If you are a regular reader of the City of Milton newsletter, you've probably noticed we're striving for more of a community focus in lieu of a strictly government news-centered announcement. The reason, of course, is that we recognize you, our residents, love seeing yourselves, your friends and your children in a fun, colorful newsletter delivered free of charge to your e-mail account. It highlights the ways you're living your lives to the fullest and singles out neighbors doing the same. 

Now, I'd love to have you all at the City of Milton every day when you're off work, but the simple fact is it's just not feasible. Instead, you're at your child's school, or one of our recreation programs, or working with others to make your community a better place through volunteer work. But that doesn't mean we can't help spread those programs and messages. 

At the City of Milton, we value of community partnerships. This is a somewhat new way of doing business in local government, and we're very pleased with the results. This type of work is especially important in a relatively young city, as community isn't built overnight. Instead, it takes years of work, friendship and caring. 

 Read the entire message.

The 2011 City of Milton Annual Report is now available at the city's Web site, www.cityofmiltonga.us.

This 67-page retrospective of Milton's five-year history includes a complete timeline of important city events dated back to pre-incorporation, full breakdowns of initiatives by topic, a recap of each board and committee work cycle, highlights of local volunteerism and awards won, and much more.

This document was produced entirely in-house and will be posted online at no cost to taxpayers.    

To download the 2011 City of Milton Annual Report, simply click here. You may also find the Annual Report, and previous years' documents, on the City of Milton's Web site under "Your Government" > "Communications" > "Annual Reports."

Registration is now open for Camp Joyful Soles, Milton's special needs day camp for children age 12 to 18.

To register for Joyful Soles, click here to download the form. It may be filled out online, then mailed or dropped off at Milton's City Hall, 13000 Deerfield Parkway, Suite 107 Milton, GA 30004 (click here for directions). Please make sure if mailing to clearly mark the contents are for Tom Gilliam.

Camp Joyful Soles, held in conjunction with Alpharetta's Camp Happy Hearts, will take place at Hopewell Middle School from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 4 to July 27 (with no camp July 4). This small, specialized camp is limited to just 20 participants a week and includes arts and crafts, games, special guests, fitness classes and swimming once a week.

Cost is $125 for Milton and Alpharetta residents and $187.50 for non-residents (a 50 percent increase) per week. Guardians may register for all eight weeks or a week at a time. The first week must be paid in full. There is a $50 per-week, non-refundable, non-transferable fee to hold spaces in future weeks. Remainder of the balance is due prior to the week reserved.   

For more information, contact Tom Gilliam, Recreation Program Coordinator, at 678.242.2519 or [email protected].

The City of Milton Parks and Recreation Department is hiring three part-time, seasonal positions - a lead counselor and two counselors - to help run and staff Camp Joyful Soles.

Interested applicants need to have graduated high school by June 1, 2012.

Full information on job qualifications, pay and more is available at the City of Milton's online Career Center. For mobile device users, simply choose the "Careers" tab on the city's mobile site, then choose "Lead Counselor - Joyful Soles" or "Counselor - Joyful Soles."

Applications are due April 6.     

For more information, contact Tom Gilliam, Recreation Program Coordinator, at 678.242.2519 or [email protected]. 

From left, Milton Councilman Bill Lusk, Crabapple Crossing Elementary Principal George Freiberger and Milton Sustainability Coordinator Cindy Eade celebrate the school's inclusion in the Evergreen program.

The latest edition of the Evergreen newsletter, which details environmental efforts across North Fulton and is produced through a partnership between the City of Alpharetta, Keep Johns Creek Beautiful, the City of Milton, and the City of Roswell, is now available.  
 
Check it out for news on all sorts of environmental events and a rundown of the next Evergreen meeting March 6 at Milton's own Northwestern Middle School (click here for directions).  

Anyone interested in environmental education and building or maintaining school gardens and outdoor learning areas are encouraged to attend this meeting. Come and tour the permaculture project at Northwestern and see examples of outdoor classrooms. Refreshments will be provided by Harry's Farmers Market.     

