Updates & Week of Oct. 11 Meetings of Interest for District 2

District 2 Updates and Meetings of Interest

City meetings remain online only with details listed in City Meetings of Interest below; all have virtual public participation options.

 

Stay in touch with your neighbors through either Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc., Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association, or Campus Area Neighborhood Assoc.

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There are three sections to this week's update:

1. COVID-19 Resources & Information
2. Other District 2 Updates
3. City Meetings of Interest to District 2

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1. COVID-19 RESOURCES & INFORMATION

From Public Health Madison & Dane County:

• Public Health Extends Face Covering Emergency Order

• Public Health to Open Temporary Booster Vaccination Clinic (at Alliant Energy Center)

• COVID News Roundup

• COVID-19 vaccine webpage
• See this map for a listing of currently scheduled Vaccination Pop-Up Clinics.
• Learn about the more than 45 testing sites in Dane County on Public Health's website (in Spanish).
• COVID-19 Data Dashboard
• The latest Data Notes

Dane CORE is a partnership between Dane County, the City of Madison, Urban Triage, Tenant Resource Center, Community Action Coalition and other community partners. The goal is to assist eligible households in need of rental and utility assistance with funding to ensure those bills can be paid.

Free hotline to be connected with a "Financial Navigator"

COVID-19 Recovery Dashboard that tracks Madison's long-term community and economic recovery from COVID-19

For information on Madison's responses visit the City's Coronavirus Website.

From Community Action Coalition: Dane County Food Pantry Network

From the City: Community Resources Section on the city's COVID website, including housing and eviction information

The Governor's Office compilation of all COVID-19 resources and information from state agencies, including the State Dept. Public Health

Info on UW-Madison's response to the pandemic at this site

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2. OTHER DISTRICT 2 UPDATES

 

 

• Mayor Rhodes-Conway Releases 2022 Executive Operating Budget

• Traffic Safety Efforts Continue on East Washington Avenue

• Fall 2021 Leaf & Yard Waste Collection Begins Next Week

• Don't Delay Breast Cancer Screening

• Mayor Satya: Proper Place for Gableman Interviews is in Front of Capitol Committee

• City of Madison, Briarpatch and Community Partners Receive HUD Funding for Homeless Youth Housing

• In-Person Public Information Meeting for Town of Madison Residents (Penn Park, Oct. 14)

• News from the Parks Division: Skatepark at McPike Park Temporary Closure Notice, Bird & Nature Adventures, Restrooms Closing for the Season, and more

• From Destination Madison: Walk, Bike, Boat and Drive Your Way to Madison Fall Colors

• From City Engineering: John Nolen Drive (Reconstruction), including links to recording and presentation from 1st Public Info Meeting

• City of Madison Jeffrey Clay Erlanger Civility in Public Discourse Award (Nominations Due Nov. 1)

• Vision Zero Continues Speed Reductions - Next Up: Section of North Thompson Drive

• RainReserve will hold the 28th annual Madison compost bin truckload sale on Oct. 23, at the Garver Feed Mill. Pre-orders due Oct. 15.

• The Wisconsin Book Festival is highlighting diverse voices at many upcoming events (Oct. 21-14)

• Save the Date: Next Downtown Night Market: Oct. 22

• Amigo Construction is hosting a career fair and open house in partnership with the Latino Academy of Workforce Development on Thursday, Oct. 14, from 4:00 until 6:00 p.m. at Amigo Construction, 404 England Street, Cambridge, WI 53523. Hiring managers will be at the location to conduct interviews. Women are encouraged to explore options in a career in construction.

Reminder: Sign Up For Email Alerts on Construction of The Continental

Neighbors in the vicinity of the ongoing construction related to The Continental apartment building in the 400 block of E. Washington can sign up to get email notifications of impending construction impacts and other information from CD Smith, the contractor for the project. You can learn more about the project and sign up for those notifications at this website: https://www.cdsmith.com/thecontinental.

As mentioned in last week's Alder Update, MG&E is currently doing utility work in the area near and around the construction site. Areas affected:

• At the corner of E. Mifflin Street and N. Franklin Street, MG&E will occupy the intersection for approximately one week (this should be over or ending shortly).
• The first block of N. Franklin will be shut down to through traffic and turned into a temporary two-way street to allow resident/tenant access for approximately four weeks once the work in Mifflin Street is completed. 
• It is anticipated that N. Franklin will be a temporary two-way street until the first part of November. 
• This two-way conversion will remove all parking on the first block of N. Franklin Street.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email mhaack@cdsmith.com or call 920-517-3613.

