Jamaican-Born Missionary Celebrates 100th In Milton.

Jamaican-born missionary and evangelist, Elsada Duncan, celebrated her 100th birthday on January 15 in the City of Milton/Alpharetta, an upscale suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.
Miss Duncan was born in Brainerd, St. Mary, on January 15, 1908 to local farmers, Charles and Grace-Ann Pinnock-Duncan. The seventh child of 13, she has outlived all her siblings.
Still sharp and witty, she told JIS News that when she was growing up she was very interested in educating herself, so she could help to take care of her younger siblings.

She began her schooling at the age of eight, but financial constraints meant she could not continue beyond age 15. However, undeterred by circumstances, her sense of ambition led her to learn a skill that would be her ticket out of her countryside village and into the city of Kingston.

In Kingston, she immediately joined a church and at age 17 gave her life to Christ and has not looked back since. She took up dressmaking and, true to her personality, gave it her all.
She supported herself, one of her nieces whom she adopted, her daughter, Norma McLaughlin, who was born in June1940, and two years later, adopted her niece's son. As a single mother living in Kingston, Elsie found it challenging raising a young adult and two children, while juggling a career at a busy manufacturing company. This, she said, led her to go into her own business, so that she could have more time for her family and "her God."

Miss Duncan and her children were active members of their church, Bethel Apostolic, in Jones Town. They would later join the Church of Jesus Christ -Apostolic, at 3 Oakland Road in Kingston, where she was appointed an Evangelist.

Migrating to the United States with her family in the early 1990s, Miss Duncan first settled in Stamford, Connecticut, then moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1995.

At 100 years old, she still maintains great health, and continues her evangelical work. She can be seen in the local shopping mall, grocery store or restaurant asking passers-by if they know the Lord or whether they would need prayer for anything. She attributes her long life to a strong faith in God, often proclaiming, "God preserves me."

Her biggest concern for people today is that they don't take proper care of themselves. They don't know how to "put on dem clothes properly," she said, and they don't take enough time to rest. This centenarian uses a walker to get around, but she is quick to point out that it's not because she's old, "but because of a broken hip in 1997 and a broken ankle in 1980." You will never hear her say that she's 100 years-old, instead she announces her age with a hearty, "I'm 100 years young."

To commemorate this milestone birthday, several events were planned for her. There was a visit to her great-grandson, Luke Hall's kindergarten class at Cogburn Woods Elementary School in Milton, Georgia, on January 23, and a personal visit to her home by the Mayor of the City of Milton/Alpharetta, Georgia, Joe Lockwood, on January 27.

The events will culminate with Thanksgiving celebration at her home on Saturday, March 15.

Courtesy http://www.jis.gov.jm

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Council Meetings Now On Mondays.

Monday, February 4th, 2008 was the first Milton City Council meeting to be held at a new time and day. After discussion in January, it was decided that Mondays at 6pm worked better
for the city staff and the majority of the council.

Representative Jan Jones Update.

Friends and Neighbors-

I knew when a friend asked if she had dropped off my email list that I needed to make time to write. I allowed the gearing up for session - and session itself - to consume me, especially with competing, substantive and, yes, divisive issues on the table this year.

I have working on the state budget (my assigned primary responsibility), tax reform (as a member of the Ways and Means subcommittee reviewing the proposals) and a couple of bills I am personally championing.

My primary efforts this session will be:

- meaningful education reform;
- eliminating a $140 million shortfall in the state Education budget;
- tax reform that includes a tax cut;
- passing HB 1015, which I authored, to transfer remaining county tax dollars paid by previously unincorporated citizens to their respective new cities (including annexed residents). It would shift frozen dollars from Fulton County to Milton, Johns Creek, Roswell and Alpharetta;
- supporting HB 975, which Rep. Mark Burkhalter authored, to prevent a county from backdating billboard permits after an area is incorporated or annexed (and directly affect Milton, Johns Creek, Sandy Springs and Alpharetta).

Additional significant issues are on the table this session - reducing traffic congestion (several alternatives, including one by Rep. Chuck Martin), shoring up trauma care statewide, including Grady Hospital (including proposals by Rep. Harry Geisinger and Sen. David Shafer), and water planning (a bill passed last week) and many others.

MILTON COUNTY

After months working with the University of Georgia and Georgia State University on a $400,000 study on re-creating Milton County, more remains to be done. The entire north Fulton legislative delegation and Rep. Mark Burkhalter in particular are eager to take a constitutional amendment forward. It's not a matter of if, but rather when.

