Common Council

Updates for the week of June 13th

Hello everyone! 

I'm going to try to continue with Alder Lemmer's cadence of weekly update posts. Also, some alders opt to delete the previous alder's posts, but I'm going to leave all of Alder Lemmer's posts online, so folks who might have them bookmarked can still find and access them. However, because of the way the city blogging software works, they're all going to show up as 'Alder Paulson's updates', even the ones that were posted during Alder Lemmer's tenure. My apologies for any confusion that might arise. 

With that, on to updates for this week!

Twisted Grounds Live Music at Plan Commission on Monday

The Twisted Grounds Coffee Shop is going before the Plan Commission to update their zoning to be able to offer live music indoors, and to have an outdoor eating and seating area that could also have amplified sound. Because of the ways the city's zoning code works by adding entertainment this will technically turn Twisted Grounds into a 'Resturant-Nightclub', but if that sounds strange, something to know is that under the current zoning code rules, Twisted Grounds is already a 'Resturant-Tavern' for purposes of zoing. So, just like I don't think anyone would call Twisted Grounds today a tavern, I don't think this is about to change Twisted Grounds into a nightclub either.

The city's Planning Staff has some 'i's they want dotted and 't's they want crossed on the plan, but is recommending that the changes be adopted as a 'conditional use', and further, the staff is recommending that the changes be adopted as part of the Plan Commission's 'Consent Agenda' - which means the staff thinks it is routine business and unless someone wants to stop and talk about it, the Plan Commission should just adopt it and all the other noncontroversial items and move on to other, more complicated business.

The Plan Commission meeting is Monday, June 13th and you can find out more about the meeting or watch online over Zoom by clicking here. You can also see the agenda item by clicking here or read the staff comments by clicking here.

Felland Road Closure until mid-August

For folks on the east side of I-90, especially who might use Lien Road and Felland to come back from the East Towne area, be aware that a segment of Felland Road (between Bridle Way and Commercial Avenue) is going to close again this summer, starting Monday morning June 13th and through mid-August. You can read more about it by clicking here, but here's a map the city has provided:

Meetings

• The Plan Commission will discuss items related to the Oscar Mayer Special Area Plan, 222-232 E. Olin Avenue, and 3900-3920 Monona Drive/109 Cottage Grove Road at its virtual meeting on Monday, June 13, at 5:30pm.
  • Meeting details
  • Meeting agenda
  • Watch online
• For information about additional City meetings scheduled for this week, please consult the City Meeting schedule.

Events

• Fresh water is Earth's most precious resource. We all use it every day, and we can all have an impact on the ability to provide reliable supplies of clean water now and for future generations. On June 14 and June 21, participate in a two-session course to become a steward of our local waters. Learn more and register for the course here.
• The Kujichagulia Madison Center for Self-Determination's 33rd Annual Outdoor Celebration of Juneteenth Celebration will be held both virtually and in person Tuesday, June 14, through Saturday, June 19. This year's theme is "Black Resilience: Embracing Our Past to Define Our Future." Learn more here.
• The Bubbler at Madison Public Library is working with nine local Madison artists to create programming for kids and families at each Madison Public Library location during the summer. Artists will host one program a week in the library, as well as engage with community events happening in the surrounding neighborhood. Read more here.
• On Monday, June 13, from 6pm to 7:30 pm, author Diane Nilan will visit the Madison Central Library to read and discuss her book, Dismazed and Driven: My Look at Family Homelessness in America. The program will also include a screening of her film Not Homeless Enough, which features four families in Madison & Dane County. Find more details here.
• Food scraps recycling for 2022 returns to two farmer's market drop-off sites this summer from June 14 to September 27.
  • Market Site 1: South Madison Farmer's Market (1602 S. Park Street)
    • Hours: 2:00pm to 6:00pm.
    • Dates open: Only Tuesday markets from June 14 to September 27, 2022
  • Market Site 2: Eastside Farmer's Market (202 S. Ingersoll Street)
    • Hours: 4:00pm to 7:00pm
    • Dates open: Only Tuesday evenings from June 14 to September 27, 2022

Also, consider composting your food scraps in your own backyard. More information can be found in the news release.

Announcements

• The Resource Recovery Special Charge will begin showing up on your Municipal Services Bill starting in August. Everyone who receives City of Madison recycling collection will receive this bill. To learn how much it will cost and the reason why it was created in the budget that was passed last year, visit the FAQ page on the Streets Division website.
  • The Neighborhood Resource Trailer is available to Madison community organizations, such as neighborhood groups, for neighborhood events. Events should focus on creating community connections, educational opportunities, healthy lifestyles and socialization. This is the community's trailer to enjoy! The trailer includes a grill, microphone & speaker, table & chairs, serving platform, storage, generator, and dry erase board.
• The Goodman Community Pool opened at noon on Friday, June 10. Read the news release here, and learn about pool hours and prices and pool rules.

City Parks

• Parks Alive is a collaborative effort across multiple City departments and involves many community-based stakeholders and mobile resources. This is a great opportunity to come out to local parks, build community, strengthen relationships, and have fun! Click on the following parks to see dates, times and activities for:
  • Meadowood Park (June 22)
  • Owl Creek Park (June 23)
  • Allied Park (June 27)
  • Darbo/Worthington Park (June 28)
  • Penn Park (July 14)
  • Aldo Leopold Park (July 19)
  • Warner Park (July 27)
  • Elver Park (August 15)

That's it for this week's updates! Thanks for reading, and if there's anything I can help answer or help you navigate, please send me an email at district3@cityofmadison.com

-Erik

p.s. If you've ever wondered, like I have, why on the Madison Common Council page, why there is a column for "Updates" from alders and a column for "Blogs" from alders, and what the difference is between a "Blog" and an "Update"- it turns out there is no difference! Some alders title the section of their homepage for their info disptaches as 'Blog' and some title them 'Updates', but otherwise it's all the same, and it's just a quirk in the software that it looks like there's two different types. Alder Lemmer originally chose 'Update', and so I'm going to stick with that.