by Frank Schroth

Let’s start with our top stories of the year and take it from there. One benefit of being an online publisher is that I can know how many people actually look at specific stories. The following is not an editorial judgement but is a list of stories that readers viewed most. It’s instructive about what matters and the character of the town.

What matters? In a nutshell – crime. Crime was an issue this past year. There was a spike in B&E’s of cars and homes. The MPD attributes this, at least in part, to the consequences of drugs. Repeatedly over the course of this year, the police have urged residents to lock their cars, their homes, to remain vigilent, and to call when something appears to be amiss. The spike in crime has abated, but we suspect the silent scourge underneath it has not. On 12/16 Tim Alben of the Massachusetts State Police tweeted that there had been 53 suspected opiate deaths since the beginning of the month. An estimated 674 people died from heroin and prescription opioid use in Massachusetts last year, nearly double the 338 deaths reported in 2000, according to the state’s Department of Public Health. Does Milton have a new year’s resolution for this?

Any property development of any type clearly matters. New restaurants, new housing, a new temple (thank goodness) all genrated keen interest. And of course there’s Hendries. There were disappointments this year, and one of them was the fact that Hendries is still standing. Unfortunately, the bigger disappointment is that its future has no affordance for commercial development. It will likely be the site of Milton’s only 40B development. That is not a bad thing. Though we are not thrilled with the scale of the proposal, it is an excellent site for affordable housing. But it is a shame that there will be no more business in a small, vibrant district that has / had so much promise. This opportunity was lost, and we would be well served to understand why. Does Milton have a resolution for this?

There is good news. The town produced a Housing Production Plan and Katie Conlon and Emily Innes should be thanked for pushing the issue. John Cronin should be thanked for soliciting Ms. Sonnaberg to author the plan, but let’s be honest – Table V-1 of the plan is flimsy at best. This table identifies the specific production of affordable units that will take place. Included in that timetable are 6 rental units on the town farm in Year 2 (2015), 28 units at the Tileston and Hollingsworth paper mill site off Truman Highway in Year 3 (2016) and 35 units at the Park & Ride lot off Granite Ave in Year 4 (2017). As Selectman Hurley has said, we need a housing production plan not only to have some control over 40B developments but because it is the right thing to do.  This document needs to be revised. What’s our resolution for that?

More good news! We have a master plan to guide and direct future development based on community input and priorities. You can read volume 1, which contains the executive summary here. Please do, and if you are a town meeting member, we respectfully suggest you must. The next steps on this will unfold (or not) in 2015. This is just a document, but it represents an opportunity. We can follow up on it and put it into action or parts of it or none of it. We can continue to sit on our hands and react to issues as they arrive, or we can make an attempt to direct and guide developmetn in a manner consistent with the character of the town and its long term best interests. A year from now will we look back at acheivements that resulted from thought-through plans and foresight or will we look back and wistfully wonder about what might have been?

We end on a bittersweet note. The top story of the year was on Chris Lynch, a native son who left us much too soon. Not far behind was a notice on a fundraiser in the memory of Evan Jones, another tragic loss. And so, there you have it, what mattered most to Milton in 2014 was support of our friends and neighbors.

Here were the top stories for 2014:

• We Lost Chris
• Detectives Seek Public Assistance in House Break
• Fireworks are getting tiresome
• Thayer Nursery and MIlton’s bylaws
• Frank thoughts on a new east milton restaurant and Hendries
• Evan Jones fundraiser
• Police seek assistance with Eliot St larceny
• Generosity, hard work, & community solidarity earn permanent home for temple
• The Plate to open restaurant at Fruit Center Marketplace