Common Council

Updates March 1, 2021

Update topics:

• Transportation
• Meeting and event highlights for the week of March 1, 2021
• Community
• Events
• COVID
• City meetings schedule

Transportation

Metro Transit is redesigning their routes throughout the city.

Attend a virtual informational meeting on Wednesday, March 3 to provide feedback and learn more about Metro Transit's redesigning of their route network.

Public Information Meeting
Phase One Community Meeting
Wednesday, March 3
6 - 7:30 pm

What is the Transit Network Redesign?

The Metro Transit Network Redesign will design a route system that will better meet the needs of Madison area residents and businesses by increasing access, decreasing travel times, and improving the quality of transit riders' experience.  

Attend a Metro Bus Stop Planning Hearing - March 10

On Wednesday, March 10 at 5 pm, Metro Transit and the City of Madison Transportation Commission will be reviewing the planned bus stop changes occurring in 2021. Changes include bus stops closing, opening, the addition of concrete bus stop pads and/or the addition of an amenity.

Beltline construction begins for a Flex Lane 

Construction started today to convert the Beltline inside median shoulders between Verona Road and the Interstate. The Dynamic Part-Time Shoulder Use or "Flex Lane" for US 12/18 – will allow for their use as an additional travel lane during peak travel periods. 

Learn more about the Flex Lane project at wisconsindot.gov/FlexLane

Meeting and event highlights for the week of March 1, 2021

Discussion of Zeier Road shelter

The Community Development Block Grant Committee will be discussing the purchase agreement for the new homeless shelter on Zeier Road at its meeting on Thursday.

Meeting details

Meeting agenda

Register for public comment

Common Council 

At Tuesday's Council meeting, there will be a discussion on the Madison Police Department Tear Gas Usage and Alternatives Report.

Meeting agenda

Register for public comment

March 1 community Q & A on proposed housing changes to zoning

On Monday, March 1, from 5:30 - 7:30pm, there will be a Zoom-based Community Q & A session regarding the proposed zoning ordinance amendments related to allowing greater residential densities and adjusting conditional use thresholds. There will be a video presentation to provide an overview, and Planning Division Director Heather Stouder and Zoning Administrator Matt Tucker will be available for questions.

Register for the session 

Read the proposed amendments

Read the Staff Report/Memo

For additional information about meetings scheduled for this week, please consult the City Meeting Schedule online here.

Community

The River Food Pantry Needs RSVP Volunteers to Deliver Groceries

After launching a free food delivery program, called River Delivers, last fall, The River Food Pantry has experienced unprecedented numbers of grocery delivery requests from local households who are unable to pick food up in person. Since October, the average number of weekly deliveries has increased from 100 to 260 and counting.

RSVP volunteers for River Delivers will specifically serve seniors and people with disabilities. The RSVP volunteer position also offers mileage reimbursement at .56 cents/mile and additional liability insurance.

If you are interested in volunteering, contact Mary Schmelzer, RSVP Driver Services Co-Manager, at 608-441-7896 or mschmelzer@rsvpdane.org.

Submissions being accepted for the 2021 Bus Lines Poetry contest 

Metro Transit and Madison's Poet Laureate invite you to send short poems, haiku, prose poems, or excerpts from longer poems, 3-15 lines total, to the 2021 Bus Lines open call for poetry.  Entries are due Monday, March 15.  

Renter assistance

Are you a Dane County renter in danger of eviction due to COVID-19?  You may be eligible for rental assistance from Dane CORE Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Learn more and see if you're eligible here.

Do you have questions about the new Dane CORE Emergency Rental Assistance Program or want to assist community members that you work with their pre-application? Attend a 1-hour training session, being offered in both English and Spanish this week. These sessions are open to anyone interested in knowing more about the program. 

Register now! ¡Regístrese ahora! 

