Parks, Climate Advocacy, Transit Cuts Plus Meeting and Event Highlights for the Week of July 12, 2021

Greetings friends and neighbors,

Last week the Council voted to adopt a resolution awarding public works to begin park paving at several city parks. Among the included parks is Orlando Bell Park. This project will replace a section of the paved path through the park and address some ongoing drainage issues along the path. All of the grading and site prep work will be done by Parks staff in August and September then a city contractor will be hired to pave it. A project webpage has been created for the project and includes a preliminary plan for the work. It can be viewed here - https://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/projects/orlando-bell-park-drainage-and-path-improvements

In other parks related news, Richmond Hills residents may have noticed that the Richmond Hill Park prairie and areas of North Star Park are being mowed regularly. Thanks to Bob W. for bringing this to my attention. The following is an explanation from Parks Superintendent, Eric Knepp. 

"The area at Richmond Hill that is now being cut weekly due to the area being completely covered with invasive species. The Parks Division is mowing the entire area to control the weeds without the use of herbicides in order to stop the spread of the invasive weeds. The areas at North Star Park are being cut for the same reason, but in a different fashion. North Star Park was purposely planted to contain large areas of prairie upon its development and has many beneficial native flowers and grasses. The areas being cut in this park are the areas that contain high amounts of invasive species which is called "spot mowing." In North Star there is a problem with Canada Thistle that the parks team is trying to get control of which is the reason for the spot mowing. Though it may appear like random mowing in some instances, it is actually a targeted method for invasive control.”

Myself, several other Madison Alders and statewide elected officials signed on to a letter written by The Pew Charitable Trusts' campaign for Flood-Prepared Communities to Governor Ever supporting the creations of a Statewide Resilience Planning effort. Leadership and support for a comprehensive statewide resilience planning was a key recommendation of the Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change and a priority of his Badger Bounce Back Budget. A Statewide Resilience Plan would help communities make informed decisions about future climate-related risks. It would also ensure that state and local taxpayer dollars are spent on mitigation projects that are cost-effective and well-coordinated between communities and across all levels of government. 

Governor Evers signed the state's budget bill late last week. His office informed us that they were unable to repair the cut to Metro Transit services using the veto pen. Mayor Rhodes-Conway issued the following statement in response: https://www.cityofmadison.com/news/mayors-statement-regarding-state-budget-cuts-to-transit

On Thursday, July 15, from noon to 1 pm., Trace the Line Conversations will focus on the state of the arts in Wisconsin, the impact of COVID-19 on the arts and how the intersection of arts and activism offers a springboard for desperately-needed conversations in our communities. Trace the Line was shot in Madison during 2020 with a diverse cast and crew — more than 50 percent BIPOC and women. The film focuses on the experience of two artists to depict how people from different walks of life experienced racial unrest and the pandemic. This event is the second in a series of Trace The Line Conversations that put the spotlight on leaders from a broad range of communities to sustain the movement for a more just society. The first conversation featured leaders from Kenosha, Minneapolis and Chicago who discussed bridging the gap, Black excellence and trauma and not being a bystander. The lunchtime virtual event will feature Zach Brandon, president of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce and Mark Fraire, Director of Dane Arts. Panelists also include Alejandro Miranda Cruz, co-founder of Madison-based Bravebird Films and director of the feature film Trace the Line, and Greg Hatton, the film’s cinematographer.

To attend, please RSVP here: https://www.tracethelinefilm.com/conversationevents

I am very interested in Trace the Line but unfortunately will not be able to attend due to prior work commitments. If you happen to attend, I would love to hear your thoughts!

Great Bucks win, here's to having a great remainder of the week! 

Meeting and Event Highlights for the Week of July 12, 2021

Reindahl Park Encampment and Alternative Emergency Sheltering

The City-County Homelessness Issues Committee will be discussing a resolution directing City staff to enforce ordinances at Reindahl Park and a resolution on a proposed emergency shelter tiny house village at its meeting on Monday.

