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Riders see Milton in a whole new light

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Photo by Dan Lassiter

Milton Town City Administrator Todd Schmidt points out the Highway 59 bypass project to a group who participated in a bicycle tour of capital projects.

MILTON — It’s helpful when a police chief rides in your bicycle tour.

You don’t worry about people running you off the road, for starters.

And occasionally, he can stop traffic as you try to cross a busy highway.

Police Chief Jerry Schuetz only had to do that once as he escorted a bike tour of Milton led by City Administrator Todd Schmidt.

Seven people, including two reporters, joined Schmidt and Schuetz on a tour of the city Wednesday as Schmidt explained ongoing and upcoming capital projects.

Schmidt enjoys biking and wanted to show off the city in a personal way, he said. In an hour and a half, he took riders through well-known projects such as construction of the new Highway 59 and expansion of the Alliant Energy substation next to the Tails N Trails Dog Park. He also explained a few future projects such as installing angled parking on Merchant Row and streetlights at John Paul Road and Madison Avenue.

Participants got to see the city in a whole new light. The future Highway 26 bypass, for example, became easier to visualize as Schmidt pointed out just where the new highways, bridges and connecting roads will be.

“I thought it was very interesting to see actually where the money goes and how nice Milton has become,” said Heidi Reynolds, who lives in Beloit but works at ANGI International in Milton.

Riders even saw Mayor Tom Chesmore’s house as they biked back to City Hall.

“Anyone have any toilet paper?” Jon Cruzan, a Milton School Board member, joked from the back of the pack.

Schmidt said he was happy with the event and the turnout. He hopes to make the tour a twice-yearly event, he said.

“I had no expectations going in,” he said. “I only fell off my bike once, which was alright.”

The fall actually came at the end in the City Hall parking lot when Schmidt turned around too quickly to answer a reporter’s question. No injuries were reported.

Schmidt and riders said the tour reminded them just how beautiful Milton is, especially on a warm afternoon in late summer.

“It’s really a great city to live and work in,” Schmidt said.