Milford Pond Dredging Approved

One of the lengthiest discussions at the Milford Special Town Meeting Monday focused on how to revive Milford Pond.

After 20 minutes of discussion, town meeting voters approved $1.8 million for a dredging project that will remove sediment from a portion of the pond, and place it on the northern end, near Dilla Street. The town share is just a portion of what the project will cost. Another $3.3 million is expected to come from state or federal sources.

The dredging will allow people to get boats into the water again, and use it for fishing and ice-skating in winter.

Selectmen and longtime residents advocated for the project, saying people who live around the pond have waited for years for improvements that would restore the pond as a recreational asset.

"This is something for future generations; it's for our children," said Selectman Dino DeBartolomeis, who had shepherded the project onto the warrant after several years of work.

Bob Nashawaty, who lives on the northern end of the pond, expressed some concern about the dredged pond materials, which will be deposited on that end, north of Clark's Island. The project engineer reassured residents the dredge is clean, and would not move back into the areas it's going to be pulled from.

Joe DiAntonio said he used to fish from the pond as a kid, back when you could pull edible catfish from the pond. "It was a jewel," he said.