If we have sufficient data and believe we have the 2/3 vote in both the House and Senate this year, you can be sure HR 12, which I authored last year, will move forward. The constitutional amendment would enable the re-creation of previously-merged counties. If not this year, we'll finish the exhaustive study and then move forward. Fulton County is too big, too dysfunctional and too expensive for its citizens. With 10 percent of Georgia's population, it needs to be cut down to size to qualify as real local government.

EDUCATION

I'll say a few words about HB 881, which I have been working on for nearly a year. It passed the House last week with a resounding 120-48 bi-partisan vote, a rarity for substantive education reform. In a show of support, 89 percent of Republicans and 42 percent of Democrats joined together to give the bill a constitutional majority.

In my sixth year in the legislature and serving on the Education Committee, I have learned, and been frustrated by, how difficult it is to make measurable progress for Georgia's students. But improving public education will change more lives and spur more economic development than most any other aspect of state public policy. Much has been accomplished in the past 5 years to increase the graduation rate by 10 percentage points, but more remains to be done.

HB 881 is by no means a panacea for a 73 percent graduation rate and 48th national ranking on standardized tests and the SAT. But it is a sturdy effort to put more decision-making into parents hands, particularly when the public school to which their child is assigned does not meet his or her needs. It would result in more public charter schools, which are public schools of choice. You can't get more accountable than schools that shut down if parents don't send their children, or the schools don't meet high objective achievement standards.

Public charter schools offer alternatives to super-sized schools where some students get lost, homogenous one-size-fits-all schools for students that require specialized settings to excel and failing schools that serve almost no one well. Other states and industrialized countries are ahead of Georgia in this regard.

Nothing less than bold and significant change will transform public education. And I am committed to giving more local control to parents, in addition to other education initiatives, including merit pay for teachers and increased decision-making at the school-level.

As always, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to bring about real change for a better Georgia. It is a privilege I take seriously and hold with reverence.

Best -

Jan Jones
State Representative - District 46
(Serving northwest Fulton, including Roswell, Milton, Alpharetta and Mountain Park)

Milton Discusses Appointee Policy

NOTE: Please share your thoughts on the article below. Who do you agree with; Paul Moore or Bill Lusk?

by Jason Wright / http://www.northfulton.com/ / Appen Newspapers

Can an appointed city representative criticize Milton, its staff or City Council in a public setting?

That was the question before Milton's elected officials Jan. 17 during council's work session.

The discussion came about as a result of comments made by Planning Commission Chairman Paul Moore at the Dec. 13 council meeting, a situation that prompted councilwoman Karen Thurman to say it is "an embarrassment to tell people you're on the Milton City Council" because of similar events and all the bad press they have garnered.

That night Moore spoke against the possible abandonment of Black Oak Road, which had been deferred from the previous week's meeting. The item was removed from the night's agenda before Moore's comment.

Moore questioned Councilman Bill Lusk's qualifications as an engineer in assessing the effects of erosion on the road in the previous meeting. He also mentioned Thurman and Neal O'Brien in his comments, saying they and Lusk were reacting to issues of liability "like chicken little was standing before you ... the sky is falling."He was joined in his opinion by a few other citizens, most notably Leon Cole Jr., who brought an ethics complaint against O'Brien and Lusk that ultimately was dismissed.Cole questioned the lack of "due process" in bringing the matter before council.

Moore, who ran for council in 2006 against Lusk and who was a vocal opponent against O'Brien in the 2007 election, was asked to stop mentioning people by name and finished without incident. He was asked to leave by Mayor Joe Lockwood, who had appointed him to the Planning Commission.

That night, a vote brought forward by Lusk failed to remove Moore from the Planning Commission for his conduct, ending in a tie.

Thurman, Lockwood and Julie Zahner Bailey voted against removing him. Rick Mohrig and O'Brien, who left council that night, and Lusk voted to remove Moore.Thurman said she didn't feel she should remove a volunteer, instead leaving it up to the person who appointed him."This type of behavior cannot be tolerated," she said.Thurman said she has since realized she "prefers public service to politics."

Discussion lasted early into the next morning over what to do.

"As public officials, unfortunately we're under the microscope of our citizenry and they can come before us in public comment and comment to us, about us, as long as it's not defamation or libel," said Councilwoman Tina D'Aversa in the discussion at the work session.D'Aversa was not at the meeting when the situation occurred, but said she's seen others on council "suck it up" when attacked because it is their duty.

The city has had a checkered past of citizens speaking against elected officials at meetings, including an October attack against Councilwoman Julie Zahner Bailey by her political opponent at the time, Roger Santi.

