WILTON — Selectmen agreed Tuesday to pursue a traffic, parking ordinance change that eliminates a left turn from High Street onto Main Street.

They decided to wait on for a public hearing on the proposed change until Town Manager Rhonda Irish could learn more about tenant parking needs from downtown apartments.

The plan was to bring both items before one public hearing.

Board members agreed the turn was dangerous because drivers needed to pull out too far to see around cars parked in front of the Chinese restaurant to make the left turn.

Irish brought up tenant parking in the Wilson Stream parking lot behind the Main Street businesses.

As a municipal lot, she has received several complaints about two people in one apartment who have parked vehicles, a boat and motorcycle, and are using four or five spaces, she said.

Irish wanted to research how many apartments and tenants there are, the amount of space needed and how parking could be limited.  She also wanted to learn more about the potential for overnight parking in the High Street lot and bring it back to the board before the public hearing is set.

In other business, Irish updated the board on the town’s plan to apply for a grant from the Land and Conservation Fund, a federal grant program administered under the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. It can be used for acquisition, development or renovation of public outdoor recreation facilities. 

The town will apply for the grant to purchase the land next to Bass Park, Irish said.

“We will be applying for funds for acquisition of the land and also for development of a portion of the land into a parking lot, with a foot path to Bass Park, so that people will have more space to park, and access Bass Park and the foot of the lake,” she said.

Selectman Tiffany Maiuri is helping with the application, which requires a 50 percent match of money or in-kind services.

Irish expects mostly “in-kind” funds will be used toward the development of the parking lot by the town’s Public Works Department.

Foothills Land Conservancy is also raising some funds to go toward the grant match, she told the board Tuesday.

The application is due in November so a special town meeting needs to be held in October for voters to consider accepting the proposed project.

The board decided to host an employee appreciation barbecue in September using money from a dividend check received from the Maine Municipal Association.

The check for $2,345 results from the town’s good risk management practices and loss prevention programs.

“We need to thank them,” Selectman Tom Saviello said. “We wouldn’t have it if they didn’t work safe.”

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