EDAC forms ad subcommittee to promote March votes; school CTE project trimmed to $23M

The Economic Development Advisory Council voted to form a three-member advertising subcommittee to coordinate outreach for upcoming warrant votes and town priorities, including the high-school CTE (career and technical education) renovation and a housing-related zoning vote scheduled for March.

Council Chair Andrea Coko proposed the subcommittee and named members: “The subcommittee would be Justin, Chip, and myself for advertising for EDAC,” she said; members moved and seconded the proposal and approved it during the meeting. The group’s early tasks are to work with town staff to create a simple landing page and targeted paid social advertising to reach Milford residents in the weeks before the vote.

The council discussed an initial fundraising goal to pay for targeted ads. Members proposed a modest target (a working goal of roughly $1,000 was discussed) and asked staff to work with finance to set up an account for donations. Town staff explained needed compliance steps for archived communications: “You have to let Camille know and all that. Then you have to give me access to it because I also have to make sure that it's being archived at the same time for the right to know,” a town staff member said (speaking about social media and record retention).

The subcommittee will also coordinate distribution timing so ad spend is focused in the final days before voting: one council member advised reserving most of the budget to “blast it” the week before an election to maximize recall.

Nut graf: The committee created a working team and authorized staff follow-up so EDAC can legally and efficiently run targeted informational outreach in advance of a pair of votes on the March ballot, while council members emphasized careful compliance with political-ad rules and the need to avoid partisan “calls to action.”

School project details: The EDAC heard an update on the proposed ATC/CTE renovation at the high school. A presenter for the school told the council the project has been substantially reduced from earlier plans. “I think it was 59,000,000,” the presenter said of an original project figure, and reported the project has been “reduced to 23,” meaning a $23 million renovation that remains within the existing building footprint. The school presenter said the revision removes a separate new wing and focuses on renovating in place, updating electrical systems, adding a new front “project drive,” and enabling a revised program mix (the meeting noted a power-sports/motorsports program added; a full automotive program was not included because it would require eliminating other programs).

The school official also described outreach products the team can share: short alumni and employer videos that show student outcomes, and an “IMCTE” campaign to highlight college credits, industry certifications and regional internship connections. The presenter said the high school currently enrolls about 640 students district-wide and has about 400 students participating in CTE programs, with 38 out-of-district students and growing regional interest.

Public legal/compliance note: During public comment, resident Scott Kimball warned that political advertising on platforms such as Facebook that addresses ballot questions may be subject to sponsor disclosure and election-related rules and urged EDAC to follow right-to-know and campaign rules when running ads.

Ending: The new advertising subcommittee will work with town staff (Camille and Chris), prepare a short landing page for informational material and request an initial fundraising letter to community sponsors. The council instructed staff to confirm an account and archiving process and to time paid outreach to the final week before voting.