SUPPORT LIBERTY'S LAW!

Friday, November 30, 2007

Know Your Milton: Rabbits!

Eastern Cottontail

The eastern cottontail is the most common rabbit in Georgia occurring throughout the entire state. It has dense brown to gray fur on its back with a white underside and white or cotton tail. There is usually a white spot on its forehead, the nape of the neck is rusty in color, and the feet are whitish. From head to tail adults measure 14-17 inches and weigh 2-4 pounds.

Cottontails breed from February to September, with 80% of the young born from April to July. Males are polygamous (i.e., have more than one mate at a time). Cottontails are very productive having 3-7 litters per year that range from 4-7 young per litter. Their gestation period is 25-30 days. Young can start eating vegetation after 8 days and are weaned from their mother after 14 days.

The eastern cottontail is active mostly from dusk till dawn. Their annual home ranges cover 4-13 acres. Research has shown that cottontails use a variety of habitat types ranging from crop fields, oldfields, and pastures to briar and shrub thickets. Brush and briar thickets provide important cover from predators and mortality rates are greater when rabbits venture into open areas with sparse ground cover. Annual mortality rates average about 80% per year. Mammalian predators (coyotes, bobcats, foxes, etc.) account for the majority (55%) of cottontails mortality with avian predators (owls and hawks) next in line (25%) as a source of mortality. Most mortality of cottontails occurs during the breeding season.

Cottontails use a variety of habitats, but prefer early succession habitats (i.e., a mix of grasses, briars, forbs, and shrubs). Early succession habitat can be created or maintained by combinations of periodic ground disturbances that maintain ground vegetation in a 1-5 year old growth stage. Cottontails, as well as most rabbits, feed on a great variety of vegetation. However, rabbit management is targeted primarily at managing for quality cover and not food.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Milton City Council Members Cleared Of Ethics Complaints


State Ethics Commission exonerated Councilmembers O'Brien and Lusk

By DOUG NURSE The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 11/29/07


Milton City Council members Neal O'Brien and Bill Lusk were exonerated Thursday by the state Ethics Commission of a complaint that has dogged them for almost a year.


"Free at last, free at last, thank God almighty, I'm free at last," Lusk said. "Your reputation and your name have been impugned, and it's out there in front of the whole world. It's used against you. It's an attempt to discredit you."

After a 15-minute hearing, the four Ethics Commission members voted unanimously to dismiss the charges, said Rick Thompson, executive secretary for the commission.
An identical complaint was filed in April alleging that O'Brien and Lusk improperly used city resources for personal gain when they asked the city clerk to send an e-mail to the press telling them of an upcoming fundraiser.


O'Brien and Lusk, who had only been in office a few months, said a quorum of the City Council was likely to be present, and they were worried that they might run afoul of the open meetings law if they didn't tell the media.


The city ethics boards' complaint unanimously tossed out the charges in July. The complainant, Leon Cole Jr., then filed allegations with the state Ethics Commission.
"It's baseless, frivolous, and vindictive," Lusk said. "Fortunately, justice prevailed."
Cole said he didn't think his complaints were frivolous. He said he remains convinced that the e-mail shouldn't have gone out, but he said he'll accept the Ethics Commission decision.


"I'm not angry," he said. "I did what I thought I had to do. Because of my actions, the elected officials know the citizens are watching their conduct, and that's worthwhile."

Transportation Town Hall Meeting TONIGHT.

6:30 pm to 8 pm

Milton City Hall - Court Room

Milton Residents are invited and encouraged to come to the first bi-annual Transportation Town Hall Meeting at the City of Milton tonight -- November 29 -- from 6:30 pm to 8 pm.
This informal meeting, held in Milton City Hall Council Chambers, Suite F, will provide discussion stations for Maintenance, Intersections, Bike/Ped, and Traffic Calming. Public Safety staff will also be on hand to discuss traffic enforcement issues. Come out and have your voice heard!Who: Milton Public Works staff membersWhere: Milton City Hall Council Chambers, Suite FWhen: Thursday, Nov. 29, 6:30 - 8:00 P.M.

This meeting will provide an opportunity for citizens to share information verbally, as well as through comment cards, survey questions, and by online questionnaire. A summary of the meeting results will be presented to Milton City Council in January.

Please attend this important meeting to share your opinions and get your questions answered in regard to Milton's transportation projects. We look forward to seeing you.

Milton City Hall, Court Room
13000 Deerfield Parkway, Suite 107E
Milton, Georgia 30004

Spread the Word!

Web Site Gives Milton A Forum for, Well, Anything.

publication date: Nov 26, 2007
author/source: Al Levine / STAFF / http://www.beaconcast.com/

AccessMilton.com co-founder Tim Enloe is never far away from his computer.A web site devoted to the goings-on in the new city of Milton was designed as an Internet vision of Mayberry, where residents could talk about living amid horses and good places to buy a car.

Then came the nasty City Council elections. That turned the website, AccessMilton.com, into more of an Internet coliseum, where opponents flogged each other mercilessly.

Folks were waiting to see if the website’s post-election atmosphere would return to its homespun roots or resume its election posture, which was basically a text-message version of talk radio.

Co-owner Tim Enloe got his answer the other day after posting a lovely photo of a covered bridge and suggesting they’d be neat to have in Milton, “like the days of old.”

He received eight responses, most of them anonymous and most of them taking a dim view of the idea.“How quaint looking is a covered bridge that’s 24 feet tall,” wrote Anonymous, perhaps alluding to the city’s dislike for tall structures. “It would stop all truck traffic [including delivery of your new plasma flat screen] and deliverys (sic) to Publix, etc.” That drew an angry response from another visitor.“Thanks for all your negativity on the idea. That's real helpful. Guess we should all just move out of here since the city's going broke anyway.”

Just another day at AccessMilton, which Enloe developed to generate advertising revenue. So what if it occasionally feels like people throwing darts – at each other? At least they’re talking about Milton.

Enloe, whose background is in sales and the Internet, juggles three roles in his business life – selling real estate, working for a website that develops franchising and overseeing AccessMilton.

Enloe and business partner Scott Thompson recently expanded with AccessJohnsCreek.com and OurGeorgiaMountains.com. They also hold domains to develop Access sites for Alpharetta and Sandy Springs.

Their company, Magnolia Media, recently started a monthly newsletter. “It helps to keep the community abreast of various issues that people want to know about, from the very serious to the very laid back, like dog adoptions,” Enloe said.

The Milton site, which is just a year old, received its 100,000th hit way back in March.

AccessMilton.com was abuzz during the recent council elections, and the site correctly predicted the results, with an unscientific Internet poll indicating incumbent Julie Zahner Bailey and the two newcomers she favored would win easily.

The most recent question posted – Do you believe tax incentives should be given to Milton land owners in order to discourage them from subdividing their land? – shows a wide majority voting yes.

