WILTON — The town is working on two grant applications for sidewalk improvements, one to create a safer walk to school for children on Depot Street and another to create a sidewalk downtown in front of the library.

After submitting an intent to apply for the federally funded Safe Routes to Schools program, Town Manager Rhonda Irish and others met to assess the crosswalk at Birch and Depot streets, Irish said.

Irish met recently with Dan Stewart from Maine Department of Transportation, Joan Walton from the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, Mark Hume from Maine DOT and John Welch, road foreman.

The sidewalk on the west side of Depot Street comes to an end and a diagonal crosswalk is used by students to connect with the east side of the road near Birch Street.

Extending the sidewalk further up closer to the Academy School and creating a better crossing location is difficult with a gully and a wall to consider.

“There’s not enough space and the cost is prohibitive for the grant,” Irish said.

Maine DOT is not expected to work on the road anytime within the foreseeable future, she said.

What appears to be the best option is a pedestrian-activated crosswalk, she said. A walker pushes a button when they want to cross and signal lights flash similar to those used on Main Street at the University of Maine at Farmington.

Irish is working on a Safe Routes to Schools grant application for $25,000 with no matching funds required from the town.

Safe Routes to School is a federally funded program used for projects within two miles of an elementary or middle school that help and encourage children to safely walk and bicycle to school.

During the meeting two other suggestions rose, she said.  Irish inquired about asking DOT for a vehicle-activated light to help drivers exiting Birch Street where a curve in the road limits visibility.

It’s something completely separate from the crosswalk light, she said.

The meeting continued to the downtown area where Stewart suggested adding a sidewalk in front of the town library. The sidewalk ends from the stores on the library side of the street up to the Post Office. People park in front of the library and walk in the road, she said.

Stewart suggested that the town consider applying for a transportation enhancement program grant, one that requires a 20 percent match from the town.

Selectmen walked the whole downtown area with Irish last week and gave their approval to apply for the grant, but they also wanted public sessions held to discuss the pros and cons with townspeople, she said.

While the pros include making it a safer walk from the stores to the library and post office, the cons include eliminating four, maybe five parking spaces in front of the library.

Apparently a sidewalk used to be there, but when the street was rebuilt the space was made narrower and the sidewalk eliminated, she said.

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