There is never a dull moment at Farmington Rotary’s weekly meetings. In the last two weeks, Rotarians have heard presentations from Amanda Hall and Rhonda Irish.
Hall is a PhD candidate at St. Andrews University in Scotland, and the daughter of Farmington Rotarian Lisa Ellrich. She discussed in detail what she is studying – the continuing conflicts in Northern Ireland and the shift in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to a culture war. She showed slides that included a mural painted with a common theme in this Celtic region: Prepared for Peace, Ready for War.
Once completing her dissertation on this ever-changing topic, Hall will reside in London with her husband-to-be, who is also studying for his PhD.
Irish is the Wilton town manager. She focused on sharing recent accomplishments including the evaluation of downtown infrastructure; planning grants that had been received, including one for $400,000 that allowed for new street lights to be installed, sidewalks to be built, the downtown monument to be maintained and beautified, and plans for the future to be made. While Wilton has seen its share of challenges with the closing of Key Bank and Barclays, the downtown improvements have brought new businesses to the area, including Family Freeze, Salt and Pepper, Western Maine Play Museum, Life’s Perks, and Ambition Brewing.
Irish noted that while bringing businesses to the community is critical, Wilton has also put a lot of energy into being a family-friendly town. This is illustrated by the commitment to the library, Kineowatha Park, a new disc golf area, canoe kayak rentals at Kineowatha made possible by the Healthy Community Coalition, park upgrades, and a music series.
Infrastructure improvements continue, as the wall at the foot of Wilson Lake is the next area to receive attention along with additional landscape in the area at the head of the lake frequented by visitors and residents alike.
Irish was pleased to announce that the $13 million dollar renovation of the wastewater treatment plant was just completed, which was 10 years in the making.
She concluded her summary of accomplishments by talking about the EPA grants received, which have allowed for clean-up of the former Forster Mill and the tannery.
Farmington Rotary meets at 7 a.m.every Thursday at UMF’s Olsen Student Center. All are welcome to join them at any time to learn more about what they do.
Vice President Terri Winslow, at left, thanks Rhonda Irish, Town Manager of Wilton, for her presentation at Farmington Rotary.
Amanda Hall shares fascinating information about the continued culture war in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
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