Highlights for the Week of August 28, 2023

MEETINGS

• Finance Committee:  The Finance Committee meeting will take place on Monday, August 28, 2023 in virtual format at 4:30 PM. Agenda items include approving Community Development Block Grant funds to Madison Community Cooperative, authorizing a loan to Bayview Foundation, Inc. to help finance the construction of community center programming space, the schedule of Capital Budget deliberations, and more.
  • Meeting Details (including agenda, Zoom link, and registration for public comment)

• Sustainable Madison Committee: The Sustainable Madison Committee meeting will take place on Monday, August 28, 2023 in virtual format at 4:30 PM. Agenda items include an update on the Sustainability Plan, a presentation from City Forester Brown, an update on greenhouse gas inventory, and more.
  • Meeting Details (including agenda, Zoom link, and registration for public comment)
• Equal Opportunities Commission – Executive Committee: The Equal Opportunities Commission – Executive Committee meeting will take place on Monday, August 28, 2023 in virtual format at 5:00 PM. Agenda items include an update on body-worn cameras, community listening meetings, the 60th Anniversary of the EOC, and more.
  • Meeting Details (including agenda, Zoom link, and registration for public comment)
• Plan Commission: The Plan Commission meeting will take place on Monday, August 28, 2023 in virtual format at 5:30 PM. Agenda items include development-related requests in District 3, District 4, District 6, District 8, District 15, District 16, District 17, and District 19, upcoming matters, and more.
  • Meeting Details (including agenda, Zoom link, and registration for public comment)
• Madison Arts Commission: The Madison Arts Commission meeting will take place on Wednesday, August 30, 2023 in virtual format at 5:30 PM. Agenda items include the annual grants guideline review, reviewing the Overture contract, the conservation of public art, and more.
  • Meeting Details (including agenda, Zoom link, and registration for public comment)
• Public Input - Yahara Hills Golf Course Redesign: Improvements are coming to Yahara Hills Golf Course and we want to hear from you about the 18-hole redesign. For background, earlier in 2023, the City of Madison closed on the sale of roughly 200 acres of Yahara Hills Golf Course to Dane County. As 36 holes remain open through the 2024 season and reductions in 2025 to 27 holes and in 2026 to 18 holes, we are resigning 18 holes that will operate through at least 2042. Our vision is to optimize the golfing experience for 18 holes while utilizing existing infrastructure and preserving the natural landscape. In addition, one of our key objectives is to make golf more accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

PUBLIC DROP-IN HOURS
Staff will be available inside the clubhouse at the Yahara Hills Golf Course, to answer questions and receive feedback on the following dates:

• Monday, August 28, 2023 from 8:00-10:00am
• Friday, September 1, 2023 from 1:00-3:00pm

ONLINE INFORMATION AND INPUT SESSION
Wednesday, August 30, 2023 at 6:00pm via Zoom REGISTER IN ADVANCE
Staff will present the draft plan and solicit feedback during the virtual session.

SAVE THE DATE:

On Wednesday, September 27, Metro Transit and the City of Madison Transportation Commission will hold a virtual public hearing at 6pm to discuss possible service change adjustments to go into effect in December 2023.

Adjustments being considered include:

• Routes A, B, C: Running time adjustments to balance trip times between time points.

• Routes B and C: Additional buses added to help running times.

• A-Sheboygan shuttle elimination (due to proposed Route R connection).

• Routes J & O: Adjustments to improve weekend efficiency.

• Route R: Add connection to Route C for extension to UW Hospital (after 7 pm on weekdays and all-day on weekends)

• Route 75: New short-turn trips added to McKee and Maple Grove

• Schedule adjustments to better serve UW Hospital shift changes.

• South Transfer Point: Adjusted arrivals/departures for better connections.

• Potential peak service route additions pending fall ridership review.

Information Sessions Prior to Public Hearing

Staff will hold in-person and virtual public info sessions on Thursday, September 14 to provide complete details on proposed changes before the hearing.

