Check Out the Milton Gardening Club On Accessmilton.com!

Turn up your speakers and enjoy!!!

http://www.accessmilton.com/MiltonGardenClub.php

Milton To Hire New City Manager Next Week

By DOUG NURSE http://www.ajc.com/

The Milton City Council has scheduled a meeting for Monday to approve a city manager.
The city has only advertised for one candidate, Billy Preston Beckett of Peachtree City.

Beckett, a 30-year veteran of government administration, has served as Fayette County administrator, Riverdale city manager. He also served as a manager in Raleigh County, W.Va.; Franklin County, Va.; and Collier County in southwest Florida.
Beckett joined Fayette County in 1985, and served for 15 years —eons in the world of county administration.

Then, he was Riverdale city manager from 2001 to 2004.
Since then he has worked as executive director of the Coosa Valley Regional Development Center, and as city manager of Safety Harbor in Florida.

Milton has been without a permanent city manager since August when Aaron Bovos resigned under fire over missing a deadline to collect about $900,000 in taxes. Since then, Public Safety Director Chris Lagerbloom has been acting city manager.

Milton Nights...Another Wonderful Success!

Brandon Wallace, Milton Mayor Joe Lockwood, and Miltonian Cheryln Allen.

Milton - With a large crowd of people coming for dinner, The Mad Italian Restaurant had it's hands full at this past Thursday's Milton Nights... From meeting new people to the encouragement of friendships generated from time's past; this evening had it all. Mad Italian owner Tom Brown donated 10% of the evenings proceeds to the Milton Police & Fire Depts. Many thanks to all those that came out in support!!!

To find out more about Milton's Mad Italian Restaurant, click here=>http://www.accessmilton.com/Advertisers/MadItalian.php

Accessmilton.com Proudly Presents...

AT

The Date: Thursday, March 27, 2008
The Time: 6pm - 10pm
The Location: The Mad Italian Restaurant
5310 Windward Pkwy Milton, GA 30004
(Next to Home Depot!)
770-664-5962

Looking To Meet Your Milton Neighbors? Need A Local Networking Source? Want To Make New Memories With Old Friends?

Then Head On Over To The Mad Italian Off Of Windward Parkway This Upcoming Thursday, March 27th At 6pm For Food, Fun, & Family!

Tom Brown, owner of the Mad Italian restaurant on Windward Parkway in Milton has always been a part of his local community, whether he is selling sandwiches at opening day at the local ball fields, sponsoring a high school lacrosse team or celebrating at the Milton Birthday bash. Of course, he jumped at the chance to host the next Milton Nights...

Tom says, "It's an honor to sponsor the next 'Milton Nights' because it provides the Milton community with a great opportunity to come together as family and neighbors and get to know our community leaders in a casual, relaxed environment."

Tom has chosen to donate 10% of proceeds during Milton Night to the City of Milton Fire and Police Departments. He hopes that you will join him at The Mad Italian, try out "the best cheese steak south of Philly" (or one of his other signature items, like the spicy sausage diavolo or delicious cheese steak pizza) and in the process help your local fire and police departments.

So Come On Out Thursday Night And MEET SOMEBODY!!!

Looking For A Mad Italian Menu? Click Here!

Another Wonderful Spring Milton Picture!

Patti Silva of www.miltonville.com sent in this wonderful picture. We guess it is safe to say that when it comes to beauty in Milton, the sky is the limit!

This Beautiful Picture Is Taken From Ginger Enloe's Flower Garden!

Spring is in the air in Milton, GA! There is no better time to get out in your yard and play in the dirt. Interested in sharing your green thumb passion? Then contact Gardening Chair Sharon Murphy at luv2garden12@aol.com or visit the Milton Gardening Web Site at http://gardening.meetup.com/172/ today!

Gas Main Break On North Freemanville.

In preperation of the water main going in on Freemanville Road, construction workers hit a gas main and they have closed the northern portion of Freemanville Road above Birmingham. Many thanks to Michelle for bringing this to our attention.

Mr. Charles Day And His Barber Shop

Another Wonderful Article From The Ladies At Miltonville.com!

By Patti Silva and Abbe Laboda
March 2008

Close your eyes for just a moment and picture the tiny chocolate brown building facing Cogburn, just south of Francis Road. It sits behind a majestic oak tree guarding a home-built red barn. The sign reads: Tuesday and Thursday Open 7:00pm. You have probably passed it a thousand times during Milton’s rush hour and wondered what it is and who is inside. This is Mr. Charles Day’s barbershop. The barbershop, the barn and his home, which he shares with his beautiful wife Carolyn, were built by Mr. Day in 1961. Read more here=> www.miltonville.com

Ga 9 Closed In Milton

by Jason Wright / www.northfulton.com / Milton Herald

Milton -- Work crews building the Deerfield Place phase one shopping center hit two gas lines March 24, shutting down a portion of Ga. 9 in Milton.Traffic is being routed up Webb Road through Deerfield Parkway, then back to the clear part of Ga. 9.Lt. S. Cornett of the Milton Public Safety Department said the city has already notified the state to shut off the gas since Ga. 9 is a state route. The site has been evacuated, save for gas and public safety crews.Atlanta Gas Light officials on scene would not comment on when the main was hit.Cornett said there was no time line yet on when the portion of Ga. 9 would be reopened.

Foster's Grille & NMS Join to fight Leukemia

April 1st and 15th Come help raise money to fight Leukemia at Foster's Grille of Crabapple Tuesday April 1st and Tuesday April 15th. Ten percent of the proceeds will go to the Team in Training fund of Michael O'Keefe (owner of Foster's Grille) who will be participating in the Country Music 1/2 Marathon on behalf of Northwestern Middle School. He is trying to raise $5,000 towards this cause. As many of you know, Leukemia and other cancers have directly impacted the Northwestern community over the past two years. Let's show our children that together we can make a difference, by raising money to fight this terrible disease. If you can not make one of the fundraising events, you can support our effort by donating at the following site:
http://www.active.com/donate/tntga/tntgaMOKeef1 Thanks for your support!

Puppy Found.

Attached is a picture of an adorable young dog found by one of my neighbors. She was found near the part of the Champions View golf course that backs up to our subdivision, Oak Ridge on the Green. She looks like a Rottweiler puppy, maybe some shepherd mixed in. She looks well cared for and is very sweet. PLEASE pass this picture and email along to your friends and neighbors so we can find her owners. You can call me at 770-521-2835 or email me at mailto:hollingsworthcyn@bellsouth.net Thank you for your help.

Cindy Hollingsworth

Know Your Milton: Endangered Species!

The Cherokee Darter:

Their dappled backs help them to blendin with the rocks on the bottom. During the spring and summer spawning season,the darters "color up" adding turquoise blue andbrick red to their everyday attire, going from drab to dressy, as they try to get the attention of the females."Darters get their name because they move around the water in short quick bursts," said Freeman. "They can instantly burrow under the rocks when danger is present, or flit out into the open when they see a female coming along."The male courts a female and then she deposits an egg by attaching it to a rock or a little piece of wood.The Cherokee darter helps reduce the population of those pesky black flies by eating their larvae and midges, while the Etowah darters tend to dine on caddisflies and mayflies. All the while, the darters must avoid being eaten by the bigger sport and game fish.That is about as complicated as a darter's life get --hanging out in the stream, looking for food and a mate and trying not to get eaten by the bigger guys.The Etowah darter, however, is an endangered species and the Cherokee darter is threatened. Although both are listed as protected by the Federal Endangered Species Act, their habitats continue to disappear.Two essential attributes of the underwater world are critical to the darters' survival. The water must be moving and it must be clear. Instead, their streams are being degraded by incompatible agricultural practices,urbanization, sedimentation, just to name a few of the human impacts on the habitat.Because darters communicate by sight alone, clearwater is necessary for their survival. When the water becomes cloudy they cannot find insects for a meal,locate a mate, or avoid a predator."They also need flowing water. To dam up their stream or river would be a death sentence for themand their whole local population," Freeman said.