When Enloe dreamed up AccessMilton, there was little newspaper coverage in the area. The field was wide open for an information source. “The basic focus is to marry a community with businesses in an online open format,” Enloe said. But the reason for its creation was simpler.Two years ago, Thompson, the business associate, was looking to buy a car. He ended up having to go to South Georgia to find the model he wanted.“After he purchased the car, it turned out that right around the corner from him there was the same car for sale, and he didn’t know about it,” Enloe said. “I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it have been nice, like back in the days of a Andy Griffith-Mayberry feel, to have a site where you never know what you know until you look around the corner?’”

Enloe had been involved in e-commerce for awhile. Thompson is an expert in search optimization. It was a marriage made in Barron’s.

As far as local content goes, the pair didn’t need to look farther than Enloe, who grew up in the little town and is a walking history book about Milton.He can tell you what farm used to be where and pinpoint the location of a well-hidden waterfall that drops 100 feet into a granite cavern.

He can share suburban legends, too.“I had always heard as a boy the reason the east side of [Ga.] 400 built out quicker than the west side, that being Milton, was because of granite mines,” Enloe said. “Originally, they were planning on putting North Point Mall where the silos [on Crabapple Road] are. It’s harder to build in areas that are granite because you have to blast.”

He is also inspired to write essays about his Milton experiences. His recent tale, about the day in 1980 when a massive white bull named Whitey protected his herd by beating the stuffing out a young bull that came a-courting, was burned into his memory from a treehouse on the family property.

But the recent elections turned the nostalgic site into a political bullring. “I never thought it would be as politically charged as it has been,” Enloe said. “We agreed that AccessMilton has to be objective.”A couple of times, however, he has had to edit language.“There’s always a chance that kids could be clicking around,” Enloe said. “I want kids to be kids as long as [possible]. Vulgarity, unfortunately, makes kids grow up.”

Did You Know?


Neat Facts About Trees!

In 50 years one tree recycles more than $37,000 worth of water, provides $31,000 worth of erosion control, $62,000 worth of air pollution control, and produces $37,000 worth of oxygen.

Two mature trees provide enough oxygen for a family of four.

Trees help reduce the "greenhouse effect" by absorbing CO2. One acre of trees removes 2.6 tons of CO2 per year.


Thanks to www.treeinabox.com.

Born Today In...

1832 is Louisa May Alcott; US Writer.

"Housekeeping ain't no joke."

(11/29/1832 – 03/06/1888)

Happy Birthday To Three North Fulton Cities.

By MARY MACDONALD, DOUG NURSE The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionPublished on: 11/29/07

It's been an action-packed year for new cities on the Northside, especially for Johns Creek and Milton.

Both became officially functioning cities on Dec. 1, 2006, and had to deal with the challenges of jump-starting a municipality and coping with all the details involved. And after one year, both cities have achieved varying levels of success in different arenas.

Sandy Springs, which opened for business in 2005, marks its second birthday Saturday, without much fanfare planned.Here's a look back at some of the key events over the past 12 months.

SANDY SPRINGS

• Accomplishments: Founded a police and fire department, revamped zoning rules, beefed up code enforcement and, most recently, authorized a dog park. In September, approved a master plan for what officials hope will become a signature public space — a linear park along Abernathy Road.
• Biggest challenges: Creating a tree ordinance that could satisfy environmental concerns and respect individual property rights. Many residents were disappointed in the result. Continuing to make headway in what many residents say are backlogged needs, such as code enforcement, road repaving, parks improvements and traffic relief.
• On the agenda for 2008: Carrying through with the promises of a new comprehensive plan. Moving ahead in creating greenspace along Abernathy Road. Creating a dog park at the Great Park at Morgan Falls.
• Population: About 87,000, making it the seventh-largest city in Georgia.
• Square miles:37
• Median household income: $77,800.
• City employees: 350.
• Anniversary celebration: A low-key affair of cake and punch and a video of key moments at City Hall, 5-6 p.m. Tuesday, before the City Council meets for a regular session.
What they're saying: "Despite some disappointments, the city's transition to independence has been smooth. Overall, particularly considering what we were trying to accomplish, it's been incredibly painless." LARRY YOUNG, President of the Sandy Springs Council of Neighborhoods.

MILTON

• Accomplishments: Founded a police department, fire department, municipal court, planning and zoning and code enforcement and passed a $17 million budget.
• Biggest challenges: Balancing growth and keeping the rural feel of the community; locating and building a new City Hall; and acquiring land and improving parks.
• On the agenda for 2008: Developing a comprehensive plan, a roadmap for virtually all future development; traffic congestion.
• Population: 20,000
• Average home price on the market: $800,000
• Square miles: 44
• Sworn police: 21
• Firefighters: 38
• Anniversary celebration: Held in September
What they're saying: "I'm looking forward to a better 2008 than we had in 2007. We had kind of a rocky start with the missed deadline that cost $900,000, and the City Council arguing rather than doing anything. But they did get the city up and running. I've had to call [city hall] and ask questions before and the city is very responsive and they're very friendly. It's night and day with what we had before." CHRIS CUPIT, Golf course owner.

JOHNS CREEK

• Accomplishments: Founded municipal court, planning and zoning and code enforcement and passed a $44 million budget.
• Biggest challenges: Building up the reserves for favorable bond ratings; acquiring land and developing parks; traffic congestion.
• On the agenda for 2008: Launching police and fire departments; developing a comprehensive plan, a roadmap for virtually all future development; traffic congestion.
• Population: 63,000
• Average home price on the market: $400,000
• Square miles: 32
• Sworn police (starting in April): 56
• Anniversary celebration: Founder's Day, Saturday
9 a.m. —11Alive anchor Karyn Greer and U.S. Marines kick off celebration at State Bridge and Jones Bridge
10 a.m.—Parade starts west on State Bridge Road to Kimball Bridge Road; includes floats, Shriners, high school marching bands, antique cars and Santa
1-3 p.m.—Barbecue, face-painting, gymnastics demonstrations and Santa at Newtown Park
3:30 p.m.—Tree planting at City Hall, 12000 Findley Road
5-7:15 p.m.—Music and lights performances by high school students Lights at City Hall, and Technology Park-Johns Creek at West Johns Crossing; birthday cake and hot chocolate
What they're saying:"They've done a lot of stuff. A lot of basics have been taken care of. They haven't addressed transportation although they've started to address police and fire. The greenway is an important issue that hasn't been funded. I have my aggravations but things are being done slowly." DAVID KORNBLUH, Software developer.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Community Zoning Meeting Tonight

Community Zoning Information Meeting (CZIM) Wednesday, November 28, 2007 - 7:00 PM at City Hall


Agenda Item/ Location/Applicant

RZ07-020
VC07-015
2865 Webb Road

Request

To rezone from O-I (Office-Institutional) to O-I (Office-Institutional) to expand the existing day care center from 2,000 square feet tot 3,600 square feet and to request a concurrent variance to reduce the undisturbed buffer from 25 feet and a 10-foot improvement setback to 5 feet along the east and west property lines for a distance of 150 feet behind the building to the north (Article 4.23.1.B)

To find out more, click here ->http://www.cityofmiltonga.us/cityclerk/czim/2007/Agenda-CZIM-11-28-2007.pdf

Did You Know?