Drop by to talk to staff at an informal in-person meeting or watch a virtual presentation later in the evening.

Thursday, September 14
Madison Municipal Bldg. Room 215
5:30p - 6:30 p.m.

Virtual - Thursday, September 14
7 - 8:30p.m.

Please continue to leave your feedback on the redesigned Metro Transit network.

EVENTS

• East Side Farmers' Market, Tuesday, August 29, 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.

• Dane County Farmers' Market - Wednesday Market, Wednesday, August 30, 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.

• Free Hands-Only CPR & AED Class, Wednesday, August 30, 2023: Learn life-saving skills with Madison Fire Department EMTs and Paramedics! This class will teach you hands-only CPR, how to use an AED, and help you know what to do if you see someone collapse from sudden cardiac arrest. Registration is free and required.

• The Capitol View Farmers’ Market, Wednesday, August 30, 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!

• Jazz at Five, Wednesday, August 30, 2023: The Jazz at Five Entrepreneurial events are on hold until fall as we get ready to dive into the Performance Series. Enjoy the Jazz at Five performance series at one of our sponsored tables, bring a chair of your own or rent one from the Jazz at Five info tent. Audience members of the free to the public series are also welcome to picnic on the capitol grounds. This year’s Performance Series dates are August 7, 14, 21, 28 and September 4.

• LIVE @ Lake Vista: Candace Griffin and Kat Rhapsody, Wednesday, August 30, 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.

• Barre3 at The Glen, Wednesday, August 30, 2023: Join Madison's barre3 and Madison Parks Foundation on fairway #1 at The Glen Golf Park for a heart-pumping, joy-filled workout.

• Downtown Alders Meet N' Greet, Thursday, August 31, 2023: Join us for an engaging event where you can meet and greet your Downtown Alders! Get to know the people who represent your community and have a say in local decisions. This in-person event will take place at the Madison Public Library, located at 201 West Mifflin Street, Madison, WI, USA, in the Madison Room on the 3rd floor. It is a great opportunity to ask questions, share your concerns, and connect with fellow community members. Do not miss this chance to make your voice heard and be a part of shaping our downtown area. Mark your calendars and we will see you there!

• Taste of Madison, Saturday, September 2 and September 3, 2023: Join 250,000 of your closest friends at the largest end of the summer picnic, Taste of Madison. Held since 1983, the Taste of Madison features over 80 restaurants, 3 live entertainment stages, 26 beverage stands, and this years special attraction, Lambeau Field Live! There is no admission charge for the event, that’s right, it’s free to enter - food and beverage is available for additional charge (cash only).

• West Side Community Market – Saturday, September 2, 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.

(NOTE: for a more complete list of Madison farmers’ markets, follow this link.)

• Bird & Nature Adventures | Tenney Park, Saturday, September 2, 2023: Nature-expert guided walks in Tenney Park along Lake Mendota and the Yahara River Parkway bike path through the Madison Isthmus are free, family-friendly and held the first Saturday of each month, from 2:30-4pm. The walk begins at the Tenney Beach parking lot, 1330 Sherman Avenue. No registration is required. No pets are allowed. Co-sponsored by Madison FUN Friends of Urban Nature, Madison Parks, Madison Audubon Society , Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association and Friends of the Yahara River Parkway .
• Bird & Nature Adventures | Cherokee Marsh, North, Sunday, September 3, 2023: Cherokee Marsh is Madison’s largest conservation park with three units - North, South, and Mendota. Each month, year-round we explore the north unit's beautiful trails through the woodlands, wetlands, and restored prairies along the Yahara ‘Catfish’ River. Co-sponsored by Madison Parks, Friends of Cherokee Marsh , Sierra Club and Madison Audubon Society . Follow North Sherman Ave. to the parking lot at the end of the gravel entrance road. Free, family-friendly guided nature walks at Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park – North are held on the 1st Sunday of each month, year-round 1:30-3pm. No registration is required. No pets are allowed.