In addition, various outbursts toward council at an April 26 Milton City Council work session led to the creation of a "decorum statement" warning citizens about such displays.City Attorney Mark Scott said he feels it is dangerous when council members' appointees speak ill of council or the city because it can create such a negative appearance in the press.

"Do they have the right to say those things? Of course they have the right," said Scott. "But do you folks find it to be conduct that is befitting of a person in a position such as that?"Scott said he feels the issue of free speech among appointees might be one of contract, meaning the limitation of freedom could be a trade off for the responsibility in the community.

D'Aversa said she felt council could not ask appointees to bite their tongues, but Thurman disagreed."I think a public servant, whether they are elected or appointed by one of us, is representing the city," she said. "And I would hope they would care enough about the city ... that they would not want to do something that was detrimental."

Scott said Johns Creek City Attorney Bill Riley has instructed appointed committee members not to make comments in other groups' meetings, which he said he feels goes too far.Lockwood said he would be open to guidelines for what is expected of volunteers."There have been some instances in the past that were much worse than what happened at that meeting and we didn't bring it up," he said.

Lusk brought up the city's conduct rules for City Council members at board and committee meetings, which lay out specific rules for what elected officials can do in city meetings."I think board members and committee members should be held to the same standards we are," he said. "They also are representatives of the city."

Lusk added the city needs to nip this problem in the bud now and draw up guidelines so everyone can "act like the civilized people we claim to be."Council was clearly divided on the issue, so Scott and city staff were instructed to look at other cities and see what their policies are before moving forward.

Milton To Buy Providence?

by Jason Wright / http://www.northfulton.com/

If Milton City Council gets its wish, Providence Park could be open and ready for recreation in as little as a few months.Well, parts of it, anyway.

Under a tentative plan being worked out by Milton City Attorney Mark Scott and Fulton County Attorney Gerry Clark, the city is looking to purchase Providence Park, which has been closed since January 2004 for groundwater and soil contamination.

Fulton would still be responsible for continued cleanups."We would basically assume maintenance and upkeep responsibilities for the park immediately," said Scott Jan. 11, a day after broaching the subject with Fulton County and Milton's council.Scott said he imagines the deal would include a "nominal payment" for the park and "indemnification of the city," or an agreement not to hold Milton responsible for future legal action or fines.Scott also thinks the city will probably have to fence off the parts of the park still needing cleanup. "From what I understand, with a little bit of maintenance, this is going to be a jewel," he said. "It's just going to do so much for our parks' ability."

But Fulton County Commissioner Lynne Riley said any transfer comes with liability. Fulton holds the park now and has closed it until the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) OKs all clean ups at Providence."We've left it in the city's hands how much liability they wish to assume based on their taking title to land that is under remediation," she said.With Providence closed, the county is protected if someone trespasses and is hurt. Not so if some portions were open, she said."As a representative of Fulton County's interests, I don't want to expose taxpayers to unnecessary costs and risks," she said.

Councilwoman Tina D'Aversa wrote a proclamation that was read at Milton's Jan. 10 council meeting promising to do everything necessary to bring Providence into Milton.She said the city is being urged by to apply for the EPD's Hazardous Site Reuse and Redevelopment Act, also known as the "Brownfields Act." Basically, it would release the city from liability and promote reuse of the closed site, according to a Sept. 5, 2007 letter sent to Fulton County's Public Works department by the EPD.According to Regina Campbell, compliance officer for Providence Park, under the Brownfield Act Milton would be liable for all soil cleanup. But Fulton has taken care of that already, so the city should be free and clear.But she has not seen the city's application yet."Still [Fulton County] has the liability of that [groundwater] clean up, we can't take on that role," said D'Aversa. "There's no additional liability that I can foresee."

Jessica Corbitt, public affairs manager for Fulton County, said the county's research indicates the decision is completely up to the EPD. Only it can decide whether or not to subdivide the park."The EPD has to make its decision before anyone moves forward," she said.

The city has already been involved in talks with the metro Atlanta YMCA to program recreation activities at the park. In addition, a police precinct housed in the main building at Providence is on the table.Dan Pile, group vice president for the Metro Atlanta YMCA, said his community group has been in talks with Fulton County about programming the park for at least the last 10 years. When Milton incorporated, the YMCA simply shifted its efforts to the new city."We saw this as an opportunity to serve taxpayers," said Pile. "It provides a excellent opportunity for education, it's centrally located ... we can expose this park to a larger section of taxpayers."

The YMCA is looking at using Providence Park's rock rappelling wall and natural beauty for a series of outdoor adventure and education camps, Pile said."There are very few parks with the amount of acreage that Providence has," said Pile, who added that previously the largely undeveloped park was "underutilized, unknown and not accessed."And the point, said D'Aversa and Scott, is to not let any more time pass when the city is hurting for parks and recreation options and unchecked environmental factors are depreciating the gifts Providence holds."We need to get in there and have a presence there so it's not abandoned property that suffers the fate of all abandoned property," said Scott.

