After Wilton voters turned down a proposal for a pellet boiler system at the Town Hall during March’s Town Meeting, the town may be seeing a similar proposal again.
During a meeting between the Energy Committee and the Select Board on Monday, members of the Energy Committee asked for direction on a plan to update the Town Hall’s steam boiler system, which they said is coming to the end of its life and is in need of replacing.
“The boiler system is a disaster waiting to happen,” said Energy Committee member Rick Swanson, who said the town should at least have a plan in place for if the boiler fails, if they do not get approval to replace it in March.
Energy Committee members told the Select Board that they are still in favor of pursuing a wood pellet boiler system, and that there is money in the town hall renovation fund to design the system. But a $152,000 article for a wood pellet system was voted down at Town Meeting, mainly, both boards believed, hinging on the fact that the Fire Department had expressed disapproval for the idea without a plan approved by the state fire marshall and the fire chief, who at the time was on medical leave.
Select Board Chair Kermit Williams said he would not discourage the Energy Committee from trying again, suggesting that they work with the Fire Department to come up with a plan that could gain Fire Department support.
Select Board member Bill Condra said he was “not a fan” of the idea of pellet systems for commercial buildings, but said that he was always of a mind to “let the voters decide.” He added that as long as a pellet boiler system was separate from any other article to raise funds for continued renovations at the Town Hall, he would not object to it.
Also in Energy Committee business, the Select Board gave the committee permission to examine town owned property to study their suitability for possible solar arrays to power town buildings.