By RANDY BALLWAHN | Madison
An open letter to the Town of Wilton Board:
I grew up in Wilton. I get it. Any time the area has an opportunity for economic development, it’s tempting to jump at it. But don’t forget that the natural beauty of the area, not the gravel underneath it, is your biggest asset.
I still come back several times a year. I bring my family, and sometimes we bring friends. We eat in local restaurants, drink in local taverns, and buy vegetables and flowers and canned goods from farmers. We camp. And, yes, we ride our bikes on the Elroy-Sparta trail.
And I know I’m not the only one bringing money into Monroe and Juneau counties on a regular basis because of the great people and natural beauty of the Elroy-Kendall-Wilton-Norwalk-Sparta area. I’ll come back anyway because of my folks and my friends and relatives there. But as for others, there are a lot of recreational choices in Wisconsin. They dodge plenty of trucks in Madison and Baraboo and La Crosse and Janesville. They ride state bike trails with their kids so they can avoid dodging trucks. And they will most likely choose another of the beautiful state trails when word gets out that Wilton doesn’t care about their health and safety on the Elroy-Sparta trail.
Please consider ways that everyone can win. If another suitable site for the gravel pit can’t be found, at least consider requiring the construction a box culvert tunnel under the road (similar to the one under Highway 71 near Norwalk) so that bikes and trucks are not directly in each other’s path. I’m sure truckers don’t want to worry about hitting a biker any more than bikers want to worry about getting run over.
Thank you for serving your township, and please don’t forget to represent the interests of everyone who loves Wilton, whether residents or visitors.
