No election 2/15, Hollaback and Center for Black Excellence & Culture webinars tomorrow, redevelopment updates, events and announcements

Hello neighbors,

You may be wondering why we don’t have an election on February 15 – we don’t have a primary for any local election. Ultimately, we should all be concerned about this, and its impact on our democracy. With no competition, there’s no reason for people to campaign. And with no campaigning, you don’t get the chance to really get to know who is standing up to represent you. I mean, you got really lucky with me (J), but how would you have known that when I was the only option you had?

We do, however, have an election on April 5, and your polling place may have changed, as many local schools are unavailable as polling places. If you are voting absentee, with the recent WI Supreme Court ruling, you will not be able to use local drop boxes for absentee ballots. So, please, if you are voting absentee, take your ballot directly to the City Clerk, or get it in the mail as quickly as possible. You can view the process of your absentee ballot online.

Upcoming meetings of interest:

• Hollaback is providing free bystander training for teachers and staff TOMORROW, February 15 at 4pm. When teachers model bystander intervention, students are significantly more likely to safely and effectively intervene when witnessing bullying.
• The Center for Black Excellence and Culture is presenting a webinar on Cultivating a Culture of Black Wellness TOMORROW, February 15 at 5pm.
• Plan Commission: February 21, 5:30pm
  • Demolition permit for Smoky’s restaurant to make way for a new mixed use development.
    • Note: The Urban Design Commission will be reconsidering the development proposal at an upcoming meeting.
  • Conditional use alteration for the affordable housing complex on University Ave (storm water runoff issues necessitated re-design of the parking configuration).
• Share the Table – Conversations with MPD about Body-Worn Cameras:
  • Thursday, February 17, 6:30-9pm, online
  • Thursday, February 24, 6:30-8pm, MPD training center (Panasonic product presentation)
• Plan Commission: March 21, 5:30pm
  • Demolition permit for the Stop-n-Go/Kwik Trip on Speedway
  • Conditional use request for the mixed use development proposed at the site

Announcements:

• The Progress Center for Black Women is having an open house week. Meet the staff, express gratitude, and learn more about what the Center is doing.
• The Madison Public Schools Foundation is circulating a petition to use some of the state surplus revenue to bolster our schools. They are particularly seeking business leaders to sign-on.
• Monroe Street Library will increase service to five days a week in the next several weeks. They will be open 10 - 6 Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and 9-5 Saturday. After a two-year hiatus, story time for kids will begin Tues., March 8 at 10:30 a.m. Sessions continue through March 29. Siblings and childcare groups are welcome. No need to register.
• There will be tree work at Glenway golf course, likely this week. While we all love trees, some of them have become diseased or damaged, and need to be pruned or removed. Please understand that the City has experienced foresters on staff who are making the very best decisions to ensure our residents have safe spaces to enjoy our parks, while preserving the trees we can.
• The Common Council recently authorized the Lake Monona Waterfront Design Challenge, a Parks-led planning effort focused on developing a master plan for 1.7 miles of shoreline and 17 acres of parkland along Lake Monona’s west shore. A key component of the design challenge is forming an ad-hoc committee, whose responsibilities include selecting the competition participants and identifying a preferred master plan option. Learn more about the Design Challenge, including how to apply to be on the committee. The deadline for committee submissions is noon, February 23, 2022.

Events

• On February 17, everyone is invited to come Downtown for a special celebration of Lunar New Year. Experience traditional Chinese Lion Dancing performed by Zhong Yi Kung Fu Association on the stage at Lisa Link Peace Park (452 State Street) at 6pm. Immediately following the Lion Dance in the park, Association members will move on to provide blessings at 10 locations around downtown.
• February is Black History Month, and Madison Public Library is celebrating with book discussions, films, and a Wellness Practitioners Summit.
• Healing Labs are a series of events created for teens 8th-12th grade from the communities of the African Diaspora to explore journeys of self-worth and self-determination. The first event takes place on February 15 from 4:30-5:30 p.m. at Central Library and will explore the topic, "Who's in Your Village?"

Take care,

Regina Vidaver