To view the newsletter, click here (CONTENT AVAILABLE ONLY ON DESKTOP SITE).

The City of Milton, Tree City USA designee by the Arbor Day Foundation, will offer two tree appreciation events Saturday, March 10 and 17, as part of its commitment to maintain the city's natural beauty. 

The first, held at Bell Memorial Park from 9 a.m. to noon, is a component of the city's current tree inventory. Two consulting arborists from Davey Resource Group, along with city staff, will be on site to discuss proper tree care, mulching, pruning, signs of disease, tree species identification and answer any questions the public might have about the tree inventory.

This project is funded by the Georgia Forestry Commission's Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program and is the first step towards getting the information needed for a tree management and maintenance plan.

The second event will take place at Bethwell Community Center from 10 a.m. to noon for Arbor Day. Volunteers and city staff will prune trees, plant new trees and flowers, mulch and put in a new fence.      

For more information on either of these events, please contact City Planner Michele McIntosh-Ross at 678-242-2538 or [email protected] or City Arborist Mark Law at 678-242-2552 or [email protected].

Funds for this project were provided by the Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program administered by the Georgia Forestry Commission.  

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).  

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-A, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Acclaimed Milton painter Deanna Sirlin is inviting the community to help with a new series of collage installations to be shown throughout Milton this fall. 

The celebrated painter will hold two open houses Sunday, March 18 and 25 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Bethwell Community Center in which anyone over 8 can contribute work to the project. 

Sirlin is asking residents to bring scissors, paintbrushes, and colorful recyclable paper of any size and texture as donations for the project and use them to express themselves. She will take the resulting collages back to her studio and make drawings from them. 

When the art is shown this fall, everyone who contributed to the project will be invited to the opening reception as a collaborator. 

This project is funded through the Better Together: Real Communities - Milton Mini-Grant Initiative. The grants are intended to support projects and activities that engage residents to improve and bring communities together.     

Please register for the open houses by e-mail at [email protected]. For more information on Sirlin, visit www.deannasirlin.com. For more information on this project and the mini-grants program, contact Grant Coordinator Amanda Quintana at 678-242-2512 or [email protected]. 

Parents and their children who are eligible to attend Summit Hill Elementary Kindergarten in 2012-13 are invited to the school's Kindergarten Round-Up March 21 at 9 a.m.

This hour-long program provides parents important curriculum and registration information as well as a "virtual" tour of a typical kindergarten day.  

Simultaneously, incoming kindergarten students take a guided tour of Summit Hill during which they will visit a kindergarten classroom, listen to a book in the Media Center and board a stationary school bus in the parking lot.

Afterward, prospective Husky students return to the cafeteria to enjoy a snack and reunite with parents.

Parents should register any students new to Summit Hill for 2012-13 (kindergarten - Grade 5) on May 2-3.     

Please click here for more information.

Norm Plotkin, a financial planner with Ashford Advisors, will share his expertise with parents and family members of those with special needs March 22 as part of the Milton Disability Awareness Committee (MDAC) Community Link series.

Plotkin's presentation, "Wills, Trusts and Legal Planning for Special Needs Families"  will take place in City Council Chambers at Milton's City Hall, 13000 Deerfield Parkway, Suite 107E (click here for directions). Everyone is invited, and there is no RSVP required.

Among the topics covered during Plotkin's presentation will be:
*    Government benefit eligibility for SSI and Medicaid.
*    A review of guardianship, conservatorship, and client self-determination and advocacy issues.
*    Determining which type of Special Needs Trust is suitable.
*    Determining appropriate funding vehicles to guarantee quality of life, including life insurance.
*    How to pass on all of your special knowledge about your child to his or her future caregivers.
*    How to provide for your family's and special child's financial future.   

For more information on this program, contact MDAC at [email protected] or call 678-242-2500.

The City of Milton Public Works Department and Milton Grows Green are offering residents a bulky trash amnesty day Saturday, March 24. 

From 8 a.m. to noon, residents of Milton can bring items to the City of Roswell Public Works Division at 1810 Hembree Road in Roswell (click here for directions). Only City of Milton and Roswell residents will be served. Proof of residency will be required, and utility bills are preferred. 