Before the year 1000, the word "she" did not exist in the English language. The singular female reference was the word "heo", which also was the plural of all genders. The word "she" appeared only in the 12th century, about 400 years after English began to take form. "She" probably derived from the Old English feminine "seo", the Viking word for feminine reference.

Thanks to www.didyouknow.org.

Born Today In...

1757 is William Blake; English Writer.

"He who desires but acts not, breeds pestilence."

(11/28/1757 – 08/12/1827)
Thanks to www.born-today.com.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Another Wonderful Milton Picture...



Behold, a "Milton Morning."

Many Thanks to Nikki Haslett.

A Reminder From Avensong HOA President Alan Tart.

As a reminder . . .

The following re-zoning requests affecting the Highway 9 area will be heard at the 11/27 (TONIGHT) Planning Commission meeting. A sewer extension request will also be heard tonight. See entire packet for more information:

http://www.cityofmiltonga.us/cityclerk/pc/2007/Packet-PC-11-27-2007-r.pdf.

Most, if not all, of this business will be brought before the city council in December. Since the Planning Commission’s recommendations are considered by the council in their decision making process, I urge you to attend and speak on the requests of concern to you. Also, write the Mayor and city council members and express your approval/disapproval of these re-zonings and/or variances.

PLANNING COMMISSION AGENDA
Tuesday, November 27, 2007, 7:00 pm


Agenda Item: A. RZ07-011
(on Webb Road between SR-9 and Cogburn)
(unknown whether or not this will involve sewer extension)

Description: To rezone from C-1 (Community Business) and O-I (Office-Institutional) to OI (Office-Institutional) to develop a 140,000 square foot office building with a maximum height of 4 stories.

Meeting Dates**: CZIM – 10/24/07 DRB- 11/6/07 PC- 11/27/07 MCC12/13/07.

Staff Recommendation: Approval Conditional.
____________________________________________________________________

Agenda Item: B. RZ07-018 U07-009 VC07-010
(at corner of SR-9 and Webb Road)

Description: To rezone from C-1 (Community Business) and O-I (Office-Institutional) to C1 (Community Business) to develop a 5,700 square foot retail commercial building and a Use Permit (Article 19.4.41(1)) for a 3 story (less than 60 feet) 110,000 square foot climate controlled self storage facility and a 2-part concurrent variance to 1) To locate the refuse area adjacent to the street (Article 12G.4.B.4) and 2) To allow parking islands every 11TH space instead of every 5TH space (Article 4.23.2).

Meeting Dates**: CZIM – 10/24/07 DRB- 11/6/07 PC- 11/27/07 MCC12/13/07.

Staff Recommendation: Approval Conditional Approval Conditional Denial- Parts 1& 2.
______________________________________________________________________

Agenda Item:C. RZ07-019 U07-010 VC07-011 on Deerfield Parkway near to Morris Road.

Description: To rezone from C-1 (Community Business) to O-I (Office-Institutional) to develop 23,000 square feet of office. The applicant is also requesting a Use Permit to exceed the district height, Article 19.4.21, to allow the building to be constructed at a maximum height of 70 feet that includes an underground garage and 3 stories of office. To request a 3-part concurrent variance to 1) To reduce the side setback from 20 feet to 15 feet along the north property line (Article 8.1.3.C.); 2) To reduce the 25-foot non-impervious buffer, to allow approximately 6,010 sq.ft. of encroachment to allow parking on pervious pavement(City Code Chapter 14, Sect.6.5.(i); 3)To reduce the 50-foot undisturbed stream buffer to allow approximately 675 sq.ft. of encroachment to allow parking on pervious pavement (City Code Chapter 14, Sect 6.5 (ii)).

Meeting Dates**:CZIM – 10/24/07 DRB- 11/6/07 PC- 11/27/07 MCC12/13/07.

Staff Recommendation: Approval Conditional Approval Conditional Approval Conditional Parts 1-3.

Thank you,

Alan Tart
President, Avensong Community Association, Inc.
E-mail: Avensong-HOA@comcast.net
Be sure to check out our website at http://www.avensong.org/!

Did You Know?

The order of the planets, starting closest to the sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune.

Thanks to www.didyouknow.org.

Born Today In...

1937 is Gail Sheehy; US Writer.

"Creativity can be described as letting go of certainties."

(11/27/1937 – )

Thanks to www.born-today.com.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Homeless Poodle & Pit Bull Find True Love.


NOTE: Sometimes, it is good to change the pace a bit for information on Accessmilton.com. What a wonderful article from www.ajc.com. Do you have a doggie story that you'd like to share? Then send it to us at magnoliamedia@yahoo.com / Subject line "Doggie Tails." Don't forget to check our our Doggie section here
->http://www.accessmilton.com/DoggieTails.php and our discussion forum here
->http://www.accessmilton.com/Forums.php

By SANDRA ECKSTEIN The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 11/23/07

Like Romeo and Juliet, theirs is a doomed love.
One glance tells you he's from the posh side of life. He's well-bred, well-groomed. She, on the other hand, is from the rough side of the tracks, with an iffy background and an uncertain future.

But from the minute he laid eyes on her, Vincent didn't care about their differences. He was in love and that was that. Sure, some might call it "puppy love." They are, after all, dogs. But Vincent doesn't seem to care that he's a well-coiffed, 12-pound poodle and his love, the object of his adoration, is a 40-pound pit bull mix.

"I brought him home from the shelter, and he just honed in on her and hasn't left her side since," said Stacey Hall, who works for Southern Hope Humane Society, the group that runs Fulton County's animal shelter. "He follows her everywhere. He fights the other dogs to keep them away from her. Because she sleeps on the floor, he does too. He's not happy unless he's near her."

Vincent showed up at the shelter several weeks ago, a well-fed stray with a good haircut. Shelter workers assumed someone would come looking for the 3-year-old poodle. But when no one did, Hall decided to foster him. She'd been fostering Angel for several months, ever since she'd come into the shelter in such bad shape she ended up the poster dog for the shelter's "Don't Get a Dog" campaign aimed at stopping the neglect of animals.

Despite her starvation and broken bones, probably from being kicked, the vet said, Hall describes Angel as a sweet, loving dog who likes all people and animals.
Maybe that's what Vincent sees in her, why he wants to protect her.

"He walks around with a big silly grin on his face like, 'Yep, that's my girlfriend,' " Hall said. "He has it whenever he's with her."

But like Shakespeare's ill-fated lovers, Vincent and Angel are not to be.
"People who want a pit bull don't want a poodle, and people who want a poodle sure don't want a pit bull," Hall said. "It's going to break his heart, but I don't see how we could ever place them together."

Until then, Vincent, it seems, has found his true love. The poodle and the pit bull.

REMINDER!