The negative impacts on neighbors of construction projects of this size are many. From what I've heard from City Engineering and Traffic Engineering, utility companies such as MG&E often need to upgrade their infrastructure to accommodate the many users in a large new building, and they often will simultaneously conduct further upgrades due to anticipated future demands and to simply upgrade aged infrastructure. This may avoid future disruptions and temporary street closures and/or street parking closures, but that doesn't provide any relief for those who are inconvenienced by the utility work. The City has little or no precedent for forcing contractors or utility companies to arrange for alternate nearby parking spaces nor do most contractors seem to want to make such provisions voluntarily. While I will continue to advocate for The Continental project and its contractor to help out neighbors, I also hope that future building projects will have baked in provisions to address street parking disruptions.

 

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Latest Update on Redistricting Process for Alder Districts

At their final meeting this past week, the Ad Hoc Redistricting Committee formally endorsed new alder districts. Those new districts are represented in Concept 7a. The boundaries of each and every alder district would change due to population grown that has varied since the previous census and redistricting. In addition the impending absorption of the Town of Madison into the City in October of 2022 has influenced districts' proposed boundary changes. Each alder district is expected to have a resident population of approximately 13,700 with some small variations allowed. In the new proposed District 2, there would be 14,253 residents (see map above) based on the 2020 Census data.

As you can see from the image above, there are substantial changes proposed for the center of Madison where population growth has been particularly high. In Concept 7a, the Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood would move to District 6 across E. Washington. Given that I live in Tenney-Lapham, I will no longer live in District 2 - a situation that a total of six current alders will face if Concept 7a is enacted. The Concept 7a map will be considered by Common Council at our Nov. 2 meeting. Amendments to Concept 7a could be forthcoming, but due to most proposed changes likely causing a domino effect of other changes in other districts, it will be complex to substantially amend the map approved by the Redistricting Committee.

Also in Concept 7a, the Sherman Terrace area and the many apartments along Fordem Ave. would move to District 12. UW-Madison dorms would all be in District 8, but student-dominated areas in the Langdon Street area and more of the lower end of the State Street area would move to District 2. The Mansion Hill and James Madison Districts of Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc., would remain in District 2. Note that the City Attorney has advised alders that at some point in 2021 (likely between Nov. 2 and Dec. 31, but TBD), alders will begin representing constituents in their new district boundaries even if they no longer live in their current district. As a result, if Tenney-Lapham moves to District 6 and if Sherman Terrace and Fordem Avenue areas move to District 12, I would no longer represent those neighborhoods as of the TBD effective date, but I would represent more of the State and Langdon Street areas closer to the UW campus. For the April 2023 city elections, all incumbent alders and candidates will need to live in the district they hope to represent by the time they take office in late April 2023.

Many alders, including me, and members of the public have advocated for keeping together various communities of interest, neighborhoods, neighborhood associations, etc., or to make them intact. Doing so, while equalizing population is a tough task and it is impossible to create or preserve all communities of interest, but the Ad Hoc Committee worked hard to accommodate as many as possible. As part of the redistricting process, wards and polling places will also be adjusted to align with the redrawn boundaries. The timeline for this entire process is compressed due to COVID 19.

Oct. 12 James Madison District Steering Committee Meeting on St. John's Redevelopment

The James Madison District Steering Committee that is evaluating the proposal to redevelop the St. John's Lutheran Church property at 322 E. Washington Ave. will meet again on Tuesday, Oct. 12 at 6pm.

St. John's is working with Urban Land Interests and proposes to demolish their current building; construct worship space and social services on the first floor of a new building with as many as 9 stories of mostly affordable apartments above, and underground parking below. Last month, the development team reported that they do not plan to break ground until 2023, but that they will be seeking city approvals this fall and winter. If you'd like to participate in future steering committee meetings or simply join their email list, please email mariahrenz@gmail.com or bob.klebba@gmail.com.

Meeting Info:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81309712858?pwd=TTFFQnFmanhMeVYrRHZ3VDFKeEE4UT09

Meeting ID: 813 0971 2858
Passcode: 794974
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcJGR9fChN

 

Save the Date: Oct. 20 Neighborhood Meeting on Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra Proposal

On Wednesday, Oct. 20, at 6:30pm, there will be a second virtual neighborhood meeting to discuss the proposal to redevelop the current Avenue Club parcels in the 1100 block of E. Washington Avenue. The Zoom link is not yet available, but I'll be sure to publicize it before the Oct. 20 meeting.

