City Council joined Milton Historical Society members on Monday night to honor the man who generously donated one of our area’s most historic structures to the City.

The McConnell-Chadwick house traces back to the late 1830s, when it was built for Eli McConnell. McConnell made his mark in many ways as a Brigadier General, owner of the region’s first flour mill, the State Senator who proposed the creation of then Milton County, and Gov. George Troup’s designee to sell Cherokee property after the forced exodus of that Native American tribe’s members.

Larry Chadwick on Monday recalled being “privileged to grow up in the shadow of the McConnell-Chadwick House.” Milton’s City Council voted last September to accept his donation of the one-story, Greek revival cottage home. More recently, members authorized funding to help restore and preserve the structure’s exterior.

“It was always our intention and dreams that it would belong to the people of this area,” Chadwick told the City Council, speaking of his family’s wishes. “And now we are very happy that the City of Milton has it.”

On Monday night, Mayor Peyton Jamison read a proclamation expressing the City’s gratitude to Larry Chadwick for “his sincere, selfless commitment to this area … evidenced in the decision to cede potential profits.” It described the donation as a “noble, altruistic act (that) allows for the preservation of this significant property and its history for generations to come.”

At the same Council meeting, Bill Lusk presented Chadwick with a special Preservationist Award from the Milton Historical Society. Several members of the non-profit group recounted the home’s history as well as what it took to help save it, including individuals who helped make that happen.

Larry Chadwick topped that list for many reasons.

“It’s been a long road,” Lusk told Chadwick. “But we got there.”

MURPHY, SWANN NAMED TO SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE

The Chadwick-McConnell House presentation and recognition occurred roughly midway through a meeting that began with the City Council’s unanimous approval of a Consent Agenda that included agreements with:

• Avalon Motor Coaches to transport children at Camp Compass and Camp Joyful Soles (both run directly by the City of Milton) to and from occasional field trips over the course of the summer
• Music in the Beat Hive to lead music classes focusing on simple songs, movement, and hands-on instruments to children ages 0 to 5 at Milton facilities as the City’s newest recreational program partner
• Eagle Stix (girls lacrosse), North Georgia Recreation (boys lacrosse), and Rush Union (adult soccer) to continue offering their athletic programs in collaboration with the City’s Parks and Recreation Department
• TerraMark Land Surveying to conduct surveyd to support the development of construction plans for needed repairs of a box culvert along Providence Lake Drive
• Lagniappe Development Company to install traffic calming and pedestrian-focused safety improvements in downtown Crabapple, including one new and one replacement speed table along Heritage Walk, as well as new sidewalk along Cortland Road

The Council then appointed two new members of the Milton Sustainability Advisory Committee. This committee has been charged with working with City staff (and, ultimately, the City Council) on crafing a forward-looking, community-driven Recycling and Solid Waste Management Plan. (For more about this initiative, visit www.miltonga.gov/RSWMP.)

Councilmember Carol Cookerly nominated John Murphy, a U.S. Army veteran who worked for many years in the medical industry, has lived in the Milton area for the past 22 years, and volunteers with many worthy causes. Patti Swann was nominated by Councilmember Doug Hene, who lauded the former sales, marketing, and customer service professional’s energy and excitement for the city, as evidenced in part by her work with her HOA and in support of Milton Police.

“Both Patti and John just graduated from our Citizens Government Academy,” noted Mayor Jamison. “You have been wonderful ambassadors (for) the City, and we’re looking forward to what you all … do in the future.”

4 HIGH SCHOOLERS GIVEN ARTS SCHOLARSHIPS

Monday’s Council meeting doubled as an award ceremony for the Hogan Family Arts Scholarships, which the Milton Arts Council bestows annually to students who live in and/or attend school in the city who plan to major in an aspect of the arts at college or a university. The Mayor noted presenting these awards “before City Council allow(s) us to publicly recognize these recipients.”

Milton Arts Council President Shelley Hogan explained the scholarships are “an important part of our mission to encourage young artists of all genres.” She then named the four honorees:

• Emily Deich, a four-year member of the Milton Theatre Company at Milton High School
• Jake Holley, a recent Cambridge High School graduate and master of multiple instruments
• Henry Parker, another Cambridge Bear with significant experience in video production
• Avery Shorkey, who was part of 16 theatrical productions at Milton High and helped form the Milton Film Society

Hogan concluded her remarks by reading an excerpt from Shorkey’s nomination: “Art is ubiquitous  … Art impacts the way we view the world.”

PRESENTATION OF REVISED TRAIL PLAN BLUEPRINT

The Public Works Department’s Rob Dell-Ross gave a presentation focused on what the Milton Trails Advisory Committee has been working hard on for well over a year: the City’s updated Trail Plan Blueprint.

This map is aspirational in that it doesn’t commit the City to any funding yet it can guide developers and help in TSPLOST discussions as to what projects are pursued. With the Blueprint, for example, a developer would know when and where to make a wider sidewalk and/or trail when a sidewalk is required.

Last updated in 2020, the newest revision envisions improvements that could be made over the next 20 years. It would be a companion to the Milton Trail Prioritization Plan, which ranks potential trail/path projects in tiers based on which the City might pursue first. The revamped Blueprint could become a useful tool when the City considers what to do with future rounds of TSPLOST funding.

The Council next cast a pair of unanimous votes following presentations by Deputy City Manager Bernadette Harvill. The first approved an alcohol beverage license for Red Chillez Indian Cuisine, a restaurant under new ownership and with a new name off Highway 9. Then, the Council approved amendments to the City’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget.

MEASURE OK’D TO RESTRICT FIREWORKS NEAR HORSES

The evening’s final item – and unanimous vote – was years in the making: adding restrictions on where consumer fireworks can be set off to protect horses and the barns they call home.

Members of Milton’s equestrian community have long pointed out the potential dangerous effects of explosive fireworks on horses, as well as nearby humans and property.  Yet the State has long mandated that fireworks be allowed (at least) on a handful of holidays and weekends every year except for specific exceptions, such as near gas stations or nursing homes.

After discussions involving Mayor Jamison and equestrian community members, including Milton Equestrian Committee Chair Tony Rich, Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones of Milton helped guide legislation through the Georgia General Assembly to give local governments the ability to prohibit fireworks within 200 yards of “certain facilities housing equines.” Gov. Brian Kemp signed it on May 14; the legislation goes into effect on July 1.

On Monday night, the City Council followed with a measure implementing this restriction within Milton. According to the approved ordinance, fireworks are prohibited year-round – even on the previously allowed days – within 200 yards of the border of any property that has equines (a term that encompasses horses, donkeys, ponies, and mules).

Councilmember Juliette Johnson called this new ordinance “really important to our citizens.”

And Mayor Jamison added, “Educating the public is going to be very important this year.”

The City Council is next scheduled to convene on July 7.