Milton Residents are invited and encouraged to come to the first bi-annual Transportation Town Hall Meeting at the City of Milton on Thursday, November 29 from 6:30 pm to 8 pm. This informal meeting, held in Milton City Hall Council Chambers, Suite F, will provide discussion stations for Maintenance, Intersections, Bike/Ped, and Traffic Calming. Public Safety staff will also be on hand to discuss traffic enforcement issues. Come out and have your voice heard!

Who: Milton Public Works staff members

Where: Milton City Hall Council Chambers, Suite F

When: Thursday, Nov. 29, 6:30-8;00 P.M.

This meeting will provide an opportunity for citizens to share information verbally, as well as through comment cards, survey questions, and by online questionnaire. A summary of the meeting results will be presented to Milton City Council in January.Please attend this important meeting to share your opinions and get your questions answered in regard to Milton's transportation projects. We look forward to seeing you.


For Immediate Release.

Milton Holiday Memories Makes its Debut This Season.

City-sponsored tree festival will benefit residents in need.

The City of Milton will celebrate its first holiday season this year, and is holding an inaugural special event, Milton Holiday Memories, from November 23 through December 9, from 8 am to 9 pm. The event, held at Scottsdale Farms Landscape Co. & Nursery at 15639 Birmingham Highway in Milton, will include a tree festival, a silent auction, caroling, hayrides, and more, including a special visit from Santa Claus. Admission is free, but visitors are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to be donated to the North Fulton Community Charities (NFCC) to brighten the holidays for Milton children in need.

Trees and wreaths decorated by local community groups and businesses will be on display throughout the event. Visitors can vote on their favorite decorated tree via donation, and can participate in a silent auction for their favorite wreath. All proceeds from the tree festival and silent auction will benefit the NFCC, which helps more than 750 needy Milton families during the holiday season. The City will also host its own Milton Holiday Memory tree, and will provide snowflake ornaments that can be personalized and placed on the tree for a $1 donation to the NFCC fund.

Fun family events are scheduled throughout the festival, including an old-fashioned caroling session around a roaring campfire in the Scottsdale Farms Christmas Tree Forest. On Saturday, December 1, Santa will make an appearance from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. to hear children’s Christmas wishes. Children can also take a train ride around Scottsdale Farms, make reindeer treats and more.
“This is such a wonderful way for families to capture the true spirit of giving during this holiday season,” said Linda Blow, project coordinator for the City of Milton. “We have had an incredible response from the community, and we know this is going to be an event that creates many wonderful memories,” Blow continues. “We are thankful to Scottsdale Farms Landscape Co. & Nursery for graciously providing both the location and the live Christmas trees for the event.”

The Alpha Arts Guild is just one of the community groups participating in the event. According to Ellen Winsor, Guild secretary, the Guild will decorate a colorful, joyful tree filled with art from its members, and will also will provide brightly wrapped art supplies for donation to NFCC to inspire future artists.

MILTON HOLIDAY MEMORIES SCHEDULE OF EVENTS.


WHAT: Milton Holiday Memories - A tree festival and silent auction to benefit Miltonfamilies in need this holiday season. Sponsored by the City of Milton, in cooperation with Scottsdale Farms Landscape Co. & Nursery.

WHEN: Friday, November 23, through Sunday, December 9The Scottsdale Farms Enchanted Christmas Tree Forest will be open from 8 am to 9 pm daily during the festival.

SCHEDULE:

Wednesday, November 28: Milton Sing-A-Long, 7 pm to 9 pm.
Saturday, December 1: Family Fun Day, 1 pm to 5 pm; Santa arrives at 1 pm!Events feature hay rides and holiday music with James Casto.
Saturday, December 8: 11 am to 4 pm; Hay rides, hot cider and marshmallow roasting.

WHERE: Scottsdale Farms Landscape Co. & Nursery15639 Birmingham HighwayMilton, GA 30004770-777-5879 / http://www.scottsdalefarms.com/

NOTE:
Free Admission - Visitors are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate to a needy child.Proceeds from silent auction, tree festival and Milton Holiday Memory Tree benefit North Fulton Community Charities, which helps more than 750 needy families in Milton during the holiday season.

Contact:
City of Milton Event Project Coordinator
Linda Blow 678-242-2489

City of Milton Media Contact
Lisa Maggart O: 678-242-2492C: 404-414-3301

Scottsdale FarmsLandscape Co. & Nursery Media Contact
Dianna (D.J.) Smeal 678-429-6314

On behalf of everyone at Accessmilton.com, we would like to take a moment out of our day and wish The City of Milton's very own Linda Blow a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! So if you see Linda out and about, give her a big B-day hug and tell her ACCESSMILTON.COM sent you! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LINDA!!!

Do you have a loved one who's birthday is coming up? Let us know so that we can spread the wonderful word. Email us at magnoliamedia@yahoo.com / Subjectline: BIRTHDAY.Milton, Georgia Birthday wishes; Only on Accessmilton.com!

Did You Know?

Gone With The Wind has been the best-attended film since its release in 1939. Without a doubt the most famous line in the movie is when Rhett Butler tells Scarlet O'Hara, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." According to "Curse Control", a book by James O'Connor, director David Selznick was fined heavy for that curse word: $5,000. A lot of money in those days. The movie is based on the book by Margaret Mitchell. It was the only book she wrote.

Thanks to www.didyouknow.org.

Born Today In...

1933 is Robert Goulet; US Singer.

"But I don't work out. I pay people to do that for me."

(11/26/1933 – 10/30/2007)
Thanks to www.born-today.com.

Thursday, November 22, 2007


Wednesday, November 21, 2007

A Quick Note From District 6 Council Elect Alan Tart

Hi, everyone:

Please consider making a donation to purchase a bullet proof vest for the City of Milton’s K-9 Officer DaSilva (see details below). Any extra money raised will be donated to a charity that provides bullet proof vests for dogs working in Iraq. Thanks to Janie Whitener for leading this worthwhile effort!

Alan Tart
President, Avensong Community Association, Inc.
E-mail: Avensong-HOA@comcast.net
Be sure to check out our website at http://www.avensong.org/!

Send Donations To:

DaSilva Vest Fund c/o Janie Whitener
170 Aven Ct., Alpharetta, GA 30004

Transportation Town Hall Meeting.

November 29
6:30 pm to 8pm
Milton City Hall - Court Room

Milton Residents are invited and encouraged to come to the first bi-annual Transportation Town Hall Meeting at the City of Milton on Thursday, November 29 from 6:30 pm to 8 pm. This informal meeting, held in Milton City Hall Council Chambers, Suite F, will provide discussion stations for Maintenance, Intersections, Bike/Ped, and Traffic Calming. Public Safety staff will also be on hand to discuss traffic enforcement issues. Come out and have your voice heard!Who: Milton Public Works staff membersWhere: Milton City Hall Council Chambers, Suite FWhen: Thursday, Nov. 29, 6:30-8;00 P.M.

This meeting will provide an opportunity for citizens to share information verbally, as well as through comment cards, survey questions, and by online questionnaire. A summary of the meeting results will be presented to Milton City Council in January.

