Common Council

Updates March 28, 2022

• Hawthorne-Truax Neighborhood Plan kickoff meetings next week

• MPD seeking community input on policing, will host focus groups as part of strategic plan

• Brush Collection dates now available

• Madison Public Library updates 

• Madison Senior Center's annual art celebration is back

• Make Music Madison 2022

• Financial assistance to homeowners impacted by the pandemic is available through the Wisconsin Help for Homeowners (WHH) program

• Get ready for the April 5 Spring election

• Parks updates

• City news

• COVID information

Hawthorne-Truax Neighborhood Plan Kickoff meetings next week

The Hawthorne-Truax Neighborhood Plan process is getting underway and will chart a course of action for the neighborhood over the next 10 to 20 years.  The planning area generally follows East Washington Ave and Hwy 51, and is bound by Hwy 30, the airport and Pierstorff and Mendota Streets.  

Initial public meetings will be held virtually on April 4th at 6 pm and April 7 at 12 pm.  

Registration is required and can be done on the plan web page:  http://www.cityofmadison.com/HawthorneTruax.  

While you're there, sign up for the email list to be notified of all future meetings and events. Check out the Map and Data Book for background information related to land use, neighborhood assets and upcoming projects like BRT and the Hwy 51 redesign.  

Post your thoughts and ideas on the neighborhood and its future to the interactive commenting map.

MPD seeking community input on policing, will host focus groups as part of strategic plan

The Madison Police Department is in the process of setting a long-range strategic plan and is seeking community input throughout this process. 

There will be a virtual community focus group meeting for the East Police District on April 5, from 6:30 - 8 pm. The meeting will cover broad themes on topics such as community trust, the role of police, community policing, crime and safety, and police staffing.

East District's community focus group meeting

April 5, 6:30 - 8 pm

Pre-registration is required

Translation services can be requested three days prior to the meetings by emailing MPDPIO@cityofmadison.com

Brush Collection dates now available

Collection will begin the week of April 3, 2022 for certain neighborhoods. Learn when to set out your brush for pickup at cityofmadison.com/brushcollection.

A reminder that the dates when you should set out yard waste for spring collection are also now available at cityofmadison.com/YardWaste

Madison Public Library introduces new video streaming service

Anyone with a Madison Public Library card can now enjoy 30,000+ free videos from Kanopy. Kanopy offers high-quality films to libraries around the globe that inspire, educate and entertain. The library's subscription also includes unlimited access to Kanopy Kids and Great Courses. Kanopy Kids offers a carefully curated collection of children's programming that supports early literacy, STEM education, and even foreign language learning. Using favorite children's characters from Sesame Street, PBS Kids, Weston Woods, and more. Great Courses are a collection of lectures on a variety of topics from literature, health, finance, and more.   

Madison BCycle Relaunches Community pass program

Madison BCycle and Madison Public Library have relaunched the Community Pass Program in conjunction with the return of BCycles to stations around Madison.

The program, in partnership with the Madison Public Library Foundation, enables riders to use their Madison Public Library card to access one of over 350 electric bikes. 

Each Madison Public Library location has two Community Passes available for checkout. Madison BCycle currently has a station outside of the Central Library location on West Mifflin Street and at Pinney Library on Cottage Grove Road.

Madison Senior Center's annual art celebration is back

The Madison Senior Center's annual celebration of local artists age 55+ is back after a two year pandemic hiatus. All artists 55+, those who like to dabble, those who are quite serious, and everyone in between, are invited to participate in An Artful Affair. 

Artwork is dropped off on Tuesday, April 26. The grand opening of the exhibit will be Friday, May 6, 5 - 8:30 pm in conjunction with MMOCA's Spring Gallery Night.

Make Music Madison June 21, 2022 

Make Music Madison registration for its tenth annual outdoor, citywide musical celebration is open. The 2021 event featured 312 concerts at 112 venues with over 1,000 individual musicians. Registration to perform or host a performance opens this month. Learn more at http://www.makemusicmadison.org/.

Financial assistance to homeowners impacted by the pandemic is available through the Wisconsin Help for Homeowners (WHH) program

Eligible homeowners (with and without a mortgage) who have experienced financial hardship because of the coronavirus pandemic can now receive financial assistance with overdue housing-related bills like mortgage payments, local property taxes, utilities, housing counseling and legal services. Eligible households can receive a maximum award of $40,000. Application is live and open on a first-come, first-served basis at homeownerhelp.wi.gov.

