It's that time of year when each of the Madison Police Department districts seeks feedback from residents. Below is a link to this year's online survey. Please take a moments to click on the below link and let us know how you feel about the quality of life in your neighborhood.

Read More or Take Survey

Today the city announced its ability to allow residents to pay their property taxes in four installments. You can learn more about the program at http://www.cityofmadison.com/treasurer/propertytax/fourInstallment/

Gang,

I've submitted an amendment to the capital budget reinstating the reconstruction of Monroe for 2016. We all know the many reasons for the reconstruction: create safer crossings, fix the gaping holes in the roadway (the pavement rating is 3.69 out of 10; under 5 triggers resurfacing), fix the failing sections of water and sewer main, improve the lighting, and improve the overall pedestrian experience.

The move to change the date to 2017, as I'm told, is primarily to prevent the compounding of city-wide traffic problems that will be caused by the reconstruction of monroe at the same time as the reconstruction of the beltline and Verona road which is slated to be complete in 2016. Apparently this is based on a lesson city engineers learned from the the reconstruction of Johnson/Gorham. I certainly don't doubt that there will be some compounded traffic but I'm not yet persuaded that it will be sufficient to justify pushing back this important project.

I asked the city engineer to provide data to back the claim, ideally with some traffic modelling. If the data make a strong case for very significant additional city-wide traffic disruption I will most likely withdraw the motion and let the 2017 date stand. But until then I believe the best direction for the area and city is to move forward with an amendment to restore the 2016 date.

This mirrors the feedback I've received from residents but if you think I'm off-base let me know!

cheers,
Lucas
district13@cityofmadison.com

As many of you have heard the Mayor has proposed pushing the reconstruction of Monroe street back to 2017. I'm gathering information and exploring options to determine the best course of action to take to insure the improvements we need on Monroe are built. In the meantime, the Engineering dept is suspending it's work on the redesign, so the meeting scheduled for 9/15 at Edgewood is cancelled.

If you haven't signed up yet for the Mayor's Neighborhood Conference this Saturday I'd highly recommend it if you're involved in neighborhood or city-wide issues. This year's keynote speaker is Don Edwards, Director of Justice and Sustainability Associates. I've really enjoyed attending the conference previous years and I hope I'll see you at this year's.

http://www.cityofmadison.com/neighborhoods/NeighborhoodConference/

Upcoming Events I hope to see you at:

South District (ours) Community Forum with Police Chief Koval
As described by Chief Koval: "These sessions are an opportunity to provide me with
direct feedback and there will also be a representative from the hosting District should you want to
convey thoughts specific to the area."
Tuesday, September 23
7pm-8:30pm
Predolin Hall at Edgewood College (Anderson
Auditorium)

Monroe Street Reconstruction Listening Session #3
The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for the evening of 9/15. I'll write another update when it's confirmed but block out that night now if you wanted to attend. Up-to-date Information can be found on the project page at www.cityofmadison.com/engineering/monroe/

Meet & Eat event at Brittingham Park
If you haven't been to Meet & Eat to sample food carts from around the city the are still going to be at Brittingham Park this Tuesday and next Tuesday from 5-7pm.
www.cityofmadison.com/parks/celebrate/madisonmeetandeat.cfm

Also, last week I wrote a short essay featured on the cover of The Cap Times laying out a vision for Madison, mostly looking at big-picture issues to keep us economically competitive. I've received a tremendous number of positive messages about it and I'm interested in your thoughts as well.

Emergency personnel from university, city, county, state, and federal agencies will hold a training exercise at and around Camp Randall on Thursday, July 17th. More than 400 people are expected to participate in this real-life simulation of an emergency at Camp Randall Stadium.