Important Milton Permit Could Hit Snag

by Jason Wright www.northfulton.com / Milton Herald

MILTON-- The completion of an important permit process for the city might have hit a stumbling block that could have unintended consequences for rural Milton.The permit, called the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, or NPDES, is paramount for the city to receive state funding. The city has the permit contingent on passing two local ordinances: a litter control law and something called the conservation subdivision use ordinance.

The reason for those ordinances, City Attorney Angie Davis told City Council at its March 10 work session, is because Milton is part of the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District. As such, Georgia law requires Milton to pass both ordinances.As it is written, the subdivision conservation law is meant to increase green space and reduce impact to local waterways. It has long been a part of the permit process.

Unfortunately, it's generally meant for more urban areas than Milton and could force developers in the city to increase their density to meet its requirements. In addition, it supersedes Milton's existing zoning laws that guard against high density development.Luckily, Davis said Milton doesn't have to pass the exact ordinance that's on the books, only something "substantially similar." So that leaves some wiggle room for the city to argue its case against the potential of higher density."I think the purpose [of the law] is to encourage lots of green space ... and I think in the city of Milton we do that a whole lot with our land classifications as we have them," she said.However, she admits it's not going to be easy to convince the Georgia Environmental Protection Division that Milton is doing enough on its own.

"They have their little box, and we don't fit in that box," she said.Council agreed to look at the proposed law and provide insight into what Davis and Community Development Director Tom Wilson can create to fulfill the requirements.

Milton Garden Club Has It's First Meeting.

Various folks from all corners of Milton came together this past Thursday with green thumbs in tow. It was the very first meeting for the Milton Garden Club. Organizer Sharon Murphy was kind enough to open her wonderful home for the inaugural event! If you are interested in joining, please click on the following link: http://gardening.meetup.com/172/

Patti Silva of www.miltonville.com also has a wonderful write up on the event.

Thurman, Lusk Feel Left Out Of Milton City Council

by Jason Wright /www.northfulton.com / Milton Herald

MILTON-- After receiving 6,000 pages of e-mail correspondence by her fellow Milton City Council members, Karen Thurman said it is clear to her she has been left out of the decision-making process.Filed in late February, Thurman's inquiry was largest open records request in Milton's short history.It asked for "all e-mail correspondence between the City Council members and/or mayor and city staff and/or city attorney for 2008," according to her request.The result of digging through the e-mails, according to Thurman?"It clearly confirmed my belief that there were discussions taking place on items that were on our agendas prior to them coming forward for the whole council discussion," she said. "There were back room discussions."

And she said those discussions were had without including her or Councilman Bill Lusk, who previously were part of a 4-3 voting block on important issues. The other two members, Rick Mohrig and Neal O'Brien, were not re-elected in November. Instead they were replaced by Councilmen Alan Tart and Burt Hewitt respectively.Thurman said when she received the correspondence on a CD -- for which she will be charged $181.43 to pay for staff hours on the project -- it became clear e-mail chains were not forwarded to her and Lusk.

She said council members would address an e-mail to Mayor Joe Lockwood or City Manager Chris Lagerbloom, then discuss the question with each other in forwarded e-mails. However, the e-mails were never sent to her or Lusk.Because the e-mails were only sent to the mayor and city manager in the first round, "Chris and Joe probably didn't know," she said."Sometimes I feel like I show up to council meetings and everybody else has information I don't," she said.

She would not say exactly who was excluding her and Lusk, and specifically mentioned only one zoning case where she felt discussions were had without the two of them.

Councilwoman Tina D'Aversa said she was surprised to hear of the request and Thurman's claims."I have not spoken with [Councilwoman Thurman] about this request nor has she asked me for any information or to justify any situation where she was left out of appropriate council communication," she said. "I would need specifics to believe there is an initiative to leave a council member out of appropriate council communications. As far as I am aware, the city staff has been good to copy all council members on appropriate communications."

Lusk, who had seen some of the e-mails, agreed that they showed "an intentional effort to exclude her and me."The councilman said he hasn't talked to the other council members about Thurman's research."They know what they are doing and they know I know," he said.

"Obviously these people don't want to discuss it."

Mayor Joe Lockwood said he didn't think there was merit to Thurman's claims."When it comes to city affairs, everyone gets the same information," he said.Lockwood, who has recently been in conflict with Thurman over the 5-2 decision to move council meetings to Mondays (a CPA, she comes late due to tax season), said he thinks the feeling of being left out is due to a shift in dynamics on council after November's election, one which saw his endorsed slate of candidates voted in."Now everything is openly discussed in meetings," he said. "There's a shift in influence she doesn't like."

Lockwood added that he knows what it is like to be part of a marginalized clique, referencing the 4-3 split on council that sometimes saw him, D'Aversa and Julie Zahner Bailey voted down."I want to make sure that doesn't happen again on council anymore," he said. "The public spoke loud and clear in November that they won't stand for any back door games or behind-the-scenes stuff."

The other four members of council echoed his sentiments about Thurman's claims."When I came in here I certainly though council people Lusk and Thurman had value to add," said Hewitt.Tart said he thought the divisiveness on council was left in November's elections."I'm ready for everyone to move forward," he said. "The sooner we get that done, the better for Milton."

Thurman said she not trying to create any conflict on council."I'm just there trying to do what I feel I was elected to do," she said.

Support Transportation Funding Proposal - Call Your Elected Official Today!

This week the state House of Representatives will consider important transportation funding legislation that promises to free clogged highways and provide new transit options for metro Atlantans and all Georgians. The House Committee substitute to SR 845 will first provide the citizens of Georgia an opportunity to vote on a constitutional question allowing regions within the state to propose a 1% sales tax for their most needed transportation projects in that region.
Second, the regions would then ask their citizens to vote on a list of projects that the sales tax would fund and the timeframe for that funding. Each region would get back all of the funding it generates for its own transportation projects.

Citizens finally have a chance to be heard on this issue.
Please take a few minutes today to contact your House Representative and urge that they vote “Yes” on the House Transportation Committee's substitute to SR 845.

Find your Representative here

Thank you for helping metro Atlanta’s economic prosperity and quality of life.
The Atlanta Regional Commission is a member of the Get Georgia Moving coalition, which represents more than 50 groups, including Georgia and metro Atlanta businesses, government leaders, transit advocates, road builders and environmentalists, who gathered together to advocate for transportation funding solutions in the 2008 legislative session. The coalition supports a referendum-based effort to generate funding to relieve congestion, ensure our air quality and promote economic development.

*****Wreckless Driver Alert - Fulton Tag # AHS 7302!!!*******

Date: Tuesday / March 18th
Time: Approx: 6pm
Location: Bethany Road Between Mayfield & Providence.
Offense: A black Lexus 470 / Fulton Tag# AHS 7302 was seen driving in a wreckless manner going north on Bethany Road. The offending vehicle passed a north bound vehicle on a double yellow line (which means no passing!) in front of the Trotter's Ridge Subdivision. Witnesses state that they were driving about 40mph when the vehicle passed. It is estimated that speed driven by this individual is roughly 60mph. Driver continued north and turn right onto Bethany Way.

