Milton Crew Nears Inaugural Season Thanks to Generosity, Partnerships

After making the rounds to drum up support from the Board of Selectmen, the and others this winter the Friends of Milton Crew have made tremendous strides toward their dream of bringing a rowing program to  and the town at large.

With generosity from people in Milton, help from the Department of Conservation and Recreation and assistance from the crew community in the area, the program is poised to hit the water this spring.

“I can’t tell you how amazed I am at how much support we’ve gotten in such a short period of time,” said Brad Moriarty, the Director of Rowing.

After gaining preliminary support from the town and school district, one of the most important things for the Friends of Milton Crew, a non-profit organization that formed to bring crew to the students at Milton High, to do was to secure a place to access the Neponset River. In a conversation before the holidays Cathy Garnett, the DCR project manager for several Neponset properties, told Friends President John Rhee about an opportunity to apply for a DCR grant.

This two-to-one grant required a specific proposal, which Rhee penned after learning about the program. The grant asked for funds to renovate the relatively unused dock at Neponset Park in Dorchester, off Granite Avenue. It also proposed an area to store boats and a longer lease on the bathrooms in the park, for a total cost of $56,000.

“We thought it was a great deal,” Rhee said of the double matching funds from the DCR.

At their recent fundraiser at the group raised, $25,000, which was over the required $18,000 to receive the grant.

“I’d say it was a success and the turnout was good,” Rhee said.

Aside from a place to access the river, the Milton Crew program will need equipment, an endeavor they’ve already made substantial progress on.

“There have been a lot of other people, outside of Milton, who want to see our program be successful,” Rhee said.

That includes schools that will be competing against them. The Duxbury Bay Maritime School has already donated two starter boats and Cambridge Rindge and Latin School has committed equipment like oars and other necessities.

The team still has needs, like two more boats, a boat with an outboard motor for coaches and more, but they’ve made a good start.

The program has also landed a head coach in former Boston University rower, Hideoyoshi Wantanabe. Rhee said they are still looking for varsity boys and girls coaches. Interested candidates can visit Miltoncrew.org for more information.

Rhee is very positive about the future of crew in Milton. The opportunities for a community summer program and a feeder program called “novice crew” for eighth graders are both on the radar.

“We’re fairly optimistic this is going to become a big sport for Milton,” said Rhee.

From the beginning, the Friends of Milton Crew have worked on a straightforward financial plan that consists of two so-called buckets.

The first bucket is capital. This money funds the more expensive investments like the dock and other equipment needs. Rhee said all of this money would be gathered via donations.

The other bucket is operating cost, which pays the coach and membership dues, including insurance, to U.S. Rowing. The student fee of $700 per season funds this bucket.

Some have called the price too high, but Rhee explains that after the initial “sticker shock” the fee, which could be adjusted down based on the number of participants, is comparable to other sports and activities.

Hockey at Milton High may provide the best comparison. Hockey players pay the school $500 to participate, but the fee does not cover equipment like skates, a helmet or sticks. The capital fundraising would cover all the equipment needed for crew.

The Milton Crew club will participate in this spring’s Massachusetts Public School Rowing Association season along with 25 to 28 other schools statewide. There is also a fall season, in which the Milton team intends to compete.