WILTON — Interim police Chief E. Page Reynolds said he’s excited to be back in the town where he developed many friendships serving as the department’s lieutenant over the past couple of years.

“I’m fond of this community and saw it as an opportunity to help,” he told Wilton selectmen Tuesday, making his first report as chief of the department.

Reynolds resigned from the department at the end of December. The retired Connecticut detective was commuting here because his family was hesitant to move with one son just finishing high school this spring.

He decided to return to Wilton as interim chief after former chief Dennis Brown submitted his resignation. Brown’s last day was Monday.

Board members thanked Reynolds for returning and welcomed him back.

The transition has been smooth but hectic, he told the board. “It didn’t take long to get me up to snuff and I hit the ground running,” he said.

Reynolds said he seeks to boost morale and dispel fears about the future of the department and any potential impact on the officers.

“It’s a young group of officers with a lot of potential,” he said. “They’ve been concerned about the future of the department and their lives. I’ve tried to calm their fears.”

In other business, Town Manager Rhonda Irish told the board a public hearing on a Community Development Block Grant application for the Wilton Primary School will take place prior to a budget meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, at the town office. 

The grant is intended to help with removing asbestos from the school building and would require a 20 percent match from the town. The grant would mandate that the building be used for business or economic development purposes.

Following the hearing, selectmen will meet with town department heads to work on the budget. The public is welcome but there will be no public comments taken during the budget session, only during the public hearing.

abryant@sunjournal.com