Citizens for Milford

Celebrations to Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Doughboy Monument and the Completed Revitalization of Both Parks.

All area residents are invited to attend two special ceremonies this Veterans Day, Thursday, November 11 in Calzone Park and Draper Memorial Park.

Both ceremonies will be incorporated into the annual Veterans Day Parade, which steps off from Veterans Memorial Drive at 10:00 a.m. The ceremony at Calzone Park will begin at approximately 10:30 a.m. when the parade arrives at the park. The highlight of this ceremony will be the unveiling of the renovated Doughboy monument, which was created to commemorate the veterans of the First World War and was first unveiled exactly 100 years ago on November 11, 1921. Descendents of the Matthew Calzone family will unveil the monument.

At the conclusion of the ceremony in Calzone Park, the parade will continue marching to Draper Park, where the second ceremony is planned to begin at approximately 11:00 a.m. This second ceremony will last about 45 minutes. A limited number of chairs will be available for attendees at Draper Park.

Participating in both ceremonies will be local clergy, veterans, town officials, state officials, and the Milford High School Marching Band. Peter Scandone, who is chairman of the War Memorial Revitalization Committee, will serve as master of ceremonies.

Milford has so much to celebrate this Veterans Day. Not only will we be marking the milestone anniversary of the Doughboy monument, we will also come together as a community to recognize the transformation of both Calzone and Draper Memorial Parks. After nearly three years of planning, fundraising, and extensive construction, both parks are now stunning monuments to our veterans and revitalized gathering places for residents and visitors to enjoy for generations to come. – Peter Scandone, Chairman of the War Memorial Revitalization Committee

Park Street, which is on the east end of Draper Park, will be closed to vehicles and set up as a pedestrian area during the parade and ceremony at Draper Park. Member organizations of the Milford Veterans Advisory Council will have tables set up in this area so they can share information about their organizations and the programs they carry out with everyone who is attending the parade and ceremonies.

The Field of Flags, a tribute to the service and sacrifice of our veterans and active military personnel, will be installed in Draper Memorial Park three weeks before Veterans Day. Parade and ceremony attendees are invited to walk among the flags and monuments in Draper Park and read the names of the veterans and active military who are memorialized and honored there.

Milford TV will broadcast the parade and ceremonies live on Veterans Day.

The ceremonies at Calzone and Draper Parks are being organized by the War Memorial Revitalization Committee and Citizens for Milford. The parade is being organized by Milford’s Office of Veterans Services.

If the parade is cancelled due to rain, the Draper Park ceremony will be postponed to Saturday, November 13 at 10:00 am. The Calzone Park ceremony will be postponed to Memorial Day next year.

The War Memorial Revitalization Committee and Citizens for Milford extend sincerest gratitude to the Milford Parks Commission, Milford Veterans Services Department, and other town and state officials for enthusiastically supporting and implementing the repairs and upgrades to Calzone Park and Draper Memorial Park. In addition, we thank the many individuals, families, organizations, and businesses that donated funds to make the renovations possible, as well as MassDevelopment for providing a matching grant to the funds raised by the community. Lastly, we thank the Massachusetts Cultural Council and Amazon for their financial contributions funding the two ceremonies. The overwhelming support from all members of the community for the revitalization of both parks serves as a testament to community pride.

About the War Memorial Revitalization Committee
The War Memorial Revitalization Committee is an Ad Hoc committee appointed by the Select Board. Its two-fold mission is to assist the Parks Department in the repair and revitalization of Draper Memorial Park and Calzone Memorial Park and to establish an ongoing maintenance plan that ensures the continued longevity of the parks and their structures for generations to come.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: At its Oct.12^th meeting the Town Meeting Study and Improvement Committee voted to cancel the Oct. 18, 2021 Pre-Town Meeting Forum due to an insufficient number of Town Meeting Members having responded to the request for Articles to be considered.

The Milford Town Meeting Study and Improvement Committee (TMSIC) is sponsoring a Pre-Town Meeting Forum to be held Monday, October 18, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. The Forum will be conducted remotely via Zoom. The Forum is open to the public.

