WILTON — The Wilton Group continues its work in developing a strategy to become a community resource, bringing people, businesses and organizations together, interim board member Susan Atwood said.

The group intends to stimulate interest in
community-based involvement, supporting local business owners,
attracting new businesses and projecting a positive image of the town and region.

“We want to be a resource to the community,” she said.

Formed just before the new year, the group is working on their planning process with Mark Hews from Threshold to Maine Resource Conservation and Development, an organization committed to helping “communities improve skills and balance social, economic and ecological issues around natural resource use,” as stated on its Web site.

An interim board of 11 members has been named and roles explored, bylaws written and they have filed as a nonprofit with the state, she said. A finance committee was started and they plan to form a communication committee.

A Web site, created by David Olson, is progressing and should be up and running shortly. The intended communication committee will tackle deciding the function of the Web site and plan what is shown, she said.

Along with listings of each business in town with potential links to its Web site or a Web page, the group is considering a community calendar for all town organizations.

“They could send us their events and we’ll post them, a clearinghouse for town events and information,” she said.

The Web site will continue to see work as the group sets goals and adopts ways to measure results.

“We want to have it clear and specific with a well laid out structure,” she said.

The Wilton Group’s Facebook page has taken off quickly with more than 700 people showing interest and becoming friends within the first five days.

With two more meetings scheduled with Hews and board members making a commitment to oversee committees, the project requires time for community members and time away from their business for some business owners, but enthusiasm for the project continues, Atwood said. It’s a real working board, she added.

“Wilton is one of the best kept secrets in all of Franklin County,” she said previously, something the group hopes to change.

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