Upcoming Bus Rapid Transit Informational Meetings

City staff will be discussing the East-West BRT line and station locations at two upcoming public information meetings. Each meeting will focus on a specific section of the line – west and downtown. The Eastside Line was discussed on Oct. 7 and these two meetings remain:

• October 14 – Westside Line, Route & Stations

• October 21 – Downtown Line, Route & Stations

Find Zoom links, meeting details and project materials at MadisonBRT.com or their Community Engagement Site.

From the Community Development Division: Home Rehab Loans

To find more information about Madison Rehabilitation Loan Programs, please visit the Community Development Division's website at www.cityofmadison.com/homeloans. Questions about the loan program can be sent to homeloans@cityofmadison.com or by phone at 608-266-4719.

The City's Community Development Division has reopened the application process for all Rehabilitation Loan Programs. The application process had been forced to close temporarily in March 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, and staff are excited to begin working again with property owners in Madison to assist them with rehabilitation needs.

Save the Date: Oct. 26 Conversation on a Gun Violence Reduction Strategy

Join Focused Interruption Founder and CEO Anthony Cooper Sr as he hosts David Muhammed, Executive Director of the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, for a conversation about the Gun Violence Reduction Strategy, which has reduced gun violence by up to 60% in cities across the country since 1996. "Stop the Shootings" will take place on Tuesday, October 26, at 6:30pm virtually via Zoom. Register in advance here.

Overture Center Seeking Participants to Make Altar Boxes to Honor Loved Ones

The Overture Center for the Arts is seeking participants to honor loved ones who have passed by making an altar box. The Community Altar will be displayed at Overture Rotunda Gallery, October 28 through November 14. This participatory project draws on the Day of the Dead altar-making traditions in Mexico and remembrance traditions worldwide. All are welcome to participate. You will receive the box from Overture, create the memorial altar and return it back to Overture by October 27 to be part of the Community Altar. You can make an altar in whatever way feels meaningful to you. It can be done as an individual or as a group, drawing from a specific tradition or something completely expressive. You will receive the altar back after November 14. If you are interested in participating, please reserve an altar box here. Please reach out with any questions at bracette@overture.org or head to the website.

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3. CITY MEETINGS OF INTEREST TO DISTRICT 2

Below are some pertinent agenda items from city committees that are meeting this week. If you click on meeting "Details" below, you will find participation and viewing options, and a link to the full meeting agenda. If you click on a item from within an agenda, you will see all documents that relate to that item.

 

I appreciate hearing from you on any items on which you have a particular interest or concern.

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Finance Committee: Details

4:30pm, Monday, Oct. 11, 2021

 

ITEMS TO BE CONSIDERED

 

Agenda Item 5

Awarding up to $5.75 million from the Affordable Housing Fund to support three affordable housing development projects, selected through a City Request for Proposals (RFP) process, that will support construction of approximately 250 units of new rental housing in Madison, about 200 of which will be affordable, and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute loan agreements with the developers of those projects.

Fiscal Note

The proposed resolution authorizes awarding up to $5.75 million in affordable housing development loans to Gorman & Company, LLC, MSP Reals Estate, Inc., and Odessa Affordable Housing, LLC. The development loans are expected to result in 252 units of housing, 208 of which will be maintained as affordable for at least 40 years. The $5.75 million of development loans will be funded by the $7 million Affordable Housing-Development Projects capital program in the 2022 Executive Capital Budget. No additional City appropriation is required.

 

Agenda Item 6

SUBSTITUTE: Authorizing the allocation of up to $4 million among 11 non-profit agencies to help finance the provision of an array of homeless services beginning in 2022, as the result of a competitive RFP process conducted by the Community Development Division and authorization the Mayor and the City Clerk to enter into agreements with those agencies to implement the designated programs and services.

Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution authorizes approximately $4 million to 11 community non-profit agencies to help finance the provision of an array of homeless services beginning in 2022. As shown in the attachment, the Community Development Division (CDD) staff recommend funding approximately $1.84 million in one-time funding and $2.08 million of recurring funding. Funding for the total allocation is included in the 2022 Executive Operating Budget and will draw upon the General Fund, CDBG fund, CARES Act funding, and Emergency Rental Assistance funds. The $2.08 million of recommended recurring funding will likely be largely funded by the continuation of the $2.2 million of General Fund support in CDD's Affordable Housing service, subject to Common Council approval and future operating budgets. No additional City appropriation is required with the approval the proposed resolution.

