Milford council to keep a modest 250th observance, seeks coordinator if expansion pursued

Milford’s City Council decided Jan. 20 to maintain its traditional Fourth of July program while taking responsibility for a small, commemorative America 250 observance and to coordinate with county plans for a larger July 5 celebration.

Unidentified Speaker 2, a city staff member who read an email from resident Patricia Stewart proposing vendors and live entertainment, told the council the city had entered an MOU and “have been given $1,500” from state funding that could be used toward a PA system for the 250th. Council members discussed using that PA system for multiple city events and marking the purchase as America 250 spending.

Council members repeatedly flagged a shortage of volunteers to run larger events such as a carnival and recommended a more modest approach at the park — a brief patriotic program (flag raising, anthem, poem) — unless a coordinator or sufficient volunteers can be recruited. Unidentified Speaker 3 proposed testing a stipend-driven coordinator role for two years, saying a paid stipend would create accountability and a clear job description for tasks such as vendor procurement, setup and cleanup. “If we don’t get anybody by that date, then we can basically say we’re not doing anything because there’s not anybody to organize it,” the speaker said.

The council directed staff to contact Patricia Stewart and county organizer Tammy Pearson to explore coordination opportunities and agreed to keep existing traditions — parade and fireworks — while determining whether there will be a carnival based on volunteer availability.

Next steps: staff will reach out to Stewart and county contacts, evaluate vendor and volunteer options, and report back. The council noted any expanded program would likely require either a new volunteer surge or a funded coordinator role to be sustainable.