Wilton dedicates Town Report to Frank Donald

Selectperson Tom Saviello presented the first copy of Wilton’s Town Report to parks and recreation director Frank Donald whom the report was dedicated to on Monday, August 10, at Kineowatha Park. “I didn’t know anything about it until I pulled into the park and saw everybody waiting for me,” Donald said. Photo Courtesy of Rhonda Irish

WILTON — In a surprise ceremony at Kineowatha Park on Monday, August 10, Selectperson Tom Saviello presented the first copy of Wilton’s Town Report to the parks and recreation director Frank Donald. The report is dedicated to Donald who has served as the town’s parks and recreation director for 31 years.

“He did not expect it at all, so it was definitely a surprise and it worked,” Town Manager Rhonda Irish said in a phone interview.

Donald said that the most fulfilling part of his work is watching kids enjoy the recreation programs that he puts so much work into developing.

“A lot of stuff goes on behind the scenes that you have to do that isn’t necessarily fun that gets it ready for the kids to enjoy it,” Donald said in a phone interview. “And then when you show back up and see them bouncing a basketball or throwing a baseball or kicking a soccer ball, whatever they might be doing, that’s where the payback comes, when you see them out there.”

The dedication in the report praises Donald for developing sports programming for all ages, maintaining Wilton’s parks and expanding recreational activities offered at Kineowatha Park.

Parks and recreation director Frank Donald is pictured above with his family holding the first copy of Wilton’s Town Report. “I had a mixed bag of family members there, certainly,” Donald said. Donald’s wife, brother, sister, children, grandchildren, a great grandchild and nieces attended the surprise ceremony. Photo Courtesy of Rhonda Irish

“Frank’s passion has been working with the younger generation and honing their skills in many different sports, especially in baseball, softball, and basketball. He oversees the town’s swim programs and other sports programs and camps including tennis and soccer. He also has developed and overseen the adult programs consisting of basketball, volley ball and more recently, pickleball,” the dedication reads.

The report also includes government messages, town administrative reports, Wilton’s committee reports and the town warrant that residents will vote on at the Town Meeting on Monday, August 17. The meeting will take place outside in LEAP’s parking lot at 128 Weld Road at 6 p.m. There will be a sound system set up so that residents have the option to remain in their vehicles during the meeting.

The warrant includes 59 articles and asks for the approval of the planning board’s ordinance to regulate use of exploding targets. The ordinance was developed after several years of complaints of exploding targets being detonated on private property along Route 2 according to code enforcement officer Charlie Lavin.

Residents will also vote on Wilton’s Adult Use and Medical Marijuana Stores, Cultivation Facilities, Manufacturing Facilities, and Testing Facilities Ordinance.

In Article 5, the warrant also asks voters for to approve the removal of “Medical Marijuana” from the last row of zoning table A5—educational, institutional and public uses. Instead, marijuana retail sales will be classified in table E2— farm and forest, commercial, industrial. All marijuana businesses still need to go before the planning board for approval.

“Again, they come before the planning board and that is for both medical and that would be for adult use,” Lavin said in a phone interview. “So yes, we are taking it out of the downtown village and moving it into these other zones.”

Budget articles ask for voters to appropriate funds to some new organizations this year, Greater Franklin Development Council, Western Maine Transportation, Seniors Plus and New Beginnings.

“These different organizations, and there were one of them that came to us this year, in the past they’ve gone to the county, but the county was not doing any funding this year,” Irish said.