City Hall on Stilts

I recently returned from a spring break family vacation at Dauphin Island, Alabama. We had a great trip, played in the ocean, and soaked up the warm weather. However, one thing that drew my attention while on the island was the construction of the town hall. While it's hard to tell in the photo above, the town hall is up on stilts (as are many other buildings on the island due to the hurricane potential).

Much like a builder observes other's construction sites and a doctor pays close attention to hospitals, I tend to always notice local government buildings in other communities. It's nice that we don't have to worry about stilting our City Hall here in Milton. Then again, I didn't see any snow-plows zipping around the island. I guess we must take the good with the bad.

I hope everyone else in Milton enjoyed spring break!

Meet City Hall Intern Jeff Endres

Over the past few years the City of Milton has benefited from the work performed by student interns form area universities. In "Milton Matters" I plan to profile them from time to time.

This post will profile Jeff Endres. Jeff is studying Human Resource Management at UW-Whitewater and anticipates graduation this May. Jeff went to Middleton High School, and has been serving an internship with the City since June of 2008. Below, in his own words, is a description of Jeff's internship experience:

"Working with the City of Milton has opened my eyes to everything that goes into making a Municipality function. One thing in particular that I enjoy about my job is that on any given day, I can (and often do) learn something new. As an Administrative Assistant Intern, I help City Hall Staff by answering and directing phone calls, processing water payments, assisting with park rentals, issuing dog/cat licenses, and helping to prepare election material amongst other things. In addition, I also conduct research and work on various projects assigned to me by the City Administrator and/or City Clerk. I would consider these projects to be the most rewarding component of my job because I can often see my research evolve into future City Policies or Procedures. I feel fortunate to have an opportunity to learn about Municipal operations in a City as close knit and community orientated as Milton."

Thanks Jeff! We've also been fortunate to have you as a part of our team. (PS - Hey Jeff, nice tie...)

What's up with all the tree trimming?

Early this year Alliant Energy has been performing lots of tree trimming around power lines in Milton. While some may have concerns about the "deforestation" of our beautiful City, Alliant Energy does have important reasons for removing limbs and, in some cases, whole trees around power lines. Below is text from a recent Alliant Energy newsletter with more information on their policy...

"Trees and power lines aren't a good combination - especially when weather brings lightning, ice or high winds. To help minimize weather-related outages along transmission and distribution lines, Alliant Energy trims tress on a regular basis.

We [Alliant Energy] are granted permission to trim trees under franchise and easement agreements with the communities we serve. Our crews, which include both Alliant Energy and contract workers, follow standards approved by the National Arbor Day Foundation. The amount of trimming that is done depends on the species of tree, how close it is to the power lines, and how fast the tree grows.

Typically, our crews use "directional pruning" methods that train the tree to grow away from the line, minimizing the need for and severity of future trimming. We strive to protect the health of the tree while still providing the established minimum safety clearance."

In addition to Alliant Energy trimming, we have also seen recent trimming by the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad (WSOR) along the rail corridors. You can see this clearly west of the RR crossing on John Paul Rd. by Dollar General. City staff is following-up with WSOR because it appears that they have simply left the trimmed branches and limbs along the side of the tracks. I assume they plan to clean up this debris, but we don't know when. I'll post more information when we hear back from WSOR.

Thanks for your understanding with all of these trimming projects.

Milton Connection to New State Law

Last week Milton PD Lieutenant John Conger attended an event where Governor Doyle signed a new bill that puts greater regulation on traveling sales crews. For those who do not know, John was the first responding officer to a tragic crash just outside of Milton several years ago that claimed the lives of 7 people in a traveling sales crew that was switching driver’s while driving at the time of the crash. John has worked with the victim’s families to help get this legislation passed. This type of effort demonstrates a commitment to problem solving not only through the enforcement of the law, but in working with other branches of government to help create laws that are designed to keep people safe. Please congratulate John on the success of this cooperative effort when you see him. Included here is a picture of Lt. Conger (white shirt/badge) and the Governor at the signing.

Important Announcement from the Milton Police Department

The Milton Police Department is asking for the community’s support in attempting to locate possible Child Enticement suspects. The two suspects have been reported in the Fort Atkinson area attempting to entice children into their vehicles. Due to the geographical location of Milton to Fort Atkinson we are asking for the community’s assistance in being on the look out for these two vehicles/persons. The two suspects and vehicles are described as follows:

1. Male white 40-50 years old with shoulder length brown hair and a goatee. Driving a Van described as a full size Conversion type van with gray and blue stripes on the side. Suspect attempted to get kids into the van by offering kids candy.
2. Suspect 2 is described as a white male in his 30’s 5’9” to 6’0” tall. Suspect was wearing a black leather coat with white fur around the hood. Suspect had a crew cut style haircut with dark brown hair and a goatee. Vehicle is described as a dark Red or Maroon Chevy Astro type with blue, black, and white stripes below the door moldings.

Any person who believes they see either one of these vehicles near school property or parks is encouraged to call 911 immediately. Callers can remain anonymous. Any questions regarding this information contact Officer Schumacher at the Milton Police Department at 868-6910 (ext 22).

Emergency Siren Test Today at 12:05 PM

Testing of the outdoor tornado sirens will resume with a test at 12:05 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1st with a steady tone of 2 minutes.

A 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, if there is inclement weather within the county; siren testing will not be conducted.

Milton Post Office Changes on Hold

Today Milton City Clerk/Treasurer Nancy Zastrow received the following e-mail from a representative at the US Postal Service regarding the potential changes to the Milton Post Office:

"The relocation of carriers at the Milton Post Office to the Janesville Post Office has been temporarily placed on hold. The relocation will be readdressed at a later date this year when the Postal Service will reassess the data and logistics."

As we learn more at City Hall we'll let you know...