Highlights for the Week of December 4, 2023

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 here.

• Common Council: The Common Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, December 5, in virtual format at 6:30 p.m. Agenda items include adopting an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan, authorizing the Board of Public Works to advertise and receive bids for the Mineral Point Road Widened Sidewalk, and resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza as well as condemning Islamophobia and Antisemitism.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online

Note: The Common Council meeting will only be held in virtual format this week, rather than the typical hybrid format.

• City-County Homeless Issues Committee: The City-County Homeless Issues Committee meeting will take place on Monday, December 4, in virtual format at 5:30 p.m. Agenda items include updates on the Community Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, a report on car camping, and updates on the men’s shelter development.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online
• Greater Madison Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Board: The Greater Madison Metropolitan Planning Organization Policy Board meeting will take place on Wednesday, December 6, in virtual format at 6:30 p.m. Agenda items include an update on the Wisconsin Department of Transportation I-39/90 Corridor Study, the Electric Vehicle Plan, and a status report on Capital Area RPC Activities.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online
• Plan Commission: The Plan Commission meeting will take place on Thursday, December 7, in hybrid format at 5:00 p.m. Agenda items include an update on the Sustainability Plan, a progress update and input on key issues related to the West and Northeast Area Plans, and demolition approval standards. Of particular interest to District 19 residents are the progress updates on the West Area Plan and the Sustainability Plan into which so many of you provided input over the past 6-8 months.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online

Public Information Meetings & Sessions

• 2024 State Street Pedestrian Mall Experimental Closure - Initial Concept Review, Monday, December 4 (VIRTUAL & IN PERSON): Following Metro Transit's network redesign, which shifted bus routes off the lower blocks of State Street, the City of Madison Common Council adopted a resolution directing staff to pursue an experimental pedestrian mall/street closure of the 400-600 blocks in the summer of 2024.  Planning Division staff will present the initial design concept for those blocks and discuss options for when the blocks will be closed to private vehicles.
• Public Input Meeting - Olbrich Park - North Parcel, Thursday, December 7 (VIRTUAL): Madison Parks is creating a Park Development Plan for the parkland north of Garver Feed Mill, referred to as Olbrich Park - North Parcel. REGISTER IN ADVANCE. Staff will present background information, survey results, draft plans, listen to feedback, and answer questions. As part of the plan, we'll have several public engagement opportunities. Take the Online Survey! The survey will be open from November 2 through November 26. Survey results will be shared at the first public meeting in December.
• E Wilson Street and E Doty Street Reconstruction, Thursday, December 7 (VIRTUAL): The City is planning the reconstruction of E Wilson St from MLK Blvd to S Franklin St and E Doty St from MLK Blvd to King St in 2024. The project improvements include replacement of existing pavement and pavement base, curb and gutter, sanitary sewer main and laterals, storm sewer, and porting of the water main. Damaged sections of sidewalk will also be replaced or as needed to install sewer service laterals. In addition, a new cycle track will be installed along E Wilson St as part of this project. A public information meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., Dec. 7, 2023, via Zoom. Registration is required prior. Dec. 7, 2023 Public Information Meeting Registration 

Announcements & News Releases

• Community Invitation to Upcoming Community Listening Session: MADISON, [12/1/2023] — The Madison community is invited to participate in the second of several upcoming Community Listening Sessions to be held by the Office of the Independent Monitor (OIM). This second session will be hosted at the Warner Park…
• Rates Increasing in 2024 for City of Madison Owned Parking Facilities: The City of Madison Parking Division is scheduled to increase several off-street parking rates, effective January 1, 2024. These increases are necessary as they provide continued maintenance of our facilities, improve the level of service offered,…
• Sycamore and South Point Drop-off Sites Closed Saturday, December 2, 2023: Sycamore and South Point drop-off sites closed Saturday December 2.
• The December 5 City of Madison Common Council Meeting is Taking Place in Virtual Format Only: The City of Madison Common Council meeting will take place in virtual format only on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Common Council meetings are normally conducted in hybrid format (both in-person and virtually) but will shift to virtual...
• State Street 2024 pedestrian mall experiment: public meeting - December 4th: Planning Division staff will present the initial design concept and discuss options for when the blocks will be closed to private vehicles. This will be a hybrid meeting, with in-person and virtual options.
• Metro Ridership Surges Past 1 Million Rides for October : For the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Metro has provided more than 1 million rides in a single month.  In October, Metro provided 1,075,549 rides, an almost 20% increase compared to October of last year. This is the highest…
• Set Out Leaves on December 3, 2023 for a Last Chance Collection Opportunity: Set out leaves on Sunday, December 3 for a last chance leaf pickup. Crews will be around to collect piles set out for pickup if the weather allows.
• Madison Public Market Groundbreaking: ‘A Place Where Dreams Come True.’ 
• Additional Funding to Support Violence Prevention Programs: Starting today, Public Health Madison & Dane County is accepting applications from local community organizations to receive funding that supports violence prevention efforts in Dane County.
• Olin Avenue Drop-off Site Closed for 2023: The Streets Division drop-off site at 121 E. Olin Avenue is now closed for the remainder of 2023.The site will reopen in the spring of 2024.The official opening date in 2024 will be available at a later time.Use Other Drop-off SitesTwo other Streets…

