WILTON – A public hearing on who can use the new parking lot for the New Reservoir produced a lot of questions, raised several issues, but did not arrive at a resolution. Six people attended the 45-minute hearing on Monday, April 18.

Several polls in the past have indicated that many people want it for Wilton residents only. A sticker system would ensure that.

The hearing was called to create a parking ordinance which did not happen.

Police Chief Eric Olesen said it would be a town-controlled space where parking can be enforced, but what about Wilton residents, with stickers, who can’t find a space? The lot has 18 spaces. “Does the overflow park along Isaac Frye Highway?” No parking is allowed there.

And what about Wilton residents who park there without a sticker? Would the fine apply to them?

Resident Tom Schultz raised two more issues – cost and perceptions.

“There is the cost of administration,” he said, time spent by the office staff providing the stickers, extra patrols by the police to enforce the parking. Theoretically, he said, given the population of the town, “a thousand people could apply for stickers.”

As to public perception, “We could be considered racist.” The town is mostly white and not allowing neighbors in, as several other towns have closed their waterfronts, could be misconstrued. The reservoir, he noted, was built by and maintained by water users, including a number who live in Milford. “Their ancestors helped build it.”

Conservation Commission Member Alan Preston noted that the Reservoir, by state standards, is “public water. We can only control the parking and the management.”

Member Jen Beck said the restriction was recommended by various committees. There are five spaces on Sand Hill Road where handicapped people can be dropped off and picked up.

Olesen said his department would “do what we have to do. Give us some guidelines. We just want to make sure the road stays open.”

During the pandemic, visitors to nearby Garwin Falls at times left no space for emergency vehicles to get through.

Selectman Chairman Kermit Williams said obvious signs are needed, and he, too, was concerned about residents who don’t have stickers. “The issue is, there are only 18 spaces.”

Selectman DJ Garcia aid he thought the plan was to “mitigate the parking problem at the Reservoir, and we are now excluding people to stop neighbors’ complaints and not addressing the problem.”

Selectman Matt Fish suggested that “we start where we are now and fine tune as we go along. We need to adopt something.” He added, “This has been an issue for five years. (Restrictions) are what the people want and what we’re giving them.”

Williams closed the hearing saying, “We’ll take action on this later.”