Highlights for the Week of July 31st, 2023

MEETINGS

• West Area Plan Meeting at Rennebohm Park! The West Area Plan will host a public meeting at Rennebohm Park August 2 for review and feedback on first draft recommendations focused on land use and bicycle/pedestrian connections:

• August 2, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Rennebohm Park Shelter, 115 N. Eau Claire Ave. This is an open house style meeting and a food Carts in Parks event, with Taquitos Marimar and Little Sister Cookies - swing by for great food, stay for the West Area Plan! Food carts are weather dependent; West Area Plan discussion is rain or shine in the shelter.

  • The West Area Plan team has completed an underlying plan review, which has been posted to the project web page.
  • Please note that I cannot attend this event but have attended others and am tracking resident input and City plans related to this initiative. I have also been asking various City Departments for additional information to inform this process, including the destinations of driving trips that originate in District 19; information from the City’s “Report-a-Problem” platform; resident input on the Metro Network Redesign, trends in bus ridership numbers for routes that include District 19, and trends in the number of affordable housing units.

• The Parks Division is continuing with parks development planning in the West Area, with several additional parks-focused feedback opportunities:
• A parks-focused survey closes August 4th.
• A parks-focused virtual public meeting is scheduled for 2-3:30 p.m. on August 8th (see the project website for signup information).

• Common Council:  The Common Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, August 1, 2023 in hybrid format at 6:30 PM. Agenda items include authorizing the implementation of the Body-Worn Camera Pilot program, adopting the 2024 Common Council meeting dates, recognizing August 19, 2023 as Africa Fest Day, and more. Specific to District 19, check out agenda items 33, 43, 48, 75, and 84.

  • Meeting Details (including agenda, registration guidance, submitting comments, and link to watch online)

• Finance Committee: The Finance Committee meeting will take place on Monday, July 31, 2023 in virtual format at 4:30 PM. Agenda items include an overview of the 2024 budget calendar and process, amending the 2023 Adopted Operating Budget to transfer funds between and within agency budgets, and more!
  • Meeting Details (including agenda, registration guidance, submitting comments, and link to watch online)

• Community Development Block Grant Committee: The Community Development Block Grant Committee meeting will take place on Thursday, August 3, 2023 in virtual format at 5:30 PM. Agenda items include a staff report of the Committee’s year-at-a-glance, approving an award of Community Development Block Grant funds, and more!
  • Meeting Details (including agenda, registration guidance, submitting comments, and link to watch online)
• Affirmative Action Commission: The Affirmative Action Commission meeting will take place on Thursday, August 3, 2023 in virtual format at 5:30 PM. Agenda items include a report from an Alder on items in front of the Common Council that are of interest to the Affirmative Action Commission, a report from the Director of the Department of Civil Rights on personnel updates and new and existing projects, and more
  • Meeting Details (including agenda, registration guidance, submitting comments, and link to watch online)