Some of the items that will be accepted are:
*    tires - must be off the rim, automobile tires only; limit 4 per car
*    sofas
*    tables
*    refrigerators
*    chairs
*    washers
*    dryers
*    televisions
*    deactivated cell phones
*    computer equipment and electronics

The following items will not be accepted:
*    paint
*    household hazardous waste
*    any fluids including motor oil and anti-freeze
*    household batteries
*    construction and demolition materials
*    yard waste

For proper disposal of these items, please contact either the Roswell Recycling Center at 770-442-8822 (motor oil and anti-freeze) or Chadwick Landfill at 770-475-9868 (construction and demolition materials).

Materials will only be accepted at the site on the day of the event and only during the hours of 8 a.m. and noon. Please note that the gate will close at noon.   

For more information, please contact Milton Sustainability Coordinator Cindy Eade at 678-242-2509 or [email protected].

The third annual Birmingham Falls Foundation 5K/1-Mile Fun Run will take place Saturday, March 24 at 9 a.m., with the one-mile starting at 10 a.m. 

Registration is $25 before March 15, $30 up to and including race day. All registered runners/walkers will receive a race t-shirt and plenty of refreshments after the race.

Awards will be presented to overall male/female, and the top three finishers in all designated age groups.

The top boy and girl student in the 5K race will each win an iPod Touch. All participants in the 1 mile fun run will receive a finishers' ribbon.  

Both courses will start at Birmingham Falls Elementary School (BFES) and proceed along local gravel paths and dirt roads.  

All proceeds benefit the Foundation, which supports educational programs at BFES.  

For more information or to register for the race, please visit www.supportbff.org and check out our Facebook page "Birmingham Falls Foundation."

Milton Grows Green and the City of Milton are seeking businesses and individuals to display their environmentally friendly products and services to the community at our third annual Earth Day Festival.  

Join in now by becoming a vendor and or a sponsor of the event on Saturday, April 16 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Birmingham Park.  Spaces are filling rapidly, so you don't want to miss out in connecting with our many eco-friendly families.  

Click here for more information on becoming a sponsor or a vendor.     

Volunteers also are needed to help with the kids craft area and other activities.  Please e-mail [email protected], [email protected] or call 678-242-2509 for more information. Rain barrels will also be featured at the Earth Day festival, and pre-orders will be taken until April 13. Please e-mail [email protected] for further details.

Milton's fifth annual Memorial Day celebration will again be held at City Hall. It features speeches, patriotic music, recognition of living and fallen veterans and of course handmade markers lining Deerfield Parkway.     

To stay up to date with all of Milton's special events, click here.

The City of Milton and Overkill Volleyball will offer a series of camps this summer at Northwestern Middle School from June 4 through 22.

Cost for youth camps is $165, which includes a T-shirt, participation prize, and snacks. Cost for advanced camps is $240. Registration is limited to 40 campers a week.

The camps are offered by age group and skill level:
*    7 to 9: June 4 through 8 -- 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
*    10 to 12: June 11 through 15 -- 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
*    10 to 12 advanced: June 11 through 15 -- 1 to 4 p.m.
*    13 to 14: June 18 through 22 - 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
*    13 to 14 advanced: June 18 through 22 -- 1 to 4 p.m.

Youth camps are designed to introduce the game to beginner and intermediate players, and coaches focus on fundamentals. Participants learn necessary skills to develop into a volleyball player. There is one coach per 10 participants.

Advanced camps are designed to further develop the seasoned player. Players who participate in this camp must have consistent fundamental skills in passing and serving. During advanced camps, the players develop more game-specific goals and work on positions to be ready for middle and high school tryouts. Again, there is one coach per 10 players.     

For more information about this program, visit Overkill Volleyball's Web site, www.overkillvolleyball.org or e-mail [email protected]. You may also contact Milton Recreation Programs Coordinator Tom Gilliam at [email protected] or 678-242-2519.

The Milton Disability Awareness Committee would like to alert the community the Ed Isakson Alpharetta Family YMCA is offering a new wellness class for children with special needs.  