The purpose of the Pre-Town Meeting Forum is to provide an opportunity for Town Meeting members, as well as members of the public, to obtain answers to questions they may have regarding some of the Articles contained in the October 25, 2021 Special Town Meeting Warrant.

Sponsors of Articles will be available to make brief presentations and to answer questions.  Participants are encouraged not to advocate for or against a particular Article. No votes or decisions concerning any of the Articles in the Warrant will be made at this forum. 

Town Meeting members and the public are requested to indicate which Articles they would like to have addressed. Articles with the highest number of responses will receive special emphasis for discussion. Read the  Special Town Meeting Warrant here.

To submit a request for Articles that you would like to see addressed, please send an email to tmsic@townofmilford.com  by October 11th.  In the subject line please write “Pre-Town Meeting Forum,” and in the body of the email indicate the Article number(s).

For those who do not use email, please mail the Article-number(s) you would like to see addressed to Town Meeting Study and Improvement Committee, Town Hall, 52 Main Street, Milford, MA 01757.

Sponsor a Flag NOW!

The repairs and revitalization work to Draper Memorial Park are ALMOST finished! To help celebrate the renewed beauty of this special place, Citizens for Milford and the Milford Salvation Army are now seeking sponsorships for the Field of Flags.

Each sponsored 3’ x 5’ American flag will stand tall on a 10’ staff in Draper Park beginning October 13 and will fly until the week after Veterans Day. Flags will be removed November 17.

Important Notes

• Each sponsored flag will include a yellow remembrance ribbon and an attached card naming the person being honored, military branch, years of service, and sponsor’s name.
• (Optional) You may send us a small photo of the flag honoree. We will be happy to laminate the photo and include it with the card that names the person being honored.
• The donation to sponsor a flag in 2021 is $20. This amount is lower than the normal $60 because of the shorter flag display. Your donation is tax-deductible.
• The deadline to submit your sponsorship form and donation is October 8.
• We will resume the normal Field of Flags schedule with the flags flying for five patriotic holidays beginning with Memorial Day in 2022. Everyone who sponsors a flag now in 2021 will receive a form in April inviting you to renew for the 2022 year.
• To sponsor a flag, print and complete this form and mail it with a check made out the to SALVATION ARMY for $20. Mail the form and check to the address printed on the form.
• QUESTIONS? Email us at CitizensforMilford@gmail.com

The Draper Memorial Park Field of Flags is co-sponsored by Citizens for Milford and the Milford Corps of the Salvation Army, with support from the Milford Parks Commission and the Milford Veterans Agency.

All area residents are invited to attend a commemoration ceremony marking the twentieth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America. This free event will be held outside in the parking lot at Milford Town Hall beginning at 8:30 a.m. and will include a flag tower, singing by Shanna Jackman, and the playing of bagpipes. Thanks to Yanks is organizing this event.

In addition, Thanks to Yanks will be collecting personal hygiene products and gift cards for homeless veterans. Gift cards to local drug stores and grocery stores are recommended. Attendees can also bring their worn American flags for proper disposal and retirement.

HIGH UPON THE TOWERS
by Biff Price

High upon the towers
They saw the gleaming sky
All were unaware
That this day they would die

High upon the towers
They felt the warming sun
Not knowing in brief moments
Their time on earth was done

High upon the towers
They spied the rolling sea
Some enjoyed their coffee
While others sipped their tea

High upon the towers
Just as the day began
The fire of hell came roaring
Ending every plan

Low from a blackened sky
The towers fell to dust
Shattered, twisted, ruined
A heap of ash and rust

High upon the towers
God looked down and cried
At the evil of man’s hatred
As His children died

High upon the towers
All of them are free
Part of God’s great Kingdom
For all eternity

Copyright © 2001 Biff Price

Hall of Heroes, Which Memorializes Milford Service Members Killed
in Time of War, Moved to New Location in Town Hall to Ensure
Easy and Open Viewing Access to All

Milford’s Hall of Heroes, a collection of photographs and biographies of Milford residents who served in the United States military and died while serving our country in a time of war, was recently installed in Milford Town Hall on the walls of the lower level.

