Meetings and Updates Week of May 15th

Meetings and Updates Week of May 15, 2023

• Common Council meets 5/16/2023
• Annual Drinking Water Quality Report Released
• Bartillon Shelter Public Meeting 5/17/23
• Northeast Area Plan and Parks Development Plan Meetings
• Events & Announcements (spotlight: Heritage Sanctuary Volunteer Day 5/20)

Common Council  

The Common Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 in hybrid format at 6:30 PM. Agenda items include recognizing and honoring Leslie Watkins for her exceptional contributions to the community; and 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 more!

• Meeting Details
• Meeting Agenda
• Register for public comment
• Watch Online

Annual Drinking Water Quality Report Released  

Postcards are beginning to arrive in mailboxes across Madison letting people know their drinking water continues to meet or exceed all federal and state standards for health and safety. The cards announce the release of the Annual Drinking Water Quality Report, which provides an overview of the tens of thousands of drinking water quality tests Madison Water Utility conducted in 2022. The utility proudly reports another year of no violations of any state or federal regulation for drinking water safety. Note: the East Side’s well 15 is still out of service, awaiting the summer 2025 completion of the PFAS treatment project.

All Madison Water Utility customers will be receiving a postcard directing them to the following link so they can review the report in detail: MadisonWater.org/QualityReport PDF . More information about the extensive testing conducted and test results can be found at cityofmadison.com/water/water-quality/water-quality-testing.

Curious where your water comes from? Search for your address on the Water Utility’s neat mapping tool to see how much of your water comes from which nearby wells.

Bartillon Shelter Public Meeting, Wednesday, May 17, 2023   

The City of Madison is collaborating with Dane County to plan for and design a purpose-built shelter facility that will serve primarily men in our community who experience homelessness. The facility, to be built at 1904 Bartillon Drive, will be Madison’s first purpose-built shelter. Please join the City of Madison, Dane County and Porchlight, Inc at one of the three upcoming public information meetings to get an overview of the project, pre-design concepts and information on next steps. The meeting is from 5:30-7 p.m., May 17, 2023, in person at Hawthorne Library, 2707 E Washington Ave., Madison, Wis., 53704.

Input Opportunity: Northeast Area Plan and Park Development Plans

Attention Mayfair Park and Burke Heights residents! The Northeast Area Plan kicked off in January 2023 and will address land use, transportation, housing, parks and open space, stormwater management, economic development, historic and cultural resources, and facilities and utilities. Equitable and inclusive public participation will be key to the success of the process to help ensure that it is accessible to a broad audience, including people who are traditionally underrepresented. Join upcoming meetings on May 30 (virtual) and May 31 (in-person). Project staff will report back major themes of public comments heard in the first phase of the plan process and begin to discuss issues and opportunities the plan could address.

Parks Development Public Input Meetings  

• Wednesday, May 24 at 6:00pm (VIRTUAL) via Zoom. REGISTER IN ADVANCE
• Tuesday, May 30 at the East Madison Community Center (8 Straubel Ct, Madison, WI 53704) Food Pantry.
• Thursday, June 1 at Hawthorne Public Library (2707 E Washington Ave., Madison, WI 53704) from 3:00-7:00pm. 

Events & Announcements   

• East Side Farmers' Market, Tuesday, May 16, 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.
• Voices of Color with Host Melvin Hinton, Thursday, May 18, 2023: Our community is a rich mix of many different cultures. Being an inclusive community means learning about and appreciating our differences. It means unlearning stereotypes and ideas that we may have of one another; some of which are ingrained in the fabric of society. Join us on the third Thursday of each month at 10 am to learn about and meet individuals whose diverse leadership is shaping the future of our community. A virtual presentation sponsored by the Madison Senior Center.
• HUD-Approved Homebuyer Education, Saturday, May 20, 2023: Take the first step to owning a home, and join us in this Home Buyer Education Workshop. This FREE HUD-Approved homebuyer educationworkshop takes place in person and lunch is provided.
• Heritage Sanctuary Volunteer Day & Garlic Mustard Pull, Saturday, May 20, 2023: Saturday May 20th from. 9am-noon. Garlic mustard is an aggressive invasive species threatening woodlands and native plants including the outstanding trillium displays each spring in Madison’s Heritage Sanctuary Conservation Park. Please consider assisting with a garlic mustard pull on Saturday May 20th from 9 a.m. to noon. A Madison Parks staff person will lead this off-trail project.  Volunteers should bring a dandelion weeder, if possible, and wear garden gloves. Meet by the sanctuary sign at the south entrance (625 Meadowlark Drive) at 8:50 a.m. Please email Beth at elsbethrich@gmail.com if you plan to volunteer.
• Bird & Nature Adventures – Starkweather Creek Area, Saturday, May 20, 2023: Explore the Creek with James Winkelman ~ Join James Winkelman and Friends of Starkweather Creek for a free fun family-friendly canoe outing or take a healthy nature walk, bike ride or canoe outing any day in May along Starkweather Creek! Some canoes will be provided, bring your own canoe or kayak and vest and paddles if you have them. Join the Friends to help support preserving this amazing urban waterway ecosystem!
• Edna Taylor Volunteer Day, Saturday, May 20, 2023: Madison Parks and the Friends of Edna Taylor Conservation Park are seeking volunteers in conservation to assist in removing invasive plants in the park. Participants will learn plant identification, conservation methods, and help remove garlic mustard. Bags, gloves and instructions will be provided.
• Picnic in the Park, Saturday, May 20, 2023: Step back in time to a 1950s cocktail club as we re-create the Madison Park and Pleasure Drive's Annual Banquet which brought private citizens together & sparked the creation of our public parks as we know them today. The tradition continues at Burrows Park & features an expertly crafted, themed event that includes lavish food & drinks as well as live music to help us celebrate 128 years of Madison Parks!
• WORTstock, Sunday, May 21, 2023: WORTstock is WORT 89.9 FM Community Radio's multicultural live music festival with food and craft vendors, info tables, prize raffle, and children's activities.
• Capitol View Farmer's Market Returns May 31st, 2023 : The Capitol View Farmers' Market will return to the North Star Neighborhood each Wednesday of the season from 3-7pm, beginning Wednesday, May 31st! See flier below.
• Lake Monona Waterfront Design Challenge Team Selection: Madison Parks is pleased to announce the team selection in the Lake Monona Waterfront Design Challenge!
• Introducing the New City of Madison Forester Ian Brown: The City of Madison is happy to announce Ian Brown as the new City of Madison Forester.