MACCIT's Annual Easter Egg Scramble - April 3rd

The Milton Area Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Tourism (MACCIT) will host its annual Easter Egg Scramble on Saturday, April 3rd with a 10 a.m. line up and a whistle start at 10:10 a.m. in Schilberg Park on West High Street. All children in 3rd grade and younger are invited to participate.

Volunteers are needed the day of the event to help set up and clean up. The time commitment is limited to 1 and a half hours total. If you are willing to volunteer, click here for more information.

This post was put up especially for Audrey.

New Round of E-Hub Programs Beginning

E-Hub is for people considering starting a business and for owners of existing businesses who would like to "reboot" their businesses. The Entrepreneur Hub (E-Hub) program provides entrepreneurial development and cultural community change through discovery, empowerment, mentoring, networking and community partnerships. Classes and counseling sessions will be offered in Beloit and Janesville in April, and there's still opportunity to participate. For more information call Julie Fisher at 608-423-2030 or visit this link: http://sbdc.uww.edu/business-training/rock-county-e-hub.html.

City Seeking Volunteers for Parks & Recreation Commission

Want to serve on a City committee? Have interest in the City's parks and recreation programs? If so, this opportunity is for you.

The City is seeking volunteers willing to serve on the City’s Parks and Recreation Commission. Applications are available at City Hall, 430 E. High Street, Suite 3 and on the City’s website (http://www.ci.milton.wi.us/files/committee-interest-form.pdf). The commission is responsible for continuing to develop and promote the Tails n Trails Dog Park, Crossridge Park, and other recreational opportunities in Milton. The Commission will also be working on regional plans for bike and pedestrian trail systems that will connect Milton with our neighboring communities. Contact City Hall with questions at 868-6900 or info@ci.milton.wi.us.

Game On! Edgerton Challenges Milton to Census Contest

On March 10, 2010, City Council President Ron Webb from the City of Edgerton challenged Mayor Tom Chesmore of the City of Milton to a 2010 Census Challenge. The leader from the community with the lowest mail-in Census response rate as of April 30, 2010 has vowed to attend a City Council meeting wearing a shirt boldly advertising the other community’s logo. The winner will be announced on May 3, 2010.

Beginning March 22, 2010, the Census will be updating an online, interactive map that will show the response rates for municipalities. The map is available at http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map/. The last update and the announcement of the challenge winner will occur on May 3, 2010.

Come on Miltonites! Get those census forms in and let's make sure Mr. Webb finds himself wearing Milton Red instead of Edgerton Red!!! Don't let history from 2000 re-occur, when Edgerton outpaced Milton's return rate 86% to 84%.

The Big Read 2010 Officially Kicks-Off

Sixteen area libraries throughout Rock, Walworth and Jefferson County will formally kick-off the area’s second Big Read literacy project on Thursday April 1. The Hedberg Library in Janesville will host a special reception from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, that will include music by Felipe Rodriguez, Jr., free food, and chances to win special give-aways. Area libraries (including the Milton Public Library), as well as schools, the UW-Whitewater’s Young Auditorium and non-profit groups have partnered together for a month long series of events to promote the benefits of life-long reading. Activities will revolve around Sun, Stone, and Shadows: 20 Great Mexican Short Stories. Events throughout the three county area will be taking place that will offer free activities from art workshops, author talks, music, dance, and numerous book club discussions. From Elkhorn to Fort Atkinson, Lake Geneva to Watertown, community members of all ages will be able to find free activities to enjoy!

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The NEA presents The Big Read in partnership with The Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest Additional Sponsorship Support provided by American Family Insurance and Fort HealthCare. Media sponsors are the Janesville Gazette and the Jefferson County Daily Union.

For information on Milton's involvement and our local programming, contact the Milton Public Library at 868-7462 or e-mail Library Director Lisa Brooks at brooks.lisa@als.lib.wi.us.

More information on the overall Big Read program is available by contacting Ben Strand at UW- Whitewater’s Young Auditorium: Phone: 262-472-6224, Email: strandb@uww.edu. Be sure to check out the Big Read website at http://youngauditorium.wordpress.com/.