The Hall of Heroes was originally created as a second-grade project conducted in 2000 under the guidance of Jo-Ann De Maria Morgan, who taught at Memorial Elementary from 1976 to 2006. Upon completion of the students’ research, the biographies were typed, framed, and hung with accompanying photographs in the foyer of Memorial Elementary School. As security in public schools has tightened over the years, access to the collection has been restricted. To provide easy access for all Milford residents and members of the service members’ families who visit from out of town, the Milford Medal of Liberty committee sought a new home for the collection. The committee also reprinted the biographies and photographs and then reframed the collection to ensure its longevity.

Regarding the move to Town Hall, De Maria Morgan states, “It is both satisfying and heartwarming that this project continues to be preserved twenty years later so that the work of these students will continue to be a part of Milford’s rich history. I always impressed upon my students that ‘Freedom is never free.’”

The committee invites all area residents to visit Milford Town Hall and see the collection during normal business hours. Direct access is provided from the Court Street entrance. A dedication ceremony will be planned for a future date.

The committee expresses its sincerest gratitude to the Milford Select Board for their enthusiastic acceptance of the move to Town Hall. In addition, the committee wishes to thank Facilities Coordinator Carlos Benjamin and local carpenters Kirk Crawford and Preston (Buck) Crawford, who all worked together to install the Hall of Heroes in its new location. The Crawford family is a Medal of Liberty recipient, and they were eager to donate their time to help with this project.

Milford Town Hall is located at 52 Main Street in Milford, Massachusetts. Parking is available in two lots adjacent to Town Hall, as well as on neighborhood streets.

Medal of Liberty to be Presented to the Families of Two Merchant Marines Who Were Killed in WW II. All Area Residents Invited to Attend.

The Milford Medal of Liberty Committee invites all area residents to attend the Massachusetts Medal of Liberty Ceremony, to be held Sunday, June 13 in the upper level of Memorial Hall. The ceremony will begin promptly at 2:00 p.m.

The ceremony will honor the service and sacrifice of two merchant marines who were killed when their respective ships were torpedoed by German U-boats: Diamantino Moreira Lopes, who served as a Seaman and was killed February 3, 1943; and Walter Franklin Howe, who served as an Oiler and was killed January 16, 1944.

Milford Medal of Liberty Committee members Vincent J. Cifizzari, Major, U.S. Army (Retired) and Ronald Howland, Major US Air Force (Retired) will preside over the ceremony and present the Massachusetts Medal of Liberty to the families of these two heroic members of our community. Citations from government officials not in attendance will be presented by educator and veterans advocate Jo-Ann DeMaria Morgan. DeMaria Morgan will also perform the Empty Chair Ceremony.

Brigadier General Francis B. Magurn II, Assistant Adjutant General, Massachusetts National Guard, will make short remarks. Milford Town Counsel Charles D. Boddy, Jr. will speak about the experiences of merchant marines, as related to him by his father who served as a merchant marine during World War II.

A reception will follow the ceremony. This event is free and open to the public.

The Medal of Liberty program was established in 2010 to honor the families of any Massachusetts serviceman or woman killed in action or who died as a result of wounds received in action. The medal is awarded in the name of the Governor of Massachusetts as Commander-in-Chief of the Commonwealth. The Milford Medal of Liberty Committee organized in 2017 to assist all of Milford’s deserving families who wished to receive a medal in completing the application process with the state.

The Milford Medal of Liberty committee has been honored to present the Medal of Liberty to the families of almost seventy qualifying Milfordians who were killed in action during World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq. The committee was contacted by Ronald Howland, who works at the Military War Records office in Milford, last fall when he determined that both Lopes and Howe qualified as veterans per the Merchant Mariners Fairness Act of 1997.