Please attend this important meeting to share your opinions and get your questions answered in regard to Milton's transportation projects. We look forward to seeing you.

Milton City Hall, Court Room
13000 Deerfield Parkway, Suite 107E
Milton, Georgia 30004

Grateful Milton Farmers To Give Trees to Military Families

Gordon & Brooke Hunter


By RALPH ELLIS The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 11/22/07

Gordon Hunter, owner of a Christmas tree farm in north Fulton County, is donating trees to families on Georgia military bases as an act of patriotic appreciation.

"These are families that are giving up a lot," said Hunter, who flew Navy fighters during the Vietnam War. "This is a way for people to open up and say thank you."

Hunter and other tree farmers in Georgia sent about 275 trees to military families last year through the Trees for Troops program.Many growers have a personal connection to the military.

For instance, Esther and Earl Worthington, owners of a tree farm in Lovejoy, suffered a personal loss when their grandson, 19-year-old Robert Adrian Worthington of Jackson, was killed May 22 in a bomb blast in Iraq."We're particularly interested this year," Esther Worthington said.

Trees for Troops started in 2005 and is run by the Christmas Spirit Foundation, the charitable branch of the National Christmas Tree Association. Nationally, Trees for Troops shipped 4,300 trees to five bases in 2005 and about 12,000 trees to 25 bases last year.

This year, customers can participate. Tree shoppers who visit Hunter and Worthington farms can buy trees that Fed Ex will ship for free to military bases. Buyers can write a personal message on stationery to be attached to the tree. Previously, only growers and dealers donated trees.

Atlanta locations of Big John's Christmas Trees are selling trees for military families.
Big John's let customers buy trees for the troops last year and shipped about 325 trees to military bases, said Big John's employee Bobbi Crisp. "This year we're hoping for a lot more," Crisp said.

Other Georgia tree farmers will donate trees and drop them off for pickup at the Hunter and Worthington farms as well as a farm in Tifton. Fed Ex will ship the trees for free to the bases.
Hunter will sell 6- to 7-foot trees for $35 to $50. Worthington said prices will range from $25 to $150. Big John's will sell trees for $25 each, Crisp said.

Most of the donated Georgia trees will go to Georgia bases, said Greg Smith, a Nicholson tree farmer who runs the Trees for Troops program for the Georgia Christmas Tree Association. He, too, has a personal interest in Trees for Troops."My dad was a veteran who passed away about three years ago, and I'm doing this in his honor," Smith said.

Troops in the Middle East war zones will receive trees shipped from Ohio and Indiana.
Customers are urged to purchase trees early. Big John's will sell trees for troops through Dec. 2. Trees will be shipped from the Worthington farm Dec. 4 and from the Hunter farm Dec. 10.

Did You Know?

More Fun Thanksgiving Facts!
  • The date of the First Thanksgiving is not precisely known though it occured between September 21 and November 9, 1621.

  • The Plymouth Pilgrims dined with the Wampanoag Indians for the First Thanksgiving.
    The First Thanksgiving lasted for three days.

  • According to Edward Winslow, a participant in the First Thanksgiving, the feast bconsisted of: Corn, Barley, Fowl including Wild Turkeys and Waterfowl, Venison.

  • 52 Pilgrims attended the 'First Thanksgiving' in 1621 including: John Alden, William Bradford,Priscilla Mullins, Miles Standish.

  • Approximately 50 Native Americans attended the 'First Thanksgiving' including:
    Massasoit, Squanto - the Pilgrim's Translator.

  • This 'First Thanksgiving' was actually a secular event that was not repeated. A Calvinist Thanksgiving actually did occur in 1623 and did not involve sharing food with the Native Americans.

  • The first National celebration of Thanksgiving was declared in 1777 by the Continental Congress. However, this was not an annual event.

  • In 1863, two national days of Thanksgiving were declared:
    One celebrated the Union victory at Gettysburg, The other created the Thanksgiving holiday we still celebrate today.

  • Each year, the President declares a day of National Thanksgiving.

Born Today In...

1969 is Ken Griffey JR; US Baseball Player.

"I don't worry about the past. The homers will take care of the future. And that will make the present okay."

(11/21/1969 – )
Thanks to www.born-today.com.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Wouldn't It Be Neat?




“Wouldn’t It Be Neat?” Is a new Accessmilton.com column focused on ideas that folks have to make our Milton more unique. Send your ideas to us at magnoliamedia@yahoo.com / Subject Line: “Would It Be Neat?”

First up is an idea from Tim Enloe; Co-Founder and web master of your Accessmilton.com -

"Wouldn’t it be neat if all of our bridges In Milton were covered like the days of old? Talk about charm!"
What do you think? Share your thoughts below!

So You Think You Have the Best Christmas & Holiday Lights In Milton?

Then Prove it! Send us your December Lights and let our visitors be the judge! Winners will receive their choice from our Milton Store along with bragging rights until next year.

Email us at magnoliamedia@yahoo.com / subject line: LIGHTS!

Let the electricity begin!

Monday, November 19, 2007

Born Today In...

1923 is Nadine Gordimer; S. African Writer.

"Truth isn't always beauty, but the hunger for it is."

(11/20/1923 – )

Thanks to www.born-today.com.

More Neat Turkey Facts!

Here turkey, turkey, turkey

Turkeys are able to adapt to a wide variety of habitats. However, most turkeys are found in hardwood forests with grassy areas.
The best time to see a turkey is on a warm clear day or in a light rain.

They what?

Turkeys have heart attacks. When the Air Force was conducting test runs and breaking the sound barrier, fields of turkeys would drop dead.
Turkeys can drown if they look up when it is raining.

Eat, sleep, gobble

Turkeys spend the night in trees. They fly to their roosts around sunset.
Turkeys fly to the ground at first light and feed until mid-morning. Feeding resumes in mid-afternoon.
Gobbling starts before sunrise and can continue through most of the morning.

Eyes in the backs of their heads?

A wild turkey has excellent vision and hearing. Their field of vision is about 270 degrees. This is the main reason they continue to elude some hunters.
And they're fast, too!
A spooked turkey can run at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. They can also burst into flight approaching speeds between 50-55 mph in a matter of seconds.

So close, yet so far

Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a turkey.

Time For A "Cup Of Joe" With Joe!

Next monthly infomal session for citizens is Tuesday, November 20.

The next installment of Mayor Joe Lockwood's monthly coffee sessions is scheduled for Tuesday, November 20 from 9 to 10 a.m. at City Hall.

The Mayor invites Milton residents with free time and questions on their minds to stop by for coffee and conversation at the session, held on the third Tuesday of each month. This is a great chance to meet and engage your Mayor and City staff members.

We look forward to seeing you there!
On behalf of everyone at Accessmilton.com, we would like to take a moment out of our day and wish Mr. Marty Lock a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! So if you see Marty out and about, give him a big B-day hug and tell him ACCESSMILTON.COM sent you! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARTY!!!

