A free public showing of a film about the revitalization of a mill in Freedom will kick off Wilton’s participation in an eight-month community engagement program.
A downtown movie night scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Calzolaio Pasta Company is the first community engagement event being held as part of Wilton’s involvement in the program Making Headway in Your Community.
Wilton was chosen earlier this month to participate in Making Headway in Your Community — a joint community development program of GrowSmart Maine and the Maine Downtown Center at the Maine Development Center. The town was chosen, along with Rumford, to participate based on the town’s receptiveness to development efforts, according to a news release from Making Headway in Your Community.
Over the course of eight months, several community discussions will be held in an attempt to gauge what Wilton residents believe is most important about their community and what types of community projects could boost development and revitalization.
Once the brainstorming phase is complete, the second phase of Wilton’s involvement in the program will focus on presentations on potential community projects and voting on the project that residents feel should receive a $1,000 grant to get underway. The grant is provided by Making Headway in Your Community and is to be matched by the local community.
Wednesday’s film, “Reviving Freedom Mill,” tells the story of the rehabilitation of an abandoned gristmill in Freedom into a community center. The film sets the stage for the possibility of development in former mill towns, such as Wilton, which is presently trying to demolish and clean up the dilapidated Forster Mill on Depot Street.
The movie night is open to the public and a light dinner will be served. There is no charge to attend.
Lauren Abbate — 861-9252
Twitter: @Lauren_M_Abbate
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