Here are the details for nearby residents:
On the July 17th, from 5:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., the 1400 block of Monroe Street (Randall to Regent) will be closed to traffic.  The UW Credit Union will also be closed until 4 p.m. -- at that time, it will open only for pedestrian traffic. At around 7:00 a.m. an explosive sound effect will be heard in Camp Randall Stadium.  Emergency vehicles will respond in real-time with lights and sirens – neighbors can expect the lights and sirens to cease by 10 a.m.  Nearby residents should also expect to see smoke, and acting victims with fake blood and injuries.  The realistic nature of the exercise is designed to better prepare the University for an actual crisis.

So stay calm and carry on.

And if you live about 1,000 feet from the stadium like me you probably won't need to set an alarm Thursday morning. For anyone further out I'd suggest not going out of your way to watch the goings-on; I have a feeling there may be a lot of additional traffic and a greater than average share of rubber-necking drivers.

We're closing in on Rhythm & Booms on Saturday, June 28th! Our neighborhoods will be deluged with people from the throughout the city and area but the city and organizers have made significant preparations. I've heard concerns from neighbors and I believe they're being addressed. Here are the details for our neighborhoods:

Event
The fireworks will be from 9:30 to 10:00. There will also be a music stage with acts from 2pm to 11pm (with a break for the fireworks). The fireworks themselves will be shot from a barge in lake Monona anchored nearish the John Nolan/North Shore Dr intersection.

Parking/transportation
Here is a map of what streets will have restricted parking (red and yellow lines show no-parking areas). Also note that the outbound lanes of John Nolan will be closed. If you live on a street that is close I was told that local traffic would still be able to get though, you'll just probably need to talk to the officer at the intersection. The John Nolan bike path will be mostly open, however pedestrian density will probably make biking on it impractical.

Trash
The Madison Parks Department will post numerous bins throughout Brittingham park and the viewing area, as well as several large dumpsters. Resident on shore streets are encouraged to leave their trash bins on the curb with the lids open for people to use as well. The city will be sending garbage trucks along the shore the following day. The event organizers will be doing some clean up after the but there will also be at least one organized group cleanup event the next morning starting at 9am at Brittingham park. I'll be there picking up trash, I hope you join the group too.

Police
There will be significant police presence through the night with around 20 officers in our area and others moving around as needed.

Portable Toilets
In addition to bathrooms at all public parks being open for the night there will also be portable toilets stationed throughout the area.

Volunteering
Apart from the trash pickup after the event and in the morning, you can also volunteer with the event organizers here: rhythmandbooms.com/volunteer_general.html

District 13 residents are invited to participate in the listening session and presentation for the upcoming Monroe street reconstruction project. This will be the second opportunity to voice your opinions and discuss the project with your neighbors, city staff and Alder. The first session was packed and a great success; please join me and your neighbors to keep the momentum going with this session.

Wednesday, July 9th 6:30 pm
Washburn Heritage Room on Edgewood Campus

Hope to see you there,
Lucas

I received the initial parking plan for Rhythm & Booms from Traffic Engineering. You can grab the PDF here. If the viewer doesn't work for you click the File menu at the top left, then Download.

The yellow lines indicate sides of the street with existing no-parking. The red lines indicate sides of the street that are currently planned to be made no-parking for Rhythm & Booms.

If you find any problems with this please let me know at district13@cityofmadison.com and we'll find a solution.

Join your neighbors and Alder to listen and provide feedback on a proposal by developer Chris Etmanczyk for 101 S. Mills st. Chris and his architect, Brad Koning, will present their updated plans for the site and gather input from the neighborhood.

Monday June 2nd, 6:30pm
Neighborhood House Community Center
29 S. Mills Street

District 13 Alder Lucas Dailey will hold three Listening Sessions across the district to hear more about resident's ideas and concerns regarding neighborhood and city issues. Please join us at one of these three sessions to meet with your neighbors and Alder and be part of the discussion.

We have a vibrant and constantly evolving district and city, let's talk about where we want to go in the future.