[ESPAÑOL] Miércoles 3 de marzo, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

[ENGLISH] Weds March 3rd, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Driver License recovery info clinics

Driver's license recovery info clinics are live! The YWCA is currently offering virtual info clinics for individuals who are experiencing licensing issues in the Dane County area. Appointments can be made on their website with more dates to be added in the future. Please contact Aneesha Mitchell at (608) 395-2188 or amitchell@ywcamadison.org if you have any questions.

Neighborhood beautification grant opportunity - applications due March 15

Perhaps you are noticing opportunities to beautify something in your area, or maybe you are getting more involved with your neighborhood group or business association. You may be feeling a deeper sense of place and a desire to get involved in making your neighborhood even better. The Planning Division's 2021 Neighborhood Grant Program may be able to assist you with a small grant. 

Learn more and apply.

Family shelter progress

City Engineering is working with Community Development and other City agencies and partners to convert the former Karmenta Nursing Home, 4502 Milwaukee Street, into a new shelter for families. You can watch a video about the work that's underway on the new shelter. The target opening date for the facility is set at March 15.

Background:

Families were moved from the East Washington Ave Salvation Army facility to hotel rooms last spring to allow for social distancing, using CARES Act funding. The current facility was then reconfigured to continue to provide shelter to single women. Improvements to and expansion of the East Washington Ave Salvation Army facility were approved last year by the Plan Commission and will be underway soon. For all of these reasons, an interim location is needed for homeless families. 

Recording of the December 2020 community meeting on this topic

Presentation slides from that meeting

Events

Roadbuilding virtual job fair 

This will be held via Zoom on Thursday, March 4, 4pm-6pm.  This event will offer one-on-one interviews for various open positions.

Register

Women in Construction Roundtable 

Join WRTP/BIG STEP via Zoom on Wednesday, March 10, at 4pm. The roundtable will feature a panel of women who have found success in the construction industry. The discussion will include personal stories from women in the industry; advice on how to have a successful career in construction; live Q&A/open discussion platform; and representation from several union trades.  

Register  

If you have any questions, please call WRTP/BIG STEP at (608) 255-0155 or email WRTP at southcentral@wrtp.org. 

Winter is Alive! a cooler world carnival

Through March 7, experience Winter is Alive, a cooler world carnival and multi-disciplinary event fusing art and spectacle to revision climate change and activate global relationships. Uniting us during late winter and the physical separations caused by COVID-19, Winter is Alive! gathers together diverse local and global perspectives to demonstrate the collaboration required to combat climate change. 

Love Classical Music? Catch Badger Talks

Badger Talks is presenting a free, live series of talks on topics that intend to inspire, delight, and pleasantly distract in a time we are all needing positive experiences. On Tuesday, March 2, at noon, join WPR's "Morning Classics" host Stephanie Elkins in an online conversation about American classical composer Florence Price. Price is noted as the first Black woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer, and the first to have a composition played by a major orchestra. Can't catch the live talks? Check out the past talks.

Family winter activities

1000 Friends of Wisconsin and Healthy Kids Collaborative have put together a guide for beating cabin fever.  The Cabin Fever Survival Guide is a family-friendly activity guide for the last of the winter months during the pandemic.

COVID

Vaccine supply shortages delay vaccination of county teachers and childcare workers. 

COVID resources

• Data Dashboard

• Financial Navigators hotline

• Close Contacts Now have Quarantine Options

• UW-Madison's rapid testing

• WI Dept. of Health Services Cases by Neighborhood (Census Tract)

• Madison COVID-related news and service updates, Español: COVID-19 and Hmoob: COVID-19

• COVID-19 recovery dashboard, a tool to track local indicators in order to better understand how our residents and community are doing throughout the pandemic.

• Public Health Madison and Dane County COVID data and orders

• Dealing with job loss

• Childcare, food, jobs, housing and low-cost internet access 

• Community-aggregated COVID resources

• From the City's Economic Development Division: Business & Non-profit Information Covid-19

City meetings schedule

City weekly meeting schedule

The Mayor's meeting schedule

The County weekly meeting schedule