D12 Update - Public Market, Oscar Mayer, trash collection

Madison Public Market Update

While it may appear to be a quiet 2018 for the Madison Public Market, lots of work has been going on through the city, the property owner and the Madison Public Market Foundation. Two clear actions have recently taken place: selection of the Foundation as the Public Market operator and revised site plans.

The revised site plans return the Public Market to the original location at the southwest corner of the Fiore Shopping Center parking lot (directly across from Burr Jones Park). You can see the latest proposed plans online.

The advantage of this site is the connection to the public park, access to surface parking behind the sewage treatment facility and finally the ability for the city to control the site. The current plan would also create a stand-alone building which will allow for more direct outdoor access from the Market Hall.

Late and August or early in September I intend to host a public meeting for the area residents to discuss the project, meet the architect and the property owner (who are proposing their own redevelopment at the corner with residential, commercial and hotel uses).

Oscar Mayer reuse

The City Strategic Assessment Committee continues to meet to discuss the potential re-use of the site. You may have already heard that local business TASC has already moved some of their employees onto the site. The property owner continues to market the existing building. The site received a $500,000 WEDC Idle Sites Grant to continue to separate the buildings with their own infrastructure to provide more flexibility in the future use of the buildings.

One of the strategies that the city is perusing is using a consultant to analysis the site, the near Northside and future opportunities for the city and owner to take advantage of. Their initial presentation is available online. 

Our next meeting is Tuesday July 9 at 5:30pm at the Warner Park Community Recreation Center (WPCRC). We will be discussing public engagement (a future public meeting everyone is invited to attend) and continue our significant discussion about what the planning area should be, what the city should expect the reuse of the site should be and how it interacts with the adjoining neighborhoods and residents.

2018 City-Wide Neighborhood Conference – Tell Us What is Important?

The 2018 Mayor's Neighborhood Conference will take place on Saturday, November 17 from 9:00 - 4:00 pm at Monona Terrace. The neighborhood conference is an opportunity for residents, the business community, policy makers, and other stakeholders to come together to learn, share, and network about ways to make neighborhoods great places to live and do business.

Please help us plan for the event by completing this questionnaire by Friday, July 6, 2018. It will take approximately 8 minutes to complete. Please circulate the questionnaire to others who might be interested in attending this event.

Proposal for temporary use of Warner Beach area

The rains of June continue to wreak havoc on the Mad City Ski Team club. Having competed and performed free ski shows in downtown Madison for over 50 years, the club has been displaced on a more frequent basis recently, due to heavier rain events. The slow-no-wake ordinance forces the team off the water and that has wide-ranging effects on both preparation for upcoming tournaments and income. 

Lake Mendota seems to weather the storms better than the other lakes because it can take on more volume and disperse it better through the Tenney Locks. Finding an alternative site for ski shows and practices has been a challenge in the past, however Warner Beach area seems to be the next best place for our team to setup shop.

The club proposes to make use of this park area on Tuesdays and Thursdays for practices, and Sundays for free shows. To be good stewards of the space, they will will:

• Launch boats and park trailers at the Warner boat landing
• Park equipment trailers on Woodland Drive during practice and show times only
• Safely avoid the Warner beach swim area
• Clean up park after use
• Provide 2 porta potties - if beach house is not available for our use

No Refuse or Recycling Collection on Independence Day

There will be no refuse, recycling, brush, or large item collection on Wednesday, July 4 in observance of the Independence Day holiday. The yard waste drop-off sites will also be closed. 

Madison residents who normally have their refuse and recycling collected on Wednesday should instead place their carts to the curb for collection by 7am on Thursday, July 5. Only residents within the Wednesday district will have their collection of refuse and recycling delayed due to the holiday. 

Refuse and recycling for the Thursday district will also be collected on July 5. 

Since the Streets Division will be collecting refuse and recycling from both the Wednesday and Thursday districts on July 5, it is very important that residents in these areas place their carts curbside prior to 7am on that day. Carts set out late may not be collected by our crews until the next scheduled collection day. 

Also, since Streets Division crews will be diverted from their normal tasks in order to collect refuse and recycling from the Wednesday and Thursday districts on July 5, other services, such as brush and large item collection, will be temporarily delayed. 

The City of Madison drop-off sites will be open the following hours around the upcoming holiday:

July 2, Monday  8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

July 3, Tuesday  8:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

July 4, Wednesday Closed

July 5, Thursday 8:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

The drop-off sites are located at 1501 W. Badger Rd. on the southwest side and 4602 Sycamore Ave on the east side. The yard waste only site at 402 South Point Rd will also be open as noted above.

Information about all of the Streets Division's recycling and solid waste services, including our drop-off sites, can be found at our web site www.cityofmadison.com/streets, or by contacting our offices. East side residents, which are residents east of S. Park Street, including the isthmus, should call 608-246-4532. 

Hip Hop Architecture Camp

DATE: MONDAY JULY 9 - FRIDAY JULY 14, 2018 TIME: 9:00AM - 4:00PM
AGES: 10 - 14
COST: FREE 

The Hip Hop Architecture Camp is a free one-week intensive, using Hip Hop Culture as a catalyst to introduce under- represented communities to architecture and design. Participants will explore Hip Hop as a revolutionary approach to understanding, conceiving, and generating architecture for a just city. 

During the camp, youth will participate in an architectural design competition and a rap battle for awesome prizes including Beats by Dre headphones. The camp will conclude with the production of a music video featuring all the participants and their Hip Hop Architecture design concepts. 

Apply Online.

How to Recycle Fluorescent Bulbs

If you have old fluorescent bulbs or tubes in need of disposal, you need to recycle them the right way. And that means never placing them in the recycling carts.

Fluorescent bulbs and tubes contain mercury, which is very hazardous. And, yes, even the small curly fluorescent bulbs, which are called compact fluorescent lamps (or CFLs) contain mercury.

Here's what you should do:

Take fluorescent bulbs, tubes, and CFLs to a retailer that sells these items in order for them to be safely recycled. Dane County and City of Madison ordinances require retailers that sell fluorescents to have a program to accept them for recycling. Some retailers may need to charge a small fee for their recycling program, so be sure to check with your chosen retailer about fees before taking bulbs to them.

Fluorescent bulbs, tubes, and CFLs can be also be recycled at Dane County Clean Sweep. This county facility handles all hazardous household materials, including other mercury containing devices like old thermometers. For more information about Dane County Clean Sweep, visit their website.

Never place old fluorescent bulbs, tubes, or CFLs in the recycling cart at your home or business. Workers sort through material placed into your recycling cart by hand at the recycling facility. Placing these bulbs and tubes into the recycling could expose those workers to hazardous mercury when the bulbs break.

If you break a fluorescent bulb, be sure to follow the EPA guidelines on how to quickly and safely clean the area.

For more information about the hazards of mercury exposure, visit the Wisconsin Department of Health Services' website. 

Additional information about fluorescent recycling can also be found on the Streets Division website,www.cityofmadison.com/streets.