Monthly Archives: March 2020

Citizens for Milford is continuing its partnership with the Milford Corps of the Salvation Army to expand the Draper Memorial Park Field of Flags, a tribute acknowledging the service and sacrifice of our veterans and active military personnel with a display of American flags placed in Draper Memorial Park on five patriotic holidays each year. The first display of this year is planned for May 20 in time for Memorial Day.

All area citizens, organizations, and businesses are invited to sponsor a 3′ x 5′ American flag to fly on a 10′ staff in Draper Memorial Park for a $60 donation. Previous sponsors are encouraged to renew their flag sponsorship for another year. Although renewals have been requested before Veterans Day during previous years, Citizens for Milford has restructured the sponsorship period to coincide with the calendar year.

The $60 donation sponsors a flag in Draper Park for all five of the following patriotic holidays: Memorial Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, and Veterans Day.

Sponsors can choose to honor a veteran (alive or deceased), an active member of the military, or all our nation’s veterans.

Each flag includes a yellow ribbon with an attached card naming the person being honored, the honoree’s military branch and years of service, and the sponsor’s name. Sponsors can personalize each flag by providing a photo if desired. Citizens for Milford laminates the name cards and photos so they can be attached to each flagpole. The laminated cards and photos are typically attached the day after the flags are installed in the ground.

Field of Flags Chairperson Peter Scandone says, “Each flag honors the heroism of our many local veterans and active duty service members. Our goal is to have every one of the flags renewed and to gather enough new flag sponsorships so that we will be installing even more flags this Memorial Day.”

Flag sponsors Stephanie Fino and Stephen Laczenski state, “We are so proud to visit the Draper Park Field of Flags that are displayed during patriotic holidays throughout the year. It is comforting to see our Dad next to all the veterans of all the wars who fought so bravely for our country to secure the freedoms that we enjoy today.”

To sponsor a flag for the Draper Memorial Park Field of Flags project, click here to download and print the sponsorship form, then complete the form and mail it to the address provided on the form with a $60 check made out to the Salvation Army before May 11. If you prefer to have a form mailed to you, email us at CitizensforMilford@gmail.com.

Citizens for Milford and the Salvation Army organize all the work involved in managing the Field of Flags, including everything from maintaining sponsorship information to transporting and storing the flags. Both groups are extremely grateful for the assistance provided by volunteers from other Milford groups. Volunteers from Milford Federal Bank and the Milford Junior Woman’s Club, as well as many flag sponsors, often assist with the installation and take-down of the flags. All residents are welcome to help.

The majority of funds donated by flag sponsors are used to support the work of the Salvation Army here in Milford, specifically for food assistance and after-school activities for families in need. Citizens for Milford receives a small amount to pay for supplies, such as the yellow ribbons, card stock, and laminating materials. Like the flags, these materials need to be replaced periodically due to weather exposure.

Draper Memorial Park occupies a triangle of land in the downtown Milford area, located at the intersection of Congress Street and Main Street. The park features monuments that list the names of veterans who served during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Standing tall in the park is the statue of General William Franklin Draper by sculptor Daniel Chester French, whose work also includes the massive marble statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The care and management of Draper Memorial Park falls under the authority of the Milford Parks Commission and Milford Veterans Services. Citizens for Milford is grateful for both office’s enthusiastic support for this project.

Take Advantage of Other Ways to Get Informed!

Citizens for Milford has cancelled the Candidates Forum in an effort to keep everyone—candidates, voters, and volunteers—safe during this challenging time of public health concerns. The forum had been scheduled for Thursday, March 19.

We understand that the public health situation is changing rapidly. If the Town decides to pursue actions to postpone the April 7th election, we will reevaluate and plan to hold the forum at a later date.

In the meantime, voters can read candidate profiles and other pertinent information on the 2020 MILFORD CANDIDATES page on this website. Contact information is included so you can email questions directly to the candidates. 

In addition, we recommend that you take advantage of other ways to get informed, such as reading profiles in the Town Crier, Milford Daily News, Patch online news, as well as watching the interviews and debates broadcast on Milford TV and aired on MyFM 101.3.

Candidate testimonials can be viewed on the Milford Election 2020 page of Milford TV’s video on-demand site: Milford.vod.castus.tv/vod. In addition, voters can watch candidate interviews conducted by Al Correia on “That Milford Show” on youtube.com.

Please know how disappointed we are to be cancelling this important community event! We appreciate every candidate’s commitment to the community as a candidate for office and encourage every Milford voter to go to the polls on April 7th to VOTE!

What Else You Need to Know:
News About the Town Election from the Town Clerk

The Town of Milford is closely monitoring the current public health situation including the Corona virus. There is no current expectation that the April 7th Annual Town Election will be cancelled or rescheduled.

A postponement or cancellation of the election would require either a change in the law or a Court order, or both. The Town Clerk and Board of Registrars will take all reasonable and appropriate measures to maintain our polling locations clean and disinfected throughout Election Day.

Voters who may be quarantined due to illness, or self-quarantined, will qualify to vote by Absentee Ballot, and are encouraged to apply for an Absentee Ballot as soon as possible to ensure sufficient time for mailing. Voters who already applied for and plan to vote by absentee ballot, but now have a mailing address which is different from their address as currently registered, are requested to contact our office as soon as possible. This request may apply to college students or those traveling abroad.

Please check the Town Website for Board of Health and Elections updates, as the situation continues to develop.

REMINDER! The last day to register to vote in the Town Election is Wednesday, March 18 by 8:00 p.m. in the Town Clerk’s office.