Summertime is here.

Though it doesn’t officially start on the calendar until June 21, everyone around these parts knows summer began in Milton at about 3:30 p.m. on Friday, May 27 when all the kids came streaming out of school, smiles on their faces. And I, for one, couldn’t be happier, because this summer Milton is really going to shine.

This year, we’re offering summer camps for our local youth starting June 6 – Camp Bethwell at the newly renovated Bethwell Community Center and Camp Joyful Soles at Hopewell Middle School. We’re very excited to be able to offer parents these low cost options for summer fun right in their back yard. We’re also launching a free summer concert series at Birmingham Park, and the first date is June 17 – the Friday before Father’s Day. Please come out, bring a blanket and a picnic, and meet your neighbors for some music under a beautiful evening sky.

I feel these programs, along with our basketball summer league and camps, fitness camps, and options for fall sports, represent a huge leap forward in the types and quality of service folks up here are used to within the boundaries of their city. We’ve come a long way in just four short years of planning for a full scale recreation department, and the future is looking very bright.

But summer is about family (and friends) time, as well. We’ve got a beach trip lined up, plans to ride dirt bikes in the mountains, and plenty of opportunities for good, old-fashioned cookouts by the pool.

Sure –there will be some work, too. In addition to our normal schedule of meetings, the Milton City Council, along with several members of our senior staff, are headed to Savannah for the annual Georgia Municipal Association conference in just a few short weeks. This is an excellent opportunity to meet with elected officials and staff from across the state and swap stories and ideas. We always come out of this conference energized and ready to take on new challenges in City Hall, and it’s something we all look forward to every year – even though Savannah in June can get a bit sweltering.

Well, I know you’re itching to get outside and enjoy this summer, so I won’t keep you any longer. But please feel free to contact us or stop by City Hall anytime and let us know how we’re doing. We’d love to hear from you.

Sincerely,
Mayor Joe Lockwood for Accessmilton.com