WILTON — The Select Board will submit a letter of support to the Department of Transportation for an all terrain vehicle (ATV) access trail to go from Steve’s Family Market on Depot Street to Main Street.

Police Sgt. Ethan Kyes provided the board with a report of the potential access trail that included feedback from residents, business owners and nearby towns that also have ATV access.

“A lot of people were for the idea of the access route,” Kyes said in regard to 240 Facebook comments from residents. “Overwhelmingly about 75% was for the access route. The ones that weren’t for it were the ones most vocal.”

He also reported that from 2018 to present, the town has received about 16 ATV/snowmobile complaints which he said was not a high volume.

Board members voted to allow the carbon cash back resolution to appear on the town’s upcoming warrant. The article will give town’s voters the opportunity to ask their state and federal officials to address the risks of climate change using cash-back carbon pricing. 

Wilton residents Peter Campion and Nancy Walters presented information on the resolution.

“It means that a fee would be placed on fossil fuels including fuel, oil, gas and coal where the fuel first enters the economy and that is at the wellhead or the port or the mine mouth,” Campion said. “And at the first year, the fee would be $15 per ton of carbon that is to be emitted by burning the fuel. The fee is placed into a fund and all of the fees are returned to American households monthly as a cash dividend.”

Walters said that some form of a carbon tax is coming no matter what and the goal of the resolution is to incentivize industry and consumers to make manageable changes.  

The board also approved adding funding to the proposed town budget for a streetlight to be installed at Bryant Road and Route 4. Police Chief Heidi Wilcox said the intersection has been identified as one of the seven most dangerous intersections in town.

Town Manager Rhonda Irish said the streetlight would cost the town $200 a year.

“There have been an increase in crashes there and predominantly vehicles coming from Farmington turning left to Tractor Supply getting rear-ended at that intersection,” Wilcox said. “So a light right at the end of Bryant Road or in that area may help those crashes.” 

In other business, the board approved Anita Spencer to the Finance Committee.

« Previous

Photos: Trotting into spring in Farmington

Next »

Livermore to get winter salt bid through state program