Milford Matters

Today was the fourth time in, like, 3 weeks that some jerk nearly careened into me on Cherry Street - and I believe it’s because some motorists think that Cherry is only one (giant) lane in each direction. So, can someone paint some lanes on that street? As far as I know, Cherry Street is 4 lanes (between Gulf Street and I-95) – 2 going toward the Post Road, 2 going toward downtown. The merging-into-me-and-nearly-ruining-my-day usually happens right after the main entrance to the Shop Rite plaza going toward the Post Road/I-95 ramp. People who are driving in the left lane think the road is one lane, and end up slowly drifting into the right lane. Add to that the people pulling out of the medical park 10 feet in front of your car and you have an eMERGING disaster.  Anyone else experienced this problem?

A couple of local nonprofits will get some free cash from corporations to make environmental and other upgrades via the Connecticut Neighborhood Assistance Tax Credit program. Laurelton Hall , the Beth-El Center , and St. Gabriel School split a total of $176,227given by United Illuminating, Solidus Inc., EMCOR Group Inc., and Cigna Health Management. Beth-El will use the money for a rad purpose: installing a solar-powered hot-water heater . Laurelton Hall will install energy-efficient lighting at its athletic center, and St. Gabriel will use it for capital costs. Here’s how the tax credit program works: A company like United Illuminating makes a donation to a nonprofit for something like energy efficiency upgrades. UI then gets to claim 100 percent of that as a tax credit. Companies donating money for energy efficiency upgrades get to claim 100 percent; otherwise, companies get a 60 to 100 percent credit. It’s kind of like when you donate a bunch of stuff to the Sa...

Went to the Milford Health Department meeting last night, came back with some flu. Numbers, that is. Seasonal flu * is still classified as "widespread" in Connecticut, but infections are decreasing. Flu hit much earlier this year than in years past, so the usual February/March peak is out the window. And that's kind of a good thing; we got it over with early this year. We've had 4,399 lab-confirmed cases in Connecticut this season, but, of course, the actual numbers are a lot higher. Milford has had 162 cases of lab-confirmed influenza this season. According to the city Health Department, Milford had its flu peak sometime in January with the "number of cases significantly decreasing [in February]." Good news, Milford. Keep washing those hands, cough into your elbow , and get you flu vaccines! *When I say "flu" I mean influenza, which is characterized by body aches, fever, and some upper-respiratory symptoms. The "stomach flu" that...

James Zeoli. Better than you? Is Orange challenging Milford to a snow fight? At Wednesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting, First Selectmen James Zeoli praised his town’s cleanup efforts while mentioning that other localities like Milford were continuing to cancel school due to snow. “Orange ranks supreme,” Zeoli said in regards to the town’s snow cleanup efforts. Orange schools were open by Wednesday while Milford’s were closed through Friday because of unclear sidewalks and poor visibility (due to high snow banks) for bus and car drivers. So what do you say, Milfordites? Does Orange rank supreme when it comes to snow plowing? Would you abandon Milford for Orange just for the supreme snow-clearing services? Is Orange’s Target better than Milford’s? 

Just got an email from Milford Police Chief Keith Mello regarding the clearing of sidewalks. Specifically, that he would like you to clear them, please, for the kids. Here's the full message: "Hello, this is the Chief of Police, Keith Mello. I would like to speak to you regarding an important public safety message. I realize that all of you have been impacted by the unprecedented snow storm that we experienced last Friday and into Saturday. Removing the snow from our streets, driveways and walks has been a significant challenge for everyone. While the Public Works Department continues to clear snow from our roadways, it is important that residents remove the snow from the sidewalks in front of their homes, so that our children will be able to safely walk to their bus stops and that our schools can re-open. Fortunately, the snow pack has been reduced with the milder weather and now is a good time to clear your sidewalks and make our community safer for everyone. Thank you fo...

Where the sidewalk ends: Bridgeport Avenue in Milford Tuesday afternoon (near the 95 on-ramp) How are sidewalks in your neighborhood? Three people were hit by a car Monday as they walked in the roadway down Bridgeport Avenue in Devon. I can't say for sure why they were in the road (because I wasn't there), but it's very, very likely that the sidewalk was unavailable due to snow cover. The emphasis during this storm has been on clearing roads, which makes sense because most of us, even if we don't own a car, use some kind of motorized vehicle to get around. Others need to walk, whether to a bus stop or just to the corner store for a gallon of milk. So, should we place the same priority on sidewalks that we do on roads? I snapped the above photo when I went down to Bridgeport Avenue today to report on the story of the family that got hit. I'm happy to report that some sidewalks are open, but definitely not all of them. Let me know if the sidewalks in your n...

