October Monthly Report Available

The City's Monthly Departmental Report for October is now up on the City Website. Check it out by following this link: http://www.ci.milton.wi.us/document_detail.aspx?document_id=2871.

Reminder - Mayor Chesmore Listening Session this Thursday

Mayor Chesmore is hosting a listening session at The Gathering Place (715 Campus St.) from 5 - 7 PM this Thursday, October 1st. Any citizens with questions, concerns or compliments about City operations, or anyone who is just curious about what's happening in Milton, is welcome to attend. Those who cannot attend but would like to touch base with Mayor Chesmore may contact him at 868-3361 or by e-mail at tom_chesmore@yahoo.com.

The Gathering Place Gains Accreditation

Staff at The Gathering Place (Milton's Senior Center) deserve a big pat on the back and a "way to go!". Today they were awarded with accreditation, which is a major accomplishment for any senior center. According to the Wisconsin Association of Senior Centers website, there are only 19 senior centers it the whole state that are accredited. The Gathering Place was originally accredited back in 1998 and again in 2004, and has done everything required to regain this noteworthy status this year.

Pictured above is Jill Kranz (far right), Director of the Middleton Sr. Center, presenting a plaque to Paula Schutt, Director of The Gathering Place. Paula is joined by committee members Sue Larson (far left) and Carolyn Brown who worked very hard on the accreditation application for The Gathering Place.

So, to Paula, the Committee, the Board of Directors and all of the great staff a The Gathering Place, congratulations and job well done. You guys deserve it! Thanks for everything all of you do for Milton's seniors and the entire community.

You MUST read this article...

Gazette Report Stacy Vogel recently wrote a story about Janette Haney. Janette, out of the goodness of her heart, sweeps trash and debris from the sidewalks and curbs on the east side of the City. I am so encouraged by this story, and owe a debt of gratitude to Janette for doing what she does. This is a simple example of what makes a community special. Thanks, Janette, for doing your part.

To read the article, visit this link to the Janesville Gazette website: http://gazettextra.com/news/2009/sep/28/milton-street-sweeper-spreads-cleanliness-and-joy/. The website also includes a nice video about this story.

Highway 59 Project

I'm hearing lots of inquiries lately from citizens about the State's Highway 59 realignment project and planned Highway 26 bypass. In this case, pictures are worth thousands of words... Here's a link to maps on the City website regarding these projects: http://www.ci.milton.wi.us/document_display.aspx?cat_id=254&cat_type=. Also, here's a link to the State's webpage regarding the STH 59 project: http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/wis26corridor/exp-segment2.htm. This link is for info about the Milton - Fort Atkinson portion of the project: http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/wis26corridor/exp-segment3.htm. And, finally, this link is for information about the Milton - Janesville portion of the project: http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/wis26corridor/exp-segment1.htm.

Walked in HER Shoes

Statistics show that 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. Every year, 1.3 MILLION are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner. The dollar impact of domestic violence exceeds $5.8 BILLION (with a "B") every year! No doubt, domestic violence in our society is a big issue.

I congratulate the YWCA of Rock County for coordinating their annual "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" event this past Friday. It was my pleasure to participate in the event, and I thank my wife Tonya, Milton Police Chief Jerry Schuetz, and the ladies up at City Hall for encouraging me. I teamed up with Chief Schuetz and Milton's Finance Manager Dan Nelson for the one-mile trek, which I must admit was not pleasant in my heels (thanks Carrie for the "loaners"). For more details on the event, check out this article from the Janesville Gazette: http://gazettextra.com/news/2009/sep/26/men-march-help-bring-end-domestic-violence/.

I hope you enjoy the photos. You might notice that Dan was wearing tennis shoes... In his defense, Dan's got some crazy big feet. So finding some suitable women's heels for Dan was tough. However he did have his shoes decorated with puffy paint, glitter and other fancy stuff (thanks again Carrie). Also, I couldn't resist including the photo of my son Sawyer with the Chief's daughter Maddy who had fun at the event as well.

