Wilmington Select Board sets May vote on $10.75 million Sharapa land purchase

WILMINGTON — April 14, 2026 — Wilmington Select Board sets May 2 special town meeting vote on $10.75 million Sharapa land deal. Town Manager Eric Slagle told the board Monday the friendly taking price for the long-contested property at 333 Andover Street represents the total acquisition cost, including previously appropriated funds, with a fire-damage offset to reduce the actual cash outlay. The board also placed three tax-exemption warrant articles on the special town meeting agenda that would index senior and veteran benefit thresholds to the federal cost-of-living adjustment and double most existing exemptions — at an estimated additional annual cost of $125,000 to $145,000. A proposed 20-year digital billboard grant agreement near the Wilmington-Reading line on Interstate 93, offering $50,000 per year for years one through 20, was sent back for renegotiation after board members called the opening rate too low and objected to an automatic 10-year extension clause.