Do you have a loved one who's birthday is coming up? Let us know so that we can spread the wonderful word. Email us at magnoliamedia@yahoo.com / Subjectline: BIRTHDAY.Milton, Georgia Birthday wishes; Only on Accessmilton.com!

Another New Baby Calls Milton Home...

Milton is lucky to have folks raise their families here; include those families with hoofs! Many thanks to the wonderful people at Holy Cow! Farm for sharing their newest addition with us.


"Nina Shield captured this cute picture of my 1 day old miniature horse at Holy Cow! Farm in Milton. "

- Robin Donovan

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Did You Know?

Thanksgiving held twice in 1815.

Thanksgiving was a centuries-old tradition held by most cultures around the world. After the autumn harvest, communities held 3-day-long feasts, sharing meat, bread and beer. Today, Thanksgiving is known best as an US public holiday.

The first US Thanksgiving was held between 21 September and 11 November 1621 in Massachusetts by 50 Plymouth Pilgrims and their 90 Wampanoag neighbours. After that, Thanksgiving was held fairly randomly. Thanksgiving days were proclaimed annually by the US Congress from 1777 to 1783 which, except for 1782, were all celebrated in December. George Washington declared Thanksgiving in 1789 and 1795, and John Adams in 1798 and 1799. James Madison declared Thanksgiving twice in 1815. None of these were celebrated in the autumn.

The next national Thanksgiving was declared only in April 1862, by Abraham Lincoln. In 1863, he declared Thanksgiving for 6 August, and for the last Thursday in November. He went on to declare a similar Thanksgiving observance in 1864, establishing a precedent that was followed by Andrew Johnson in 1865 and by every subsequent president.

After a few deviations of the day of celebration - Thanksgiving was held on 7 December in 1865, and 18 November in 1869 - the last Thursday in November was proclaimed as the national Thanksgiving day, but still not a officially holiday. Thanksgiving remained a custom unsanctified by law until President Roosevelt signed a bill on 26 November 1941 that established the fourth Thursday in November as the national Thanksgiving public holiday.

Turkey is the traditional dish for the Thanksgiving feast. In the US, about 280 million turkeys are sold for the Thanksgiving celebrations. There is no official reason or declaration for the use of turkey. They just happened to be the most plentiful meat available at the time of the first Thanksgiving in 1621, starting the tradition.

Thanks to www.didyouknow.org.

Born Today In...

1819 is George Eliot, US Writer.

"Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us worthy evidence of the fact."

(11/22/1819 – 12/22/1880)
Thanks to www.born-today.com.

And Now...Time To Talk Turkey!

The wild turkey we usually see in photos or pictures is not the same as the domestic turkey that we serve at Thanksgiving.

Domestic or tame turkeys weigh twice what a wild turkey does and are raised on farms for profit.

Most domestic turkeys are so heavy they are unable to fly.

The wild turkey we usually see in photos or pictures is not the same as the domestic turkey that we serve at Thanksgiving.

Domestic or tame turkeys weigh twice what a wild turkey does and are raised on farms for profit.

Most domestic turkeys are so heavy they are unable to fly.
Many Thanks to Michelle for these fun facts.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Another Wonderful Picture of Our Milton...

Many thanks to "Miss Milton" Patti Silva.

Coming In 2008...

Accessmilton.com is currently sharpening it's pencil with many new ideas for the wonderful folks of Milton. It is our goal to make this site the "go to" for all things Milton, GA even more so that in 2007. We plan on focusing on everything from making sure you meet your New Years Resolutions to creating a Milton Photography club! In the picture above, we see Ginger Enloe checking out one of the best kept secrets of our city; what long time locals call
"Crabapple Falls." Do you have a picture that you would like to share? Interested in becoming part of the Accessmilton.com Photography club? Then email us direct at magnoliamedia@yahoo.com today!

Friday, November 16, 2007

Fulton Cities To Pay For Ambulance Service.

By D.L. BENNETT The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionPublished on: 11/15/07

Fulton County's 14 cities will be forced to pay for ambulance services next year or see response times fall because county government will cut off about $10 million in subsidies.
The shift in costs will mean Atlanta may have to pay nearly $7 million and fledgling cities like Johns Creek and Milton more than $100,000 or risk endangering lives by letting emergency response times rise dramatically.

The cost that cities will take over June 30 represents money that none of the municipalities expected to have to spend in 2008.

The idea's not being warmly received even though city leaders concede the county isn't obligated to continue paying the subsidies. County commissioners compared the decision to Atlanta's move to stop holding county prisoners in the city jail — a move that saved Atlanta $10 million but cost Fulton a similar amount.

"I absolutely agree in a proper transition. This is the right thing to do in the long run," said Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker. "All I've been looking for is more time. They are in a position to give us a reasonable amount of time to take this over."

Under state law, counties are responsible for providing emergency medical service through regional councils. However, counties are only required to set up minimum service. In Fulton, that means a 12-minute response time.

Right now, Fulton pays about $10 million in supplements to its two ambulance companies — Rural Metro and Grady hospital. That extra money pays for more staff and more ambulances to buy down average response to 8 minutes.

Commissioners have decided to stop paying for enhanced service and let each city decide whether it will pay to keep response times low.

"If they are going to be a city, then they should be a city," said Commissioner Bill Edwards during a telephone interview this week. "All these operating agreements have propped these cities up. Now it's time for them to stand on their own."

In Atlanta, a four-minute delay could have dire results for trauma victims rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital or any other local hospital by the Grady ambulance service.Noah Reiter, director of EMS for Grady, said if response times increase by 4 minutes some patients who are saved today certainly would die.

"There is no substitute for rapid response," Reiter said.The county's payments to Grady make up about one-third of the revenues for the Grady ambulance service. Hospital officials said radical cutbacks in service would be needed without it."We can't make it up from the users," said Craig Tindall, interim CEO for Grady. "We would require additional funding."
Mayor Shirley Franklin said she was just learning about the issue and not sure what the city would do.

"I presume that Fulton County has made a decision that 12 minutes is sufficient," Franklin said. "Who am I to argue? That's their area of expertise."The net result could be a variety of response times across Fulton based on how much each city can afford. Some might elect to buy down response time to match the typically 5-minute-or-less time of first-responders, who are staffed in all the fire stations and outnumber ambulance crews. Sandy Springs Mayor Eva Galambos said the city will likely try to cut response times to below the current 8-minute county level. She said she had no idea yet what that might cost or how the city would pay for it.

"We are going to work to have the ambulances scattered throughout the community so they can get there as fast as a fire truck," Galambos said.

County commissioners weren't united on the plan to drop the subsidy. Commissioner Lynne Riley and Chairman John Eaves both wanted to give the cities at least a year to absorb the cost but were voted down.

"I wanted to do all I could to support the cities of Fulton County," said Eaves.
As the cities begin negotiations with the ambulance companies, another big question remains. What will Fulton do with the $10 million it saves? Some city leaders are already pushing for a tax break.

Milton In Swaziland!

