safer for the residents who bore the brunt of the water improvement upgrade.

Korean and Vietnam War Veterans Memorial Event

The Connecticut Lieutenant Governor, Susan Bysiewicz, the State Commissioner of Veterans Affairs, Ronald P. Welch, the First Selectman of New Canaan, Dionna Carlson, and the First Selectman of Wilton, Toni Boucher, invite all veterans of the Korean and Vietnam Wars to a ceremony honoring their service.

The Veterans Awards recognizing these veterans' patriotism, dedication and commitment to our Nation is scheduled for September 23, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. at New Canaan Town Hall, 77 Main Street, New Canaan, CT.

If you and your family would like to attend, please RSVP by September 16, 2024 to Jacqueline Rochester in my office at jacqueline.rochester@WILTONCT.ORG.

Daffodil Golden Miles

In honor of the 100 Year Anniversary of their founding, the Wilton Garden club embarked on an ambitious, town-wide beautification project to plant 15,000 bulbs over the course of five years. This year, club members will conclude this popular campaign by donating 2000 daffodil bulbs to be planted in front of Wilton Town Hall on November 2. They are asking for thirty volunteers to come out that Saturday from 9:30-12:00 to help get the bulbs into the ground. Come springtime, these flowers will stand as a fresh symbol of rebirth and new beginnings, which is so appropriate after the storms Wilton has recently weathered.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

There is some incredibly exciting news coming from the Wilton High School Theater Department: Last January, students created a video application to become one of 29 high schools in the nation to be permitted to stage a production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. They are now the only high school in Connecticut approved to perform this musical!

Mark your calendars for November 8, 9 and 10th to see the show at the Clune Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets will go on sale starting October 1st at wiltonhighschooltheatre.com. For groups of ten or more, please call Kathryn Luckstone at 203-762-0381 x6205. Congratulations to these talented performers and the hardworking adults who support them!

A Moment of Reflection

I would like to reiterate something I expressed at the most recent Board of Selectmen meeting. The leadership shown by Emergency Management Director, Jim Blanchfield, Police Chief, Tom Conlan, and the Department of Public Works Director, Frank Smeriglio, in jumping in with their staffs to do everything they could to support Steve Pierce, and the Department of Parks and Recreation, was exemplary. This cross-department teamwork is everything a town could ask for, and because of them, we are on the road to recovery faster and with less expense than we might have been. Now we can look forward to the many festive opportunities that will bring us together as a community to celebrate life in our town.

Wilton, we are proud that Gary Mandel, President of the Local 2233 Wilton Firefighters along with our Fire Department, Police Department and the WVAC, continue to commemorate and remember the victims, first responders and crew members who were lost on September 11, 2001. Thank you, Wilton for never forgetting the victims of the greatest terrorist attack in the history of the world, of whom five were Wilton residents.

With all best wishes,

Toni BoucherFirst Selectman, Town of Wilton

Employment Opportunities at Town Hall

Full Time

Manager of Financial Systems and Payroll:

Job Posting: https://www.wiltonct.gov/human-resources-department/files/posting-manager-financial-systems-and-payroll

Job Description: https://www.wiltonct.gov/human-resources-department/files/job-description-manager-financial-systems-and-payroll

Police Officer: https://www.wiltonct.gov/human-resources-department/files/police-officer-entry-level-position-posting

Part Time

Building Monitor: https://www.wiltonct.gov/human-resources-department/files/posting-building-monitor-part-time

Dial-A-Ride Van Operator:

Job Posting: https://www.wiltonct.gov/human-resources-department/files/dial-ride-van-operator-part-time-posting-1

Job Description: https://www.wiltonct.gov/human-resources-department/files/dial-ride-van-operator-part-time-job-description

This press release was produced by the Town of Wilton. The views expressed here are the author’s own.