Town Supervisor’s Report on 7.22.26
Dear Friends & Fellow Community Members,
As usual, a lot is going on in Wilmington. Here is some of the news from around town …
1. Now Hiring
There are several town jobs up for grabs.
— Animal control officer. Compensation based on experience. Please contact me for more information.
— Assessor. This could be a good job for the right person. The salary is $8000 annually, and training is provided. The compensation package for this job may include benefits.
— Beach attendant(s). $16.50/hour. Traditionally, this has been a young person’s job. Must be strong enough to help lift canoes and kayaks.
2. Concerts
Last week’s concert by the Gwen Tracy Duo at the town beach was a hit!
The combination of a talented performer & perfect weather drew the largest crowd I’ve seen at the beach this year. I counted 175 people at one point.
Earlier that same day, Larry Stone stopped by the town hall to let me know that his band wouldn’t be able to appear as scheduled at tomorrow’s beach concert. It was great to spend a few minutes catching up with Larry, and I am optimistic that we will be able to find another slot for Larry Stone & Friends.
The Gwen Tracy Duo has graciously agreed to perform at the beach again tomorrow, July 23.
If you haven’t seen the signs and posters around town, you really haven’t been out and about. This weekend is the fifth-annual Wilmington Mountain Music Fest. The headlining act this year is an Aerosmith cover band. You can find more information here.
Of particular interest to many community members will be the appearance of the longtime Lake Placid High School biology teacher and CVAC championship-winning basketball coach Frank Johns, who will be onstage with his tried-and-true power trio: Double Axel.
A regional mainstay formed in Potsdam in the early ’70s, the words “Double Axel” spark fond memories for generations of locals. Double Axel goes on first on Saturday, and I bet a lot of people are looking forward to it. Well done, event organizers.
3. Garage Sale & Get-Together
Town Clerk Dawn Stevens has volunteered to organize the town-wide yard sale this year. It’s set for August 15 & 16, and will coincide with the weekend of the 12th-annual Wilmington Get-Together. For more information, or to sign up to be on the garage sale map, please call Dawn at 518 946 7174.
The Get-Together will take place on August 15 at the town beach, starting around 3 p.m. This is a really nice potluck-style community event that is free & open to all. As always, thanks to Sadie Hozley for making it happen.
4. Town Board News
The Sun Community News recently published in-depth articles about Wilmington’s Local Laws 2 & 4 of 2026. Links in the comments. You can read the article about LL2 here, and the article about LL4 here.
The next town board meeting is on Wednesday, July 29, at 6 p.m. High on the meeting’s agenda will be deciding on any changes to the Community Priority surveys I plan to mail out in the coming weeks.
At the moment, the meeting’s agenda is otherwise fairly light, so I am cautiously optimistic that we’ll be able to make headway on our efforts to update the town’s employee handbook.
In other news: Thank you to the members of the Comprehensive Plan Working Group for their efforts on a grant application to secure funds to help update Wilmington’s Comprehensive Plan.
Below is the Comprehensive Plan timeline envisioned in our grant application:
Anticipated grant award date: 12/2026
Anticipated contract execution: 3/2027
Request for consultant proposals: 3/2027 to 5/2027
Kick-off meeting: 6/2027
Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee kick-off meeting: 7/2027
Public participation process: 7/2027 to 1/2028
Existing conditions report: 8/2027 to 10/2027
Analysis & recommendations: 10/2027 to 3/2028
Development of implementation strategy: 2/2028 to 6/2028
Community review of draft Comprehensive Plan: 7/2028 to 12/2028
Formal adoption of the Comprehensive Plan by the town board: 2/2029
Special thanks to Bill Wonderlin for all his time and effort on this grant application.
5. Other news
— The next hazardous waste collection day will be in Elizabethtown, on July 25, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you have questions about what they’ll accept, please call 518 873 3743. There is a long list of items they’ll take, but there is also a long list of items they won’t take.
— The town board expects that the process of creating a new logo for the town will get underway soon. Once started, it usually takes around nine months. Please jot me a line if you are interested in being part of a group of community members that will work with ROOST to create a new logo for Wilmington. (Please note: No signs at the entryways to the community, etc. will be replaced until the current markers have reached the end of their normal lifespan.)
— The new light poles on Bowman Lane look great! Thanks to Bill Skufca for lending his craftsmanship to the project, and for finishing it sooner than expected.
Replacing the sidewalk that borders Bowman Lane is up next.
The road itself will be re-paved this fall.
— Wilmington’s senior social luncheons take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Methodist Church, starting at noon.
— The Barkeater Trails Alliance will host a “Slow Your Roll” ride at the Hardy Road trails on Monday, starting at 6 p.m.
This year’s Hardy Kids race will take place on August 29. Both the leadership of the Barkeater Trails Alliance and the members of the Wilmington town board wish to express their gratitude for the many hours Mary Warner and Erica Loher spent organizing these races over the past seven years.
— The August regular monthly Planning Board meeting has been cancelled. The next Planning Board meeting is scheduled for the first Tuesday in September.
Thanks for taking a few minutes to read this report.
Please feel free to reach out anytime.
Sincerely,
Tim Follos