By Scott Calzolaio

There was hardly a “nay” at this year’s Milford Annual Town Meeting as every article in the 2023 warrant passed without much opposition. Among the passed articles are a few changes to the Charles River Bike Trail system, and the growing potential for a local dog park.

The first half of the meeting covered articles regarding the town’s budget for fiscal year 2024. An annual budget of $142,940,173 - an 8% increase - was approved. 

Article 21 proposed to amend bylaws to allow electric bicycle riders to use the town’s bike trails. Electric bikes, or E-Bikes, can travel upwards of 30 mph, but the new bylaw states there will be a speed limit enforced at 15 mph. Signage will be posted along the path to remind riders of the new speed limit. 

“Making an exception for e-bikes from the existing ban on motorized vehicles will increase disabled access,” said local attorney, Lauren Wilton. “I personally know people who have respiratory issues, lung transplants, who would not be able to utilize this valuable resource (the bike path) without using an e-bike.”

In the same warrant article, an additional bylaw amendment regarding bicycle helmets was passed. The new bylaw requires that riders under the age of 16 are required to wear a helmet when riding on the trails or throughout town.

Article 27, which has sparked a lot of support on Facebook, was read out by dog park advocate and member of the Milford Dog Park Committee Brendan Rickert who took the podium to propose allocating $5,000 to a feasibility study.

“The proposed allocation of funds for the initial architectural work is an essential step towards securing the necessary resources for the dog park project,” he said. The more thorough the design, he said, the more likely the town is to be accepted for grants and other funding to cut the cost of constructing the park. The $5,000 voted on will solely be to pay for a conceptual design.

“This proposal does not guarantee the construction of a dog park, or the availability of the full project funding,” Rickert said.

Though a location for the park has not yet been chosen, it was important that the town act on this before year’s end as potential grant funding of $225,000 from the Stanton Foundation was due to expire. The project would be under the maintenance and jurisdiction of the Parks Commission.

To see the warrant, visit bit.ly/MilfordATM2023warrant. To watch the 2023 Town Meeting in its entirety, visit bit.ly/MilfordATMrecording