Mall Concourse & State Street Maintenance

Mall Concourse maintenance is a City of Madison service within the Parks Division, that provides cleaning and maintenance services for city sidewalks in the greater State Street and Capitol Square area, also known as State Street Mall and Capitol Concourse. Services are provided in recognition of the unique status and function of central downtown. Mall maintenance services support economic development and quality of life both downtown and citywide and is separate from the Central Business Improvement District (BID), even though the areas overlap. Each are separate entities and funded separately.

Mall Maintenance Services: Year round, seven days a week

• Sidewalk snow and ice removal on service area frontages. Snow removal from the street is managed by the Streets Division. Snow removal from sidewalks not within the special charges district is the responsibility of the property owners.
• Daily trash collection public receptacles, recycling and leaf/debris collection as needed. (Sidewalk snow removal takes priority during winter storms).
• Bus shelter cleaning and route sign maintenance with power washing as required.
• Seasonal banner changes on State Street and Capitol Square.
• Turf and landscape maintenance - Mowing/trimming, fertilization, and irrigation of Square and State Street grass islands and Lisa Link Peace Park. Maintain floral planter program with the assistance of Olbrich Botanical Gardens.
• Hardscape maintenance - sweep walks, power wash seating areas as needed, and install benches, bike racks, and refuse containers.
• Maintenance and cleaning of the Visitor Center.
• Mall Concourse Sidewalk Washing Program
• Presentation of Services

Mall Maintenance Funding

Costs for services are shared equally by the City and property owners.

Mall Maintenance Billing

Property owner charges are calculated in the summer, based on actual expenditures for the June 1 - May 31 service year and are charged in arrears. Charges are normally included on the subsequent annual property tax bill. Only properties receiving services are charged. Charges are allocated based upon parcel size (square footage) and street frontage (linear feet). In certain areas the service area is extended to cover sidewalks leading to City parking lots and ramps. For more information on how these charges are calculated please see Charges Diagram.

State Street Landscaping

In 2020, Mall Maintenance began managing all landscaping along State Street. Mall Maintenance designs and installs the spring plantings with other Park staff. This work includes the installation of the spring flowers, watering and weeding, which continues through mid-June.

The Mall Concourse is very fortunate to partner with Olbrich Botanical Gardens for the installation of summer annual flower displays in the large planter tubs. Olbrich selects the plants, including tropical flowers from their greenhouse to provide an attractive and unique decor. Summer interns support this effort to learn about the work involved in designing and planting in an urban setting. The interns also provide plant maintenance assistance throughout the summer to keep everything looking good. Mall Maintenance waters and weeds the planters throughout the growing season.

Most planting beds in the service area are the responsibility of Mall Maintenance. In addition to the perennial landscape beds, summer annuals are installed near the top of State Street, Peace Park and behind benches on the Capitol Square. Fall bulbs are planted near the end of October in a multitude of areas for spectacular tulip and daffodil displays for the following spring season.