WILTON -- A group of Wilton residents says it is looking for ways to get people more involved with the community, to support local businesses and to project a positive image of the town.

The Wilton Group first formed several years ago, but interest ebbed, said spokeswoman Susan Atwood. She said the group is being restarted with renewed enthusiasm.

Atwood said new life is also being breathed into the original group's mission statement, which was developed in 2005 with the assistance of Threshold to Maine, a program of the Natural Resource Conservation Service.

The organization's goals, according to the mission statement, were to "enhance, preserve and promote the unique character of Wilton, to work together to stimulate more interest in community-based involvement, support local business owners, attract new businesses and project a positive image of the town and region."

Town Manager Rhonda Irish said she invited a group of community and business leaders to a local restaurant in July to gauge interest in reviving the Wilton Group. She has been staying in touch with the participants ever since.

"This is a great start," Irish said. "If they can make it work, it would be really good for economic development to have people working together to revitalize the town. And it will help when we apply for grants if we can say a project has the support of an established community group."

A community breakfast to attract more people to the group will be held at 7 a.m. Wednesday at the First Congregational Church on Main Street in Wilton.

"A lot of very positive things have been happening in Wilton such as the improvements to the (Wilson Lake) lakefront and community interest that has been building," Atwood said.

"This will be a community-based group," she said. "It is not a chamber of commerce and it is not just for business. We want everyone included. Much of the organizational steps have been taken. The next step is to reach out to the community and share what has been done so far and gather more ideas, information and support that will benefit everyone."

"There is so much talent here and we need to do more to support each other. We should tap into all our resources," she said.

"We all want to see Wilton become all it can be. It will take people and commitment for that to happen," Atwood said. "We can all benefit from working together to create a more vibrant community."

For more information, call Atwood at 645-3721 or Irish at 645-4961.

Betty Jespersen -- 778-6991

bjespersen@centralmaine.com