Dane County at High COVID level, events & announcements

Hello neighbors,

In case you haven’t heard, Dane County has moved into the “High” COVID-19 Community Level for the first time since these new metrics have taken effect. At this level, in accordance with CDC guidance, Public Health Madison & Dane County highly recommends that everyone wear a mask in indoor public spaces. For those who are immunocompromised, or otherwise at high risk of serious outcomes, you may wish to avoid public indoor spaces altogether. Reminder that vaccines and testing are widely available for ages over 6 months. I myself finally got COVID yesterday, thus will sadly be missing many of the wonderful events happening this weekend (see below).

Events

• Opera in the Park is coming to Garner Park, 333 S. Rosa Road, on July 23 at 8pm.
• Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a free community celebration on Saturday, July 23, from 6:30pm-9:45pm at its William T. Evjue Rooftop Gardens. The event will feature local and regional bands, dance performances, and conclude with a spectacular drone show over Lake Monona. The event will be rescheduled in case of rain.
• 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:
  • Monday July 25th 4:30pm-8:15pm @ Allied Park | Movies with Madison Parks - Jungle Cruise
  • Tuesday July 26th 1pm-7:30pm @ Worthington Park | Movies with Madison Parks - Moana
  • Wednesday, July 27th 4:30pm to 8:45 @ Warner Park (Trailsway) | Parks Alive ~ Increase the Peace | Movies with Madison Parks - The Secret Garden
  • Wednesday, July 27th 4:30pm to 7:30pm @ Brentwood Park | Parks Alive ~ Increase the Peace
  • Thursday, July 28th 1:00pm to 4:00pm @ Penn Park | Parks Alive ~ It Takes a Village 
• The Hmong Language and Culture Center will be holding an Open House on Tuesday, July 26 from 10:30-12:30pm, and the Hmong Language and Culture Enrichment Completion Ceremony on Friday, July 29 from 5:30-8:30pm. Both events will be held at 4402 Femrite Drive.
• July is Disability Pride Month. On Saturday, July 30, join Wisconsin's Disability Community at Warner Park from 12:00 – 5:00 p.m. as we celebrate the 32nd Anniversary of the ADA and make plans to make things more inclusive. A fun day of entertainers, exhibits, adaptive sports, artists, and crafts people.
• All-City Dive Meet at the Goodman Pool: The All-City Dive Championship Meet is the final dive event of the summer for the 13 Madison area All-City swim and dive league teams and will include more than 300 divers and 1,000 spectators. This year, Goodman Waves is hosting at the Goodman Pool on Monday and Tuesday, July 25 and 26. Spectators are welcome at no charge.
  • POOL CLOSURE NOTICE: The Goodman pool will be closed for public swimming Sunday, July 24 through Tuesday, July 26. A rain delay day, if needed, is scheduled for Wednesday, July 27.
• Free Adapted Swim - MSCR and Madison Parks are hosting a free, Adapted Family Swim Night on Thursday, July 28, 6:30-8 pm at the Goodman Pool, 325 W Olin Ave. The event is open to individuals who have disabilities, their caregivers and their families. The pool has a zero-depth entry, aquatic lift and water wheelchairs are available.
• Friday, July 29th - Mad Lit hosts its next music event on the 100 Block of State St from 8pm-11pm
• The NoBull Crossfit games are coming to the Alliant Energy Center August 3-7.

