Highlights for the Week of May 1st, 2023

posted April 30, 2023

Meetings and District 19 Happenings

Common Council: The Common Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 2, 2023 in hybrid format at 6:30 PM. Agenda items include proclaiming May 2023 to be Jewish American Heritage Month and recognizing May 2023 as Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage Month in the City of Madison. Other agenda items include authorizing the use of up to $123,000 of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to implement a neighborhood improvement project identified in the South Madison Neighborhood Plan; and amending Section 33.09(3) of the Madison General Ordinances to combine the City-County Homeless Issues Committee, Landlord and Tenant Issues Committee.

Comprehensive Plan Interim Update: The City of Madison Comprehensive Plan (adopted 2018) is a broad-based plan that creates a vision for a future Madison. It guides decision-making and investment. It guides private development through the Generalized Future Land Use map and Growth Priority Areas map. The City intends to undertake a full update to all sections of the City’s Comprehensive Plan every 10 years, with a focused, interim update at the five-year mark. In 2023, the City will undertake an interim update to the 2018 Comprehensive Plan. A similar process was completed during 2011- 2012, five years after the 2006 Comprehensive Plan was adopted.

At the 4/27 Plan Commission meeting, a discussion occurred about this year’s proposed process for considering City staff’s suggested changes for the five-year interim update such as updates to reflect more recent neighborhood plans and the 2022 Intergovernmental Agreement with the Town of Cottage Grove PDF . We also discussed the schedule and various methods and forums for getting public input on potential changes. More details are available in this Planning Division memo. Common Council will soon authorize this interim update process, finalizing some of these details. Watch for more updates on proposed changes and public engagement opportunities in my future blog posts.

Open House for West Area Plan/Jornada Abierta para los Proyectos y Planes Futuros en el Área Oeste: The City of Madison Planning Division is announced an Open House for upcoming plans, projects, and initiatives in the West Area. The Open House will be held Wednesday, May 10th at 6:30 p.m. at Lussier Community Education Center, 55 South Gammon Road. During the Open House, residents will hear brief overviews of several projects and initiatives from City staff and then have an opportunity to ask questions and give feedback on topics they are interested in.

Board of Public Works: The Board of Public Works will take place on Tuesday, May 3, 2023 in virtual format at 4:30 PM. Agenda items include amending the City of Madison Official Map to establish mapped reservations for future Streets and Highways in the City of Madison consistent with recommendations in the adopted the Greater East Towne Area Plan and Plats of Lands and Interests Required for the East-West Bus Rapid Transit - Mineral Point Road Segment project. Located along Mineral Point Road between the W Beltline Hwy on the west and S Whitney Way on the east. (9th, 11th and 19th districts)

Nautilus Point Park Replacement: The Parks Division maintains a replacement schedule for all of the city’s playgrounds and the playground at Nautilus Point Park has been identified for replacement this year. The park is located within the Faircrest neighborhood in District 19. The typical lifespan of post and platform playground equipment is 20-30 years. With the somewhat recent expansion of stormwater management facilities in Nautilus Point Park, Parks has determined this playground location will not be replaced with typical post and platform playground equipment due to space constraints. Instead, Parks is proposing to replace it with a small nature play area and walking path, including typical bench seating and “porch swing” type seating. The proposed plan can be found on the project website, where City staff contact information for this project can also be located.

MPD Releases 2023-2028 Strategic Plan PDF : The Madison Police Department Strategic Plan describes priorities, actions, and expected outcomes for each of four strategic goals: (1) Madison-Centric Policing, (2) Public Communication, (3) Youth Engagement, and (4) Workplace Culture and associated priorities included in this plan.

League One Volleball (LOVB) Comes to Madison! League One Volleyball announced that Madison, Wisconsin will be their new home for a professional volleyball team. They are partnering with the Madtown Juniors, a club volleyball team in this region, to develop a state-of-the-art pro training facility to support the program. The new facility will feature eight courts and will offer Madtown Juniors and other teams the opportunity to participate. For more information on LOVB and the way the league is reimagining the future of women’s volleyball, please visit www.lovb.com

Events

Dane County Farmers' Market - Wednesday Market, Wednesday, May 3, 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.
West Side Community Market - Saturdays 7 am to 12:30 pm from April 15 – November 4, 2023, located at 505 S. Rosa Rd (in Research Park).

