Wilmington releases Community Survey to town residents

WILMINGTON | The town has announced the launch of its 2026 Community Survey to assess resident perspectives on important issues, priority projects, and overall quality of life. Within the next week or two, town residents will receive a survey directly from the town, with a stamped return envelope. That survey consists of two multiple-choice sections: one in which participants identify the most important issues facing them, their family, and/or Wilmington, and another in which they can identify two potential projects they would like to see become reality. In this first section, various issues are mentioned. Those include sediment accumulation in the river, lack of daycare/childcare options, lack of employment opportunities, the housing shortage, too much land-cleaing/deforestation, property taxes/assessments, lax or overly-strict town zoning codes, speeding on rural roads, split school districts, lack of shopping options, division within the community, town branding and graphic design, too much or too little regulation of short-term rentals, lack of support for lower income residents and families, and lack of support for tourism, businesses, and/or population growth. Participants are asked to choose up to three of these issues or, if there is an issue important to them that is not listed, to specify that in the "Other" slot. "I have strong beliefs about what our priorities should be," said Town of Wilmington Supervisor Tim Follos, who has already introduced and passed several local laws this year to help regulate large-scale land clearing, update forestry requirements, improve access to affordable housing, and more. "However, I'm willing to de-emphasize my priorities in favor of what the majority of the town wants to see." That not only applies to ongoing town issues but also to how the town should use the roughly $200,000 in "community tourism enhancement" ("bed tax") money it has accumulated over the years. Potential options include a skating pavilion, additional sidewalks and bike lanes, dredging the river, a new multi-use community building, purchasing vacant land for a dog park or workforce housing, and creating additional trails and maintaining existing multi-use trails. There's also an option for people to list other ways the funding could be spent. "These are all good, worthy projects," Follos said. "We all have our own priorities, but the community's priorities should be what the town board focuses on." One issue the supervisor would like the community to tackle is sediment accumulation in the river. River dredging is the excavation and removal of sand, silt, and debris from the bottom of a river. According to Follos, the last time the Lake Everest section of the Ausable River was dredged was in the 1970s. "Long ago, about 50 years ago, the town dredged the river every year. Back then, Lake Everest was much deeper. But over time, it has gotten much shallower," he said. "This is obviously a project that will take years. However, if it's something a clear majority of the community really wants, it's something the town government can make progress on." Residents are asked to return their surveys using the enclosed stamped envelopes as soon as possible so that the town board can incorporate that feedback into next year's budget, which will be completed in November. Anyone who doesn't receive a survey in the mail can pick one up at the town hall. Those who wish to take a longer survey can print out the online version available at townofwilmington.org/wilmington-community-survey-2026-long-form and then either mail it to the town office or drop it off there.

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Wilmington releases Community Survey to town residents

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