If you've ever wanted to get involved in your community, this November is the perfect time. Whether you're interested in general knowledge about your community, our parks progress, our unique style of government, county politics, veteran's issues, sports, writing, green initiatives or photography - we've got something for you this month.  

First, please take a look at the steps our fire-rescue department is taking to ensure we're prepared for any outbreak of Ebola. I know this is a hot topic, so I'd like to commend our hard working public safety folks for taking the initiative to prepare. Not every community can say this, and I know we're lucky to have the forward-thinking, professional service folks we count on every day.  

Next, check out our new partnership with Milton-based Local Life Publishing to produce an expanded and better-distributed Newcomer's Guide. I think you'll find all sorts of great info in it.  

Then we've got a couple of great videos - one of drone footage in Bell Memorial Park, the other of Milton's unique partnership government model.

     Click here for more information.

On Aug. 8, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa was declared by the World Health Organization to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern because it was determined to be an "extraordinary event" with public health risks to other countries.  

Initially, when the public as a whole became aware of the gravity of this disease and its ease of transmission, the City of Milton Fire-Rescue Department began working on ways to protect its staff as well as the public.  

The training for Milton Firefighters began by sharing information gained directly from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Emory University. The classes concentrated on known information about the disease including transmission routes, incubation periods and steps needed to protect our EMTs and Paramedics, as well as the citizens we serve.

The initial training revealed that enhanced personal protective equipment would be needed when first responders come in contact with potential Ebola patients.  Special suits, gloves, boots, tape, masks, eye and face protection were procured.  All Fire Department staff members received instruction on the new equipment, including the proper methods of dressing, undressing, and disposal.

The training was also used to dispel rumors of transmission and focus on the known characteristics of the disease and discuss the treatment and coordination of the providers and local hospitals.

Members of the department's senior staff attended a county wide Ebola Functional Tabletop Exercise on Oct., 24 in conjunction with the Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness and the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency.   

The exercise focused on known transmission methods, signs and symptoms of the disease, incubation periods, and the effective ways to contain the disease without endangering the first responders or the public. Scenarios were presented to the participants in an interactive fashion to not only utilize the resources of our agency, but the resources of the Atlanta-Fulton County EMA, Department of Health, and the CDC.

The winter 2014 Milton Magazine and Newcomer's Guide - a publication for new residents and those looking to become more familiar with Milton's government - is now available.

To download an electronic version of the book, click here. Thanks to a partnership with Milton-based Local Life Publishing, paper copies will be available at local businesses, schools, homes and at City Hall.

The 80-page publication includes everything from the Newcomer's Guide, including information on Milton's history, a guide to taxes, contact information for utilities, county departments and city facilities, a listing of local volunteer groups, and much, much more, plus local interest and business stories produced by Local Life Publications. It will be updated quarterly.

"When Local Life Publishing came to us with the idea of a partnership, it seemed like an incredible opportunity to reach residents in new ways," said Director of Innovation and Engagement Jason Wright. "We can't wait to hear feedback from the community about this project so we can hone it to be exactly what our residents need."

Bell Memorial Expansion Project: Oct. 28

For more information, contact Communications Manager Jason Wright at jason.wright@cityofmiltonga.us or 678-242-2523.

Citizens Government Academy 19

The City of Milton Communications Department has undertaken a monthly, video-on-demand Citizens Government Academy hosted through the city's YouTube page. 

Each month, Communications Manager Jason Wright will discuss a new topic in the two-minute videos. 

Soon, installments will cover virtually every aspect of the city's municipal operations, including sections reserved for hot topics that arise throughout the project.

To visit the City of Milton's YouTube page, click here.  

For more information, contact Communications Manager Jason Wright at jason.wright@cityofmiltonga.us or 678-242-2523.

To find your polling place for voting on Nov. 4, click here.

Or, to verify you are registered to vote, find out where to register to vote, how to register online or see a sample ballot, click here.

For more information regarding voter registration, please contact the Voter Registration Division of Fulton County at 404-730-7072.