Events

• Yoga Core, Tuesdays & Fridays, October 6 through December 15, 2023: Want to build your strength and increase body awareness? Yoga Core is great way to do it! This class incorporates a wide variety of seated, standing, balancing, and mat-based yoga poses focusing on strength, stability, and mobility. Core-based practices can help enhance balance and stability and prevent falls and injuries as we age. All levels are welcome! 
• Holiday Lights Tour & Reception, Tuesday, December 5: Catch the holiday spirit as we tour Olin Park’s Holiday Lights display! Vans leave from the Goodman Community Center and will stop at the Madison Senior Center on the way to Olin Park. Afterwards, we will return to Goodman to enjoy a holiday reception of cookies & hot chocolate. Registration required! 
• Wellness Talks: The Energies of Sleep, Wednesday, December 6: If you struggle with sleep, you probably feel like you've tried everything! You may have changed your sleep environment, developed a bedtime routine, tried supplements, or modified your diet. But have you tried balancing your body's energy systems? They play an important role in our ability to get a good night's sleep.
• Learn to Nordic Walk, Friday, December 8: What is Nordic walking? Join us at Elver Park on Friday, December 8 and get ready for winter! We've partnered with Madison Nordic Ski Club (MadNorSki) for this free workshop. Participants of all ages are welcome and will explore Elver Park and learn where to hike and snowshoe in this park. 
• Warner Family Fun Night, Friday, December 8: Join us at WPCRC for Warner Family Fun Night! Families can create art projects, play in the game room or the gym, watch a movie or win some prizes playing bingo!
• Bird & Nature Adventures at Owen Conservation Park, Saturday, December 9: Explore Owen Conservation Park on gentle trails through historic oak openings on a hillside with an Ice Age kettle and along restored prairies with beautiful vistas on this high point overlooking the west side of Madison. Co-sponsored by Madison Parks, Madison Audubon Society, and the Friends of Owen Conservation Park. Free, family-friendly guided nature walks at Owen Conservation Park are held on the 2nd Saturday of each month, year-round 2:30-4pm. No registration is required. No pets are allowed.
• Bird & Nature Adventures at Turville Point Conservation Park, Sunday, December 10: Follow rolling hiking paths through the Turville Point Conservation Park woodlands and prairie with beautiful vistas of Lake Monona and Monona Bay. Walks at Turville Point held on the 2nd Sunday every month are co-sponsored by Madison Bird City FUN partners, Madison Parks, Friends of Olin Turville, and Madison Audubon Society. Meet at the Turville Point parking lot, entrance at the E. Olin Ave. stoplight from John Nolen Drive at the railroad tracks, south of Olin Park (not at the boat launch). No registration is required. No pets are allowed.

Road Construction Updates

• University Avenue construction updates: Work the Week of Dec. 4, 2023 

  The contractor anticipates changing the project into the over-winter configuration on December 2, 2023. The over-winter configuration will open all lanes on University Ave. and side streets with a temporary median divider between the eastbound and westbound lanes on University Ave.

  The contractor will complete work for the 2023 construction season on Ridge St., Franklin Ave. and Schmitt Pl. and install temporary pavement at these side streets to allow for winter maintenance.

  Once work on the side streets has been completed, the University Ave. contractor intends to suspend roadway work for the winter months with the exception of work on traffic signal components that are being installed at the intersections of University Ave. and Shorewood Blvd. and University Ave. and University Bay Dr. Please visit the project website for more details.

• Lake Mendota Drive Phase 3 construction updates: A meeting was held on November 30th with residents and City staff to discuss the upcoming third and final phase of the Lake Mendota Drive reconstruction project. Please visit the project website for more details and to find the materials that were distributed.

   

• Updates on East-West Bus Rapid Transit Work. Please see the project website for details.

Bus Stop Closures

Effective Sunday, December 3
Please note that Metro put out an announcement this past week about bus stops that were planned for closure in 2023 closing early, as of December 3rd. I listed several that are on the west side, but for more information, be sure to visit Madison Metro’s website and plan your trip/check your normal route to see if you are affected and weigh in if you have comments. Here is the announcement from Metro:

“To improve on-time performance, several bus stops along the future BRT corridor will close on Sunday, December 3.

*Stops close for fixed-route buses only. Buses to high schools will continue to pick up at locations starred below.

• Mineral Point at Randolph - Stop ID: 6984 & 6349
   
• Mineral Point at Yellowstone - Stop ID: 6516 & 6129
   
• Whitney at South Hill* - Stop ID: 2684 & 2249
   
• Sheboygan at Whitney - Stop ID: 2282 & 2397
   
• University at Blackhawk - Stop ID: 2266 & 2755”
   

Plan your trip with the Transit App or Google Maps