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Week of January 19th

posted 

Dear Neighbors, 

I hope that you are staying warm and safe in this snowy weather! Our snowplowing crews are hard at work plowing, salting, and sanding our roads. As a reminder, sidewalks need to be shoveled edge-to-edge by noon the day after snowfall stops. If you have any snow/winter related questions, be sure to check out the City of Madison’s winter weather page!

The city will begin our second and final phase of Christmas Tree collection starting January 20th. If you place your tree on the curb after January 20th, it may not be collected until regular brush season begins. Make sure you review this resource regarding what can and cannot be collected.

I hope that you will join me on Saturday, January 24th from 10:00am-12:00pm for the official opening and ribbon-cutting of Door Creek Park! There will be free ski, snowshoe, and ice skate rentals, as well as food carts and classes taught by the Madison Nordic Ski Club!

There are so many ways to engage with the city, and I hope to see you out at a neighborhood event soon! In the meantime, don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m always eager to hear from you.

-Sean 

 

Olbrich Gardens Compressive Plan Meeting:

Olbrich Gardens is in the process of envisioning their future and addressing their infrastructure needs, potential expansion, and the needs of a growing community and tourism industry. As part of this process, they would like to invite you to join them and provide input at a series of public workshops.

When: January 22nd, 12:00 pm & 6:00pm 
Where: Olbrich Botanical Gardens
3330 Atwood Ave, Madison, WI 53704
RSVP: https://course.veevart-apps.com/olbrichbotanicalgardens/catalog/public-workshop-1-listening-learning

What is it?
Broadly speaking, the goals of this process are to address aging infrastructure, explore potential garden expansion, and envision Olbrich's future - while at the same time addressing the needs of both a growing local community and tourism audience. The widely regarded landscape architecture firm Reed Hilderbrand was chosen through a competitive selection process to lead the design team and the project as a whole.

When is it?
We are currently in the first phase of the project, focused on discovery. Throughout the fall, the design team conducted both virtual meetings and in-person visits with staff to better understand the site, define opportunities and constraints, and hear from stakeholder groups including Olbrich volunteers and Olbrich Botanical Society board members. Beginning in January, we will begin to broaden the scope of input to Olbrich members as well as the general public, so that the design team can also hear and learn from the community.

Survey Available:
For those that can’t attend the meeting, there is a survey available to share comments. Survey is available at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3YW9YS8

 

MG&E Tree Pruning: 

This year, Madison Gas and Electric will be performing line clearance tree pruning in some of our neighborhoods. As part of this process, MGE applies for a permit to prune City of Madison-owned trees within the public right-of-way of any street, alley, highway, or greenway. MGE Forestry works with the City Forester and the City of Madison Streets Division on a yearly plan to prevent over-pruning of City-owned trees. 

MGE's 2026 plan for pruning trees on the public rights-of-ways will be considered by the Board of Public Works at their upcoming meeting: 

When: Wednesday, January 28th at 4:30pm
Meeting Information: https://www.cityofmadison.com/city-hall/committees/board-of-public-works/2026-01-28

MG&E Tree Pruning Map
Image credit: MG&E

Madison Schools Construction Phase 2 Input Sessions:

In 2024, Madison voters approved a referendum to update 10 schools across the city. These updates aim to modernize infrastructure, improve accessibility for all students, improve learning environments and make sure that our schools have adequate air-conditioning and heating. You can learn more about the approved referendum here.

The construction proposed in the referendum is scheduled to take five years and occur in three phases. Phase one is currently wrapping up and phase two will begin soon. As part of this process, the Madison Metropolitan School District has announced a series of public feedback meetings for the construction/renovations of four schools: 

Orchard Ridge Elementary School/Akira R. Toki Middle School
When: Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Cafeteria
Where: 5602 Russett Rd., Madison, WI 53711

Cherokee Heights Middle School
When: Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Library
Where: 4301 Cherokee Dr., Madison, WI 53711

Ray F. Sennett Middle School
When: Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Cafeteria
Where: 502 Pflaum Rd., Madison, WI 53716

Updates and Notices

Observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day: City of Madison offices are closed on Monday, January 19, 2026, in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. All emergency services will be open. In case of an emergency, please call 911. For non-emergencies, please visit the following webpage for contact information.

Boards, Commissions, and Committee Meetings

Note: This is not a complete list of meetings for this upcoming week. All meetings and their details can be found at the Meeting Schedule page.

If you would like more information about becoming a member of a City board, commission, or committee, please visit the page linked here.

Public Information Meetings (PIMs)

Virginia Terrace, Norwood Place, Rugby Row, Hillington Way, Wednesday, January 21: The City is planning a construction project on Virginia Terr (Virginia Terr cul-de-sac to Regent St), Norwood Pl (Virginia Ter to Hillington Way), Rugby Row (Virginia Terr to Hillington Way), and Hillington Way (Norwood Pl to Southwest Commuter Path). A public information meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., Jan. 21, 2026, via Zoom. Registration prior is required.

Announcements and News Releases

 

Please visit the City news webpage to find additional news and announcements and to subscribe to receive notification of news releases as they are posted.

Events

Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar.

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District 16 - Alder O'Brien

Portrait of Alder Sean O'Brien

Alder Sean O'Brien

District 16
Contact Alder O'Brien