WILTON — A summer meals program for children at Kineowatha Park is being considered, Recreation Director Frank Donald Sr. told selectmen Tuesday.

Donald has attended meetings on providing U.S. Department of Agriculture summer meals to local children.

The scope of daily activity at the park, including swim lessons and children who stay there for the day, makes it a potentially good site for the program, he said. Swim lessons usually involve 180 children.

They want to take meals where the children are, he said.

With 50 percent of children at Cushing School and 60 percent at Academy Hill School eligible for free or reduced-priced meals, the area clearly qualifies for summer meals, Town Manager Rhonda Irish said.

The program provides meals to all children in a certain geographic area, she said.

Donald said he doesn’t see a financial commitment from the town, other than possible transportation of meals from a distribution center. 

He does foresee a potential for getting more children outside and active during the summer and would like to consider a health education component for the program.

He said he expects plans to be finalized by spring.

New playground equipment at Bass Park is a hit, Donald said. Several children and families have been spotted checking it out. About 30 volunteers helped with installation, after John Welch and the Public Works department helped prepare the site, he said.

In other business, the board chose Timothy Fitch of Wilton to cut brush and trees, as requested by the wastewater treatment department, around transmission lines near the pump stations. His $1,600 bid was the lowest received.

The board allowed Clayton Putnam, department superintendent, to accept the next highest bid of $4,200 from JB Service of Phillips, if necessary.

Selectmen reported they toured three town properties Sunday to decide whether to sell them. Two properties are on Route 2 and the third is a 130-acre woodlot that has produced about $38,000 from harvesting since 2004. Up to $20,000 more is expected from harvesting, Selectman Russell Black said.

The board questioned whether the town would receive more from taxes on the property or from wood harvesting and agreed to look into it.

Board members are visiting town businesses. They started Tuesday with a visit to Jardens Plastics in East Wilton and agreed to move forward and research a Community Development Block Grant and other measures to help with a proposed expansion of the business.

A Veterans Day service is planned for 9 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, at the downtown monument, Selectman Tom Saviello said. 

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