Landlords and renters may also receive financial assistance as a result of the pandemic through Dane CORE 2.0 Emergency Rental Assistance.

Get ready for the April 5 Spring election

In-person absentee voting is underway.

Acceptable photo ID to vote

As you prepare for the Spring Election on April 5, the City of Madison Clerk's Office wants to remind you what types of photo ID you can use for voting in Wisconsin.

Sample ballots available

Voters can view a sample ballot for their address on the MyVote Wisconsin website.

Polling locations 

The ward numbers for some of District 3 have changed with redistricting. Additionally, some polling locations have changed. Find your ward number and polling location at https://www.cityofmadison.com/clerk/where-do-i-vote/ 

Parks

Ride the Drive 2022 canceled due to staffing shortages

Due to staffing shortages, Madison Parks has made the difficult decision to cancel Ride the Drive 2022. They will be focusing programming efforts on Warner Park, Olbrich Gardens, Aquatics, and neighborhood park-focused events such as Sina Davis Movies in the Park, the Learning Series, and Carts in Parks.

Volunteers needed for the Earth Day Challenge and Dog Park Cleanup Day

Earth Day Challenge

Celebrate Earth Day with your neighbors and friends by volunteering to clean up your local park at the Earth Day Challenge. Volunteers are needed to assist with trash pickup, raking, weeding, removing sticks, and more on Saturday, April 23, 2022.

There is an especially great need for volunteers at McGinnis Park (9 Crystal Lane) and North Star Park (502 North Star Drive.)

Do you love your dog park? Help spruce up and clean up your favorite off-leash dog park at Dog Park Cleanup Day on Saturday, April 2, 2022.

Volunteers are needed to assist with picking up trash and scooping up dog poop. Parks will supply the trash bags, gloves, scoopers, and buckets. 

Garlic Mustard pull event at Heritage Sanctuary Saturday, April 30, 9 am - noon

Thank you to Beth Godfrey for this information.

Garlic mustard is an aggressive invasive species threatening woodlands and native plants including the outstanding trillium display each spring in Madison's Heritage Sanctuary Conservation Park. Please consider assisting with a garlic mustard pull on Saturday April 30 from 9 am to noon. 

A staff person from Madison Parks will lead this off-trail project.  Volunteers should wear garden gloves and bring a dandelion weeder. Meet by the sanctuary sign at the south entrance (625 Meadowlark Drive) at 8:50 am. 

Please email Beth at elsbethrich@gmail.com if you plan to volunteer.

Wildflower viewing tip from Madison Parks: At peak trillium bloom in early to mid-May, the 9.3 acre Heritage Sanctuary is unequaled. Under an oak forest canopy lies a wildflower carpet more typical of a maple forest. Heritage Sanctuary is located on Madison's east side in the Heritage Heights neighborhood.

City 

City meetings scheduled for this week

• The Badger Rd. Drop-off Site is Now Closed Until 2023 The Streets Division drop-off site at 1501 W. Badger Rd. is now closed for construction. The site will remain closed until at least the spring of 2023.

• Badger Road and South Point Drop-off Sites Closed on March 28, 2022 On Monday, March 28, 2022, the Streets Division drop-off sites at 1501 W. Badger Rd and 402 South Point Rd will be closed.

• Madison Public Library Introduces New Video Streaming Service Anyone with a Madison Public Library card can now enjoy 30,000+ free videos from Kanopy thanks to support from the Mad

• South Point Road Drop-off Site Opens Tuesday, March 29, 2022 On Tuesday, March 29, 2022 the drop-off site at 402 South Point Road will open.

• 2022-23 Thurber Park Artist-in-Residence Call for Applicants The City of Madison along with The Bubbler at Madison Public Library offer an exciting opportunity for an artist(s) to have an 11-month residency in a dedicated art studio at Thurber Park.

• An Artful Affair The Madison Senior Center's annual celebration of local artists age 55+ is back after a two year pandemic hiatus.

• Last Day for Badger Rd Drop-off Site is Friday, March 25, 2022 The Streets Division's drop-off site located at 1501 W. Badger Rd will be closing on March 25, 2022. Residents will not be able to use the Badger Rd. drop-off site while it is shut down for construction.

COVID information and resources

Stay connected with Public Health Madison & Dane County by subscribing to The Pulse, their quarterly newsletter.

• Public Health's COVID-19 homepage

• Data Notes for the Week of March 24, 2022 

• Data Dashboard