Taught by special education teacher Monique Toole, the class focuses on social skills and character development, sensory integration and fine and gross motor skills. 

Toole is employed by Forsyth County Schools with experience in creating programs for children with autism.

Gross motor skills will be presented in an obstacle course format and fine motor skills in craft-type activities for hand/finger coordination. Social skills and character traits (caring, honesty, respect, responsibility, taking turns, expressing one's feelings and empathy) will be presented in kid-friendly lessons and games to enhance their sense of belonging.     

For more information, contact the YMCA at 770-664-1220 or www.ymcapass.com/iay.shtml. 

Principal Ed Spurka has selected Ryan Borger to be the first Band Director at Milton's newest High School, Cambridge High.  

He added Borger will also join Cambridge as the leader of the performing and fine arts programs.

Borger is the current Band Director for Milton High School a position he has held since May 2007.  He has received top honors throughout the state while directing the marching band, four concert bands and two jazz ensembles.  

Under his leadership, Milton's Wind Ensemble has been recognized as an "Honor Band of Georgia" by Columbus State University, featured at the University of Georgia's 2011 January Festival of Bands, and showcased at the University of Alabama Honor Band Festival.  

For more information about the new school, visit its Web site at www.cambridgehs.org.

From left, Amy Li, Coach Mark Poole, Nico Leis, Liam Nugent, Parth Kumar and Coach Lorie Moore with their awards.

The Hopewell Middle School Mathcounts team coached by Lorie Moore and Mark Poole earned third place in the 29th annual Metro Atlanta Chapter MATHCOUNTS Competition sponsored by the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers Feb. 11 at Georgia Tech.  

The Hopewell team competed against private, charter and public schools from across the metro area. More than 390 mathletes from 51 schools attended the competition.

By placing third out of all the schools, The Hopewell Middle School Mathcounts Team moved on to the State Mathcounts Competition.

Congratulations Parth Kumar, Nico Leis, Liam Nugent and Amy Li.  

Milton High School junior Tori Bentley recently qualified for the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search finals to be held Oct. 5 - 7 at the United States Equestrian Team headquarters in Gladstone, N.J.

Her wins to qualify took place at the Elite Show series held at Wills Park this past month with her horse, Charizimo, a 10-year-old Holsteiner import from Germany.  

A very demanding competition, the Talent Search Program attracts the nation's top young riders in head-to-head competition.

Bentley will attend Cambridge High School this fall.  She is trained by Sunny Stevens of Stevehaven Stables and lives in Milton with her parents, Rob and Laura Bentley.  

By Kolleen Riddick, CorePhysique founder

The weather is getting warmer, so it's the perfect time to lace up those shoes and get going.

But starting a new running habit can be a bit daunting. If you want to run but are too intimidated to start, we have just the advice for you. But first and foremost, make sure that you get clearance from your doctor.
 
1. Proper Shoes. If you are a new runner, you do not need to invest a whole lot of money on a pair of running shoes. Look for a running shoe that fits your foot. If you have a flat foot, find a shoe with some arch support. The best bet is to go to a running store and get a foot evaluation. It does not mean you need to buy the shoe from that store; rather, it is just a way to learn more about your feet as well as your gait.
 
2. Where to run. You want to find a safe route to run. If you are planning on running on local roads, pick ones with sidewalks or wide shoulders for safety. A great option for the new runner would be a track at the nearest school.
 
3. Warm-ups. It is never a good idea to stretch cold muscles. Instead start with 5 to 7 minutes of light cardio exercise like brisk walking, jogging slowly or jumping jacks. Then move on to dynamic stretching. Examples of this would be slow side lunges to warm up the inner thighs, a controlled front kick to prepare the hamstrings and standing twists to stretch the lower back.
 
4. Run/Walk. Find a pace that fits you. Try to start with a pace that is not too challenging. You may want to start with a run/walk program in the beginning. Run for a short segment (1 to 2 minutes), then slow down to a steady walk (3 to 5 minutes). Keep repeating the segments until you have completed your distance or time that was set beforehand.
 
