Several South Shore projects will benefit from the $410 billion omnibus bill that was signed into law this week according to a story in the Boston Globe. The nonprofit Residences for the Elderly will receive $595,750 through an earmark obtained by US Representative Stephen Lynch. The Milton Police department will also receive $175,000 for surveillance equipment. You can read the full story here.
Wildcats = CHAMPIONS!!! Milton wins MIAA Div 2 State Championship!
Oh my goodness! This was their day.
When the buzzer went off to start the MIAA state basketball championship between the Milton Wildcats and the Hoosac Valley Hurricanes, it was as if someone had given the Wildcats a car with a gas pedal and no brake.
And they put the pedal to the metal and didn’t let up. The result was a dominating 81 – 44 win over Hoosac Valley, a team that couldn’t seem to get out of neutral. Milton led by 12 at the end of the first period, by 14 at the end of the second, by 33 at the end of the 3rd. They just kept going and didn’t look back. As many coaches like to say, “We are going to go with what got us here,” and so it was. Milton shined at every facet of their game: solid defense, solid teamwork, selfless play, a deep bench, and superb 3 pt shots. They neutralized the Hurricane’s chief threat, Robbie Burke. While Nick Aiken, a 5′ 8″ guard, proved a dangerous 3 pt shooter, there simply wasn’t enough fire power on their end. They could not catch a break, and the ball would not fall for them. On the Wildcat side, Marcus McDermott scored a game high 20 points followed by Emanuel Hutcherson with 11; but as with most Wildcat ball, points came from everywhere.
And then there were the fans. The Copeland Crazies staked out their usual position behind one of the baskets on two tiers and resplendent in red. After the game ended, they saluted Coach LoPresti with one of their ear splitting cheers, which he acknowledged with a grateful fist pump and wave. There was evidently quite a bit of happy fanfare (no pun intended) when the team buses returned to Milton.
Congratulations to both of these teams! They fought hard and long to get here. And thank you Coach LoPresti, Coach Donovan, and all you Wildcats for a terrific playoff run and FANTASTIC conclusion! The school system, the town, we are all so proud of you!
(P.S. Read Hoosac Valley’s comments of game here.)
Go Wildcats!! MIAA CHAMPIONS!!
View video highlights here (courtesy of Boston.com): (be patient, takes a little bit to load). Please see bottom of page for links to related coverage.
Related coverage
A breeze for McDermott, Milton (Boston Globe)
Marcus McDermott provides lift (Boston Herald)
Milton boys roar to Div. 2 state basketball crown (Wicked Local)
All things Wildcat Basketball! GO WILDCATS!!
In advance of tomorrow’s game we’ve pulled together some links of articles etc about the Milton Wildcats.
Get psyched!
In case you missed the game against Woburn or simply want to relive a bit of it, there is a video available of the electrifying final two minutes. Great stuff! View it here.
Nice Patriot Ledger slide show here.
Coach Bill Robinson of the Hoosac Valley Hurricanes speaks about the upcoming game here.
Local freelance photographer Roy Chambers has taken some nice photos of recent games. View his photos of the Semifinal game vs Woburn here. And his photos of the Division 2 South final against Catholic Memorial here.
The Patriot Ledger has profiled some of the Milton’s players. Here they are:
Manny being Manny: Emanuel Hucherson
One wild cat: Rene Castro
McDermott’s Shooting: Marcus McDermott
and let’s not forget those Copeland Crazies!
. . . and how ’bout them Copeland CRAZIES?!
The power and passion of the Wildcat fan base has not be lost on Coach LoPresti, the team, or the media. And none are more passionate and fiery than the white shirted maniacs known as the Copeland Crazies. They take up shop in the stands, wherever that may be, and promptly let everyone know they are there.
A few of the faithful
It is a given that tomorrow they will be out in full force at the DCU center in Worcester and be as loud, raucous and supportive as ever.
You can find comments about the fan base by LoPresti, Atheltic Director Steve Traister, and Superintendent Gormley in a Patriot Ledger article here.
Planning Board approves article for wind turbine
The Planning Board unanimously approved an article for the construction of a wind turbine off Randolph Avenue. Their approval is conditional on the Board of Selectmen’s approval and without any substantial amendments or revisions being made. It is estimated that the wind turbine could eventually generate more than $700,000 in revenue for the town.
Milton has been identified as one of the most ideal locations in the state for wind power generation due to its unique environment and climate conditions.
Planning Board resumes “Citizens Speak” on Temple Shalom property development
The Planning Board re-opened the floor last night to citizen feedback on the proposed overlay for the redevelopment of the Temple Shalom property. The Temple Shalom, which is in financial straits, has engaged Coffman Realty to develop a plan for the property. The proposal they put forth includes a pharmacy, a separate professional building that would house additional business/retail tenants, and a new, smaller temple.