Please keep your eye out for this individual. He is taking the lives of all of our Milton residents for granted! This vehicle has been reported to the Milton Police dept.

Six Offers For Milton Running Back Williams

By Jeff Hood www.ajc.com

Milton tailback Toney Williams picked up his sixth scholarship offer on Friday when N.C. State gave the 6-foot-1, 230-pound junior an opportunity to play college football in Raleigh.
With a recruiting portfolio that already included offers from Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Rutgers and Tennessee, the Wolfpack might be considered a longshot at best to land the talented Williams, who is a native of the Volunteer state.

“He went to Georgia Tech last week and met with Coach [Paul] Johnson,” Milton coach **Scott Walker said. “He’s visited Tennessee and Kentucky and he’s going to Georgia on the 22nd [for junior day].

“N.C. State just offered him, but he’ll still try to make it up there for a visit.”
Several other programs have made inquiries on Williams, who possesses 4.6-second speed in the 40.

“I just sent film to Alabama last week,” Walker said. “And schools like Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt, Clemson and pretty much everybody in the ACC seems interested in him.”

Georgia has expressed interest in Williams. But with less than 15 scholarships available to the class of 2009, the Dogs may be hard pressed to find room for Williams.“I actually spoke with two of [Georgia’s] coaches about Toney,” Walker said. “If they recruit him, they’ll recruit him as an H-back or fullback type. I think they’ve got, or will have, five bon-a-fide blue chip tailbacks on campus."

“They told me they really like him, but it’s going to come down to their numbers.”
Williams, who will be a four-year letterman at Milton, has the flexibility to line up nearly anywhere in the offensive backfield.

“He’s exactly what he looks like,” Walker said. “Everybody is recruiting him because they think he can do a lot of things. “Georgia Tech is wanting him to play B-back, which is their fullback. Kentucky is recruiting him strictly as a tailback. Tennessee is recruiting him as both.
“He can be a big guy tailback. And he has great hands.”

Please Help Bring Miss Stella Home!

All:

One of our residents is missing a member of the family; their cat Stella. If folks could keep their eyes out for this little lady, we would really appreciate it! Stella's family lives off of New Providence Road. Please contact: Robin Shane at 404-797-4170 if you have seen Stella!

Thank you!

Am Staff.

Reminder Of Upcoming Meetings From Julie Zahner Bailey.

Dear Milton Friends, Neighbors and Citizens,

This is a friendly reminder regarding important upcoming meetings this week both in Milton and at our borders. Monday, March 17th Mayor and City Council meeting includes three requests for rezoning, some of which are requesting withdrawal. Please note while an applicant can request withdrawal once the case has been advertised the public hearing will be held.

Tuesday, March 18th at 7pm at the Canton City Hall in downtown Canton the Georgia State Environmental Protection Division, (EPD) is holding a public hearing on the proposed sewerage treatment plant north of Milton's borders. This public hearing is in response to hundreds of letters received from Cherokee residents and Milton citizens. As noted in earlier releases and as reported by the news this proposed plant would bring increased density, greater stormwater run off thereby negatively impacting the rural character of this region. As you may have read in the newspapers, Cherokee Water and Sewerage Authority has denied its intent to bring sewer service into Milton. Please remember that there is sewer service within a half-mile of Milton in Cherokee County. An earlier document from the Metro North Georgia Water Planning District also notes additional sewerage capacity coming from Cherokee to serve North Fulton for a regionalized approach. If you have not sent a letter expressing your opinion about this proposed sewerage treatment plan please do so. Your opinion still matters. Both letters and attendance at the EPD hearing are critical. A copy of the sample EPD letter for your reference may be found using this link.

Equally important you should have received your Milton Citizens Survey in the mail. It is critical that this survey be completed and mailed in by Friday, March 21st. I appreciate you taking the time to provide your opinion to the Mayor, City Council, Staff and the CPAC. This survey is vital to the Comprehensive Land Use Planning Update process.Also, on Wednesday, March 19th in Forsyth County, a Community Public Information Meeting is being held regarding a proposed development on the borders of Milton and Forsyth, near Bethany Bend Road and McGinnis Ferry. There is a proposal for 87+ acres at this location to become a continuous care facility. The Forsyth County Government Center is at 110 East Main St. Cumming, GA 30040.

Your direct involvement allows me to be even more effective on your behalf.

Julie Zahner Bailey
Milton City Council
770-664-5529 (h)
404-310-6344 (c)
Julie4Milton@mindspring.com

Pawz For A Cawz Preperation Breakfast Invitation

Corner Deli Alpharetta Breakfast

DATE: April 12th 2008
TIME: 8:00am
LOCATION:
10 Roswell St Ste 120Alpharetta, GA 30004Phone: (678) 566-0576
MORE: Please let me know of an alternate date if this date does not work as I would like to get the majority of us together well before this event to plan logistics, etc...
K9Royalty
670 Chantress Ct
Alpharetta, Georgia 30004

Spring Alive And Kicking In Milton, GA!

Many Thanks to Bill Bailey of Bailey Farm & Gardens for these wonderful spring pictures! Have some spring pics to share? Then send them to us at tenloe@magnoliamedias.com!

Member Opens Records On Milton City Council

By DOUG NURSE http://www.ajc.com/

It was one of the largest open records request ever received by the city clerk of Milton. Karen Thurman recently asked for, and received, months of e-mails involving City Council members. She said she simply wants to know what is going on in the city.

What makes this request so extraordinary? Thurman is a member of the City Council.

Saying she felt out of the loop, Thurman filed an open records request with the city for e-mails among city senior staff and other council members going back to Jan. 1."I know that this will be a significant number of e-mails but feel it is necessary for me to get a handle on what is happening within the city," she wrote in a Feb. 26 e-mail to the city clerk.

On March 7, the city provided her with 6,000 pages of e-mails on a computer disc, which she read over the next two days.She said her review confirmed instances where she and Councilman Bill Lusk had been left out of the loop by other council members. For example, she said she was caught flatfooted by the City Council's decision to move the meeting date from Thursdays to Mondays, which is a bad time for her. She said e-mails indicate that other council members were aware of the proposal.

Thurman said none of the issues where she was omitted was major, but she finds it disturbing, nonetheless."It's political," she said.Last year, Thurman and Lusk were often part of a bloc of four votes, but two of their allies were defeated in the fall election. Since the city was founded Dec. 1, 2006, it had been riven with political dissension, prompting the council last year to call an organizational psychologist to help them deal with conflict.

Amy Henderson, spokeswoman for the Georgia Municipal Association, said Thurman's open records request was an unusual move."It's rare for anybody to ask for city council e-mails, but it's even more uncommon when it's coming from a member of the City Council," Henderson said.

Thurman said the freedom of information act request was justified. She said that, sometimes, threads of discussions from City Manager Chris Lagerbloom and Mayor Joe Lockwood would be discussed online among council members — minus Thurman and Lusk. She said Lagerbloom and Lockwood probably weren't even aware it was going on."She gets the same e-mails that everyone else gets, at least from me," Lockwood said. "Everything that has to do with the decisions of the city, I send to everyone. Everyone is in the loop."

Lagerbloom said Thurman is being charged for the research but said doesn't know how much it will cost.Lusk said it's disconcerting to be excluded from discussions. Thurman shared some of the e-mails with him."If you're part of a team and it's time to go into a huddle and everyone gets asked except for two players, I don't know how you win, how to play when you've been marginalized," Lusk said. "It's frustrating."

Lusk said he might have voted differently on some things if had had the same information as everyone else, but he said he couldn't name any specifics off the top of his head."We're supposed to come together here since the city has been taken back," Lusk said, referring to campaign slogans last fall that said it was time to take back Milton.