EVENTS

• Parks Alive | Elver Park, Monday, July 31, 2023: Parks Alive builds stronger neighborhoods and connects neighbors to their parks through fun, family-friendly activities, music and free food. Events are held in parks across the city and throughout the summer. Connect with your neighbors and engage with your community at a Parks Alive event near you! Elver Park: July 17, July 31, and August 14.
• Wild Rumpus: An Anji Play Experience, Monday, July 31, 2023: Enjoy child-led play at A Wild Rumpus based on the educational approach of AnjiPlay. The library will provide special play equipment to spark your children's imagination at two parks this summer. Messy clothes and a water bottle are encouraged. Bring your own picnic dinner and make an evening of it! All ages and abilities are welcome. No registration needed.
• Annie Stewart Fountain Conservation Meeting, Monday, July 31, 2023: Virtual community meeting to discuss options for conservation of Annie Stewart Fountain.
• East Side Farmers' Market, Tuesday, August 1, 2023: The Eastside Farmers' Market is Madison Wisconsin’s finest weekday farmers' market. Our goal is to bring the freshest Wisconsin grown food direct to the heart of the East side. Our vendor members are agricultural producers and food artisans who make value added products from Wisconsin's agricultural bounty.
• Parks Alive | Aldo Leopold Park | Movie: Wakanda Forever, Tuesday, August 1, 2023: Parks Alive builds stronger neighborhoods and connects neighbors to their parks through fun, family-friendly activities, music and free food. Events are held in parks across the city and throughout the summer. Connect with your neighbors and engage with your community at a Parks Alive event near you! Parks Alive in Aldo Leopold Park: June 20, July 18, August 1, and August 15.
• Urban League of Greater Madison: Financial Empowerment Workshop Series #2, Tuesday, August 1, 2023: Do you have financial goals you are working to attain? Maybe you'd like to purchase a home, start your own business, or plan for retirement? The Urban League's free Financial Empowerment series of workshops can help you build the budget to achieve those goals, understand and build your credit score, learn about other community resources that can help support your goals, and much more!
• Dane County Farmers' Market - Wednesday Market, Wednesday, August 2, 2023: The Wednesday Dane County Farmers’ Market is located on the 200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, in between the Madison Municipal Building and the City County Building. While more intimate than the Saturday Market, you will still find many of your favorite Dane County Farmers’ Market members, as well as a full array of fruits and vegetables, eggs, cheeses, honey, maple syrup, bakery items, cut flowers, plants, and many specialty items.
• The Capitol View Farmers’ Market, Wednesday, August 2, 2023: The Capitol View Farmers Market is returning to the North Star Neighborhood! Join us each Wednesday (May 31-October 11, 2023) from 3:00-7:00pm to support local farmers and vendors, enjoy live music and food carts, and make the most of summer in Madison!
• LIVE @ Lake Vista: carisa, Wednesday, August 2, 2023: Join us at Lake Vista Café on the Monona Terrace rooftop for live music in a relaxed atmosphere. Lake Vista Café will have a menu featuring delicious fare and drinks for purchase until 7 p.m., including buy one get one free appetizers from 4 – 6 p.m.
• Parks Alive | Hammersley Park | Movie: Soul, Wednesday, August 2, 2023: Parks Alive builds stronger neighborhoods and connects neighbors to their parks through fun, family-friendly activities, music and free food. Events are held in parks across the city and throughout the summer. Connect with your neighbors and engage with your community at a Parks Alive event near you! Hammersley Park: July 5, July 19, August 2, and August 16.
• Concerts on the Square, Wednesday, August 2, 2023: The Capitol Square comes alive for six consecutive Wednesdays during the summer months with music from the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. FREE and open to the public, grab a blanket, a picnic basket, and your family and friends for this Madison tradition!
• Parks Alive | Owl Creek Park | Movie: Space Jam A New Legacy, Thursday, August 3, 2023: Parks Alive builds stronger neighborhoods and connects neighbors to their parks through fun, family-friendly activities, music and free food. Events are held in parks across the city and throughout the summer. Connect with your neighbors and engage with your community at a Parks Alive event near you! Owl Creek Park: July 6, July 20, August 3, and August 17.
• Capitol City Band Concerts in the Park, Thursday, August 3, 2023: Old fashioned band concerts in the park, "as American as apple pie." Familiar toe-tapping tunes, songs, polkas, broadway tunes and the marches of John Philip SoUSA. Music for all ages and all cultures. Relax, enjoy the music. Bring a friend. Bring a chair for listening comfort.
• Adaptive Family Swim Night | Goodman Pool, Friday, August 4, 2023: Join MSCR and Madison Parks as we host a FREE Adapted Family Swim Night! We welcome all individuals with disabilities and their caregivers and families for an evening of water fun at Goodman Pool. Zero-depth entry, aquatic lift, and water wheelchairs are available.
• Dane Dances: The Associates Band/Mike Dangeroux Orchestra, Friday, August 4, 2023: Join us for a free, family-friendly event held on the beautiful Monona Terrace rooftop. The much-anticipated summer music series every Friday in August is a great way to get down and dance with your friends, family, or coworkers! Dane Dances promotes inclusivity with a fun night of music and dancing for all ages. No ticket needed.
• Movies with Madison Parks - Finding Nemo, Saturday, August 5, 2023: Head over to the Goodman Pool for a special movie night! Gates re-open at 5:30pm, with no admission charged. We'll be showing Finding Nemo starting at 5:45pm.
• West Side Community Market – Saturday, July 29, 2023: The market is located at 505 S. Rosa Rd. in Research Park and is open every Saturday from 7:30 am – 12:30 pm through November 4, 2023. Food Share is accepted, free parking, and accessible by bus.

For a more complete list of Madison farmers’ markets, follow this link.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• August Moving Days: Make a Plan and Donate Today: The annual August Moving Days for downtown Madison will soon get underway.
• Stay Cool, Hydrated, Connected During Hot Stretch in Dane County: Temperatures are predicted to climb this week with heat indices approaching 100°. Be aware of the ways to stay safe.
• Olin Avenue Drop-off Site & Brush Processing Facility Closed to Public July 27-29, 2023: The Streets Division facility at 121 E. Olin Avenue will be completely closed to the public July 27 through July 29, 2023.
• Conservator’s Study Outlines a Matrix of Conservation Options for the Annie C. Stewart Memorial Fountain : Conservation of Sculpture & Objects Studio, Inc. (CSOS), a Chicago-based consultant group, recently completed their analysis of several possible conservation options for the City’s oldest commissioned public artwork. Conservation of Sculpture & Objects Studio, Inc.

TRAFFIC/STREETS

• University Avenue construction continues. Roadway work including curb, sidewalk, and topsoil installation will continue on University Bay Dr. and on the north side of University Ave. from Shorewood Blvd. to University Bay Dr. The pedestrian overpass is open to traffic; however, crews will continue finishing around the pedestrian overpass and removing equipment and materials. Read more updates about this project at the link in the header.

• Street Closure--N Stoughton Service Rd: East N Stoughton Service Rd at USH 51 will be closed to all traffic starting Monday morning (7/31) and will reopen Monday morning (8/7). This closure will not start until Kinsman Blvd is reopened.
• Full Closure on Atwood Avenue to Take Place July 31: Starting Monday, July 31, after 7 a.m., Atwood Avenue will be completely closed between Fair Oaks Avenue and Oakridge Avenue/Sugar Avenue.