• Meeting Details
• Meeting Agenda
• Register for Public Comment

For additional information about additional meetings scheduled for this week, please consult the City Meeting Schedule online here

Events, activities, seminars, etc.

•  Upcoming, public-facing COVID-19 mobile vaccine clinics, as organized by Public Health Madison & Dane County:

o   Friday, July 9: Cambridge Concerts in the Park, 4pm-8 pm

o   Monday, July 12: Jason Glenn Hair Salon, 12pm-7 pm

o   Monday, July 12: Mercado Marimar, 11 am-1 pm

o   Thursday, July 15: Lussier Community Center, 2pm-4 pm

• Vaccination appointments and walk-ins are also available at multiple public health clinic locations. Please see the Public Health website for details.  You can find details and see a map of all upcoming public clinics on the Public Health website.  Public Health Madison & Dane County’s COVID-19 Data Snapshot is released every Thursday. You can read their [publichealthmdc.com/blog/data-notes-for-the-week-of-july-8] weekly blog post for a summary of the week’s data. For a weekly summary of talking points around COVID-19 in Dane County, please check out Public Health’s hot topics document in their Google Drive.

Announcements, press releases, press conferences, etc.

City Related

• The City of Madison is rapidly restoring in-person access to City services, while maintaining increased access online and via phone.  To learn more, read this update on opening of City service desks.

• The Water Utility announced last week restoration of in-person bill payment services at the Water Utility Administrative Offices, located at 119 E. Olin Avenue.  Beginning Tuesday July 6, utility staff will once again be available 7:30 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday to receive in-person municipal services (water) bill payments. 

  • The utility continues to offer a range of on-line services through its website – www.madisonwater.org

  • Billing inquiries are still available by phone at (608) 266-4641

• The City of Madison is excited to announce the launch of the Carts in Parks Vending Pilot Program this summer into fall! This program will provide daily food cart vending in 20 parks around Madison, support community-driven micro vending markets, reduce the barriers to vending in city parks, provide greater food access, and enhance our community gathering spaces.  Read more here.

• The food scraps recycling program at the Streets Division drop-off sites will end on July 17, 2021.  After that date, residents who had been using the food scraps program should instead place the food scraps into the trash, or find alternative composting options, such as available private services or composting appropriate scraps in backyard bins.  Read more here.

Community Related 

• Movies in the Park have begun! Bring your chair or blanket July 13th for Raya and the Last Dragon at Aldo Leopold Park, 2906 Traceway Dr. Dinner, DREAM Bus mobile library, and DREAM Bikes free bike repair too. Madison Parks hosts the movie and Leopold-Arbor Hills hosts dinner and other activities. Visit Madison Parks for more movies in other Madison neighborhoods: https://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/events/movies/

• It Takes a Village July 20 Take two! This Community Resource Fair focuses on bringing the community together in a fun environment to learn about services available on the south side of Madison. Stop by Penn Park between 12-5 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20 to meet new librarians from Goodman South Madison, enjoy a cookout, get free books from the Madison Reading Project and engage with other public servants. Madison Reading Project will be onsite from 2-5 p.m. (free books while supplies last). Visit:  https://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/new/it-takes-village-community-resource-fair-july-20

• Madison Public Library Artist in Residence Program This summer The Bubbler at Madison Public Library is launching a new artist-in-residence program called the Bubbler Artist Cohort. Six diverse teaching artists will work together to create community connections and creative opportunities around a single theme. As part of a larger initiative by Madison Public Library called YOU(th) Belong, the Cohort plans to collaborate over the course of six months to explore the spectrum of “Belonging” with youth (8 - 18 years old). Visit: https://www.cityofmadison.com/news/the-bubbler-at-madison-public-library-announces-new-artist-in-residence-program

• Mad Lit is a new series of free outdoor events happening this summer on the 100 block of State Street (aka Top of State). These events, featuring diverse artists will take place on every other Friday evening from 8-11pm and are open to all ages. Mad Lit will run from July 2nd through October 8th. See the full calendar of events here.