Wilton Scores Grant For New Comms System, Permission For Bridge

News release from the Town of Wilton:

March 17, 2022

We are pleased to share the following good news:

Congressional Directed Spending Grant Award

This week we received notice from Senators Blumenthal and Murphy of approved funding for a $983,000 Congressional Directed Spending Grant for Wilton. The grant, approved through the federal FY2022 omnibus spending bill, will help fund the purchase of a new town wide Emergency Public Safety Communications System.

We are extremely grateful to Senators Blumenthal and Senator Murphy for selecting Wilton’s grant for submission for this Program. We also thank Congressman Himes for his support of the funding and State Representative Stephanie Thomas for alerting us to the grant. Thanks also goes to their staff.

The System will allow for improved communication within and between police, fire, public works, parks and grounds, the Wilton Volunteer Ambulance Corps and the Wilton Public Schools. The new system will also mean improved emergency communication between Wilton and area municipalities as many of our surrounding communities are on the state-based system or, like Wilton, are moving to the system.

The remaining cost of the system will be funded with monies from the Town’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant.

For questions contact Police Captain Thomas Conlan at thomas.conlan@wiltonct.org.

Wilton Train Station Pedestrian Bridge Grant Award-Permission to Bid

We also received CT Department of Transportation (CT DOT) permission to Advertise a Request for Proposals (RPF) for the approved construction of an ADA compliant pedestrian bridge and Norwalk River Valley Trail extension connecting the Wilton Metro North Train Station to the west of the Norwalk River with Wilton Center and Merwin Meadows, both to the east of the Norwalk River.

The construction of the pedestrian bridge and the Norwalk River Valley Trail extension will be funded by a CT DOT Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program grant and remaining funds from a previously received CT STEAP grant, which to-date funded related engineering, design and multi-agency permitting costs.

The RPF will be one of the last steps to bring the more than 15-year effort to reality. Whether walking, running, biking or wheeling, the pedestrian bridge will provide residents living east of the river with safer and more direct access to the Center’s restaurants and retail businesses and the Norwalk River Valley Trail. Those living or working in the Wilton Center area will have safer and more direct access to the Wilton Train Station.

The bridge and trail add to the possibility of more residential options proximate to the train station. This would provide for the additional residents required for increased vibrancy within Wilton Center, a desire expressed by residents and the Town’s Plan of Conservation and Development.

Grant funding is increasingly being used to improve Wilton’s infrastructure and amenities. In addition to these grants, we have more recently received awards for over $20 million in local road bridge and trails grants. The proposed FY2023 Board of Selectmen budget includes recommended funding to allow us to further expand our capacity for grant applications and grant administration to allow us to compete for some of the billions of dollars available through upcoming Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act (IIJA) and ARPA grants.

For questions, please contact DPW Director and Town Engineer Frank Smeriglio at frank.smeriglio@wiltonct.org.

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