Patti Silva, one of the lucky winners of an Access Milton cap, brought a bit of Milton to her new friends at New Hope Children's Home in Swaziland. Fellow Miltonians also on the mission trip with Heart For Africa were: Elaine Daniels, Blake Moore, Lesley Hill, Debbie Stewart and Patrick Ross who made many friends in the community by building gardens, repairing homes, performing eye exams, sewing curtains, and much more. For more information about Heart For Africa, please visit: www.heartforafrica.org

Sawabona and Shalom!

Many thanks to our very own "Miss Milton"-Patti Silva!

Born Today In...

1873 is W.C. Handy; US Composer.

"Life is something like a trumpet. If you don't put anything in, you won't get anything out."
(11/16/1873 – 03/28/1958)


Thanks to www.born-today.com.

Did You Know?

One in ten people in the world live on an island.

Thanks to www.didyouknow.org.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Foster's Grille Location Opens In Crabapple

Michael O'Keefe; owner and operator of Foster's Grille off of Hwy 9, opened his second location Wednesday in Crabapple. As with all businesses who embrace our community as Michael has, we encourage folks to stop in for a quick bite and introduce your selves to Mike and staff.

Special thanks to Kim Daniels.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Confucius Say...

"He who throws dirt is losing ground."

Many thanks to "Pasturized" for letting us know about this wonderful saying.


Let Your Voice Be Heard About Milton's Library Needs

TONIGHT at 7pm

Milton City Hall - Court Room

Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System
Birmingham/MiltonPublic Library Forum

The Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System has set a schedule of 37 public forums to serve as an opportunity for citizens to learn about the Library System's Facility Master Plan and provide suggestions as to how the library in their community might be programmed.

Library staff members facilitating the meeting will ask for input on system-wide services as well as comments about the new or renovated library planned for their community, including recommended sites for new libraries.

Citizens will be encouraged to make comments about any of the existing libraries or new library construction at all of the meetings.

Please attend this important meeting if possible, to ensure that your voice is heard in the decision-making process for our library system.

Milton City Hall, Court Room
13000 Deerfield Parkway, Suite 107E
Milton, Georgia 30004

Additional Resources:

Review the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System Facility Master Plan (Sept. 2007) - 1.49 MB

Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System Web site.

Did You Know?

The typical bolt of lightning heats the atmosphere to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Born Today In...

1947 is P.J. O'Rourke; US Writer.

"Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys."

(11/14/1947 – )
Thanks to www.born-today.com.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Man Charged With Milton Murders Will Be Brought To GA

By RALPH ELLIS The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionPublished on: 11/13/07

A man charged in a Milton double murder has waived extradition from Buffalo, N.Y., and will be brought back to Georgia for trial, Milton police said Tuesday.

Alan Hall, 27, of Buffalo, fatally shot Justin Stewart, 27, of Duluth and Terrell Jennings, 32, of Milton during an Oct. 29 drug deal and robbery inside Jennings' residence in Milton, police said.

U.S. Marshals and New York state police arrested Hall Nov. 1 in Buffalo. Hall is being held in the Erie County Correctional Facility in Buffalo until he's returned to Georgia.

Milton police Lt. Shawn McCarty said Jennings and Stewart were originally from Buffalo and were acquainted with Hall. In Georgia, Hall faces two counts of murder and numerous other charges.

Did You Know?

The coyote is a member of the dog family and its scientific name, "canis latrans" means barking dog.

Thanks to www.didyouknow.org.

Born Today In...

1856 is Louis D. Brandeis; US Supreme Court Justice.

"Behind every argument is someone's ignorance."

(11/13/1856 – 10/05/1941)

Monday, November 12, 2007

Election 2007: MILTON.

Payback pays off for Joe Lockwood; Mayor, irked by 2 on City Council, drives their defeat.

By Doug NurseThe Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionPublished on: 11/11/07

A thoroughly ticked-off Mayor Joe Lockwood cranked out a blistering memo in January to City Council members, warning them not to trifle with him or there would be a reckoning.

"I have no problem harnessing my public support, and the people that voted me in, in order to do what is best for our city," Lockwood wrote after confusion over an agenda for a meeting."So anyone with their own personal agendas, lack of respect for me, lack of respect for any City Council person, or failure to work as a united team, please be aware that there will be a time in the future that all of us will be in the position of running for re-election. ..."It seems he meant it.

For the rest of the year, Lockwood remained on the losing end of a 4-3 split on the Milton City Council.But when election time came, he went to work to defeat two members of the majority who had nettled him time and again.After the ballots were counted Tuesday, council members Neal O'Brien and Rick Mohrig went down by roughly a 2-1 margin.

Milton and Johns Creek became cities on Dec. 1 after holding elections a few weeks prior. Half of the six City Council members served initial terms of one year. The other three will serve for three years, standing for re-election in 2009. All subsequent elections will be for 4-year terms. The mayor's first term is three years, too.

The three candidates Lockwood supported, incumbent Julie Zahner Bailey, and challengers Burt Hewitt and Alan Tart, were dubbed Team Lockwood by the opposition."He had an impact," said defeated Councilman Rick Mohrig. "He's prominent and well-known in the community. People listen to what the mayor has to say. It was a deciding factor."

Lockwood, a building contractor, made appearances on behalf of Tart, Hewitt and Zahner Bailey. He helped raise money, put up signs, sent e-mails and published political advertisements.Lockwood polled about 4,100 votes in his race for mayor last year, more than the number of people who voted for cityhood.

"I had a number of people tell me they supported me because of Joe," Hewitt said. "But I had just as many say they supported me because I wasn't the other guy. The mayor's support certainly didn't hurt. A lot of people like Joe. But I can't say how it would have turned out if he hadn't been involved. I'd like to think I got a vote or two myself."

Lockwood said he just wanted to be able to work with a City Council that wasn't set against him.It was a calculated risk. If Lockwood won, he would send a signal that his popularity could help shape the council's agenda. If he lost, he was toast. The reigning majority would steamroll him for the rest of his term."It's very unusual for a mayor to get that involved in City Council races, especially against incumbents," said Councilwoman Karen Thurman, who supported the losing slate. "He rolled the dice and he won."

Elected Councilmen Become A Story In Home Town.

Thanks to www.ledger-enquirer.com for this story.

Long-time 'neighbors' to serve town

Columbus natives both elected to city council in Milton, Ga.

BY LARRY GIERER - lgierer@ledger-enquirer.com --

They graduated one year apart from the same high school. They even participated in the same Boy Scout troop. As adults, they've lived in the same north Georgia area for years. Still, they were strangers.

Columbus natives Burt Hewitt and Alan Tart will be seeing a lot of each other for the next four years. On Tuesday, both were elected to the city council in Milton, Ga.

Both defeated incumbents in the town that has been incorporated for just one year.
Both ran on the same campaign platform, and that was to keep the big city sprawl of Atlanta out of Milton.

The first time the two met was at a political meeting. This was before either had decided to run for office."We just started talking," said Hewitt, "and were amazed about what we discovered.""At first, I asked if he was from Columbus, Ohio," Tart said.