STREET UPDATES

• August Moving Days: How to Recycle Televisions, Computers, and other Electronics: Electronics must be delivered to the Streets Division’s drop-off sites, or to a reputable private electronics recycler in the area . These steps will protect your data and ensure the hazardous materials inside them are handled and recycled safely.
• Updates on University Avenue Construction:
  • Grading and asphalt paving of the intersections of University Bay Dr./Farley Ave., Marshall Ct./Ridge St., and Shorewood Blvd./Hill St. will need to occur during the week. This work will require single lane closures and traffic flagging of the intersections and is likely to result in some traffic delays. Thank you in advance for your patience while the contractor completes this work.
  • The contractor anticipates switching traffic to Stage 4 on approximately August 31, 2023. The Stage 4 traffic configuration will shift eastbound and westbound traffic on University Ave. to the north side of the roadway while the new eastbound lanes are being constructed. View an overview of the Stage 4 traffic configuration. PDF
  • Once the Stage 4 traffic switch is complete, the contractor will begin removing the existing eastbound lanes of University Avenue and will begin work on underground utilities starting from Hill St. and working to the west. Traffic will be maintained at all University Ave. intersections and entrances to local businesses.
  • Traffic signals at University Bay Dr. and Marshall Ct./Overlook Terr. are anticipated to be activated on August 31, 2023.

• Food Scraps Recycling thru October 31: Come to the Eastside Farmers’ Market and the South Madison Farmers’ Market to drop off the following food scraps: raw fruits and vegetables, including peelings, cores, etc., coffee grounds, grains, rice and eggshells.

• Updates on West Side Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Construction:

  • Work on the BRT system continues along Mineral Point Road, Whitney Way and Sheboygan Avenue, University at Midvale, Anderson Street, and East Washington Avenue. Highlights over the next couple weeks include the reopening of travel lanes along Mineral Point, beginning water and sewer work at the Junction Road Park and Ride, and continued concrete pours all along the line.
    
    Mineral Point Road platforms are nearing completion and travel lanes and turn lanes will generally reopen as they were before the project, including the shared bus and bike lane. There will be some exceptions, for example the shelter structure at High Point will be installed which will have some periodic impacts there, and the right-hand bus/bike lane will have intermittent closures for traffic signal and sidewalk ramp work.
    
    The Sheboygan Avenue reopening has been delayed by a week and is now scheduled for September 7. This delay is related to supplies for the shelter structure materials. Buses are expected to end their detour and return to Sheboygan Avenue the following weekend, please watch for updates on Metro’s detour website.

• Final Brush Pickup ends week of September 10 and Yard Waste & Leaf pickup begins week of October 8.

• Water Main Flushing plans beginning Monday August 28th (all flushing is daytime unless otherwise noted: http://www.cityofmadison.com/water/Documents/flushingschedule.pdf

  • W13 West (Area 12) – South of Odana Rd. and east of Midvale Blvd.
  • W68 West (Area 20) – North of Raymond Rd. between Prairie Rd. and the Beltline.
  • W1 West (Area 16) – North Mineral Point Rd. between Gammon Rd. and Whitney Way

MISCELLANEOUS

• The City's 2024 Budget is in development, with agency requests in and the Executive Budget soon to be released (September 5th). Note key dates for public hearings and links to learn about what is being proposed and considered. 

• Did you know that City Engineering has a blog and an “Everyday Engineering” podcast series? I know many of you are interested in stormwater management. Check out this list of all things stormwater on the Engineering blog: https://www.cityofmadison.com/engineering/blog/learn-about-stormwater-in-20-minutes

• In case you missed it: Learn about the proposed path at the UW Arboretum entrance to connect Maintou Way with McCaffrey Dr. and a cycletrack along Odana Rd between Charles Lane/Southwest Connector Path and Wedgewood Way. The meeting materials are available here:

  • Aug. 17, 2023 Public Information Meeting Recording

  • Aug. 17, 2023 Public Information Meeting PowerPoint Presentation pdf