A weekly recap of key events and items of interest to the Milton community:

School woes

Every town department in every town in Massachusetts is being rocked by the current national financial crisis; but few are laboring under the complex issues as the Milton School Committee. The schools financial woes became much more complicated last week when the Ms. Craven, Director of the Massachusetts School Building Authority sent a letter informing the town that they would seek to recoup the funding provided to build the schools if Milton elected to close one as a means of cutting costs to meet budget constraints. The issue continued to receive coverage this week. You can view a post linking to Patriot Ledger coverage here and to Globe coverage here.

Trash talk

The Board of Selectmen heard a proposal  to modify trash collection here in town. According to the plan, custom trash bags would replace the current sticker system. They would come in two sizes; a 32 gallon size for $3.00 and a smaller 15 gallon size at a reduced fee. Residents would still have the option of obtaining an annual permit for trash barrels. The primary motivation behind the switch is not to generate revenue but to reduce trash. John Thompson, Assistant Town Engineer, said other towns that had implemented the system saw decreases of up to 20%.

A church quietly leaves town

Temple Shalom is not the only house of worship with a declining congregation. As reported in this week’s Milton Times, the First Baptist Church on Edge Hill Road after almost 125 years is closing. The congregation’s 50 members will merge with the First Baptist Church of Norwood.

Pastor Norman Bronson is preparing the property for sale. It is priced at $650,000. Proceeds from the sale will go towards charitable initiatives and strengthening  the success of the new church in Norwood. Pastor Bronson said a business may go in or the church might be converted to condominiums depending on zoning regulations and neighborhood input.