H1N1 Flu Information (AKA: Swine Flu)

First, I've learned that we aren't supposed to call this outbreak the "Swine Flu" anymore. It's the H1N1 Virus. Okay, that's out of the way...

Here's the latest... I can report that I met with School District Officials this morning about the closing of Milton High School due to one probable case of the H1N1 flu. "Probable" at this point means that the Rock County Health Department is 95% certain that this student has the virus. Based on information presented at the meeting, the student recently visited a place where the H1N1 outbreak is prevalent. Follow this link to view the handouts that were provided at the meeting: www.ci.milton.wi.us/document_detail.aspx?document_id=2584.

Remember that you can find the latest and greatest information about the Milton Schools from their website at http://www.milton.k12.wi.us/district/home.cfm.

Probable Case of Swine Flu in Rock County

Today the Rock County Health Department issued a press release indicating that there is a probable case of Swine Flu in Rock County. For more information on this announcement, visit the County's website at http://www.co.rock.wi.us/Dept/Health/H1N1Flu.htm.

Recreation Programs in Milton

While the City of Milton does not have a formal recreation department, there are a variety of recreation programs offered throughout the year. Below are a few links for information about these programs. If anyone is aware of a program that is not listed here, please let me know and I'll add it to the list.

• The YMCA of Northern Rock County coordinates the City/School District sponsored youth baseball and softball. More information on the '09 program is available by clicking here. The Y promotes all of their programming on their website at www.ymcajanesville.org. They are available by phone at (608)756-6654.
• The Milton Youth Baseball Association also offers some programming. This is a new association, just getting off the ground in 2009. Click here for their Milton Baseball Skill Clinics that this association is sponsoring.
• The Milton Youth Football Association runs the football leagues. Click here for the Milton Youth Football Registration information. The league's website is
  www.eteamz.com/miltonyouthfootball. They may be contacted by e-mail at
  miltonyouthfootball@charter.net.
• The Milton Area School District operates a swimming program year-round, which includes classes and a swim club. Click here for registration information. More details are available by contacting Pool Manager Kristin Lehman at (608)868-9565.
• The Milton Youth Soccer Association coordinates the soccer clubs. For more information contact Sue Conaway at (608) 563-2264, e-mail miltonsoccerclub@gmail.com, or visit their website by clicking here.
• Wrestling programs are offered through the Milton Monsters youth wrestling club. More information is on their website at www.miltonmonsters.com.
• The Milton Aces Volleyball Club runs various volleyball training programs and leagues. For more information, visit their website at www.miltonaces.com, e-mail Mike Peterson, or call 608-868-7230.
• The Milton Youth Basketball club administers basketball programs. Their website is www.miltonyouthbasketball.com. They can be contacted by e-mail at admin@miltonyouthbasketball.com.
• An adult softball league is run by Derek Davis. He may be contacted at (608)290-7186 or by e-mail at ddavis5@charter.net.
  

City Council Accepting Applications for Vacant Alderperson Position

The City of Milton is accepting applications to fill a one-year term as a City Alderperson on the Common Council. Former Alderperson Tom Chesmore won the Spring Election to become the City’s Mayor. This created the Alderperson vacancy. This term is one year to complete the two-year term previously held by Mayor Chesmore. This term will expire in April of 2010. Annual salary for Alderperson is $1,200.

Interested parties should complete a Committee Interest Questionnaire and submit it to Milton City Hall no later than Friday, May 8th, 2009. The questionnaire is available at City Hall or on-line at www.ci.milton.wi.us/files/committee-interest-form.pdf. The Council will review applicants and select some or all for interviews.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old and reside in the City limits. Please contact City Hall with further questions at (608) 868-6900 ext. 5.

Swine Flu Information

I suspect that most of you have now heard something about the swine flu outbreak in Mexico and other areas of the United States. The purpose of this post is to provide you with sources for relevant and accurate information, both local and federal.

The School District of Milton has provided information regarding the Swine Flu to district families. The documents they have prepared are listed below:

• Letter from School District to District families
• General Flu Planning Checklist

In addition, the most credible federal source for information is the Center For Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/swineflu/.

The State of Wisconsin has information posted at http://www.pandemic.wi.gov/. This page includes daily status reports.

Another local source for information would be the Rock County Health Department: http://www.co.rock.wi.us/Dept/Health/Health.htm. Their site also includes general information about pandemic flu outbreaks and pandemic readiness.

Highway 59 Construction Begins Next Week

I and other City staff just returned from the pre-construction meeting for the STH 59 realignment project. While it seems like we've been talking about this forever (actually it's been planned for about five years now), the construction project will kick off next week. You can already see the staged construction trailer on the west side of STH 26.

For the most part, this project will have minimal impact on traffic patterns through the City during the construction process. However, there will be times when traffic will be impacted. We will use the blog and the City website to provide information on those traffic issues, so stay tuned.

For more general information on the STH 59 project, visit the DOT website at this link: www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/wis26corridor/exp-segment2.htm.

WSOR Tree Trimming Update

City Public Works Director Howard Robinson was informed by the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad that the cut brush and tree limbs along the railroad right of way in the City will be cleared by railroad crews later this spring or summer. WSOR has a clean-up grinder that runs along the tracks and grubs and clears the debris.

This is a follow-up to the earlier post regarding tree trimming throughout the City.