Updated June 02, 2026 with new reporting. This is a direct follow-up to prior coverage: the board has now approved an MOU and the posted minutes clarify who pays for what.
Final May 7 Town Board minutes show Wilton moved ahead with a memorandum of understanding for the Camp Saratoga building project, with the town providing in-kind demolition and rough grading while the preserve handles construction costs.
Wilton’s final May 7, 2026 Town Board minutes show the board approved a memorandum of understanding with Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park for the Camp Saratoga building project, advancing a request that had previously been tabled while officials sought firmer details on scope and cost.
Final minutes from the Town Board’s May 7 meeting show Wilton approved a memorandum of understanding for demolition of an older building at Camp Saratoga and construction of a replacement building.
According to the minutes, the land is town-owned, so the project needed a formal agreement spelling out what the town would do and what the preserve would fund. The board record says town staff and equipment, under Facilities Maintenance Supervisor Scott Harrington, would handle demolition and rough grading as an in-kind contribution. The Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park would be responsible for construction of the new building and for hauling away demolition debris.
The same minutes say the replacement building is intended to consolidate preserve operations and serve multiple purposes. Margo Olson told the board the preserve had a state grant that would reimburse part of the project, and that she was working with the state to modify the grant scope from renovation of the existing building to demolition and new construction.
The posted record also narrows the town’s role more clearly than earlier public discussion did. Planning and Engineering Director Ryan Riper said the memorandum would clarify that the town’s work is limited to demolition and rough grading, and that the preserve would apply for the necessary building permits and comply with Building Department requirements. Olson confirmed that preserve accounts would pay the construction invoices.
One practical timing note also appears in the minutes: volunteers were expected to begin cleaning out the building so demolition could start once it was scheduled. The minutes say there was interest in moving soon because Harrington was approaching retirement.
What is still not in the record
The minutes do not give a posted total project cost or a demolition start date. They do say the comptroller asked the preserve to provide total project cost figures when the project is complete so the value of the donated capital asset can be recorded on the town’s books.
That means residents now have a clearer public description of the town-preserve split than they had in April, but not yet a full public cost picture for the overall replacement project.