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Wilton Riverwalk Update
On October 18th the Wilton Economic Development team, in conjunction with Landscape Architect Robert White of GPI, shared the design plans for the future downtown Wilton Riverwalk:
Press Release
Wilton Riverwalk Design Plans: Overview Maps
Wilton Riverwalk Design Plans: Detailed Presentation
Photos from the Riverwalk Design Event
The Wilton Riverwalk Project began in 2017 with the opening of a walkway along the Stony Brook River near the Police Station downtown. Since then, we’ve sponsored a design charrette with Plan NH, a comprehensive Riverwalk Study with the Nashua Regional Planning Commission, and held numerous public input workshops and an online survey to gather residents’ feedback on what features they would like to see in a Riverwalk.
Wilton residents later approved funding to hire an architect to develop a plan for the Riverwalk, and after a competitive RFP process, chose GPI with a project team of landscape architects and civil engineers from their offices in Wilmington MA. and Portsmouth, NH.
The intent of the Riverwalk is to create an attractive amenity for residents and visitors alike to encourage people to come and spend more time downtown, to walk and enjoy the rivers as a downtown asset and - as they stay longer - patronize our downtown businesses. The plan is designed to be built in phases with a variety of creative funding strategies including local fundraising, state and federal grants, and private-public partnerships.
For more information on the studies and surveys mentioned above, along with the Riverwalk plans, please visit the Links section on the right side of this page. Maps, illustrations and information are also posted in the Kiosk at the start of the current Riverwalk on Stony Brook, and at Town Hall.
Active Projects
We recently re-evaluated our master project list to assess status and priorities. We originally started with 31 low, medium and high priority projects to enhance the economic vitality of Wilton, and are pleased to report that we have completed nine of these projects across the areas of marketing, research, business development and regulatory. Substantial work has already begun on many others. After combining several projects and adding a few new ones, we now have 19 active projects. For details on these and the completed projects, see the Eco-Dev Prioritized Projects List.
We're always looking for motivated volunteers to help with our projects. If you are interested, please send an email to [email protected]gov with your interest.
Charter
Wilton's Economic Development Leadership Team serves the citizens and business owners of Wilton and reports to the Select Board and the Town Administrator. This team's responsibilities are to set priorities, make recommendations, and guide the execution of programs and projects that help achieve the vision of Wilton residents to remain a vibrant and thriving small town. Our goals are to protect its rural environment, historic charm, and natural resources while promoting opportunities for residential and business growth that are compatible with, responsive to and supportive of the needs of the community and local economy.
Team
| Name |
Title |
| Jennifer S. Beck |
Chair |
| Jackie Kahle |
Marketing and Communications |
| Gail Hoar |
Art and Culture |
| Mike McGonegal |
Resident Geek and Bridges |
| Dick Putnam |
Business and Train Liaison
|
| Nancy Clark |
Historical Director |
| Kat Tighe |
Branding and Design |
| Open |
NRPC and Research: Strong Towns |
| Karon Walker |
Entrepreneurship |