Many local residents oppose the plan. The chief concerns being a) increased traffic in an area where traffic is already high and traffic management is poor, and b) the impact on property values. Blue Hill Terrace was identified by several residents as being especially problematic and a public safety issue now, never mind with the additional traffic a commercial development might bring. Many neighbors expressed a desire for the Temple to stay; but that this plan was not the solution. They feel the plan lacks definition, specificity, and that the Temple and Coffman did not seek neighborhood input early enough in the planning process.
Proponents of the development argued that having the development would provide convenience to all residents of the area. Currently, residents of the west side of town need to drive to get basic staples and sundries. A commercial area would also provide employment to neighborhood high school students . Many expressed optimism that a solution could be found if they continued to work together.
Some participants identified Mr. Whitside’s proposal as a positive step. Mr. Whiteside, a member of the Planning Board, who in the previous meeting had said the plan was “devoid of necessary standards as a matter of zoning,” reiterated that the plan had “significant problems that gave me pause.” He drafted a zoning proposal that might serve as a “framework” in which the Temple and commercial use could work. He identified the following characteristics: a buffer zone of green space 25′ wide, a single entrance from Blue Hill Ave, 6:00AM – 10PM hours of operation, no overnight parking, buildings limited to 15,000 sq feet, and 60 parking spaces allocated for each building. Key to his proposal would be an institutional commercial committee appointed by Board of Selectmen comprised of 2 residents, a selectman, and 2 architects, one of whom would be a landscape architect.
This session of the board marked the end of public comment on the issue. The Board will next convene on 3/26th at which time the Temple and Coffman Realty will present a response to community feedback.
RELATED LINKS:
Milton Food Pantry Participating in Feinstein Foundation’s $1 Million “Fight Hunger” Challenge
The Milton Community Food Pantry is a totally volunteer-run nonprofit agency that provides food assistance exclusively to residents of Milton. The Food Pantry, which has been in operation for 18 years, is located at the the Parkway United Methodist Church, which generously donates space for the Pantry’s operation.
Remarkably, despite the abundance around us, there are 163 Milton households comprised of 513 residents, including 225 children and 37 seniors, who are authorized to use the pantry due to individual financial circumstances.
MHS Highlights for 03.13.09
- Milton High School’s two LifeSmarts teams took 3rd and 4th place while competing in Wednesday’s state tournament in Boston. Congratulations to Captain Ben Richman and teammates Jay Rosenberg, Christine Hui, Linda Nguyen and O’Neil Val-Pierre who finished third, and Captain Rashawn Pouchie with Ciaran Conners, Shane Grey, Tucker Kibbee and Mike Rodensky who finished fourth.
- Attention ALL juniors and seniors! Anyone interested in participating in Mr. Milton, please sign up in Mrs. Damiani’s room.
- Spring Sports begin March 16 – Last day for signups – Monday from 2:30-4:30 pm in the athletic office. Students should have updated physicals, user fee check of $200 and a permission slip if they have not gone out for another sport.
- The Key Club will be selling green carnations for St. Patrick’s Day delivery at all 3 lunches today. Send your friends a little “luck ‘o the Irish” on March 17.
- GSA meeting after school today in room 310. Exciting opportunities abound. New members are welcome.
- Drama meeting immediately after school today. Auditions will be on Monday in room 224.
- Ping Pong Club free play and tournament today. The two “new” tables are assembled and ready for play. The ladder is getting crowded. Can you hold on to your rung?
Five offices to be contested on Milton ballot
Today’s Patriot Ledger has a run down of candidates running for office.
There are 5 posts that will be up for grabs in the next election. Chief among those is town treasurer. The three candidates who filed nomination papers by last Tuesday’s deadline are: Janet Lorden of Brush Hill Road, James McAuliffe, a real estate broker and manager who lives on Wood Street, and former Selectman Charles McCarthy of Landon Road.
You can read the full story here.
The Milton School String Ensembles Perform “Movie Night”
As part of the “Music in our Schools Month” celebration, the string ensembles took us to the movies. String ensembles from the elementary, middle, and high schools all played selections from a wide variety of film scores.
There were six ensembles that took the stage: All-Elementary String Ensemble, Grade Six Strings, Grade Seven and Eight Strings, Pierce Chamber Orchestra, MHS String Ensemble, and the MHS Symphonic Orcehstra.
Mr. Jette, principal of the Pierce Middle School, introduced Ms. Ostrem, director of all the string ensembles after a warm acknowledgment of the MHS basketball team’s recent win which was loudly applauded.