Friday, May 30, 2014
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Wingra School – Library
718 Gilmore Street

Wednesday, June 4, 2014
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Neighborhood House
29 S. Mills Street

Sunday, June 8, 2014
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Lakeside Street Coffee House
402 W. Lakeside Street

On April 22, 2014 the Common Council Organizational Committee recommended that Lucas Dailey fill the vacant District 13 Aldermanic seat until the new alderperson is elected and seated on April 21, 2015. 

The recommendation to appoint Mr. Dailey will go to the Common Council for approval at their meeting on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 (6:30 p.m., Room 201, City-County Building)

• Lucas Dailey Resume (PDF)
   
• Resolution, Legislative File No. 33828 (PDF)

City of Madison Common Council President, Ald. Chris Schmidt, announced today that he is accepting resumes from residents of the 13th Aldermanic District interested in filling the position vacated by former alderperson, Sue Ellingson (Ms. Ellingson resigned from the Council effective March 20, 2014).

All resumes should be mailed or delivered to:

Common Council President, Ald. Chris Schmidt
Room 417, City-County Building
210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
Madison WI 53703

Resumes must be received no later than 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16, 2014.

Resumes should include:

• Name
• Address
• Home telephone number
• Work telephone number
• E-mail address
• Biographical resume should include education, work, neighborhood, and civic experience
• A statement on why the applicant wishes to serve
• A statement of what the applicant wants to accomplish
• A statement if the applicant plans to run for alderperson in the Spring 2015 election

The Common Council Organizational Committee (CCOC) will review all resumes and interview applicants at a special meeting to be held on Tuesday, April 22, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. in Room 260, Madison Municipal Building (215 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard). The CCOC will make a recommendation to the Common Council to be acted upon at their April 29, 2014 meeting.

The Common Council will determine at their April 8, 2014 meeting whether the person appointed will serve until the November 4, 2014 General Election or until a 13th District Alderperson is elected on April 7, 2015 and takes the official oath of office.

For more information or questions please contact Ald. Chris Schmidt, Common Council President at district11@cityofmadison.com or (608) 266-4071.
 

by Alder Sue Ellingson

Today I submitted my resignation as Alder for District 13 to Mayor Soglin and Common Council President, Chris Schmidt.

In the last two months I have had pressing family matters arise that require extended periods away from Madison.  I simply don't have the time to adequately represent my district.

Many thanks to my neighbors who gave me this opportunity to help make decisions about the future of our city.  I've learned much about how the city works and explored new ideas for city management.  I've met hundreds of neighbors.  I've worked hours and hours with Madison's exceptionally capable and committed staff. 

This has been one of the best experiences of my life.  I regret that I'm no longer able to serve.

The Common Council will appoint a new alder to serve the remainder of my term.  Meantime, you can contact the Council President, Ald. Chris Schmidt, at the Council office at 266-4071.

Thanks.

Sue

by Alder Sue Ellingson

CRESCENDO HEARINGS

• 3/19, 5:30p - Alcohol License Review Commission
201 City-County Blg, 210 MLKing Jr Blvd
Email comments to licensing@cityofmadison.com

• 4/8, 6:45p - Common Council
201 City-County Blg, 210 MLKing Jr Blvd
Email comments to allalders@cityofmadison.com

Crescendo, 1859 Monroe St, has applied for later closing hours:
- Sun-Thurs, from 8:00p now to 10:00p
- Fri-Sat, from 10:30p now to 12:00a

Owner Cait Shanahan said, "We are NOT going to change our posted hours on the door... The reason for the change is to give us more flexibility when we have events." Click here for the application.

Capt Joe Balles said, "I looked at our MPD calls for service with Cate's establishment... We have had NO COMPLAINTS FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD.  In short, Cate has been running a good business and I do not see these extended closing times being a significant deal."

