Milton looks ahead to 2014.

Courtesy The Milton Herald

by Mayor Joe lockwood / December 27, 2013

It's hard to believe 2014 is here. But I guess time flies when you're working as hard as Milton is at building the future of our great city. The coming year is going to be huge for us, and today I want to tell you about some of the great things you can expect from this city.

1. Bell Memorial Park Expansion: Here we go folks! This spring the City of Milton will begin its first park expansion project to more than double the size of Bell Memorial Park. During the roughly year-long project, crews will add two rectangular (football/lacrosse/soccer) fields and a host of beautiful amenities to develop Bell Memorial into a true gem for the City of Milton.

We have a wealth of information at the city's Web site about exactly what's going into the park, so I encourage you all to visit and take a look.

2. City Hall: Milton is moving forward with a City Hall. We're in the process of investigating prime real estate in historic downtown Crabapple, and on that land we'll build a City Hall that respects the history and architecture of the area. While City Hall isn't projected to open until 2017, this is an exciting step toward establishing not only Crabapple as the city's base of operations, but our place in the community as a whole. Plus, it's more fiscally responsible because we'll own instead of rent – and the debt payments are nearly cancelled out by the end of lease payments.

3. Addressing growth: At City Hall we are well aware of the unprecedented growth Milton is seeing in our residential sector, and we are hard at work on policies and plans to address our residents' concerns it's changing the character of our town.

In 2014 you'll see us take serious steps toward protecting our rural character. I can't get too specific right now, but trust me when I tell you we've been weighing all our options. When we're able to go public with our package of solutions, you'll see we're serious about protecting what makes Milton so special.

Well, that's all the space they'll give me. But, I want to make sure that each and every one of you to know that Milton's City Hall is your city hall. This staff is your staff. We're here to serve you. Don't ever hesitate to contact us or a staff member to find the information you need.

Here's looking to a great 2014!