What a busy August.

Sometimes, it seems like there isn’t a day at City hall where there’s something new and exciting going on. Take a look at this month’s newsletter. August is a big month for Milton, and there’s a lot happening in the next 31 days. So I’m just going to jump into everything happening and let you know what to expect:

Cogburn Road bridge: First off, on Aug. 3 at 4 p.m., we will officially open the Cogburn Road Bridge for motorists. It’s been closed since May, and I know the detour has been a pain. But I think you’ll all be pleased with the end result – a well-built, spacious bridge complete with sidewalks and tie-ins to our future trail system.

And, I‘m happy to report, the project happened on time and on budget, even with the huge amount of rain we had during construction. A big thanks goes out to our Public Works Department and Hitson Construction for a job well done.

“Puss in Boots:” The very next day, we finish up our summer movie series with the family hit “Puss in Boots.” As with the other films in the series, the festivities start at 7:30 and the movie is shown at dusk at Northwestern Middle School. I hope to see you there.

National Night Out: On Tuesday, Aug. 7, from 6 to 9 p.m. Milton’s police and fire departments are partnering with our friends in Alpharetta’s Public Safety Department for National Night Out 2012 at the Wills Park Equestrian Center. It’s a fun evening full of free food and exciting displays of public safety tactics and training. For any boys and girls who want to fight fires or go into law enforcement, it promises to be something they won’t soon forget.

“Pet Trick Day”: Pet Trick Day, which will take place Aug. 11 in Crabapple, is funded by the community building program Better Together’s mini-grants. It’s organized by Thomas Eller, who, along with his brother Zack, runs Woof ‘Em Down Dog Biscuits. You’ve probably seen them at local events selling the treats for charity. All I can say is that I’m glad upstanding young men like them live in our community to show the rest of us what’s possible if you care and dream.

The event is aimed at connecting pet lovers across Milton in the most fun way possible. Be sure to stop by and get to know your neighbors!

Community wildlife habitat meeting and tree workshop: We’re going strong in our efforts to become a National Wildlife Federation-certified community, and you can help us. Just attend the meeting Aug. 15 (followed by a tree care workshop for you greenthumbs) and you, too, could have a wildlife habitat right in your backyard.

Go through the rest of the newsletter, and you’ll see where we’ve tapped longtime parks advocate Jim Cregge to lead our parks department in the interim (not to mention the slew of fall sports and programs we’re launching this year), when firefighters will be out collecting in an attempt to smash their 2011 MDA Boot Drive total, and how you can dispose of tough-to-recycle items at City Hall.

Like I said, it’s busy. There’s something for everyone here in Milton. So let’s all take part and make this the best community in the nation.

And one last thing -- let’s all give a big welcome to the brand new Cambridge High School, which opens Aug. 13 (and check out the article on their "Midnight Growl"). What a beautiful addition to our community. It’s been exciting to see it spring up from that field at the corner of Cogburn Road and Bethany Bend. Now that it’s finally here, I know legions of residents and students chomping at the bit to make it their own while welcoming the rest of us to their new family.

Sincerely,
Mayor Joe Lockwood