Milton And Alpharetta Help Citizen In Need

Press Release - City of Milton

Two Cities Work Together for a Good Cause

MILTON, Ga., August 8, 2008- This past April, Milton resident Olga Espinola, who is legally blind, contacted Milton's Public Works Department regarding a sidewalk issue on Windward Parkway that impeded her from normal access to various stores. Espinola was having difficulty walking to and from Kroger on Hwy. 9 because of a gap in the sidewalk. The City of Milton and the City of Alpharetta came together to solve this problem by installing a granite dust path on Windward Parkway between the two pieces of sidewalk.

Roddy Motes, Milton's Public Works Manager, began working to get this issue resolved with Earl Chatham of the City of Alpharetta because the area of sidewalk that needed installation was in Alpharetta City limits. After helping coordinate the installation, the Alpharetta Public Works department approved the repair and filled in the missing sidewalk in July with granite dust rather than concrete. The idea of a granite dust path instead of a traditional cement sidewalk saved Alpharetta both time and money, making the solution a "win-win" for the City and for Espinola.

"Since the path was installed, I've cut my commute time in half," said Espinola, who has been a tax-paying citizen and a property owner in Milton for over a year. "This path meets my needs and follows the desire of Milton citizens to keep the City from becoming a concrete jungle."

This is just one example of how neighboring cities work together every day for their citizens. "It is a great feeling to see that Milton and Alpharetta are able to come together and work on the small issues and build on a partnership to solve even bigger ones," said Motes.

Espinola has been an active member of the Milton Disability Awareness Committee since January of this year and is grateful to both Milton and Alpharetta for their speedy service. "This is an outstanding solution that will probably even work in many cases for smaller wheelchairs and definitely will work for bicyclists as well as pedestrians," exclaimed Espinola in a letter of thanks sent to City of Milton employees.

Espinola continues to rally on behalf of other Milton citizens with disabilities. The next project for Milton and Alpharetta is to install four Pedestrian Push-Button Stations that will assist Espinola and other citizens in crossing several busy roads in the communities. These stations will beep on either side of the road when it is safe to cross.