Wright Design Series: People Are My Medium, Wednesday, May 3, 2023: Joe Dreher considers himself a social artist, producing work mainly described as installation art. He uses a number of tools and mediums to create his work including photography, murals, street art, wheat paste, painting, sculpture, architecture, and poetry. This free lecture is presented in partnership with American Institute of Architects Wisconsin. This is a virtual event - (Register in advance for the live webinar): https://mononaterrace.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qr-SXTfMTSeWYAIDmoSKLQ...
Strategies to Prevent Basement Flooding, Thursday, May 4, 2023: Ever had water in your basement? Whether it’s a reoccurring issue or has only happened during extreme weather conditions, in most cases, it can be avoided. With some planning, a few rules and basic landscaping tools, most homeowners can address this problem on their own. Sponsored by MG&E.
Accessible Taxi Grants Will Help Fill Transit Gaps. People who use wheelchairs face barriers to daily living activities, social outings, and fully participating in what the City has to offer, because of inadequate accessible transportation options.

SpringFest Arts & Crafts Fair, Saturday, May 6, 2023: Join us for the 18th annual SpringFest Arts & Crafts Fair. Over 80 crafters from the Midwest will be selling their handmade goods. You can expect to see a variety of jewelry, baskets, garden art, cards, pottery, woodwork, baby gifts, soaps, balms, lotions, knitwear, paintings, home décor and more! It's the perfect place to find a unique gift for that special someone (or for yourself).

Save the Date!

Announcements

Urban Forestry Spring Planting Adds Trees to Long Vacant Planting Sites: The City of Madison Streets Division’s Urban Forestry section plants thousands of trees each year in the right of way space along the road edge.

Get Involved: City’s First Purpose-Built Shelter Engagement Process Kicks Off: The City of Madison invites the community to get involved in the public engagement process for the City’s first, purpose-built shelter.

What's old is new again: Uncovering an old Madison public market ahead of new construction. The Madison Public Market team continues to work on various tasks related to the project’s Bid advertisement, future construction, an operations phases. The continued effort has prompted a minor revision to the schedule, please see the below “Project Schedule” section for updates. The next milestone is Bid Advertisement on June 15, 2023.

COVID-19 Emergency Declarations are Ending: What Does that Mean for Madisonians? On March 13, 2020, the White House declared a national emergency to help address the growing global threat of COVID. More than three years later, the emergency declarations are ending. This does not mean COVID is “over” – but it does mean some major changes are coming.

Strategies to Prevent Basement Flooding, Thursday, May 4, 2023: Ever had water in your basement? Whether it’s a reoccurring issue or has only happened during extreme weather conditions, in most cases, it can be avoided. With some planning, a few rules and basic landscaping tools, most homeowners can address this problem on their own. Sponsored by MG&E.

Madison Parks Foundation Unveils Dog Park Memorial Art Sculpture: The Madison Parks Foundation is excited to announce the unveiling of a new tribute & memorial sculpture in Quann Park off-leash dog park!

Accessible Taxi Grants Will Help Fill Transit Gaps: People who use wheelchairs face barriers to daily living activities, social outings, and fully participating in what the City has to offer, because of inadequate accessible transportation options.

Madison Public Library Celebrates National Library Week: From April 23-29, Madison Public Library is celebrating National Library Week online and at all library locations.

Jornada Abierta para los Proyectos y Planes Futuros en el Área Oeste: The City of Madison Planning Division is excited to announce an Open House for upcoming plans, projects, and initiatives in the West Area.

In-person Fair Housing Training: The Fair Housing Center of Greater Madison is offering a free in-person fair housing training seminar for owners and managers of rental properties, or staff operating shelters or residential programs, in Madison: May 24, 2023, 1—3 p.m. Madison Public Library Central Branch—201 W. Mifflin St, Room 302. To register for this seminar, visit https://tinyurl.com/FHTrainingMadison or call 608-257-0853.

Peak Hour Lane Closure--West Johnson Street: Beginning Friday, April 28 at 7:00 a.m. JH Findorff will be reducing the 300 block of West Johnson Street to two lanes at all times (N Broom Street to State Street).