WILTON — Voters on Monday will consider a citizen-initiated article that, if approved, would give residents control over ATV access routes.

The annual town meeting will begin at 6 p.m. downstairs at the Academy Hill School at 585 Depot St.

Article 4 on the warrant asks if the town will rescind a vote taken under Article 6 at the town meeting in June 2023, and require that any action to discontinue, close, approve, authorize, renew or designate an ATV access route be done exclusively by a majority vote at an annual town meeting.

According to the recording of the meeting in 2023, voters affirmed the Select Board’s authority over ATV access. The board had the authority to make decisions on access routes but wanted to reconfirm that the people wanted them to continue to make the decisions.

Nathan Hiltz, whose family submitted the citizen-initiated petition and provided the Sun Journal the recording of the meeting, said a resident originally pitched the idea of letting voters decide on ATV roads.

“Suggesting it mid-meeting wasn’t sufficient to get support on the spot,” Hiltz wrote in an email Wednesday.

The resident’s “idea started the ball rolling, but due to the timing of organization and the municipal calendar, it took this long for the idea to finally make it onto a meeting,” Hiltz wrote.  “People have been unhappy about ATVs for years.”

The process the board created for ATV access requires a public hearing. In May and June, the board held public hearings on ATV access on McCrillis Corner Road. Some residents said they didn’t know about the first hearing though notices were sent to media. The Chesterville Ridge Riders ATV Club asked for access to get riders from Chesterville to downtown Wilton.

The Select Board is trying different ways to bring people into the town for businesses and recreational purposes. The shoe manufacturers in Wilton closed years ago, including G.H. Bass Shoe in 1998. The town has Wilson Pond, playgrounds, fishing, Kineowatha Park on the pond, along with other recreation opportunities, including the Whistle Stop Trail, a multiuse trail that runs from Jay to West Farmington.

At the June 3 public hearing on ATV access on McCrillis Corner Road, a few business owners and a couple of residents spoke in favor of ATV access but the majority of people in attendance were opposed. The Select Board approved an ATV access route policy in 2022, which is on the town’s website.

They voted 2-2 to allow access, which meant the motion failed.

“ATV access is important because it attracts visitors who support our local economy,” board Chairperson Tiffany Maiuri wrote in an email. “ATV riders shop in local stores, dine in restaurants, and stay at area hotels and inns.”

Outdoor recreation is growing quickly in Maine, she said.

This sector added at least $3.3 billion to the state’s economy, which was a 9% increase from the year before, supporting nearly 30,000 jobs across Maine, Maiuri said, citing Maine state data.

“Promoting ATV use, and other outdoor recreation activities in our town, contributes to this growth and makes our community more appealing to both visitors and residents,” she said. She voted against the access on McCrillis Corner Road for safety reasons; the road has a sharp corner.

“I used the crash report to create an analysis of the potential safety concerns voiced by the citizens. Based on the analysis, citizens testimony, and my own observations of vehicle crashes at the intersections of McCrillis/Route 133 and Route 2 intersection, I felt the potential safety risk outweighed the potential economic benefits,” she said.

Selectperson David Leavitt voted in favor of access.

“For me, ATV access in and around Wilton will help promote the town as a community and all that is in the area,” he wrote in an email. “Access allows people to see and utilize our beautiful part of the state and patronize our local businesses. In turn, possibly creating interest in moving into our beautiful community.

“I believe it is the responsibility of the Selectboard to make decisions that are in the best interest of the town,” he wrote. “The silent majority of people don’t come out to meetings; they trust the Selectboard to do just that. What is best for the town of Wilton. They count on us not to cave to those vocal few who oppose growth and have the ‘not in my backyard’ mindset. We are no longer a manufacturing town. We want and need people to come here so as to be able to continue to prosper. We have an abundance of recreational opportunities. We should exploit them for the benefit of the town.”

The town recently applied for a $27,777.40 municipal ATV grant through the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, according to Town Manager Maria Greeley. It would pay for upgrading a town property on Munson Road, near state Route 156, also known as Depot Street intersection, which would give access to the Whistle Stop Trail system, she said.

“The grant would allow the town to expand, grade and add gravel to the existing lot, and install signage,” she said. “In addition, it would allow construction and excavation, as well as signage to connect the parking lot to the Whistle Stop Trail system.”