IN MEMORIAM ARTHUR J. BOUDREAU FREDERICK E. CLAGUE MARGARET E. CUNNINGHAM LEONARDO DELSONNO RICHARD C. FULLER FREDERICK L. JAESCHKE HELEN LARKIN PATRICK J. LEONARD (front cover) A winter sunset on Silver Lake A spectacular sunset captured in a photograph generously provided for our 2003 Annual Report. Photo is courtesy of Wilmington resident Edward Virtue. Table ofContents Title Page Mission Statement 1 Board of Selectmen 2 Town Manager 4 Administration &; Finance Town Clerk 8 Board of Registrars 9 Town Counsel 10 Board of Assessors 13 Town Treasurer/Collector 14 Town Accountant 15 Public Safety Fire Department 34 Police Department 38 Animal Control Officer 42 Facilities & Infrastructure Public Buildings Department 43 Permanent Building Committee 44 Department of Public Works 45 Water and Sewer Department 48 Human Services & Consumer Affairs ..Library 51 Council for the Arts 58 Carter Lecture Fund 60 Historical Commission 60 Recreation Department 63 Elderly Services Department 68 Housing Authority 72 Disabilities, Commission on 72 Veterans' Services 73 Board of Health 73 Cable T. V. Advisory Task Force 77 Sealer of Weights and Measures 77 Education Wilmington Public Schools 78 Shawsheen Valley Reg. Voc Tech. H. S 100 . Community Development Planning/Conservation Department 116 Housing Partnership 123 Metropolitan Area Planning Council 124 Middlesex Canal Commission 126 Inspector of Buildings 128 Board of Appeals 129 Town Meetings & Elections Constable 151 Annual Town Election - April 19, 2003 152 Annual Town Meeting - April 26, 2003 153 Special Town Meeting - June 9, 2003 188 Directory of Officials 194 Boards, Committees & Commissions 195 Olo-'icers and Department Heads 199 Municipal Services Guide 200 Meeting Dates and Times 205 Accepted Streets 206 Telephone Directory by Department The "Mission Statement for the Town of Wilmington" is as follows "The Town of Wilmington, as a municipal corporation, exists in order to deliver a wide range of municipal services to those who live, work or own property within the borders of Wilmington; and in order to make this community a good place to liye, to work, and to raise and educate a family, those services must be responsive to the needs of the people. They must be effeotiye and ^ efficient. Principles. of honesty, fairness, dependability and compassion must govern the actions of the officials and the employees of the Town. Those who work for the Town as employees or as members of boards, committees and commissions are recognized as its most important resource and the key to its s^^ess in serving the people of Wilmington." Endorsed by the Board of Selectmen May 22, 1989. -1- Town of Wilmington Offieizofthiz BoardofSulfzctmen 121 61fzn noad fsX (9rS)658-3334 (9r8) 658-3311 Wilmington. Mfl0188r'359r Try (978) 694-1417 As Chairman, I would like to personally thank the unanimous vote of confidence given to me by my fellow Selectmen to be your Chairman for 2003-2004. It is with great pleasure that I submit the Board's 2003 Annual Report to the residents of Wilmington. Calendar year 2003 continued to be a challenging year in many areas. The economic downturn that has affected so many people across the Commonwealth and across the nation resulted in a projected state budget deficit in excess of $2.0 billion for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2003. As a consequence, state aid to cities and towns including Wilmington was reduced significantly. While many communities pursued Proposition 2 M overrides or faced reductions in local services and were forced to layoff teachers, police officers, fire fighters and other municipal personnel, I am pleased to report that Wilmington was the exception to the rule. Due to the policy directives of the Board to develop conservative spending plans over the past few years and due to the execution of those directives by the Town Manager and his staff, the town developed a sizable free cash reserve in excess of $9.0 million. Other communities surrounding the Town of Wilmington have imposed user fees relative to bus transportation for their children, and rubbish pickup. I am glad to report that the Town of Wilmington has not imposed any kind of user fees. The Town of Wilmington is in good financial shape and the outlook is strong. Hopefully, as the economy turns around in a positive outlook and the state generates more revenue, the town will be back to getting its fair share of local aid, therefore driving the town back above and beyond surplus revenue for the town under our free cash reserve. Those reserves were used both to balance the fiscal year 2003 budget and to sustain service and staffing levels in the new fiscal year beginning July 1, 2003 without the need of new taxes. In fact, while residential property values continued to increase dramatically in 2003 due to the strong demand for housing in the Boston metropolitan area, Wilmington's residential tax rate continued to be the lowest tax rate in our area. Given the significant commercial and industrial sector that has developed in Wilmington, the Board approved a separate tax rate for the commercial and industrial sector, which shifted some of the tax burden away from residential homeowners to commercial and industrial property owners. The Board appointed new Town Counsel in 2003 after conducting a solicitation process, which involved interviewing nine law firms. By a majority vote of 3- 2, the Board selected the law firm of Deutsch/Williams to serve as Town Counsel. Deutsch/Williams law firm is based in Boston, Massachusetts. Contamination of the town' s drinking water wells in south Wilmington continued to be a major focal point of the Board's efforts in 2003. Thanks to the efforts of the Community Advisory Panel, which was appointed by the Board of Selectmen in 2002, the environmental consulting firm Geolnsight Inc. of Londonderry, N.H. was recommended and ultimately hired to evaluate remediation activities related to the Maple Meadow Landfill closure project and the Olin Corporation's efforts to address groundwater contamination. Geolnsight has been assigned to complete a specific scope of work that, in part, critiques the work of consultants hired by representatives from Maple Meadow Landfill and Olin and assists the town to develop a future course of action.