Tart is a 1992 graduate of Hardaway High School and Hewitt was in the 1993 class.
Following graduation from high school, Hewitt attended Auburn University in Alabama and Tart went to Berry College in Rome, Ga.

Tart, who has worked at Northwest Regional Hospital in Rome, and taught for one year at Hardaway, is currently a retail food specialist for the Food and Drug Administration. He was elected by the other 22 specialists in the country as their leader.Hewitt is regional sales manager for Volk Enterprises, which supplies packaging materials to the meat and poultry industries.

Hewitt has a wife, Ivey, and three daughters. Tart has a partner, David, and a daughter.
Milton, with a population of approximately 20,000, is in the northwestern section of Fulton County.

Hewitt said 86 percent of the city is zoned agricultural. It is not cluttered. His house, for example, has 90 acres of vacant land behind it. Those acres go for $100,000 apiece. It is a wealthy area that is 80 percent Republican.

"My opponent tried to label me a Democrat. That's a serious charge around here," said Tart, laughing. "Since I work for the government, he tried to paint me as someone who favors big government. It didn't work."

"It was a nasty campaign," Hewitt said. "A lot of lies about us in e-mails. It was a way for them to not have to talk about their own performance in office."
Both men won in a landslide.

Much of the city uses septic tanks. Both Hewitt and Tart campaigned that they would fight the extension of sewer service into the city and keep the small town character.
"The expansion of the sewer service would bring the increased density and increased traffic we don't want. We feel we have a little oasis here," Hewitt said.

Different sides

The part of town in which Tart lives isn't quite as rural as where Hewitt resides. "We already have more of a problem with crime," Tart said. "That's something I want to clean up."
The move of Tart and Hewitt into politics shouldn't have been surprising. Both have been diligent workers in different areas of the city.

Both said providing Milton with "strong leadership" is why they ran.
"I'm sure we'll disagree on some issues," Hewitt said.
"But," Tart said, "we'll keep it friendly."

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Protect Milton Update.


In response to Reporter, Candy Waylock’s article in the Milton Herald from Protect Milton:
This is not about the residents that live in close proximity to the school site as Katie Reeves of the BOE always attempts to portray unsuccessfully.

This site is wrong for our new City in so many ways as stated in the school petition and other letters from Protect Milton. Katie Reeves and the BOE will not succeed at trying to make it a "problem only for those that live near it" situation. This is a CITY problem and the majority of City Council has voiced their belief that the school should be put somewhere else in Milton, as have many of our residents, and only the BOE is not listening. They don’t care. They only chose this site because it was easy and convenient, not based on some long term study they would like to make the community believe was done. Their staff listed the sites below and they picked the easiest one, Freemanville. That is not responsible studying or planning. Richard Wernick willingly offered it to them on a silver platter in the middle of the night!

The other sites looked at are listed below:

1. Hopewell Road - The Trophy Club 120 acres. (Are you willing to believe this was actually a legitimate consideration, taking the Golf Course?) In reality would they take this site?

2. Cogburn Rd./Bethany Rd. - (they claim they didn’t take this site because the developer, David Chatham, got the zoning he desired to build homes, and decided not to take it from him, forgetting the fact that this site is on SEWER, and already has a traffic light, etc.)

3. Bethany Rd./Providence Rd. - 90 + acres, the owner wasn’t willing to sell? And it was too close to MHS? What about the Freemanville site, it’s only another .5 or less miles to MHS, and it isn’t too close enough as well?

4. Hopewell Road – 58 acres which they say was flood plain so they would have had to add adjacent acreage which would have brought the price per acres to $180,000 per acre. This would need to be proven with an appraisal, which Katie Reeves stated in the Summit Hill meeting that all of the properties had an appraisal done on them by the BOE.

Since when is it okay for someone not sell to the BOE given their jurisdiction? When did the BOE become so considerate as not to take land because a developer got his way on rezoning for building new homes? The Freemanville site was going to be residential homes as well, but that didn’t bother them in obtaining it. Go explain that to the families that ended up having to sell their property or the BOE was going to use Eminent Domain to take their homes during the building of the existing Milton High School. They didn’t have to use Eminent Domain as they stated because the threat was real for the families that owned the property if they refused to sell. Are people now allowed to "just say no" to the BOE when it comes to school sites?

What about the 124 acres on Birmingham Hwy currently available at the same price the BOE paid for the Freemanville Site, as well as the 70 acres directly across the street from it for a middle school, right under Chatham’s Blue Valley. They aren’t considering this site and won’t, or the number one site, going back into the Old Milton High School and rebuilding it for the Alpharetta students since once the high school is built in Milton, all the students going to the existing Milton HS will be Alpharetta students and not those from Milton. The City of Milton will pays for the roads, maintenance, Fire and Police for this school, and the students will come from Alpharetta, not Milton.

Katie Reeves stated in the meeting at Summit Hill, claiming around 75% or more students after redistricting would be from Alpharetta primarily in the existing Milton High School. Katie Reeves also stated at this meeting that they couldn’t possibly take the Independent students (450) currently using this underutilized Old High School site because they plan on having 850 Independent students there, mind you, not from this area, they will be busing these students in as they are now. It is more important to underutilize this school for students that aren’t from here then to adaptively reuse this great location and reclaim this historical High School site for a school for Alpharetta and its students.

I am asking the community to get involved now. This site is wrong for our City. This is not about a few residents upset that a school is being built near their homes and the BOE is not going to succeed at making this that kind of issue as they have always done in the past.

Go ask your City Council members how they feel about the placement of this school site. Go ask all of them and the candidates, Alan Tart and Burt Hewitt, running for office now. No one on Council has ever stated they are for this site. They have indicated and expressed that this site is wrong for Milton and the BOE should choose another site more appropriate. This site is too close to MHS, has environmental issues, and will compound the traffic issues already on Freemanville Road, Birmingham Highway, and surrounding roads. The Fulton County EPC already denied Kings Ridge two times the ability to build on this site as posted in the Protect Milton letter in June of 2007 on Access Milton.

They (Fulton County) denied it because it didn’t fit in with the Fulton County 2025 Land Use Plan, traffic issues, and environmental issues. If they denied a land use permit for Kings Ridge due to these reasons, then shouldn’t these same reasons hold water for a much larger High School and now a possible Middle School? Kings Ridge eventually got a use permit for this site due to major concessions they were willing to make to build on it. Obviously they felt it was better to move their location and build the school the way they envisioned it, then to have to sacrifice by making concessions to their site plans based on the problems with this site.

Bottom line, the Freemanville site, was an easy cop out for the BOE, and not surprisingly it is far from the best site choice for our new City. Our petition is growing and we welcome your support and input regarding this school site being moved. Just because the BOE claims the school will be built, doesn’t mean it is so. Don’t be fooled and deterred because the BOE says it is a done deal.

It is not.

Lisa Cauley
Protect Milton Group
ProtectMilton@aol.com or CMschoolpetition@aol.com
Petition link: www.gopetition.com/petitions/new-school-site-opposition.html