WILTON — The Select Board on Tuesday, Jan. 5, unanimously approved license renewals for medical marijuana caregiver retailers Cannatopia, Power Plant and Rocky Hill.
Code Enforcement Officer Charlie Lavin explained that the three retailers were established in 2019 before residents passed Wilton’s Adult Use and Medical Marijuana Stores, Cultivation Facilities, Manufacturing Facilities, and Testing Facilities Ordinance last August.
“These are three businesses that were established in the past by the Planning Board prior to the adoption of the ordinance and they date back to various times, but we’ve gathered them together now,” he said.
The retailers have had no complaints and are up to date on their taxes, according to Town Manager Rhonda Irish.
The board also unanimously approved the Mt. Blue TV budget presented by Executive Director JP Fortier.
“We’ve just kept everything the same,” Fortier said.
The town contributes $7,500 to Mt. Blue TV plus $21,363 in franchising fees.
Fortier also provided a report of upcoming projects such as an oral history segment at the Farmington Diner, relaunching the Maine Storyteller’s show and reformatting the cooking show “Simple Gourmet” hosted by Sam Wheeler.
“We’re going to be trying something a little different this time,” Fortier said about “Simple Gourmet.” “We’re going to do a half-hour-based project on the channel, and then on Facebook and YouTube we’re going to break it down into smaller videos which seems to be what people are doing now — is shorter-based videos. They’re probably going to be around 8 or 9 minutes for each of the recipes he does.”
Mt. Blue TV also streams Farmington and Wilton Select Board meetings, Franklin County Commission meetings and produces Selectperson Tom Saviello’s “Talkin’ Maine” show.
Parks and Recreation Director Frank Donald presented a long-term management care plan for Kineowatha Park, which the board approved.
“I just want to say thank you to everybody, Selectperson Tiffany Maiuri said. “I’ve read through this entire document and I was quite impressed with the work and thoroughness and thoughtfulness that went into this document.”
The management plan was spearheaded by Ken Sawyer who serves on Wilton’s Conservation Commission. It addresses five areas for the future of Kineowatha Park: managing wooded areas, protecting trails and the lakeside for educational and enjoyment purposes, minimizing erosion and phosphorous runoff to protect water quality, controlling invasive species and paying attention to climate change to minimize its impacts.
“Many of these items are already being addressed, but this document puts them in writing for the current and future benefit of the park and the town,” Donald read from the management plan.
In response to emergency situations, the board approved a public works mutual aid agreement which states that Wilton’s Public Works will assist Farmington’s Public Works and vice versa in times of unforeseen circumstances.
“So far, we haven’t needed that but you never know going down the road, and this is a 5-year-agreement and it doesn’t pertain just to COVID-type issues,” Irish said. “There could be other things that come up that we may find in our departments that we could potentially be shorthanded on at any given situation.”
The board also voted on and approved Calzolaio Pasta Company’s liquor license annual renewal for a Class A restaurant/lounge.
In other business, the board discussed the two concept designs for the Wilson Lake retaining wall presented to the town via Zoom during a public workshop on Dec. 29.
Both concepts include a paved parking area and pedestrian access connecting downtown Wilton to the lake and Bass Park with a 6-foot wide waterfront pathway and crosswalks. The 20-year-old cement retaining wall would be replaced by a riprap wall that utilizes layers of stone to break waves and prevent erosion.
Concept A maintains the diagonal parking configuration, which requires the waterfront pathway to closely hug the shoreline. The proximity to the water would require a railing along this pathway.
Concept B eliminates the handrail requirement by integrating parallel parking into the design, leaving more space to bring the pathway farther from the shoreline.
“I’ve heard two-thirds of the people really advocate for Concept B and one-third of the people advocate for Concept A,” Maiuri, who has been collecting resident opinions at Wilson Lake, said.
Maiuri said she placed sawhorses along the shoreline to get a sense of how much a railing would impair the view of the water since many residents enjoy the lake from their vehicles.
The board will continue to gather opinions from residents about the two concepts. Residents can email Irish at manager@wiltonmaine.org with feedback and suggestions or comment on the town’s Facebook page.
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