Email: Jim@NorthsidePlanningCouncil.org        
Julie@NorthsidePlanning Council.org  
Dana@NorthsidePlanningCouncil.org

The Northside Planning Council (NPC) is a nationally recognized coalition of 24 neighborhood associations and community organizations on Madison’s Northside, one of Madison’s most economically and culturally diverse areas. Madison's first planning council, NPC was initiated as a pilot collaboration between Northside neighborhoods, the City of Madison, Dane County, United Way, and Madison Community Foundation in 1993 to create a vehicle for greater citizen participation and involvement in the decisions and issues that affect their community. NPC fulfills its mission through a wide variety of neighborhood organizing, information sharing, issue advocacy, and community development initiatives. An independent nonprofit organization, NPC is governed by a board of neighborhood residents elected by each neighborhood association.

NPC was proud to receive the prestigious National Neighborhood of the Year award in 1999 from Neighborhoods U.S.A. (NUSA), the only national award given to neighborhood organizations on an ongoing basis for their self-help initiatives.

Improving the Quality of Life for All Northside Residents by:

• Increasing Citizen Participation and Voice in issues and decision-making processes affecting the Northside community, and
• Building Community on the Northside by linking people and organizations.

The boundaries of the Northside Planning Council are:

• West: Lake Mendota from the City of Madison northern limits running south to the Tenney Locks (including the Village of Maple Bluff):
• South: From the Tenney Locks southeast along the Yahara River to Sherman Avenue; then northeast along the western side of Sherman Avenue to Fordem Avenue; then running south along the eastern side of Fordem Avenue to the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad; then heading north along the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad to Commercial Avenue; then Commercial Avenue east to Packers Avenue;
• East: Packers Avenue north (including Dane County Regional Airport and the Oak Park Terrace Trailer Court), to the City of Madison northern limits; and
• North: The City of Madison northern limits (including Cherokee Marsh).

Neighborhoods of Berkley Oaks, Brentwood Village, Cherokee Garden Condominiums, Cherokee Park, Cherokee Townhouses, East Bluff, Kennedy Heights, Lake View Hill, Lerdahl Park, Lindbergh, Mendota Hills, Maple Wood Condominiums, North Lake Mendota, Nobel Park, Northport Apartments, Packer Townhouses, Sheridan Triangle, Sherman, Troy Gardens, Vera Court, Whitetail Ridge, Woodlands, Woodland Park. Organizations of Lakeview Lutheran Church, Northside Business Association, Northside Communities of Faith, East Attendance Area POT Coalition, Friends of Troy Gardens, North/Eastside Senior Coalition, Friends of Cherokee Marsh and Upper Yahara Watershed, Dane County Timebank, Warner Park Community Recreation Center Circle of Friends, Northside Community Council.

• Neighborhood Organizing: Building community by forming and strengthening Northside neighborhood organizations. NPC has helped organize or revitalize 11 new neighborhood associations
• Fostering Better Cooperation Among Northside Organizations and Residents: Pursuing efforts to better understand and represent all Northside residents by building diversity and capacity within NPC and the Northside community.
• Community Visioning: Engaging Northside residents and organizations in creating and implementing a shared vision for their Northside community, including comprehensive goals in the areas of Community Building & Heritage, Natural Environment, Housing, Businesses & Economic Development, Community Services & Facilities, Safety & Health.
• Northside News: Creating and publishing a bimonthly community newspaper to increase awareness of community issues, needs, and resources; to cover positive community news and history; and to strengthen the Northside’s sense of community identity. Circulation: 12,000.
• Swimming Pool at Warner Park: Leading efforts to realize community dream of a public swimming pool. Pool advocacy goes back two decades, was part of the original Warner Park Center Plan, and is a high priority of the Northside 2000 Community Vision.
• Student Achievement: Through the efforts of the Northside PTO Coalition and school organizing of core teams at elementary schools, NPC seeks to bridge the student achievement gap by more effectively engaging parents in their children's education, as well as building better neighborhood-school relationships.
• Warner Park Community Recreation Center: Gathering citizen input, mobilizing community support, and spearheading the development of a multi-purpose community-recreation center in Warner Park, which opened in 1999. NPC raised over $800,000 in private donations toward the $4.5 million cost of this unique public facility
• Troy Community Gardens: Leading a coalition of a dozen organizations in developing a 31.5 acre "community resource park" providing an innovative mix of community gardens, urban agriculture, education programming, parkland, and mixed-income owner-occupied housing.

Helen Marks Dicks
Tel: 608-222-3843
Email: helen@mailbag.com

Lisa Wiese
Tel: 608-242-8572

The Northside Planning Council meets on the 4th Wednesday of each month, 6:30 p.m., at Warner Park Community Recreation Center, 1625 Northport Drive, Madison WI. All meetings are open to the public.

www.northsideplanningcouncil.org

Newsletter Contact Information

Northside News (Community Newspaper), Dana Slowiak - Managing Editor
2702 International Lane, Suite 203, Madison WI 53704

Tel: 608-661-0060 ext. 1
Fax: 608-661-0064
Email: Dana@NorthsideNews.org