5. Cool down. Once you have completed your run, cool down by slowing down your pace and returning to a slow walk. Then you want to be sure to stretch your calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, inner thighs and lower back. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids to rehydrate your body.
 
If you are interested in joining a running program for beginners, The City of Milton and CorePhysique are offering a second running program with YMCA Fitness and Dance Instructor Curly Teeter, a breast cancer survivor and 2007 a Coca-Cola Olympic Torchbearer nominee.
 
Teeter holds certifications in group fitness, personal training, spinning/cycling, water fitness and is trained in CPR and first aid.

Courtesy Capt. John Huey, Criminal investigations Division

We at the City of Milton Police recently received this information from the IRS and thought it would be of use to residents.

The Internal Revenue Service today issued its annual "Dirty Dozen" ranking of tax scams, reminding taxpayers to use caution during tax season to protect themselves against a wide range of schemes ranging from identity theft to return preparer fraud.   

The Dirty Dozen listing, compiled by the IRS each year, lists a variety of common scams taxpayers can encounter at any point during the year. But many of these schemes peak during filing season as people prepare their tax returns.

"Taxpayers should be careful and avoid falling into a trap with the Dirty Dozen," said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. "Scam artists will tempt people in-person, on-line and by e-mail with misleading promises about lost refunds and free money. Don't be fooled by these scams."

Illegal scams can lead to significant penalties and interest and possible criminal prosecution. The IRS Criminal Investigation Division works closely with the Department of Justice to shutdown scams and prosecute the criminals behind them.

 
Identity Theft
Topping this year's list Dirty Dozen list is identity theft. In response to growing identity theft concerns, the IRS has embarked on a comprehensive strategy that is focused on preventing, detecting and resolving identity theft cases as soon as possible. In addition to the law-enforcement crackdown, the IRS has stepped up its internal reviews to spot false tax returns before tax refunds are issued as well as working to help victims of the identity theft refund schemes.

Identity theft cases are among the most complex ones the IRS handles, but the agency is committed to working with taxpayers who have become victims of identity theft.   

The IRS is increasingly seeing identity thieves looking for ways to use a legitimate taxpayer's identity and personal information to file a tax return and claim a fraudulent refund.
 
An IRS notice informing a taxpayer that more than one return was filed in the taxpayer's name or that the taxpayer received wages from an unknown employer may be the first tip off the individual receives that he or she has been victimized.  

The IRS has a robust screening process with measures in place to stop fraudulent returns. While the IRS is continuing to address tax-related identity theft aggressively, the agency is also seeing an increase in identity crimes, including more complex schemes. In 2011, the IRS protected more than $1.4 billion of taxpayer funds from getting into the wrong hands due to identity theft.

In January, the IRS announced the results of a massive, national sweep cracking down on suspected identity theft perpetrators as part of a stepped-up effort against refund fraud and identity theft.  Working with the Justice Department's Tax Division and local U.S. Attorneys' offices, the nationwide effort targeted 105 people in 23 states.

Anyone who believes his or her personal information has been stolen and used for tax purposes should immediately contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit.  For more information, visit the special identity theft page at www.IRS.gov/identitytheft.

This list is compiled from business license records kept by the city's Community Development Department. If a new business receives a license within the month proceeding the newsletter, it will be listed.

The appearance of a business on this page is not intended, nor should it be construed, as the City of Milton's or Milton City Council's endorsement, sanction, promotion or advertisement of any particular business. Identification of businesses on this list is for informational purposes only. Citizens interested in retaining or conducting business with any of the companies or agencies listed in this item should conduct their own review and investigation of that business.

B & B Health 12875 Morning Park Circle Milton, GA 30004  

Blessed Nest 16168 Hopewell Road Milton, GA 30004 

Definitive MD 14302 Club Circle Milton, GA 30004  

Cellairis 5230 Windward Pkwy Milton, GA 30004 

Del Electric 215 Champions View Court Milton, GA 30004  

SP Properties 15595 Birmingham Hwy Milton, GA 30004  

For a continually updated list of current businesses in Milton via the city's Web site, click here.