Overall Merchant Row Plans

...this post relates to the earlier post about the Merchant Row project that is underway currently.

For those who may be interested in the City's long term "vision" for redevelopment of this downtown area, click on the above map to view the redevelopment plans. Again, keep in mind that this is a LONG TERM vision. The current project simply involves removing the Squeeze Inn to accommodate some additional parking in the northern part of this downtown district, which is a small step in achieving the results desired in the larger plan.

Work Underway in the Merchant Row Downtown Area

Merchant Row street and parking work began today with the excavation of the parking area north of the Squeeze Inn. The rest of the work will consist of the removal of the Squeeze Inn building, widening of the street to create additional angle parking, spot curb and gutter repairs between Madison Avenue and Crandall Street, and milling off the existing asphaltic surface between Madison Avenue and Crandall Street and replacing it with 2 inches of new asphalt.

The approximate dates for the rest of the project are as follows:

9/25/09 - Begin removing and replacing curb and gutter
9/29/09 - Demolition of Squeeze
10/7/09 - Mill surface of existing asphalt
10/12/09 - Place asphalt surface

If you have any questions or comments, please call one of the following contacts:

Howard Robinson, Director of Public Works - (608) 868-6914
Gary Vogel, City Engineer - (262) 206-9236 (mobile)
Dick Fry, Frank Brothers Superintendent - (608) 754-5330

Stay updated on street projects by logging on to the City’s website: www.ci.milton.wi.us or subscribe to my blog for the latest City news and information. I also want to thank all of the businesses in the project area for their patience and cooperation as we proceed with this work.

Report on Shared Ride Taxi Analysis

For several years the City has been researching the possibility of implementing a shared ride taxi system in Milton. Early this year the City joined forces with the City of Janesville, City of Whitewater and UW-Whitewater (thanks to a grant from the State) to hire a firm that specializes in transportation systems to complete a comprehensive study for our communities.

Part of the study includes an analysis of shared ride taxi specifically for the City of Milton. Currently no such program exists. So, this study includes information about how to go about creating and funding an "entry-level" taxi service for the City, with possible program implementation in 2010.

The consultants will be presenting the analysis report at the Council meeting at 7:30 PM on Tuesday, Sept. 22nd. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. The meeting will be held in the lower level of the Shaw Municipal Building at 430 E. High Street. A full copy of the report is now available on the City website at www.ci.milton.wi.us/document_detail.aspx?document_id=2865, along with a copy of the presentation slides that will be used by the consultants at the meeting (www.ci.milton.wi.us/document_detail.aspx?document_id=2866).

Please contact me if you have any questions about this project at 868-6900 (x4) or tschmidt@ci.milton.wi.us.

Enjoy the Weekend in Milton - Events Update

It's a beautiful time of year in Milton. So, get out and enjoy some local events. Here's what is happening this weekend:

• HUNGRY FOR BRATS! Saturday, September 19, 10:00 a.m until 2:00 p.m. rain or shine
  The Gathering Place will be providing a Brat Fry at DAVES ACE HARDWARE, John Paul Road. Please come and enjoy this end of "summer cookout season" fund raiser. p.s. Hot dogs will also be available for those that don't care for brats.
• Mini Farmers Market at Patty's Plants - Saturday, Sept. 19th from 9 AM - 1 PM. Stock up on great fall items - pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, etc. Here's a link to an article with more details: http://www.miltoncourieronline.com/main.asp?SectionID=7&SubSectionID=7&ArticleID=330.
• Twilight Tours at the Milton House - Saturday, September 19, 2009 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM.
  Tour this fascinating 19th century inn by lamp light, samples wines from local wineries, and enjoy local music talent. Tour tickets/wine tasting tickets at the door. Click here for more info: http://www.miltoncourieronline.com/main.asp?SectionID=7&SubSectionID=7&ArticleID=333.

Enjoy Milton, and all this area has to offer!!! Have a great weekend.