Milton's Better Together volunteer organization will host a meet and greet and town hall meeting with Fulton County Commissioner-Elect Bob Ellis at Milton's City Hall Thursday, Nov. 6.

Ellis will discuss important issues facing the Fulton County Commission and topics important to Milton residents. He will then take questions from the audience.

This meeting will take place in Milton's City Hall 13000 Deerfield Parkway, Suite 107 (click here for directions). It starts at 7 p.m.

A Milton resident, Ellis won the new Fulton County Commission District 2 seat in May. An executive with The Chubb Corp., a Fortune 250 company, and Warren, N.J.-based international insurance industry, Ellis will use his 20-plus years of business experience to help create solutions for Fulton County. 

Better Together is a volunteer organization of Milton residents looking for unique and fun ways to connect with neighbors.  If you would like more information on Better Together or any of its activities, please visit the group's Facebook page or contact Community Builder Wayne Boston at 678-242-2512 or wayne.boston@cityofmiltonga.us.

Thank you: a simple phrase used by millions to show appreciation for the many sacrifices made by our brave servicemen and women who served their country valiantly throughout this nation's history.
 
It is also the theme of the City of Milton's first Veteran's Day Ceremony, scheduled for Tuesday, November 11 at 11 a.m. at Freedom Park, 13200 Deerfield Parkway (click here for directions).
 
The ceremony features a "thank you" to local veterans by Debbie Davidoff, founder of the Milton Veteran's Project, and much more.
 
Friends and families are then invited to reflect upon the markers created to remember the legacy of fallen veterans and placed along Deerfield Parkway and in Crabapple by Councilman Bill Lusk.
 
Please start your Veteran's Day by joining the City of Milton in thanking those who have served the cause of freedom for us all.

The City of Milton will once again recognize Veterans Day, Tuesday, Nov. 11, and in preparation is adding veterans into the city's registry of service men and women.

Through six years of hard work and the generosity of residents, Milton has amassed a list of more than 600 living and fallen veterans.

Each year residents ask how their family members may be added to the registry. The city does not have access to a government database revealing who served in the military. Instead, we need you to tell us.

To register a family member or friend, please use the online form available anytime at the City of Milton Web site.

Once you give the City of Milton the information, it will be placed in a secure database. The names will then also be used in the City of Milton's yearly Memorial Day service. 

Celebrate the changing of the season with the Georgia Philharmonic on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. in their concert hall at Cambridge High School.   

The magical evening begins with the lush Snow Maiden Suite by Rimsky-Korsakov. Next, they will delight the audience with Winter from Vivaldi's Four Seasons. The program concludes with Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6, Op. 74, otherwise known as the Pathetique (passionate and emotional).   

Full of gorgeous themes you'll know, the Pathetique has become a staple in film scores such as Anna Karenina, Minority Report and The Aviator.  This concert is made possible through the generous support of The Home Depot.

Visit www.georgiaphilharmonic.org today to purchase your tickets or for more information.  Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for students.  

Cambridge High School is located at 2845 Bethany Bend. 

Shop the Milton High School PTSA's sixth Annual Milton Holiday Bazaar Saturday, Nov. 15 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Milton High School Cafeteria, 13025 Birmingham Highway.

Proceeds benefit the Milton PTSA Scholarship Fund. More than 65 unique vendors will offer a wide variety of creative finds for gifts -- fashion jewelry/accessories, clothes, artwork, home accents, food, skin care, and much more!    

For more information, contact Tom Gilliam at 678-242-2519 or tom.gilliam@cityofmiltonga.us.

Always eavesdropping for realistic dialogue? Have the itch to write the Great American Novel? Then make sure you're at the Bethwell Community Center Nov. 16 when Better Together hosts a free writer's workshop with Georgia Author of the Year 2013 Kimberly Brock, a Milton resident.

This workshop will last from 2 to 4 p.m. Bethwell Community Center is at 2695 Hopewell Road in Milton. Refreshments will be provided.   