Article On Sewer Plant In Cherokee

Many thanks to Patti Silva of Miltonville.com for bringing this to our attention.

Courtesy: Cherokee Ledger News Tom Brooks

A public hearing on an environmental permit sought for a proposed wastewater treatment facility that would serve northeastern Cherokee County is scheduled for March 18.
The plans for the Cherokee County Water and Sewerage Authority (CCWSA) plant has drawn opposition from area residents who say the facility would threaten water quality and lead to high-density development in rural areas of northeastern Cherokee and in the region.
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) has scheduled the public hearing for Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Canton City Hall, 151 Elizabeth St. in downtown Canton.

Tuesday’s public hearing is part of the regulatory process for the development of a draft permit known as the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Draft NPDES permits are presented to the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EDA) for review before state approval.

The CCWSA is seeking approval for a permit to allow for treatment of up to 8 million gallons of sewerage per day, with plans for the initial phase of the plant to have a capacity for 2 million gallons per day, said CCWSA Environmental Affairs Manager David Kubala.

Construction of the facility near the Coker’s Chapel Road water plant off East Cherokee Drive would take about one year to 18 months after the project is started, and the construction for the full capacity would be years later in the future, Kubala said.

The proposed plant has drawn opposition from residents of the city of Milton in northern Fulton County who have advocated for a “no sewer” policy to keep development at rural levels.
Milton City Councilwoman Julie Zahner Bailey stated in a Web blog last month that the proposed treatment plant would allow for the North Georgia Water Planning District’s long-term plan for “regionalization” of water treatment in the Etowah River Basin with a plant in Cherokee that would allow for service in neighboring Forsyth and Fulton counties.

“My position on the long standing no sewer policies for this unique area of the region has not changed,” she stated.“I believe these policies mean no sewer expansion regardless of the basin in which the parcels lie.”
Outcry over the proposed plant from Milton residents reportedly prompted the EPD to schedule the Canton hearing, which its official announcement states is to focus on water quality issues, and avoid land-use and other issues not part of the permit process.

Kubala said the plant is far beyond the service area for Milton and would require support of local officials in the city and Fulton County to conceivably lead to tie-ins with the city.
Opponents of the treatment plant are misinterpreting the “regionalization” language in the water planning district plan, Kubala said.“I know of no way currently that the city of Milton will be served by the Northeast Cherokee treatment plant,” Kubala said.

Northeastern Cherokee resident Linda Flory, an opponent of the treatment plant, said the treatment plant would pose a threat to water quality for the Etowah River and Lake Allatoona.
The long-term challenge of maintaining sewerage lines would eventually lead to failures similar to the city of Atlanta’s strained sewerage infrastructure, she said.

Flory, a board member of Cherokee Citizens for Responsible Growth, an organization that has opposed large housing developments in the county, said the treatment plant would lead to burdens on local infrastructure beyond sewerage as new growth of thousands of homes would ultimately follow its development.

“There has been widespread opposition from Cherokee County residents,” Flory said.
The treatment plant has been planned in recent years by the CCWSA to provide service for new development in northeastern Cherokee that has already garnered approval. Among the projects is a large housing development near the Etowah River, he added.
CCWSA officials are prepared for public input on the treatment plant project, Kubala said.
“We look forward to hearing what the public has to say,” Kubala said.

Kings Ridge Charity Notice.

Hello Mayor and Council,

On March 27th, King’s Ridge School is spear-heading a service project to fill a U-haul with food, clothing and other badly needed items to take to Rattle Snake Ridge, in southeastern Kentucky. Rattlesnake Ridge is home to Integrated Community Ministries http://www.ky-icm.org/home.html (ICM), a non-profit organization serving McCreary County, whose claim to fame is that is that it is one of the three poorest counties in Kentucky. Rattlesnake Ridge is a community within McCreary, home to those whose fathers and grandfathers worked the coal mines for script, lived on company own land and bought food from the company owned stores. The coal industry disappeared in the 1970’s…. leaving the people of McCreary County without jobs, without land, without money and without hope.

The problem with small, remote, communities like McCreary, which is the only county in Kentucky without an incorporated city, is that there are few if any social services. And because almost no one has much to give, there’s little in the way of local charity. The problems for the people on the Ridge are compounded by their isolationism. The western part of this county (where Rattlesnake Ridge is located) is uneffectionately known as No Man's Land. They are considered the poorest of the poor, physically separated from the rest of the county because they actually live on a mountain top, miles from, well everything. They are further removed due to their incredible poverty and inability to successfully interact within the schools and within the community. They are alone, and bitter in their uniqueness. Consequently, many kids drop out of school and return to the Ridge, running away from the daily ridicule and prejudice that confronts them in the “mainstream” county culture. What they return to is a life of immense need, drug addiction and generational poverty with no end in sight – and no hope.

I thought the timing may be perfect, to submit the following to you for consideration: Cities often adopt “sister” cities from other parts of the country or other parts of the world. Here we are, Milton, a shiny, brand spanking new city. Wouldn’t it be cool for one of the richest cities in the world to adopt one of the poorest…… It could change a lot of lives both in McCreary and in Milton.




There has been a local, grass roots effort going on for the past 7 years to help support ICM through a community outreach program right here in Milton and Alpharetta. The founders and drivers of the “Appalachian Christmas Project” are Eva Buckingham and Lisa Beharelle from White Columns. Here are Eva, Lisa and Lisa’s daughter Kelsey (center) pausing for a photo last November as Christmas gifts are loaded on to the FOUR (4) U-hauls headed for Kentucky. This is just one of several trips that take place every year up to Rattlesnake Ridge. It’s an amazing thing to see as dozens of neighbors from the community load the trucks on a Thursday night – and off they go…. The number of kids in McCreary County who now get to have a real Christmas has grown from 40 (6) years ago to now 344 this past December.

I urge you to please watch this video. Check it out first hand: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heGZqTj9zZY This is all going on right here in our community!! Like I mentioned, King’s Ridge is loading up a truck in a couple of weeks and it would be awesome to have your support and send along some good news from our great city, Milton, GA. I greatly appreciate your considering this idea.

Sincerely,

Bill and Tracy Schellhorn
225 Orchard Bend Trail
Alpharetta, GA 30004
770-751-8623

Atlanta, north Fulton at impasse over water

By D.L. BENNETT www.ajc.com

Legislators have failed to resolve a stalemate between Atlanta and Fulton County over the water supply for growing north Fulton.

The failure of HB 1145 late Tuesday leaves the two governments at odds over the allocation of the 90 million gallons of water produced each day from a plant the two own jointly in north Fulton County — and legislators fearing that the dispute could stop economic development north of Atlanta.

Fulton already is using its 45 million gallons per day, while Atlanta has excess capacity it wants to sell to the county at a wholesale rate of $1.10 per 1,000 gallons. Fulton, however, doesn't want to pay what Atlanta wants to charge.

Fulton officials would like to expand the plant to increase their capacity. But they cannot expand the plan without Atlanta's consent. And Atlanta will not agree to an expansion while it has water to sell.

"I don't think it's reached a crisis yet," said Angela Parker, director of public works for Fulton County. "But we certainly need to address it. If we were to get an agreement on some of their capacity, it seems they should get some return on their investment. The question is what's reasonable."

To get past the dispute, powerful lawmakers from north Fulton have been trying to give the local governments there an edge with legislation that would allow them to band together to form a joint water authority and produce their own drinking water. Last year, a local bill by state Sen. David Shafer (R-Duluth) died in the state House of Representatives because of opposition by Democratic lawmakers from Atlanta.