 

Agenda Item 10

Amending the 2021 Sustainability Improvements capital project budget to add $200,000 of grant funding, approving the City of Madison's application to the U.S. EPA's State Environmental Justice Cooperative Agreement (SEJCA) grant program to Support Public Education, Training, Emergency Planning, and Investigations on Impacts of COVID-19 on Underserved Communities and Vulnerable Populations in the City of Madison, and authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to execute the associated grant agreement with U.S. EPA.

 

Agenda Item 11

Amending the 2021 Sustainability Improvements capital project budget to add $90,000 of grant funding, approving the City of Madison's application to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction (CCFWR) grant program to support the City of Madison's Community Food Waste Reduction Initiative, and authorizing the Sustainability Program Coordinator to execute the associated grant agreement with USDA. 

 

CLOSED SESSION

 

When the Finance Committee considers the following matter, it may go into closed session pursuant to sec. 19.85(1)(e), Wis. Stats., which reads as follows: Deliberating or negotiating the purchasing of public properties, the investing of public funds, or conducting other specified public business, whenever competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session. If the Finance Committee does go into closed session, notice is hereby given pursuant to sec. 19.85(2), Wis. Stats., that it may reconvene in open session without waiting 12 hours as specified in the statute

 

Agenda Item 13

Discussion of State Street Campus Garage Mixed-Use Project

 

RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION

 

Agenda Item 14

2022 Executive Operating Budget

Note: At this meeting and the Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 12, the Finance Committee will see presentations by each City Division that will detail their component of the 2022 Executive Operating Budget. The schedule for the presentations is here. Options for watching the meeting (live or recorded) and/or giving input are on the meeting agenda available "Details" above.

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Police and Fire Commission: Details

5:30pm, Monday, Oct. 11, 2021

 

INITIAL HEARINGS

 

Agenda Item 2

Initial hearing in the matter of charges brought by Ross M. Graham, Complainant v. Officer Matthew Olson, Respondent

 

Agenda Item 3

Initial hearing in the matter of charges brought by Khaled Shabani, Complainant v. Officer Kraig Kalka, Respondent

 

Agenda Item 4

Initial hearing in the matter of charges brought by Khaled Shabani, Complainant v. Officer Ben Enstrom, Respondent

 

CLOSED SESSION

 

Contemplated closed session pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 19.85(1)(a) (deliberating concerning a case which was the subject of a quasi-judicial hearing before the governmental body); Wis. Stat. § 19.85(1)(c) (considering employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation data of any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility); and Wis. Stat. § 19.85(1)(g) (conferring with legal counsel for the governmental body who is rendering oral or written legal advice related to pending litigation); specifically:

 

to deliberate regarding motions and other preliminary matters, if any, related to the complaints set for initial hearing.

 

Agenda Item 6

Reconvene into open session to consider any remaining agenda items and to take action, if appropriate, regarding the items discussed in closed session

 

FIRE DEPARTMENT DISCUSSION ITEMS

 

Agenda Item 7

Update on 2021 Firefighter Hiring Process

 

POLICE DEPARTMENT DISCUSSION ITEMS

 

Agenda Item 11

Update on 2022 Pre-Service Academy Hiring Process Timeline

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Finance Committee: Details

4:30pm, Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021

 

ITEMS TO BE CONSIDERED

 

Agenda Item 1

2022 Executive Operating Budget

Note: See Agenda Item 14 for the Finance Committee meeting of Oct. 11.

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Street Use Staff Commission: Details

10:00am, Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021

 

STREET USE PERMITS FOR SPECIAL EVENTS 

 

Agenda Item 2

RUN SANTA RUN

Sat, 12/05/2021/ 11am - 7pm

Start and Finish: Capitol Square

Route: 100-500 block of E. Mifflin - rolling closure starting at 2:50pm

Discuss location/route, schedule, set-up and activities.

Race Day Events, LLC / Rickey Chernik

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

   OCTOBER

16, Sa, 6:30a-2p, Dane County Farmers' Market, Capitol Square

22, F, 2p-12a, Madison Night Market, 100-600 State St.

22, F, 5-9p, Science on the Square, 100 State St.

23, Sa, 6:30-2p, Dane County Farmers' Market, Capitol Square 

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Transportation Commission: Details

5:00pm, Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021

 

ITEMS TO BE CONSIDERED

 

Agenda Item 5

Update regarding Traffic Safety on East Washington Avenue

45 mins

 

MISCELLANEOUS

 

Agenda Item 7

Metro Transit Network Redesign Study update

15 mins

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Public Safety Review Committee: Details

5:00pm, Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021

 

Note: The agenda for this meeting was not available as of publication, but should be at "Details" above.

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