I agree with Capt Balles. I have had no complaints. Cait has done a good job of running her business. I will support this change.

by Alder Sue Ellingson

REMINDER - NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING
Tues 3/11
Water Utility, 119 E Olin Ave
• 5:30-6:30p, Brittingham Boats
• 6:30-7:30p, Rhythm & Booms

BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS
Wed 3/12 - 6:30p
Olbrich, 3300 Atwood Ave
I believe the Park Commission will consider Brittingham Boats' request to add pontoon boats. The agenda is not posted yet. You can check it here: https://madison.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

WINGRA CREEK NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING
Mon 3/17 - 6:30p
Goodman Library, 2222 S Park St
The goals of this project are to address bank stabilization, provide channel improvements, and enhance the natural features in Wingra Creek. It covers the reach between the stone railroad bridge (Baird Street) and Olin Avenue. Engineering staff will report on design progress towards goals agreed upon at the last meeting and discuss needed revisions and remaining issues, such as a possible weir structure.
Sally Swenson, (608)266-4862, sswenson@cityofmadison.com

MONROE ST LISTENING SESSION - RESCHEDULED
Thurs, April 10 - 6:30p
Hotel Red, 1501 Monroe St
Monroe St reconstruction is scheduled for 2015. This is a listening session to gather your ideas. (The originally scheduled meeting for March 20 is canceled.)

by Alder Sue Ellingson

Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) was found near Warner Park this past November.  The City of Madison has an estimated 21,700 City-owned street (terrace) ash trees and many more in parks. The City's plan for EAB was approved by the Common Council in 2012 and updated in 2013.

For City-owned street trees:

• Ash trees on the terrace will be cut down if they are in poor condition, are located under power lines, or measure less than 10" in diameter. This work has begun.
• Forestry will continue with branch sampling to look for new infestations.
• In late May, Forestry will start chemical treatments for ash street trees that are healthy, are not located under power lines, and are more than 10". The city will use injection treatments, not soil drench treatments, to protect water quality. All terrace trees meeting the treatment criteria will be treated by 2016 at the City's expense. For this reason, adoption of terrace trees is not needed.
• Forestry will replant street trees in most locations.

Adopt-a-Tree in Madison Parks
Residents can adopt an ash tree in any Madison park and have it treated for EAB by a City licensed tree contractor at their own expense. The request form for adoption will be made available soon on the Madison Parks website (http://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/).  Ash trees must be in good condition and greater than 10" in diameter.  Once the adoption is approved, the City will issue the treatment permit directly to the licensed tree contractor you hire. Licensed tree contractors can be found on the Madison Public Works website: http://www.cityofmadison.com/business/pw/prequalifiedContractors.cfm

Replanting the urban forest
You can help support replanting the City's urban forest. The Madison Parks Foundation has established the Emerald Ash Borer Tree Replacement fund to replace trees in the park system that will be lost to the Emerald Ash Borer. Find out more on the Madison Parks Foundation website: http://madisonparksfoundation.org/support-the-parks/how-to-give/

Privately owned trees
Madison Parks website has a Homeowner's Toolkit to help you identify ash trees, symptoms of EAB and make a decision whether to treat or not treat your own ash trees in your private landscape: http://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/services/forestry/pests/EAB/toolkit.cfm

The city strongly recommends that you treat your ash trees using the direct injection method rather than the soil drench method in order to protect our lakes and ground water.

These websites have more information on finding a service provider:
Arborjet: http://www.arborjet.com/arborjet_near_you/find_a_service_provider/
Bioforest: http://www.bioforest.ca/index.cfm
Madison Public Works website: http://www.cityofmadison.com/business/pw/prequalifiedContractors.cfm

by Alder Sue Ellingson

TAX ASSISTANCE AT THE LIBRARY
Available now.
http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/special-series/tax-assistance

EDGEWOOD MASTER PLAN - PLAN COMMISSION
Mon 3/24 - 6:00p
Rm 201 City-County Blg, 210 MLKing Jr Blvd
The Plan Commission will consider the Edgewood Master Plan at this meeting.
http://www.edgewood.edu/about/campus-master-plans