State Rep. Wendell Willard (R-Sandy Springs) and Speaker Pro Tem Mark Burkhalter (R-Alpharetta) came back this session with a statewide measure, House Bill 1145, that did not have to go through the local delegation.

It would allow local jurisdictions to create their own water and sewer authorities by resolution rather than coming to the General Assembly. However, it ran into its own problems Tuesday night, and Willard and Burkhalter pulled the bill before a vote.
Willard contends that Atlanta is "holding north Fulton hostage" and potentially blocking growth by trying to charge an exorbitant price for its water.

"It all boils down to fairness," Willard said. "Somehow, this has got to be resolved."
Atlanta officials say that Willard, Shafer and Burkhalter are being unfair.

"We are willing to let [Fulton] expand as long as they use our water first," said Rob Hunter, Atlanta's commissioner for watershed management. "I don't think we are being unreasonable in our request. It's a fair rate. No one's being gouged."

City leaders contend that the purpose of the bills is to give the authority the ability to seize Atlanta's share of the treatment plant and the pipe network it has invested millions in over the past century. The city's retail water network expands outside the city through Sandy Springs and much of south Fulton County.

"It could be a grab of our assets that the city has paid for for decades," said Megan Middleton, a lobbyist for the city of Atlanta. "That could put us behind on paying for the bonds on the consent decree."

The city has been so concerned about the bill that it has created a fact sheet on its potential negative impacts. And Mayor Shirley Franklin issued her own statement explaining why legislators should kill the bill.

"H.B. 1145 is bad news for the City of Atlanta," the mayor's statement reads. "It is a not-so-veiled attempt to allow the creation of a water authority that would have the power to take North Fulton water and sewer infrastructure that the City owns and its residents paid for."
Willard complained that Atlanta is either distorting or misreading his legislation and that no takeover is planned.

"There is no way we can condemn property owned by another government," he said.

Milton Subdivision Wants Street For Gate

By DOUG NURSE The Atlanta Journal-Constitution www.ajc.com

The streets of the 600-plus home Crooked Creek subdivision in Milton are being used as cut-through routes, and the residents are tired of it.

On Monday, members of the subdivision's homeowners association asked the City Council to give them back the streets so they can become a gated community.
The council seemed willing, but doing so might require some changes in current city policy. One of those, requiring approval from 100 percent of the residents, was inherited from Fulton County.

City Attorney Ken Jarrard said the County Commission probably set the standard high because of concern there could be an epidemic of groups all over the county wanting the commission to abandon streets and then saddling unwilling residents with the costs of maintaining the streets.
The council held off on committing to the change, but asked Jarrard to meet with the Crooked Creek attorney to explore various options.

****Paging Lorrie Desantis****

Todd Ashley is trying to reach Mrs. Lorrie Desantis. If you could please call Todd on his cell at 770 317 5273 that would be great. He has something of yours that you left at a recent Republican get together.

Milton Gardening Club

Organizational Meeting

The Milton Gardening Club is open to everyone in the city of Milton who is interested in or has a passion for gardening. All ability levels from novice to professional are welcome. Our focus will be on member education, philanthropy, and community outreach.
WHEN: March 20th 12:30 p.m. (First day of Spring!)
WHERE: Home of Sharon Murphy
1720 Windsor Cove
Highland Manor Subdivision,
Birmingham Road

RSVP: Luv2garden12@aol.com

New Poll Up!

A new poll is listed in the upper right of our news section. This month's survey ask:

If A Person Is Caught Speeding In Milton, Should Their Punishment Include Picking Up Litter In Our Open Road Neighborhoods?

Have your say in the upper right!

ARE YOU READY FOR MARCH MILTON MADNESS????

Then click HERE=>

http://miltonnights.wordpress.com/

Oxendine: Milton Owed, But Must Come Through Fulton

By DOUG NURSE The Atlanta Journal-Constitution http://www.ajc.com/

State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine says he has $900,000 that belongs to the city of Milton.

Milton, incorporated 15 months ago, is eager to have it.

But one stumbling block remains: Fulton County, the would-be middleman in the transaction, says it would be illegal to give Milton the cash. Fulton officials say they will be glad to take the money from Oxendine, but that they can't pass it along.

"That's not fair," Oxendine said. "It should be spent in Milton."Milton Mayor Joe Lockwood is trying to find a solution to the sticky problem."We've got our city attorneys working on it," Lockwood said. "It makes you realize the frustration people have with government. When it's so black and white, it's frustrating that people can't make a good decision and do the right thing."

The problem began last year when Milton officials missed a deadline to claim the tax money its residents paid on insurance premiums. The oversight came a month after Milton became a city, Dec. 1, 2006.

After the mistake became public in July, the City Council conducted 20 hours of closed-door sessions to discuss "personnel matters." A few days later, city manager Aaron Bovos resigned.
City officials have been pleading with Oxendine to help them recover the money. But Oxendine said he can't give it directly to Milton.

But he thinks he's found a loophole, which could allow him to get the funds to the city via Fulton County.

Oxendine contends that Milton's filing with his office in March 2007 was the first indication he had that the city officially existed. Hence, it could be argued that, as far as he's concerned, the city didn't exist on Jan. 1, the deadline to file paperwork allowing Milton to collect the money. So, in theory, a case could be made that the city didn't miss the deadline.

"I'm willing to pretend," Oxendine said. "It's a stretch, but I'm willing to do it to help. I can only do it for a brand new city."So, Oxendine says his office could send the money to Fulton County, which could make it available to Milton.

But there's a snag.Fulton County Commissioner Lynne Riley said the county attorney's office tells her that by law, Fulton County can only spend money in unincorporated parts of the county. So, if Oxendine did give Milton's money to Fulton County, it would have to be spent in south Fulton County, the only area of the county not incorporated."It's a legal issue, not a political one," she said. "The county's hands are tied by state law."

Milton had hoped for a legislative solution, but state Rep. Jan Jones (R-Milton) said she and the state Legislative Counsel's office researched whether there was any way to pass a law or tweak an old one to help Milton recoup the money, but to no avail."There is no legislative remedy that is constitutional," Jones said.

Oxendine said his lawyers tell him he can't rebate the money to the individuals who paid it. And even if he could, it's not practical because insurance companies pay it in a statewide lump sum.
All this makes Milton Councilwoman Tina D'Aversa a bit crazy.

"It was an administrative error," she said. "We were a new city. We're never going to be in that situation again. That money belongs to the people of Milton. This just exacerbates the error."

In March 2007, the city filed appropriate paperwork, which automatically renews itself annually.

Milton Residents Should Be Receiving The Lowdown On Their Latest Investment- The City Itself.

City of Milton delivers annual report to residents' doors

By DOUG NURSE www.ajc.com.

City officials are mailing copies of its 2007 annual report to about 9,000 households this week, and they have tried to make it user-friendly, said Lisa Maggart, city spokeswoman.

Rather than just produce a financial spreadsheet, city staff simplified the financial aspects to two pages with graphs, and included contact names and numbers, the history of the city, a map of the city and a 2008 calendar.

"We wanted something people could hang on their wall and put down things like soccer dates so it would be useful all year," Maggart said.

The 38-page mailing is chock-full of photographs of residents at various citywide events, she said. The report came later than city officials would have liked —two months of the calendar are already passed— but that's because of problems with a vendor and an unavoidable late start in putting it together, Maggart said.

The report lists the old City Council but that was deliberate, she said. Because this is the inaugural report, it made sense to have the inaugural City Council depicted, Maggart said. The annual report also is available at City Hall, 13000 Deerfield Parkway, and will be posted online today or tomorrow at

The cost of the $20,000 annual report was born by CH2M Hill-OMI, a private firm hired by the city to provide day-to-day services.