Whether writing poetry, magazine articles, family stories, comics, novels or starting a blog, learning to read and listen with mindfulness requires courage. It is the mastery of vulnerability and authenticity that will determine your success in life and on the page. 

Brock's reputation as a teacher is characterized by her focus on getting the writer out of his or her own way by creating an environment of awareness. In workshop, writers are encouraged to come out of hiding and to take risks, embracing the habits of a satisfying creative life.

Writers will learn the habits of: 

• paying attention and developing material from their own lives
• identifying writing goals so they can write through their fears
• brainstorming ideas and stretching creative problem solving skills
• reading as a writer and digging deep with critical thinking skills

In this 2-hour creative writing workshop, participants will be challenged to engage in mindfulness as readers and writers through prompts and exercises put to use in their original work. In-class critiques as well as feedback from the instructor will help students further develop the potential in their own writing.  

Brock is the award-winning author of the No. 1 Amazon bestseller The River Witch. A former actor and special needs educator, her writing has appeared in anthologies, blogs and magazines, including Writer Unboxed and Psychology Today.

She lectures and leads workshops on the inherent power in telling our stories and is founder of Tinderbox Writer's Workshop.

To learn more, visit kimberlybrockbooks.com.

Better Together is a volunteer organization of Milton residents looking for unique and fun ways to connect with neighbors.  If you would like more information on Better Together or any of its activities, please visit the group's Facebook page or contact Community Builder Wayne Boston at 678-242-2512 or wayne.boston@cityofmiltonga.us.

Katie Reeves, Fulton County School Board Member for District 2, will be holding many of her community meetings this school year in Milton.

Tuesday               Nov. 18         9:30 a.m.                Summit Hill Elementary School
Tuesday               Jan. 20          9:30 a.m.                Hopewell Middle School
Wednesday          March 18        9:30 a.m.                Crabapple Crossing Elementary School 

For more information about Reeves or the meeting schedule, click here.  

If you are new to Milton or septic systems and are looking for advice on maintaining your home's tank, Milton Grows Green and Better Together have you covered.

The two volunteer groups will co-host a septic system community workshop Thursday, Nov. 20 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Milton's City Hall for residents to learn more about their inner workings and proper maintenance. At it, Dr. Ellen Bauske, project coordinator of the University of Georgia's Cleanscapes Project, and Rolando Orellano, Fulton County extension agent, will present "cleanscapes," a how-to guide for septic system owners.

City Hall is located at 13000 Deerfield Parkway Suite 107 (click here for directions).

For more information, please contact Cindy Eade, Sustainability Coordinator City of Milton at cindy.eade@cityofmiltonga.us or call 678-242-2509.

For the second year, Milton's staff, volunteers and elected officials will celebrate Thanksgiving at the Milton Senior Center with some of the folks who use it most.     

Why not stop by on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 11:30 and celebrate what all that for which are thankful? The Milton Senior Center is located at Community of Christ Church, 3315 Francis Road in Milton.    

 Additionally, Milton's City Hall will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 27 and 28 for the Thanksgiving holiday. To view the city's calendar, click here. 

Roadwork projects continue throughout the city.  

ROADWORK

Please note: All dates on roadwork projects are estimates and are based on weather conditions. Any road closures will be sporadic and announced well in advance.  

Ga. 372 at Providence Road/New Providence Road
In August 2013, Bartow Paving Company, Inc. began intersection improvements at Ga. 372 (Birmingham Highway) and Providence and New Providence Roads. Plans include redirecting the intersection approach and installing a roundabout.

GDOT awarded the construction contract to Bartow Paving Company, Inc. in the amount of $2,576,297.45. The job is expected to last 18 months.   

For more information on these projects, visit http://miltonintersectionprojects.com or contact Angie Kapijimpanga, citizen responder for the City of Milton, at 678-242-2562 or angie.kapijimpanga@cityofmiltonga.us.

Mayor Joe Lockwood, Councilman Matt Kunz and representatives from the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce help cut the ribbon on Posh Nails, spa and coffee on Ga. 9.

This list is compiled from business license records kept by the city's Finance 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.   

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