Council Approves Money Transfer For Miller Field Study

The Town Council approved a request by Town Manager James McKenna to transfer $5,000 for a special article for engineering and design services toward future improvements to Miller Field.

There was a brief discussion on the motion during which Councilor Craig Mael inquired whether the town should appropriate $5,000 “to look into whether or not we want to spend $3 million on it.”

To which, McKenna replied, “Yes, actually.”

The town manager added that the town needs to have a baseline map and plan drawn up by an engineering firm.

“We can’t just solicit funds without a plan and scope of work written up that says, “we know what we’re doing and we know what we’re going to do with the funds.”

“It’s a level of confidence that needs to be extended – not just a wish or an ask, but a plan that says this is what needs to get done to improve that field.”

In an unrelated issue, Councilor-at-Large Philip Boncore elaborated on his previous motion that sought to have the builders of the new Winthrop high school/middle school project hire 25 per cent of its work force from Winthrop residents.

“I had withdrawn that motion because they were going to do the diligence to hire as many people in Winthrop as they could.”