LaCrosse Tournament

The Vero Beach girls lacrosse team is competing in a tournament in Georgia on Saturday and will face Milton — Georgia's state champion the past three years — at 6 p.m.

To talk about it, click here=>

http://miltonlacrosse.wordpress.com/

Your Invited!

What: Neighborhood Open House for Crabapple Estates. Food, Drinks, arts and crafts for the kids and giveaways.
When: Saturday March 8, 2008 3:30 – 6:30pm
Where: Crabapple Estates. The neighborhood is located on Freemanville Road between Mayfield and Providence Roads in Milton , ½ mile north of Milton HS.
Who: Everyone

Description: Bring your whole family to the Neighborhood Open House for Crabapple Estates this Saturday March 8th between 3:30 – 6:30. Enjoy food, drinks and activities for the kids while touring the beautiful homes available in Crabapple Estates. Whether you are in the market for a new home or looking for updating ideas, come discover the rich details and understated elegance of each home in Crabapple Estates.

To Find out more about this wonderful Milton Neighborhood, please click here=>
http://www.accessmilton.com/Neighborhoods/CrabappleEstates.php

It's Time For Another

Stop the press and save the date! The next Milton Night...will be on Thursday, March 27th from 6pm to 10pm. Details for the location and event criteria will be disclosed in our newsletter scheduled for this upcoming Monday! We look forward to seeing you there!

Paging Miss Roxy...Come In Miss Roxy...

On behalf of everyone at Accessmilton.com, we would like to take a moment out of our day and wish Miltonian Roxy a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! So if you see Miss Roxy out and about, give her a big B-day hug and tell her ACCESSMILTON.COM sent you! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROXY!!!

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!

Milton County To See Rebirth?

North Fulton leaders advocating for a secession

By DOUG NURSE www.ajc.com

Poor and struggling, tiny Milton County embraced a novel solution to overcome the great Depression of the 1930s: Merge with Fulton County.The marriage, tying together a string of diverse communities stretching 70 miles, worked. Fulton — north and south — thrived.

Milton County Courthouse, seen in 1895, with men gathered on court day. Some in north Fulton want to resurrect Milton County.

But leaders from the old Milton region have a new message for Fulton: We want a divorce.
"Fulton County is too big to be responsive," said Sandy Springs City Councilman Rusty Paul. "You need a county big enough to get significant projects done, but still small enough to deliver personal services."

Roswell Mayor Jere Wood said a reconstituted Milton County is a popular idea with residents in the area.

"I believe if you had a referendum on it, 80 to 90 percent would support it," Wood said.
As envisioned, a newly re-formed Milton County would include Alpharetta, Roswell, Mountain Park and the recently formed cities of Sandy Springs, Milton and Johns Creek. Roswell, which was originally part of Cobb County, joined Fulton in 1932.

But the dream is a long way from reality. Re-creating Milton County would likely require an amendment to the state constitution because of an amendment that caps the number of counties at 159. There are practical obstacles as well as political ones, say officials on both sides of the issue.

Resurrecting Milton County may be on hold for this coming legislative session, said Rep. Jan Jones (R-Milton), one of the movement's primary backers. Jones said the General Assembly has plenty to do already, and state-funded studies on the topic probably won't be completed before the session ends in March.

The studies, under way by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia and the Fiscal Research Center at Georgia State University, are exploring the laws, the finances, and the mechanics of how Milton County would separate from Fulton County.
"It's complicated," Jones said. "Every time you peel back a layer there's another. They've found something like 35 to 40 laws that would be affected."
She said she believes it will be challenging but is feasible.

Speaker Pro Tem Mark Burkhalter (R-Johns Creek) has said he will push Milton County if the time seems right.

Other local officials, while acknowledging that residents of north Fulton might have legitimate concerns, don't believe divorce is the best solution.

"Creating a new county will be expensive and more complicated than most people think," said Fulton County Commission Chairman John Eaves. "I think the perception of Fulton County is different from the reality of Fulton County. We have good things going, and we have a strong economy. I say let's try to fix what we have and make it stronger rather than creating another government entity."

Frustration with Fulton County helped spur the creation of the new cities of Sandy Springs (2005), Milton (2006), and Johns Creek (2006) in the north and Chattahoochee Hill Country (2007) in the south.

But forming separate cities in north Fulton was only the first step envisioned by some residents.
"The saying was Johns Creek in '07 and Milton County in '09," said resident Mark Kopel. "The Fulton County Commission doesn't represent me. Milton County will offer a government that will take care of things and make sure taxes are spent where they need to be spent."
Many northsiders say Fulton County government is sluggish, bloated and doesn't share their priorities.

Paul, the Sandy Springs councilman, believes that sprawling Fulton County, with many factions requiring different kinds of services, is too big to be responsive and efficient. He says that while residents in the northern part of the county seek better roads, more parks, and lower taxes, residents in the southern part want more social services."Fulton County is unbelievably diverse," Paul said. "You can't reach a common vision about what needs to be done."

With the birth of the four new cities in the past few years, the population of unincorporated Fulton County has withered to about 40,000 people. But Milton County backers point out that while services they receive from Fulton have shrunk, their tax bills have not."They should be cutting our taxes quite a bit," said John Payne, a 51-year-old hotel developer from Alpharetta. "I think if you use services, you should pay for them; if you don't then you shouldn't pay for them."

Because the cities have taken over many of the services provided by Fulton County, Milton County would have to offer only a bare minimum of services.

"It's going to be a shell of a county," said Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker. "I believe Milton County will be able to operate with less tax money than Fulton County does."

But Fulton County Commissioner Emma Darnell said everyone would suffer in a divorce.
"The best way to approach it is to work together to solve these problems," Darnell said. "When I hear statements from some north Fulton politicians about Fulton County's poor performance — and there's no real evidence to support it — either they have no proof or there's some other reason. North Fulton is one of the most desirable places to live in the country. Fulton County built north Fulton. We've come too far to go back to the time of race and class divisions."

Miton, Alpharetta High Bands To Perform At Amphitheater

Courtesy Appen Newspapers / www.northfulton.com

Members of Alpharetta and Milton's high school bands will join the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for a performance of "Seventy-Six Trombones" in the opening celebration of the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park on Saturday, May 10.

The 320 high school students will perform the song with the ASO at the close of the first half of the concert, which is the inaugural concert at the new venue being built on Encore Parkway just west of Westside Parkway near Ga. 400 in Alpharetta.The concert will be led by Music Director Robert Spano, featuring the Marcus Roberts Trio performing Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, plus the final movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, "Ode to Joy" with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Also on the program are great Broadway works by Bernstein and Rodgers and Hammerstein. Soloists will be Christine Brewer, Elizabeth Bishop, Vinson Cole and Gordon Hawkins.Just two weeks later, some of those same students are likely to be on stage once again, but this time to graduate.

The Alpharetta High School Class of 2008 will hold its graduation at the amphitheatre Saturday, May 24.The ASO continues its six decades of community concerts with a free ASO Connects performance Thursday, Aug. 14 at the amphitheatre. In recent years, the ASO had scheduled this performance at the Wills Park Equestrian Center's covered arena. Assistant Conductor and League of American Orchestras Conducting Fellow Mei-Ann Chen will lead the orchestra"Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park exemplifies the Orchestra's overall mission as a performer, presenter, and educator" said Atlanta Symphony Orchestra President and Managing Director Allison Vulgamore. "We embrace this opportunity to extend our footprint into North Fulton County, expanding our audience through this new venue with classical performances, popular concerts, and community, educational, and family events."

