Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
Published: 9/12/2023 12:49:29 PM
The Town of Wilton broke ground Monday on a new octagonal gazebo in the downtown, which will sit on the town’s Riverwalk to provide a hub for a Senior Citizen Science program and a platform for community events, including concerts, poetry readings and dedication ceremonies.
The gazebo, which is being built behind the Wilton Police Department, is being built with a $17,000 Community Challenge grant from the AARP. The grant covers the ground work, which is being done by town crews, the materials for the gazebo. It also provides program materials for the citizen science program. The town anticipates assembly of the gazebo to begin on Sept. 20 and be complete a few days after start of construction. The gazebo is expected to be open to the public by October.
When complete, the gazebo will serve as a hub for wildlife observation, with materials for recording observations either digitally or manually.
Wilton is dedicating the gazebo to Dr. Raymond Galloway, who moved to Wilton after serving in the Pacific during World War II and was a doctor in town between 1945 and 1968. Galloway was a “country doctor,” on call at all times of the day, making house calls to patients and keeping office hours at his home. His practice was based out of the former railroad station on Main Street, including offices and a surgical room. Galloway’s family has made donations to enhance the gazebo.
A formal dedication ceremony for the gazebo will be held during Wilton’s Old Home Day celebrations in August of 2024.
For information about this project, send email to ecodev@wiltonnh.gov.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.