WILTON — In an effort to keep residents safe, the Board of Selectmen unanimously adopted a policy Tuesday that provides winter sand for residents.

Residents are allowed four five-gallon buckets each day in the winter from a site at the Transfer Station on Munson Road. The hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday. During extreme storm conditions, residents can get sand from behind the Town Office during daylight hours.

Previously, residents could take sand from the large pile behind the town garage, but during recent ice storms the line of vehicles waiting to get in reached the road, John Welch, Public Works foreman, told the board. 

This happened at the same time town trucks and loaders were trying to get sand for the roads, he said. Those crews couldn’t get in.

“I was worried. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt,” Welch said.

Moving sand for residents to the Transfer Station or Town Office will help get people off the road, he said. 

There’s also the safety issue of people being around the large pile and the potential of it collapsing, he said.

“We’re doing this reactively rather than proactively,” Town Manager Rhonda Irish said.

Many residents never come for sand, but with the recent ice storms, Welch said he’s seeing some new faces at the town sand pile this year.

Selectmen questioned the number of buckets and whether it was per day or per storm and the cost.

During the 1998 ice storm, which lasted for several days, it was decided that only residents, not commercial contractors, could have four buckets per day, he said. 

It has continued since, he said.

Welch estimated a five-gallon bucket of mixed sand costs about 70 cents. Residents have to bring their own buckets and a shovel.

The policy will be added to the town website, Irish said.

abryant@sunjournal.com

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