"Tour de Milton" - Fun, Informational & Exercise All at the Same Time

On September 2nd I enjoyed an opportunity to hold a bike tour of various projects that are happening around Milton. Some thought to call it "Tour de Milton". The eight or so folks that joined me biked to every corner of the City, viewing projects that included the STH 59 relocation project, dog park development, downtown redevelopment in the Merchant Row Area, and various street improvement projects. Most importantly, we got to enjoy a lovely late-summer afternoon in beautiful Milton.

My plan is to do this again every spring and fall, so if you were not able to join us this year you've got time to tune up your bike for next year. Also, after the ride, I received an e-mail from a citizen who asked if something like this could be done for people who are unable to ride bikes. Great idea! I'm already working on the possibility of a bus tour in conjunction with senior programming at The Gathering Place (senior center). Stay tuned for more information on that.

Some of the riders asked where I got the idea to do this ride... Well, a couple years ago I read an article about a City Manager in Florida who regularly rides his bike around various City projects to get a first-hand look at the "stuff" he's talking about. Here's a link to the article: http://icma.org/pm/8805/public/profile.cfm?author=&title=Profile. Since then, I make it a priority on my bike rides to visit City projects to get a feel for what's happening "at ground zero". One time, while on one of my rides, the idea occurred to me that others might enjoy getting the same perspective of City projects. And, as they say, the rest is history.

I'd like to thank all of those who joined me on the ride. Specifically, thanks go out to Chief Jerry Schuetz for providing our escort and even stopping traffic on STH 26 (with his own bare hands!) to provide us safe crossing. Thanks to Rick Miller of The Milton Courier for providing the photos.

The Milton Public Library Has A New Website

The Milton Public Library unveiled their new website on September 15. Click on the image to view the website or visit http://www.miltonpubliclibrary.org/.

The site was built by library staff, a graphic artist, and test users to be more intuitive, efficient, and useful for patrons. A simpler, cleaner design exposes more useful content and makes navigation clearer.

The homepage presents a short list of frequently used links and emphasizes various informational pages that support both the casual and student researcher. Library information, local links, research databases, job resources, and more are all easily accessed. Visit http://www.miltonpubliclibrary.org/ to learn more.

September Monthly Report Now Available

From yard waste collection reminders to an announcement about the upcoming unveiling of a new library website, that's the type of information you'll find by reading the latest City of Milton Monthly Departmental Report. The report includes timely snippets of information prepared by staff from each City department. View the latest report by clicking on the report image included in this post or here: http://www.ci.milton.wi.us/document_detail.aspx?document_id=2834. Prior reports are also archived on-line at http://www.ci.milton.wi.us/document_display.aspx?cat_id=144&cat_type=. Having a problem accessing the report? Please call us at City Hall at 608-868-6900 (ext. 4) or by e-mail at info@ci.milton.wi.us.

Subscribe to My Blog!

A few people have asked me if there was a way they could receive notifications whenever I update my blog. Now you can.

All you have to do is enter your e-mail address into the “Subscribe” section on the right hand side of the page. A message will be sent to your e-mail whenever I post something new. You can then click on the blog title in that e-mail to go directly to the blog site.

Sign up soon to make sure you don’t miss any city updates. Thanks for your continued interest in this blog and all that’s happening in Milton.

Alliant Energy Voltage Conversion Update

Alliant Energy has been working on a voltage conversion for the whole City of Milton. Part of that involves tree trimming and distribution rebuilding. Another round of tree trimming by Alliant Energy crews (or their subcontractors) will begin on September 14, 2009. With the exception of a couple total tree removals, this will be trimming only. Click here to see a general map of the affected area or here to see a map showing detail by street. They will start with Lamar N10337 (indicated in orange on both maps) and Lamar N1219 (indicated in pink on both maps) will follow.

Rebuild efforts will begin along the Lamar N10337 route later in September, and Lamar N1219 rebuild efforts will begin in 2010. Final voltage conversion is expected to take place during the middle of next year.

I will post more updates on the project as they become available. In the meantime, citizens with questions about this project may contact Mike Gentry with Alliant Energy at 608-743-1058 or by e-mail at mikegentry@alliantenergy.com.