Announcements

• Brush collection is slowly winding down for the year. Make sure you don’t miss your brush pickup opportunities by getting your schedule at www.cityofmadison.com/BrushCollection
• In-person absentee voting starts on July 26th for the August partisan primary. You can find the list of in-person absentee voting locations by clicking here. This week, the Clerk’s office posted a helpful reminder of what types of photo IDs you can use for voting in Wisconsin.
• OMG! The Outdoor Music Guide is Now Available. The guide is a new resource that describes the ways someone can run an outdoor live music show, whether it is hosted by an individual, organization or a business. Created by the City to assist musicians and music business owners, the OMG document summarizes all the options based on City ordinances with the understanding that every activity is unique and other rules may apply. The City hopes that this tool answers questions and facilitates the delivery of music-related activities while fostering a vibrant music scene in the community.
• The City of Madison has ambitious goals around sustainability, diversity, equity, and supporting local businesses. The City wants to do business with a more diverse pool of vendors, business owners, local businesses and entrepreneurs, especially those that offer services in the green economy for environmental sustainability. A new citywide public request for information (RFI) will help the City increase its awareness of vendors that help meet these objectives.
• CARES Team Expands with Second Response Team and Second Station Location to Better Serve City’s West and South Sides: The Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES) program, is a multi-agency program for addressing non-violent, behavioral health-related emergencies. Dane County’s 911 dispatch center dispatches CARES units to these emergencies as an alternative to police. The goal of a CARES response is to assess, de-escalate, treat, and refer or transport patients, as needed, to behavioral health services in the community. The City has expanded the CARES program from one team to two and will be responding from a second location at 2120 Fish Hatchery Road to better access and serve the City’s West and South Sides.
• We are seeking feedback on what you want to see at the Community Development Authority (CDA) Triangle properties bordered by West Washington Ave, Park St, and Regent St. Please fill out this survey to share your thoughts.
• The Dane County Farmland Preservation Plan is currently undergoing an update. As part of the process, the Farmland Preservation Recertification team is gathering feedback on agriculture in Dane County through a 5-minute public survey.
• Food Scraps Drop-off at Farmers' Markets a Success: Drop-off is available Tuesday evenings at the Eastside and South Madison farmers' markets. The markets will be accepting food scraps every Tuesday at the market location until September 27, 2022.
  • The South Madison Farmers’ Market is located at 1602 South Park Street and it accepts food scraps from 2:00pm to 6:00pm on Tuesdays.
  • The Eastside Farmers’ Market is located at 202 S. Ingersoll Street and it accepts food scraps from 4:00pm to 7:00pm on Tuesdays.

You can learn more about their locations and the acceptable food scraps at www.cityofmadison.com/FoodScraps. Information about the program is also available at the market booths. Folks who wish to participate in the food scraps drop-off program can pick up a free small bucket from the food scraps drop-off booths at the Tuesday evening Eastside and South Madison farmers' market.

• August Moving Days - www.cityofmadison.com/MovingDays
  • August Moving Days: Daily Collections of Carts in Student Move Area: Starting at 6:30 a.m. on Monday August 1, 2022 residents in the downtown moving days area can place trash and recycling collection carts out for pickup. On every weekday between Monday, August 1 and Monday, August 15, Streets Division crews will be emptying collection carts within the downtown moving days area.
  • August Moving Days: How to Use the Large Item Work Order System during the Move Out: Starting the week of August 7, 2022 and ending on Friday, August 19, 2022, the large item work order rules are different for items that are collected at no cost for residents who live in the downtown move-out area. There are no changes to the work order rules for large items that require a fee, like microwaves, televisions, or air conditioners. If you live in the student move out area, you will not be required to complete a work order for large Items that do not require a fee from August 8, 2022 until around 12:00pm on Friday, August 19, 2022.
  • August Moving Days: How to Set Out Appliances, Furniture, & Other Large Items for Collection. Please follow these guidelines so Streets Division collections will be faster and safer. If you are moving, it is in your best interest to set the items out within the guidelines so crews can collect the items quickly and minimize the congestion caused by large, slow moving collection vehicles.
    • Keep items away from obstructions like fire hydrants and street signs.
    • Do not place items under overhead obstructions like low-hanging wires and low tree limbs, too.
    • Keep the large item piles tidy. For example, if you have disassembled a desk, stack the wood pieces neatly.
    • Separate metal items and appliances, such as bed frames or air conditioners, separate from other material so they can be easily collected and recycled.
    • Do not pile bagged trash or recyclables on top of large items or appliances.
    • Remember to use your collection carts for trash and recyclables that can fit inside. And never make loose heaps of papers, clothes, or other waste that can blow around and clutter your neighborhood.

Please review that release or check the Streets Division’s Moving Days webpage to be sure you are using the system the right way.

If you live outside of the move-out area and have questions regarding the large item system, please review the large item website.

Take care,

Regina Vidaver