"We are thrilled to align with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to play a key role in the building of this new, first-class, outdoor entertainment venue in the North Atlanta area," said Jeff Mango, president – Georgia/Alabama Region for Verizon Wireless. "With over 2,000 employees in the general vicinity of the amphitheater, it's a great location for us and we look forward to our growing presence in the community."

Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park will feature concerts with the ASO, leading popular presentations, as well as an emphasis on community events – including high school graduations, local fund-raising events, and collaborations to create family-themed days, high school music concerts and competitions.

In addition to the May 10 opening, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will perform eight other concerts in the summer of 2008, most of which will be led by Music Director Robert Spano:Saturday, June 28, 8 p.m.: An all-Beethoven evening with Spano;Friday, July 4, 8 p.m.: An Independence Day concert featuring works by Copland, Bernstein, Christopher Theofanidis, Tchaikovsky, and Sousa with Spano;Saturday, July 12, 8 p.m.: An all-Tchaikovsky concert with violinist Robert McDuffie and Spano;Tuesday, July 22: A semi-staged performance of Puccini's La Bohème with Mr. Spano and sopranos Norah Amsellem and Georgia Jarman, tenor Marcus Haddock, baritones Fabio Capitanucci and Christopher Schaldenbrand, and basses Denis Sendov and Kevin Glavin — the same cast featured on the ASO's upcoming recording of the opera, which will be released by Telarc in advance of this concert;Friday, Aug. 8, 8 p.m.: A performance of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 with Garrick Ohlsson and Spano;Family eventsSaturday, Aug. 2, 8 p.m.: An evening with Julie Andrews;Saturday, Aug. 16, 8 p.m.: A musical evening featuring Turner Classic movies led by Richard Kauffman.

Break Ins In Milton

We received the following from a great Miltonian last night. Please keep an eye out for you and your neighbors!

I wanted to let you know what happened here last night/this morning.

We, here is the Hermitage, had 3 (possibly more) homes broken into around 5:30am this morning. The one victim/neighbor I have spoken with said that the burglars “preyed a garage window open, lifted the blind and pulled the emergency cord on the garage door and put it part way up”. They entered the house through the unlocked door to the house and the alarm went off, but before they ran they were able to grab a purse off of the kitchen island and take a bicycle from the garage. After daylight, the bicycle and the wallet that was inside the purse (with only about $6 missing) were found outside the pool fence. The purse, checkbook and cell phone are the only things missing.

What makes this particularly disturbing to me is that this home had 2 cars in the garage and 3 cars in the driveway. There is no way they thought there was no one home – they just didn’t care. Very bold and scary.

City Of Mountain Park Runs On Residents Volunteer Labor

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a wonderful article about Mountain Park, GA. It is impressive to see what this little city can do on a shoe string budget. One has to wonder if our residents can learn something here to keep our Milton "unique."

- Tim Enloe; Accessmilton.com

By MARCUS K. GARNER http://www.ajc.com/

The city of Mountain Park has learned to be creative. It doesn't have much choice.

How else could a city meet the needs of 540-or-so residents with the funds for only one full-time employee?

The novel solution: Get people to work for free.Don't laugh. The tiny town in the northwest corner of Fulton County has managed to keep afloat with the help of one crucial element —volunteers."We couldn't function any other way," 10-year resident Steve Goldsmith said. "We don't have the budget."

Picking up litter. Surveying roads for repairs. Cleaning and maintaining the town pool. Fighting fires. Repairing homes. Building bridges. Working on dams."I didn't realize how unique we were until I visited with [Johns Creek] Mayor Mike Bodker," newly seated Mayor Jim Still said.

With no commercial tax revenue, and only four city employees —a full-time clerk and three part-timers— residents take on many important tasks done by public employees elsewhere.
"It's a sense of accomplishment," said Gladney Cooper. "And it comes back to you."

In her 15 years living in Mountain Park, Cooper has volunteered as an administrative aide in City Hall, with the Mountain Park Volunteer Fire Department and with the Civic Club.
The level of volunteerism in Mountain Park helps set it apart from its Metro Atlanta neighbors.
"You probably see this a lot less frequently in the Metro area, " said Amy Henderson, spokeswoman for the Georgia Municipal Association."A lot of small towns often have more opportunity to contract with the county to provide some services."

City councilman Frank Baia compared the spirit of cooperation in the town to living in a community in the North Georgia Mountains."Helping out when you're needed in most small towns usually comes from isolation," Baia said. "This comes from tradition."

'It's just what you do'

A day after heavy rains pummeled north Fulton County earlier this month, James Dame and Matthew Cox climbed onto the roof of one of the homes in town.The two, both members of the city's all-volunteer fire department, are part of a half dozen emergency responders dispatched that afternoon to patch a resident's leaky roof."Ben, don't walk backwards when you're on a roof," Fire Chief Jon Reeves shouted from the ground below.

The pair gingerly moved around the roof looking for soft spots that could be giving way to water. Then they put down canvas tarps, held down by sand bags, until professional roofers could make permanent repairs.Volunteer firefighters provide all of the emergency services, and then some.
"We get calls for all kind of things most larger departments wouldn't respond to," Reeves said, referring to the make-shift patch job underway. "We're lucky we're able to do this. If somebody needs us, we're going to help, however we can."

Mountain Park has the only all-volunteer fire department in the Metro area.
The tiny enclave is surrounded on three sides by Roswell to the east, and Cobb and Cherokee counties to the west, and has either automatic-aid or mutual-aid agreements with those nearby communities.

Aside from just giving their time, the members also pitched in to renovate the small firehouse. And they ponied up dollars to purchase an ambulance and an ATV.Karla Reeves, fire department lieutenant and Jon Reeves' wife, said no one hesitates to give of themselves.
"It's just what you do when you live here," she said.

Labor begets more labor

According to a report from the U.S. Labor Department., more than 26 percent of people in the nation volunteered in some capacity between September 2006 and September 2007.
Tallying Mountain Park's volunteer efforts isn't as precise, however."None of us keeps track," said Trish Hill, who built the city's Web site, http://www.mountainpark-ga.gov/."We just do what we do."

A non-scientific survey of residents found that most commit to at least 10 hours of volunteer work in a month. Many in the core of leadership, about 30 or so, can spend that much time in a week doing city work.

Jeffrey Johnson is with the Mountain Park Improvement Club, a loose collection of handymen and "hammer jockeys" who volunteer to build and refurbish many of the town's recreational structures.

After the core group devises plans —Johnson is an architect who donates work he would normally charge $75 an hour to do— they solicit help for the jobs.
"We try to bite off chunks of the work over a weekend," he said. "And we use that project to get people excited about the next one."

A recent solicitation on the city's Web site called for volunteers to serve as walk-abouts, surveying the streets and terrain in the city."We had about 18 or 19 people show up last spring, and we used GPS devices to map more than half the city," said Rock Heindel, who organized the project. "We had fun doing it, and I expect the call to go out soon to finish the job."
Johnson admits that sometimes volunteers need a bit more of a nudge to get involved.
"You have to just call people and ask them directly for help," he said.

Mayor Still said to ease the process of finding the best workers for a given job, he is building a database of residents' skills, talents and likes."That way we can better direct the interaction between us and the citizens when we need to get a task done," he said.

Gladney Cooper said that ultimately, the close bond residents share with one another in the small community spurs most to lend a hand when the city calls for help.
"We're neighbors and friends," she said. "You get a great sense of satisfaction, because you know the people on the receiving end."