Memorial Hall is located at 30 School Street in Milford, Massachusetts, near the town library. Parking is available on neighborhood streets. Parking for those with a handicap permit is available in the rear of the building. The ramp to the accessible entry and elevator is also located at the rear of the building. Doors will open at 1:30 p.m.

The Milford Medal of Liberty Committee extends sincerest gratitude to local media and members of the community who have assisted in helping us connect with relatives of these two deserving families. We also appreciate the assistance of everyone in Milford Town Hall; the Massachusetts Military Records Branch; and the Office of the Adjutant General, Massachusetts National Guard in processing the medal applications.

About the Milford Medal of Liberty Committee
The Milford Medal of Liberty Committee is dedicated to honoring the families of all of Milford’s fallen heroes who are qualified to receive the Massachusetts Medal of Liberty.

Sixth Annual Milford Beautification Day Attracts Over 120 Volunteers

Milford’s parks and streets are looking good today thanks to the community wide effort to pick up trash around town yesterday, April 24. Citizens for Milford organized with multiple town departments and community organizations to make a clean sweep of 21 routes around town plus the Milford Upper Charles Trail.

Volunteers in three different pick up trucks picked up the bags and garbage that was collected and made 20 trips to the transfer station, dropping off at least 75 bags of trash, multiple TVs, mattresses, one sofa, tires, shopping carts, and a toilet.

Volunteers were treated to hamburgers and hot dogs courtesy of the Milford Lions Club upon finishing their assigned routes.

Volunteers from Milford Federal Bank worked to pick up the downtown area the two days prior to Beautification Day.

Citizens for Milford extends its sincerest gratitude to the Milford Board of Health, Milford Highway Department, and E.L. Harvey & Sons for their support and donation of supplies and the Friends of the Milford Upper Charles Trail for coordinating with us. We also thank the Lions Club for cooking for the volunteers, Milford Federal Bank for their continued help with this effort, as well as all the individuals, families, and community groups that came together to show Milford pride by picking up our community. We could not have done this without every single one of you! THANK YOU ALL!!!

All Milford Residents and Groups Invited to Volunteer to Help Clean Our Community

Citizens for Milford is organizing the Sixth Annual Milford Beautification Day, Milford’s annual clean-up event, which enables area residents, organizations, and businesses to work together to beautify our community by picking up trash around town. Milford Beautification Day will be held Saturday, April 24^th (rain or shine) from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. All interested citizens are invited to meet with organizers anytime between those hours in the municipal parking lot across from Sacred Heart Church (5 East Main Street) to get supplies, instructions, and assignments.

Families, community groups, churches, local businesses, and teenagers who need to perform service hours are all invited to participate. Younger children are encouraged to attend as long as they are accompanied by a supervising adult. 

Beautification Day Chairperson Amie Sanborn says, “I hope that many people, young and old, join us to clean up the streets of Milford on April 24. It is a great way to meet others from the community who take pride in their town.”  We will once again be joined by the Friends of the Milford Upper Charles Trail and volunteers from the Milford Federal Bank.

Trash bags, gloves, and water will be provided to all clean-up volunteers. The clean-up supplies are being donated by E.L.Harvey & Sons.  We ask that masks be worn and social distancing guidelines be followed.

Questions regarding any of the Beautification Day efforts may be submitted by email to CitizensforMilford@gmail.com.

The Citizens for Milford are sincerely grateful for the assistance and donations provided by the Milford Board of Health, the Milford Highway Department, and E.L. Harvey & Sons.

The pandemic prevented us from hosting Beautification Day in 2020, but we hope to have many enthusiastic volunteers this year! Pictured here are youth volunteers from our 2019 Beautification Day.

Citizens for Milford would like once again to thank Milford TV and Town Crier Publications for partnering with us for another successful  series of CANDIDATE FORUMS! We also wish to acknowledge the Milford Democratic Town Committee and the Milford Republican Town Committee for their assistance in publicizing each of the nights!

Most of all, we would like to thank each of the candidates not only for their participation, but also for their desire to become more involved in our community! WE WISH YOU ALL THE BEST OF LUCK ON APRIL 6th!