Interested In The Proposed Milton Trailway?

Many of our residents have worked hard to create a proposed Milton Trailway system. While quite a bit of money is needed to make this idea a reality, you can preview some of the information here->

http://www.cityofmiltonga.us/services/docs/MiltonTrailPresentation.pdf

So what do you think? What ideas do you have that would help fund this aspect of the Milton Community? Share your thoughts below!

Letter From Council Person Julie Zahner-Bailey

Dear Friends, Neighbors and Milton Citizens,

I promised to provide you an update tied to the discussion surrounding the "no sewer" policies as discussed at the Mayor and Council Work Session of January 17th. Many of you emailed your opinions as to what you expect the "no sewer" policies to continue to mean for Milton, previously unincorporated Northwest Fulton County. Thank you for ensuring your opinions and expectations are communicated to the Mayor, Council and staff. Your continued input remains important on this critical issue.

The next meeting tied to this topic of Milton's sewer versus no sewer policies has been called for tomorrow night, Wednesday, January 30th at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. As a bit of background, the item was first placed on the Jan. 17th , 2008 Work Session agenda at the request of staff. It was noted during the meeting that staff wanted to verify with the Mayor and Council what "no sewer" meant to us for purposes of applying those policies to various requests that come before staff. The Work Session was for discussion purposes only and no votes were taken. Staff noted that they understood the no inter basin transfer policies for the Little River Basin, but were focused on trying to verify our intent regarding possible sewer extension within the Big Creek Basin to certain parcels in that basin that did not currently have access to public sewer.

For the record, I made it clear that my understanding historically and currently is that the "no sewer" policies for this area include no extension of sewer beyond where sewer currently exists - regardless of whether the parcel(s) is in the Little River Basin or the Big Creek Basin. The extension of public sewer and the extension of associated trunk lines to any parcels not currently served by such sewer trunk lines would represent sewer extension from my perspective. Others on Council shared this view, but not all.

As noted above, the next step is that a Special Called meeting has been scheduled for tomorrow, Wed., January 30, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. and will be held at City Hall. Please view the agenda by using this link.Tomorrow night's meeting will include additional discussions on this very important topic and staff will provide maps of the areas for which they are asking for additional clarification. This is a public meeting and public comments will be allowed. I encourage you to express your opinions in writing and at the meeting during the public comment period and/or when the item itself is before us. Beyond tomorrow night's meeting, a brief summary of the results of the Mayor and Council Meeting of January 24th can be found to the right.

Please note, Milton has changed our Mayor and Council meeting dates as well as our Work Sessions to Monday nights beginning with the first Monday, i.e. February 4th. These meetings will begin at 6:00 p.m. Scroll down for more details on this topic and use this link to review the Resolution that initiated the change of dates including the attached chart of dates for 2008. On the right are the results of the zoning cases that came before us on January 24th.Please join me in congratulating Council member Tina D'Aversa as our new Mayor Pro-Tem. She was nominated by Mayor Lockwood and received a unanimous showing of support.As always, your input and comments are valuable and I encourage you to share them as we affirm what the no sewer policies mean for Milton and our collective community. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

All my best,

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

Residents Aren't The Only Ones Upset At Losing Trees To That Water Main...

Many Thanks To Miltonian Michelle.

Foster's Grille Owner Michael O'Keefe Praises Milton Nights!

Tim, Thanks for a great night last night.

I think it was a great success. I have posted the $158 from last night on my donation page.If anyone wants to make a donation, they can go to www.active.com/donate/tntga/tntgaMOKeef1 Thanks again for your support. I really appreciate it.Have a great week.

Michael O'Keefe
O'Keefe Holding Group LLC
Foster's Grille of Alpharetta & Crabapple
okeefehg@bellsouth.net
404-432-5022
The Best Burger in Atlanta
To Find out more about your Local Foster's Grille, click here->
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It's All About Community...

Saturday, Jan 26; 2008. - Roughly 200 Miltonians showed up for the very first Milton Nights...held at the Foster's Grille in Crabapple. Discussion and excitement could be felt throughout as old friends created new memories while others were meeting one another for the first time. The following are some pictures from the wonderful event. Stay tuned next month as Milton Nights... continues to spread the love and comradery of Milton, GA!

To find out more about Foster's Grille, click here->

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To Find Out More About Milton Allstate Agent Terry Mechling, Click here->

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