2 Die After Collision In Barrow.

NOTE: From time to time, we shall be posting stories that while not being directly about Milton, Georgia, they are still applicable. The majority of Milton residents DO NOT live in subdivisions; they live on old country roads, commonly refered to as "Open Road Neighborhoods." It is no secret that many of our own residents as well as those outside our borders drive well above the posted speed limits. While our officers have worked hard to fix this problem, they cannot do it alone. I encourage each and every Miltonian to extend their neighbor a hand and drive within our posted speed limits. We all drive these roads and we are all impacted by the other. Remember, your loved ones depend on you!

- Tim Enloe / Accessmilton.com

Wondering how many feet you need to come to a complete stop when driving 45mph? Click here ->http://www.csgnetwork.com/stopdistcalc.html

By Associated Press / Published On: 03/03/08

WINDER — Authorities are investigating a collision that left two people dead in Barrow County.
A Braselton Police officer began following a Chevy Camaro just before 10 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of Georgia highways 211 and 124 when the officer clocked the car traveling at 100 miles an hour in a 55-mile-per hour zone.

Braselton Assistant Police Chief Lou Solis says the driver of the car began passing other cars on the left. He says the officer slowed down because the car was traveling so fast and was about to radio in when the Camaro hit a Dodge Neon head-on at an intersection of Georgia 211 in Barrow County.

The drivers of both cars were pronounced dead at the scene. Three other people were injured.
Authorities have not released the names of the people killed.

The Georgia State Patrol is helping the Braselton Police Department investigate the crash.

Milton To Issue Comprehensive Plan Citizen Survey

City asks for citizen input as it charts a path for Milton's future

MILTON, Ga., February 29, 2008 -- The City of Milton's Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee (CPAC) is pleased to announce the distribution of a survey questionnaire that will be mailed on February 28th to households and businesses within the new City's jurisdiction. It is anticipated that the survey will be disseminated to more than 12,000 addresses around the City of Milton.

The City of Milton survey questionnaire is a critical component of the Community Participation Plan phase in the development of the City's first Comprehensive Plan. Input received from residents and the business community will help shape community-based priorities as we plan for Milton's future.

The survey is comprised of 10 demographic questions and 36 Milton-specific questions related to development trends, transportation, funding priorities and community services. The brief questionnaire is designed to take approximately five minutes to complete. Members of CPAC developed the survey instrument to address concerns within the City of Milton that have been vocalized by the public at-large as critical issues in developing a strong foundation for the new city. Adequate response is very important for successful planning of the City's future.

The CPAC asks that citizens return the questionnaire in the postage-paid envelope provided, postmarked no later than March 21, so that results can be compiled by the consultants for the Milton Comprehensive Plan. The CPAC will have a prize drawing no later than March 31 for those who submitted a completed survey questionnaire by the deadline. More than 100 prizes and gift certificates have been graciously donated by Milton- area businesses for the sponsored drawing, creating a significant opportunity for residents to win a prize. The winning ticket number will be posted on the City of Milton website.

Mayor Joe Lockwood, the Milton City Council and members of CPAC are excited to be involved in this history-making initiative to craft the first Comprehensive Plan for the City of Milton, and encourage all of residents and businesses owners to voice their opinion on what the City's priorities should be for the next 20 years.

Incorporated on December 1, 2006, the City of Milton is a distinctive community that embraces small-town life and heritage while preserving and enhancing the city's rural character. The City of Milton is committed to maintaining the unique quality of life for its constituents while efficiently delivering essential services to residents and businesses in an interactive community environment. For more information, visit www.cityofmiltonga.org

Fowler Looking To Future

Outfielder eager to improve, find place with team

By Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News
Originally published 12:45 a.m., March 1, 2008Updated 02:03 a.m., March 1, 2008

Ubaldo Jimenez pitched two innings against the Mexican National All-Stars, allowing no runs and striking out two.

Dexter Fowler could eventually become the Rockies' tribute to Larry Walker.
In the dark days of the franchise, when the Rockies were unloading salary and talking about building a foundation with an emphasis on developing their own talent, the skeptics moaned about the lack of commitment to winning.

Now, the fans are starting realize that it wasn't all corporate speak. There was a method to what at the time seemed like management madness.

For instant gratification, there was last year's late-season surge that resulted in the first National League pennant in franchise history. The key to the plan the Rockies have undertaken isn't last year or this year, though, but the next decade, and that's where the Dexter Fowlers of the world fit in.

Fowler came out of Milton High School in Alpharetta, Ga., back in June 2004 with a list of options that included playing basketball at Harvard or baseball at the University of Miami, Fla., or signing with the Rockies, who gambled and selected him in the 14th round of the baseball draft.

Fowler was, after all, considered a first- or second-round-
caliber prospect. When he didn't go early in the draft, teams shied away because they knew with his options he wasn't going to sign cheap.The gamble paid off for the Rockies, but it took awhile.

Fowler had packed his bags for college. He was three days away from heading to Miami when the Rockies finally agreed to a $925,000 signing bonus and got his name on a contract - 11 days after the Aug. 6, 2004, trade of Walker to St. Louis. The timing was no coincidence. Money saved on Walker's salary for the final two months of that season was allotted for scouting director Bill Schmidt to sign Fowler.

This spring, the Rockies, major league staff and spring training fans are getting an early glimpse of the evolution of the 6-foot-4, 175-pound center fielder with star potential.

He has yet to play a professional game above the Single-A level, but after a cursory look last spring - four at-bats in six games - he has been given significant playing time in the first three days of this exhibition season. That included starting and hitting leadoff in the Rockies' 15-2 victory against the Mexican Nationals team at Hi Corbett Field on Friday.

"I remember watching him on Field 3 (of the minor league complex) in the Instructional League (in 2004) drop three flyballs," manager Clint Hurdle said. "He was just a kid out of high school, learning how to switch-hit. He's starting to put a list of credentials together."

After coming off the bench to go 2-for-2 with three RBI in the Rockies exhibition opener Wednesday, and grounding into a double play and drawing a walk in a bench role Thursday, Fowler provided an early spark for the Rockies on Friday.

He doubled to drive in a run and scored a run in the three-run second that gave the Rockies a 5-0 lead, then he singled, stole a base and scored a run in the fourth. He also showed an ability to glide across the outfield that Hurdle admitted brought back memories of a young Willie Wilson.
There are no unrealistic dreams on Fowler's part. He's headed for Double-A Tulsa when the season opens, the next step in his progression to the big leagues. But he is soaking up every minute of major league camp.

"I'm blessed to get this chance," Fowler said. "It's all a learning experience. Each day things go on and I become aware of different aspects of the game."

Fowler does pay attention. And he does have motivation to be a success in baseball.
That was evident his senior year in high school. Despite contacts from major universities, including Harvard, about playing basketball in college, he gave up the sport to concentrate on baseball.

"I wanted to take my game to the next level," Fowler said.And when he signed in pro ball, despite his high stature, he quickly adjusted to suggestions the Rockies made, including accepting the idea of switch-hitting that first summer with rookie-Casper.

"The important thing was that Dexter dedicated himself to learning how to do it," said P.J. Carey, who was the manager in Casper that year but is now the minor league coordinator with the Dodgers. "It's not easy. You're in pro ball. You want to do well and you are asked to make a drastic change in your game.

"It's a credit to him that not only did he stick to it, but he has had success."
For Fowler, it was a no-brainer.

"I trust (the Rockies)," he said. "They know better than I do. They've been around the game a long time. I'm just going out and trying to play the game. They just want to help me get better."

So far, the approach has worked just fine.