There is another citizen group in the works that is putting forward a proposal to farm the Town Farm. They seek to engage students from Milton and surrounding communities in an agriculturally based curriculum initiative that will provide educational, health, and potentially financial benefits to the town and be in compliance with the wishes of Governor Stoughton.
Led by Paul Krasinski, they made their initial pitch to the trustees of the Governor Stoughton Land Trust. The Board of Selectmen serve as the trustees of the land left by Governor Stoughton to benefit the poor of Milton. The Board suspended their recent session to convene as trustees and hear Mr. Krasinski present his vision for the land.
The land runs back from Governor Stoughton Lane (where the Milton Animal League is located) and over to Unquity Road. It is a significant piece of land that has become something of a contentious issue with regard to its future. It has been fallow for some time,. in addition to the shelter which has secured a new location and is raising funds to build a new facility near the DPW yard, there are some old buildings in serious need of repair. A committee was formed to review possibilities for the property which would be in compliance with Stoughton’s will (ie benefit the poor of Milton). This proved to be a bit arduous. Their recommendation was to establish a fund initially seeded with $5 million.While they presented some options they did not recommend a specific course of action. There have been proposals for mixed used development and affordable housing. Abutting neighbors are not in favor of that and a group. The Friends of Town Farm, have been advocating for a solution that takes advantage of the site’s historic significance.
Mr. Krasinski, a Milton resident, is suggesting an ambitious proposal to return the land to its agricultural roots. The proposal is to revitalize the land by involving students in a comprehensive “open air curriculum.” He was joined by Bob Daylor, an engineer who lives on Hillside and had developed some previous plans for the farm. The first phase of the plan would involve a 5.5 acre farm that would operate on a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model. A second phase would consist of construction of an educational structure that could contain classrooms and possibly serve as a conference center and facility for the public to come and learn about alternative energy strategies and technology.
Mr. Krasinski, a COO at Ando Media in Quincy, has been percolating the idea for some time. Its genesis stems from his experiences with disadvantaged students at Hope High School in Providence while he was a student at Brown University. After a meeting on Hillside St. to discuss the Stoughton land he said t his wife, “It’s time.”
In attendance at the meeting were a number of professionals from industry and finance (e.g. Time Inc., Big Picture Learning, Restaurant Associates, the food services company retained by Harvard University, etc.).
Mr. Krasinski said “I was lucky. I want the youth in and around Milton to be lucky as well.” He went on to say that his group was not asking for much. They seek land use approval to have the necessary control to execute and implement the vision. He has some potential funders; but acknowledged that they will be looking for any initiative to break even in 3-5 years.
The revenue potential of the enterprise is a question that the selectmen had. They were receptive to the idea but Ms. McEttrick noted that as with all such opportunities, the selectmen would need to have an open, fair process and solicit ideas from all interested parties.
The discussion of the farm and this idea will be continued at a July session of the trustees.
The Milton Times had a good story on this. Here it is: New Vision offered for Town Farm.