Wilton’s Economic Development Leadership Team has heard what a lot of people in the town want -- or don’t want.

“A majority of them don’t want development,” said Jennifer Beck.

Beck is the chair of the team, which has been doing research and polling residents to understand what Wilton residents want in the face of issues before many small towns. Challenges include housing, weighing business development with conservation efforts and determining what makes small towns special.

And just like a business, Wilton has a marketing plan.

Creating a vision

Beck has been in Wilton for more than three decades, but understands that “by New England standards, that still makes me a newcomer.” The retired businesswoman traveled the world professionally, and her experience and energy level landed her as head of the Economic Development Team without her seeking it.

“The Select Board wanted elected officials on the team years ago, and I said, ‘Let’s recruit a more diverse group than that.’ When we did and the chair of it backed out, I was it,” she said. 

Research, workshops and the help from the Nashua Regional Planning Commission with data and budget information has helped the team create a new vision for Wilton as part of a master plan. 

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“The trick is to preserve our rural character while keeping businesses viable,” said Beck, adding that the two are not mutually exclusive. “You can accommodate construction needs while preserving natural resources.”

The business backgrounds of Beck and others on the team prompted it to create a marketing plan for the town, most recently updated in 2022. The plan covers everything from branding and signage to using social media and press outreach. It notes attractions, such as Andy’s Summer Playhouse, Frye’s Measure Mill, the Wilton Town Hall Theatre and Nelson’s Candies, which is planning to reintroduce live music this year.

People willing to contribute to this vision formed The Wilton Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to being “a catalyst for bringing the entire Community together to support the programs and projects which will enhance Wilton's rural environment and rich history, promote local art and culture and protect our natural resources,” as stated on its website.

One way the alliance pursues its mission is by seeking public and private grants, which bore fruit with the Riverwalk Gazebo in town made possible with an AARP Community Challenge Grant, as well as contributions by the family of Dr. Raymond Galloway, longtime Wilton physician, and the alliance. The gazebo was dedicated to“Doc” Galloway, and Beck said that the AARP angle was possible because the site offers observing nature as part of the town’s Senior Citizen Science Program in which people over age 50 track changes in Wilton’s ecology. 

Learning what residents want

The alliance had a forum at which it noted six possible projects and priorities on a board and people indicated their preferences. 

“The last thing they wanted was development on Route 101,” said Beck.

In the center of town, however, attention turned to the future of the Wilton Falls Building, a structure that the Crawford Trust has donated to the town, along with 40 parking spaces. The Economic Development Team polled town residents, and creating apartments came out on top as the most-preferred repurposing of the building. A full-service restaurant was a close second. The NRPC is determining the environmental dimensions of any project, and upon completion of that phase, the town will seek a buyer for the property.

“We clearly need more creative solutions to housing,” Beck said.

In March, Beck was named one of  20 outstanding women in a contest sponsored by WZID Radio. Developments noted in the commendation included helping to win a grant for a pedestrian bridge over the Souhegan River to create access to more parking and eventual retail shops and Main Street. Deputy Town Administrator Janice Pack nominated Beck for all her efforts in sport of the town.

In addition to being honored at a celebration, recipients received a $250 Hannaford gift card, which Beck donated to the Open Cupboard Food Pantry in Wilton.