Winthrop residents should not be dismayed by the Winthrop Town Council’s decision not to place the question of funding the construction of a new Miller Field and related drainage work on the ballot on April 12. Some councilors felt that residents needed more information about the project, particularly what the cost per household will be to fund the project. Everyone in this town knows that Winthrop has one of the worst athletic facilities in the Northeastern Conference (and conversely some of the best athletic programs for a town this size anywhere in Massachusetts).
Town Manager Jim McKenna, the School Building Assistance Committee, the School Committee, the Town Council, and our incredible Speaker, Robert A. DeLeo, combined their efforts and produced a tremendous plan for a new middle/high school that will open later this year. They worked hard on putting the right package together and the residents supported the SBAC with their approval at the ballot box.
A new Miller Field — with a brand new artificial turf field and regulation track surface — would perfectly complement the new middle/high school that is opening across the street. Winthrop’s football program is unmatched in Massachusetts for a town Winthrop’s size and what coaches Bob DeFelice, Tony Fucillo, and Sean Driscoll have accomplished is extraordinary in keeping the Vikings competitive against much larger schools. The football players and all athletes in Winthrop deserve a first-rate sports facility.
We have the utmost confidence that the town manager — who has transformed this town into an absolute jewel — will bring the issue of Miller Field renovations to the people and will carry their ultimate decision — to build a new Miller Field — over the goal line.