Wilmington Board Approves Utility Poles, Hears School Traffic and E-Bike Safety Plans

WILMINGTON — June 22, 2026 — Wilmington Select Board hears e-bike safety alarm and unveils $2.3 million school traffic plan. The board received a police department briefing Monday citing 39 calls for service and six motor vehicle crashes involving e-bikes in 2026, with Traffic Safety Officer Michael DiLorenzo reporting that 90 percent of e-bikes on Wilmington roads currently lack the functional pedals required by state law and that one bike was clocked at 52 miles per hour on Burlington Avenue. Chief Scott Pucker called for parent accountability and said officers have filed criminal motor vehicle charges in the most extreme cases. Separately, Town Engineer Paul Looney and traffic consultant Stefan Zaits of VHB presented conceptual redesigns for two North Wilmington intersections — a protected left-turn signal phase on Middlesex Avenue at Route 62 and a single-lane roundabout at the Salem Street and Middlesex Avenue intersection — intended to absorb more than 1,300 additional daily vehicle trips from the new consolidated pre-K through grade five elementary school opening for the 2028-29 school year; a $2.3 million placeholder sits in the FY28 capital plan with construction funding expected on the Annual Town Meeting 2027 warrant. The board approved a Verizon petition to relocate four Salem Street utility poles tied to the Amazon 800 Salem Street road-widening project by a 4-1 vote, approved a separate single new support pole unanimously, and elected member Michael Selle as Vice Chair 4-1 over Michael West.