Just so all you Milfordites know, alternate side of the street parking goes into effect tonight at 6 p.m. in preparation for this potentially enormous snowstorm. The city wants you to park on the ODD side of the street beginning tonight at 6 p.m. At 8 a.m. Friday, you need to move your cars to the EVEN side of the street. Then, it's back to the ODD side of the street at 8 a.m. Saturday (that is, if your car isn't buried in a 10-foot snow drift). So, starting at 6 p.m. tonight, it'll be ODD, EVEN, then ODD switching at 8 a.m. each day until the parking ban lifts at 8 a.m. Sunday. But, avoid parking on the street if possible. The city will be salting, sanding, and plowing as much as it can, but Mayor Ben Blake told me to tell you that you should stay off the roads and stay safe. If your power goes out or you get stranded on I-95, there's a shelter at the Beth-El Center, 900 New Haven Avenue. There's a chance for coastal flooding along the shore, so coastal M...

What does Gov. Daniel Malloy have up his sleeve for Milford in his proposed budget? Some good for schools, but a mixed bag for the city. City schools will get around $635,232 more in education cost sharing (ECS) funds over last year, according to documents released by Malloy’s office. Milford is one of 117 districts that would get an ECS increase. James Richetelli Jr. , the schools’ chief operations officer, praised Malloy’s proposals. “The governor has made a commitment to fund public education, and that's good for Milford public schools and all the school systems,” he said Wednesday. But, Malloy also proposed taking away some revenue from the city (not to mention whatever the effects of car tax reductions would be). Cuts for Milford include: The state PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) for state-owned property ($446,678), the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Grant ($397,549 – each town gets a slice of this, generated by gambling revenue; it’s been around since...

You might’ve read a story in today’s Register about a man who allegedly broke a police department holding cell toilet using his socks (he, uh, allegedly flushed the things down there). That incident happened on Monday after an arrest for allegedly threatening a local business owner; it was actually the man’s sixth arrest since mid-December. With that many recent arrests, it’s safe to say it’s been a tough couple of months for the guy. We wrote a story was because public property got broken. It took your tax dollars to install that toilet, and now it’ll take your tax dollars to fix it. But what I’m wondering, citizens of Milford (and any other community, really), is whether you think that stories like this should be in the paper at all. Are you more interested in whom police arrest (and the alleged crime), or what police do with their time? I think that reporting on police activity can give you readers two types of information: first, what kind of crime(s) might be ha...

Who would’ve thought a spinach and strawberry salad would get the attention of the U.S. Department of Agriculture ? The Healthier U.S. School Challenge program, run by the U.S. Ag department, recognized eight city elementary schools today for excellence in providing nutrition and teaching healthy habits. The schools got “bronze” level awards, according to a release from Milford schools. The schools won by doing simple but sensible things like serving healthy whole foods (that’s the spinach salad), teaching nutrition and healthy habits along with physical education, and offering more physical activity opportunities. “The physical education teachers incorporated lessons that depicted life-long healthy habits.  The classroom teachers encouraged students to try new foods and explained why they are important for a healthy life.  The food service team incorporated new and colorful foods into our menus that taste great," schools' food service director Eileen...

MILFORD –  The Milford Public Schools recently learned that eight elementary schools in the district have been selected as recipients of the Healthier U.S. School Challenge (HUSSC), a program offered through the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.  The Challenge is a key component of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative.  The award is bestowed to schools across the country for their commitment to nutrition, physical education, and promotion of a healthier school environment for all.  The elementary schools in Milford join a select group of schools in America with only 4% of schools nationwide receiving this distinction. Schools needed to meet or exceed all HUSSC criteria through demonstrated excellence in the following categories:                 School Breakfast and Lunch program offerings             ...

The Milford Board of Aldermen made a number of appointments to city boards at its meeting Monday night. Check out the list and see if your neighbor, co-worker, or carpool buddy is now a local government official: John O’Neil of North Street as a member to the Historic District Commission for a term expiring January 2017 Timothy Chaucer of Hawley Avenue as an alternate member of the Historic District Commission for a term expiring January 2017 John Collins Jr. of Brookdale Avenue as a member of the Board of Zoning Appeals for a term expiring December 2017 William Soda of Edgemont Road as an alternate member of the Board of Zoning Appeals for a term expiring December 2014 Christopher Thomas of Argyle Road as an alternate member of the Historic District Commission for a term expiring January 2017 Daniel Worroll of Swanson Crescent reappointed as a member of the Golf Commission for a term expiring December 2015

All I could think was, “What the hell is an orthotic?” It was 7 years ago, and I was 21 years old and on one of my first assignments for the New Haven Register. The story was about a man running across the country; I caught up to him at Arciuolo’s Shoes where he was picking up some custom orthotics. The meat of the story was about the runner (I believe he was raising money for Iraq vets, but I can’t quite remember) and his journey, but getting the definition of “orthotics” right is all I remember. That was the beginning of my journalism career, and the beginning of nearly two years covering Milford. Looking back, I don’t think there was a subject my colleagues and I didn’t cover, from weird crimes out of the police blotter to the affairs of the Inland Wetlands Commission. And now, I’m coming back. On Feb. 4 I’ll officially take over the Milford beat (and I believe some of Orange, Stratford, Woodbridge) for the Register. In a way, I’m fulfilling a long-time wish. Seven ...