What's That??? - May 28, 2010

Today is the debut of a new blog series called “What’s That???”. Click here to read more information about the blog series.

Pictured to the left is a photo taken at a Milton business. The first correct response received will win a $10 gift certificate to the business featured.

Please submit your answer to the City’s Intern, Inga Jacobson, by e-mail at ijacobson@ci.milton.wi.us or by phone at (608) 868-6900 ext. 4.

Good luck and thanks for participating!

What's That??? - A New Blog Series

Be sure to visit the blog at 9 AM on Friday, May 28th when we begin a new blog series called “What’s That???”. A unique or obscure photo will be posted on the blog of a Milton business. For example, the picture may be an extreme closeup of the doorknob, or a portion of the roof line, etc. You will then have a chance to correctly identify the business. The first person to contact City Hall with the correct response will receive a gift certificate or other item from the featured business. We'll be coordinating this series all summer long and you will be notified in advance of when the next "What's That???" post will be added.

There are two key purposes for this blog series. First, I hope this will draw more and more readers to the blog. Hopefully you'll be inclined to encourage your friends to subscribe. Second, this will feature some of the great businesses we have right here in Milton.

So, keep an eye on "Milton Matters", and be sure to check it at 9 a.m. this Friday, May 28th to see if you can identify the business and win!

Public Meeting Reminder - Parkview Drive Downtown Area

Just a reminder:

An interactive community meeting about planning for the Parkview Drive downtown area will take place this week on Thursday, May 27, 2010 from 5:30 – 9:00 pm in the lower level fellowship hall of Seventh Day Baptist Church (720 E. Madison Ave.). The planning session, also known as a “charrette,” will be an opportunity to learn about preliminary ideas and share input about the plan that is being developed.

The planning area encompasses Goodrich Park and the businesses and residences in the surrounding area. The charrette will be a lively, informal, and highly-interactive format with multiple opportunities for attendees to share input and ideas. Stations will be set up addressing Goodrich Park, the north end historic area (Milton House and surrounding properties), parking and school circulation, and business mix/district theme and character. Attendees do not have to participate in all topic areas, but can pick and choose the topic areas that interest them. A short formal presentation will be given around 5:45 pm, however attendees can come and go as schedules permit. Refreshments will be provided.

The City has contracted with Vandewalle & Associates to develop the plan. This project is funded in partnership by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce and the City of Milton, with assistance provided by the Milton Area Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Tourism (MACCIT).

I hope you will be able to attend to hear from the planners from Vandewalle & Associates and to share your input.

Click here to read a previous blog about the event. The Milton Courier also published an article on this topic: http://www.miltoncourieronline.com/main.asp?SectionID=7&SubSectionID=7&ArticleID=1141.

Milton to Participate in Click It or Ticket Campaign

The Milton Police Department will be participating in the national Click It or Ticket campaign that will take place May 24th through June 6th. Below is a press release from Patrol Officer Kyle Johnson.

The Milton Police Department would like to announce participation in the upcoming national Click It or Ticket campaign. This initiative will take place May 24 to June 6. During this time, officers will be patrolling with extra attention focused on traffic violations. Specifically, officers will be looking for compliance with Wisconsin’s mandatory seatbelt law. Motorists are reminded enforcement of this law was broadened in 2009, and allows officers to stop unbuckled individuals, even if no other violation is observed.

Officers will be concentrating on seatbelt violations and tickets will be issued for those who need a reminder to buckle up. The purpose of this is not to issue more tickets, but to get compliance from individuals who may think they do not need to use seatbelts. Wisconsin has one of the lowest rates of seatbelt use in the nation, but this leaves room for improvement. Seatbelts are the best way to prevent people from being ejected from a vehicle during a crash. Quite simply, seatbelts save lives and prevent serious injuries.

As Memorial Day approaches, Wisconsin’s roads will become busier with vacationing motorists. Drivers are asked to allow extra time in case of congestion. With busy roads, there is no room for negligent behavior. Travel at safe speeds and avoid the combination of alcohol and driving. Drivers are asked to buckle up, and make all passengers do as well. With your cooperation, we can make the vacation season safer, and work towards Wisconsin’s goal of zero traffic deaths.

June 8th - 7:00 PM - Public Info Meeting Re: High St. Construction

A special public information meeting regarding the High Street reconstruction / resurfacing project has been scheduled for Tuesday, June 8th beginning at 7:00 PM in the Council Chambers (Shaw Municipal Building, Lower Level). More details on the project were included in an earlier post: http://miltonmatters.blogspot.com/2010/05/update-on-high-st-project.html. Citizens with questions about property access, vehicular access, project timing, and other related issues are encouraged to attend.

Tornado Siren Testing Resumes

Following is text from a recent press release from Rock County Emergency Management:

Tornado warning testing of the outdoor tornado sirens will resume with a test at 12:05 p.m. on Wednesday, June 2, 2010. The TEST SIGNAL will be 1-2 minutes long.

The steady tone of 3-5 minutes will be the take cover signal that a tornado warning has been issued for Rock County and citizens should immediately take shelter and tune to your local broadcasting stations or weather radio for information.

If residents find the siren located in their area is not working, they should call 758-8440. Remember, siren testing will not be conducted if there is inclement weather within the county.

May 18th Council Meeting Commentary

The Common Council will hold their next meeting this Tuesday, May 18th, beginning at 7:30 PM (view full agenda here). One specific item to note would be Agenda Item #4.b. - Emergency Telephone Notification System.

City staff are recommending that the City Council approve an agreement with a company called Global Connect to create an emergency telephone notification system. Some of you may have experienced a system like this which the Milton Area School District uses when they make calls to notify parents that schools are being closed. In the City's case, we would use the system to notify residents of boil water orders, evacuations due to chemical or gas leaks, lost child alerts, etc.

The system is also interactive. For example, often a serious wind or snow storm can bring down quite a few branches around the City. We could make a call using this system to tell residents when crews will be by to collect branches. In addition, we could ask the resident to "press one" if they have branches available for pickup. The City then receives a report listing all of the properties which need branch collection.

You may wonder how the phone numbers would be entered into the system? The City would receive the numbers through Rock County's 9-1-1 system. Those with cell phones will be able to add their cell phones to the calling system by following on-line instructions on the City's website.

You may also wonder what a system like this will cost the City. Actually, it's surprisingly affordable web-based technology. Our first 12 months would cost $1,117, and the following two years would be $1,340/year. From a staff perspective, we believe this is a small price to pay for the potential benefits this system could offer in emergency situations.

As always, the full Council meeting packet can be viewed on the City's website at http://ci.milton.wi.us/document_detail.aspx?document_id=3231.