Attention Baseball Fans!

Summer Youth Baseball / T-Ball Information
The City / School District sponsored baseball / t-ball program sign-up is under way (coordinated by the YMCA of Northern Rock County). Early registration ends on April 18th. This program is for kids from 4 years old up to 9th grade. More information and the sign up form are available on-line at http://www.ymcajanesville.org/files/Milton-Rec.pdf.

Milton Travel / Tournament Baseball Team Tryouts
Milton Muskrat Baseball Club open tryouts for 13U (must be 13 as of May 1, 2010). Proof of age will be required. Tryouts to be held at Milton High School on Saturday March 20th at 1:00-3:00 pm. This team does require travel to and from games and some overnights. The cost for the team is $150.00 per player plus travel cost. Additional tournament fees may apply and there will be fundraising/sponsorship opportunities. Please call to confirm participation. Brad Moxley 608-359-6352 or Dan Cassidy 608-756-9777.

Other Recreation Programming
There are other private leagues and public programs offered in the community (such as volleyball, swimming, wrestling, football, etc., etc.). For a listing you can view an earlier blog post from last April: http://miltonmatters.blogspot.com/2009/04/recreation-programs-in-milton.html.

March 16th Council Meeting Commentary

The Common Council will hold their next meeting this Tuesday, March 16th, at 7:30 PM (view full agenda here). I'd like to highlight agenda item 6.b) Vandewalle Contract for Parkview District Redevelopment Plan.

The City recently applied for and was awarded a $15,000 matching grant from the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, which will help us establish some plans and an overall vision for short and long term development/redevelopment of the "Parkview District". This planning process was encouraged as part of the City's Smart Growth Plan back in 2008. Click on this link to view a map that shows the City's general goals for this area: http://www.ci.milton.wi.us/document_detail.aspx?document_id=2097.

On Tuesday the Council will be considering approval of a $30,000 contract for this project with Vandewalle & Associates. Vandewalle does much of the City's planning consulting work. If approved by the Council, this project will be funded in half with the grant and half by the City's TIF District #8 which includes the whole Parkview District area.

If approved, Vandewalle's scope of work will include a variety of public meetings and specific outreach to the community for involvement in this planning project. Specific details of the proposal are included in pages 16 - 18 of the Council's meeting packet: http://www.ci.milton.wi.us/document_detail.aspx?document_id=3132.

“Take 10” for the Census

Milton residents should receive their 2010 Census forms in the mail between March 15th and 17th. The 2010 Census will document the changes in our nation since the last decennial census in 2000, and tell us how we’ve evolved as a country. Because census data affect how more than $400 billion in federal funding is distributed to tribal, state and local governments, the census also will frame the future of our community for the next 10 years.

During Census 2000, the mail participation rate was 72 percent as of the April 2000 cut-off. About $85 million is saved for every one percent increase in mail participation. For these and many other reasons, we must work to encourage everyone’s participation in the census.

Here’s what you should know about the 2010 Census:

It’s easy. One of the shortest census forms in history, the 2010 Census form asks 10 questions and takes about 10 minutes to complete. The individual in whose name the housing unit is rented or owned should complete the form on behalf of every person living there, both relatives and nonrelatives.

It’s important. Census data are used to reapportion seats in Congress and ensure proper district representation in state and local governments. Information from the Census helps determine locations for child-care and senior centers, new roads, hospitals, schools and community centers.

It’s safe. By law, the U.S. Census Bureau cannot share respondents’ answers with anyone, including other federal agencies and law enforcement entities. All Census Bureau employees take an oath of nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect the confidentiality of the data. The penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, or both.

The most efficient way to respond to the 2010 Census is to complete the form as soon as it arrives and return it in the postage-paid return envelope. Census workers will visit households that do not return forms to take the count in person.

For more information about the Census, log on to the City’s Census webpage (http://www.ci.milton.wi.us/2010-Census-Its-In-Our-Hands.aspx) or the official 2010 Census page (http://www.2010census.gov/).

March City Departmental Report Available

The City's Monthly Departmental Report for March 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=3109.