WATCH the Forum Videos
Milford TV has published the forum videos here. We encourage all of Milford’s voters to watch each of the videos to meet the candidates and hear what they have to say about their ideas for our community.

Did We Miss Your Questions?
Dozens of Milford voters sent in questions for us to pose to all of the candidates, and we apologize that we were not able to include every single question. If we missed yours, we invite you to contact each of the candidates directly. You can find contact information on our 2021 Milford Candidates page.

Vote by MAIL NOW!
Get your application to vote by mail FOR ANY REASON NOW by downloading and printing it. You can also call the Town Clerk’s office at (508) 634-2307 to ask for an application to be mailed to you.

Because Town Hall is closed to the public, you can return your application by one of four ways:

• Mail it to Town Hall, 52 Main Street, Milford, MA 01757
• Fax it to (508) 634-2324
• Email it to townclerksoffice@townofmilford.com
• Drop it off at the drop box at Town Hall

A ballot will be mailed to you as soon as the Town Clerk receives your signed application.

Vote in Person on Election Day, April 6
The polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The polling locations are:

• Precincts 1 & 6: Milford Senior Center, 60 North Bow Street
• Precincts 2 & 3: Italian American Veterans Hall, 4 Hayward Field
• Precincts 4, 5, 7, & 8: Portuguese Club, 119 Prospect Heights

STAY SAFE MILFORD and BE WELL!

First Forum will be held March 9. All Residents Invited to Send Questions in Advance and During Live Broadcasts.

Citizens for Milford will be hosting a series of Candidate Forums beginning March 9. Each of the forums will be live streamed on Milford TV’s Educational Channel (Verizon 40 & Comcast 11) and its other platforms.

Citizens for Milford member José Costa will moderate the forums. Each forum will begin with a two-minute opening statement from each of the candidates. A highlight of each forum will be the exchange of challenge questions between the opponents.

Following the challenge questions, the moderator will pose questions that have been submitted from the public. Milford residents are invited to submit questions during each forum by either calling a phone number displayed on the TV screen or posting messages to the Citizens for Milford Facebook page. Also, residents are encouraged to send questions in advance by posting on Facebook or emailing them to CitizensforMilford@gmail.com. The moderator will make every effort to ensure as many voter questions as possible are posed to the candidates.

The Parks Commissioner candidates will engage in the first forum on Tuesday, March 9, to be followed by the forum featuring the candidates for Board of Assessors on Tuesday, March 16. The Town Meeting Moderator forum will be Wednesday, March 17. The forum featuring all five candidates for School Committee will be Thursday, March 18. All forums will begin at 7:00 p.m.

Providing information to voters during our Town Election season is an ongoing commitment for Citizens for Milford. With the Town Election slated for April 6, we are pleased to continue our tradition of hosting Candidate Forum events. We urge all voters to tune into Milford TV and participate by sending questions for the candidates. – Citizens for Milford Chairperson Geri Eddins

The Town Crier newspaper is once again Citizens for Milford’s media partner for the Candidate Forums. “As Milford’s local newspaper, delivered to all homes and businesses in town, The Town Crier strongly believes in encouraging citizen participation in Milford’s town government,” said Publisher Alfred Holman.

Milford TV’s live-stream platforms include the following: Comcast TV Channel 11; Verizon TV Channel 40; MilfordTV.net; VOD; ROKU; Twitter: @Milford_TV; Facebook: @MilfordTV; and Instagram: milfordtv.

All forums will be video recorded and broadcast in the days leading up to the election on Tuesday, April 6. In addition, Milford TV will publish the videos on their video-on-demand page on their website MilfordTV.net/vod. Citizens for Milford will also provide links to each video on its website and Facebook page as soon as it is available.

Read more about the forum series in the Milford Daily News.

AND check out our 2021 Milford Candidates page, which includes a list of all the candidates who will be on the town election ballot, as well as photos, biographical information, contact information, and direct links to their campaign Facebook pages.

Check out the SAMPLE BALLOTS ballots for all Milford precincts here.