Development updates, Assessor town hall 5/22, WisDOT interstate study, events & announcements

Hello neighbors,

I’ve heard from several folks with questions about ongoing development changes in our district, so here’s a consolidated update:

• 3822 Mineral Point Rd – Ascentives building. There is a request to change the zoning of this property so a retail bookstore can take ownership of the premises. This zoning request is coming before Plan Commission Monday, May 22 at 5:30pm. There are no planned changes to the exterior of the building with this request.
• 3722 Speedway Rd – former gas station. There was a delay in placing the crane needed for constructing the upper floors, thus there was a pause in construction at the site. The crane has now been placed, so construction is expected to begin again shortly.
• Capital High – former Hoyt School building. The Findorff team has been working diligently to offer as much access to the park and pathway east of the school as possible throughout construction. Due to increased construction activity in preparation for completing the overall project later this summer, access to the east pathway will be completely closed until the project finishes in August.
• 3005 University – former Smokey’s location. With the need for construction trucks coming and going from this location, and the ongoing needs of Bagels Forever to have trucks accessing their business, the City is considering delaying the reconstruction of Schmitt Place and Harvey Street to 2024. Please watch for additional information as this situation evolves.

Town Hall on Property Assessments

Alder Tishler is hosting a town hall with our City Assessor on May 22 at 7pm at the Sequoya Library – all are welcome to attend. The title of the presentation is “Property assessment in Madison: Understanding the taxation puzzle and finding your voice." If you cannot attend in person but would like to attend via Zoom, please email Alder Tishler.

WisDOT and City of Madison Public Meetings for Interstate Study

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) and City of Madison invite you to attend one of two meetings to discuss potential changes to the Interstate and interchanges in the Madison area. These alternatives are part of WisDOT’s larger I-39/90/94 corridor study that stretches from Madison to Wisconsin Dells. Both meetings will start with a brief presentation, followed by an open house:

• May 23, 6:00-7:30 p.m.

American Family Insurance Headquarters, Building A, Room A2151, 6000 American Parkway

• June 1, 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Steamfitters Local 601 Training Facility, 6310 Town Center Drive

Events

• Check out all the events happening at The Glen Golf Park this summer!
• Madison Parks & MSCR Open House, May 24, 4:30-7pm. The community is invited to attend a ribbon cutting and open house for Madison School & Community Recreation and Madison Parks at the new lakeside offices at 330 E. Lakeside Street.

4:30 pm: Short Presentation and Ribbon Cutting

5-7 pm: Open House

• Annual Spring Break-A-Way 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament Series, May 26, 5-8pm – Warner Park Recreation Center. Northside teens compete in a double-elimination tournament while enjoying a free meal.
• NewBridge Summer Concert Series, May 26, 5-8pm - Free community concert sponsored by NewBridge Madison and Party @ the Park, Brittingham Park.
• Bird & Nature Adventures – Edna Taylor Area: May 27, 10-11:30am - Join Naturalist Mary Binkley for a free, fun, and fascinating family-friendly guided walk.
• Vegan Sausage Fest, May 27, 11am-3pm, Vilas Park - Vegan Sausage Fest will showcase how you can have delicious, creative dishes that feature local products and produce.
• Coffee with Neighbors: Thurber Coffee Open House, May 28, 9-11:30am - Stop by Thurber Park (3325 Thurber Ave) to chat with artist-in-residence, Ash Armenta (they/them) and sip coffee with neighbors. All ages welcome, masking inside the space is encouraged.
• Join the Monroe Street Library May 23 & May 30, 10-11:15am for Growing Voices, a gathering for kids ages birth to 5 and their adults to play, learn, and bond with music. Come sing, play instruments, dance, and have a pile of fun! Siblings and childcare groups welcome.
• There will be an information session on the change of assigned agent for the liquor license at the 7-Eleven on the corner of University Ave and Walnut Street on June 1, 10:00 – 11:00 am at the store.
• Friends of Madison Public Library BIG BOOK SALE: Seven library Friends' groups are pooling their inventory for a large sale of gently used and donated books. The sale takes place June 3, 9am-3pm at the Madison Public Library Service & Support Center at 1301 W. Badger Road in Madison. All proceeds benefit Madison Public Libraries.
• For the 11th year in a row, Make Music Madison returns the first day of summer, June 21. Registration for performers and venues is open now through May 25.

Announcements

• Street Closure--S Broom Street & W Wilson Street: Starting May 22, S Broom Street will be fully closed to traffic between W Wilson Street and W Doty Street, and eastbound W Wilson Street will be closed between S Broom Street and S Henry Street.
• West Area Plan Community Survey ends May 31! The planning team has been collecting community feedback over the past 4 months on assets, issues and opportunities. If you have not yet had the chance, please share what you like best about the West Area and what you would like the plan to cover by completing the West Area Community Survey. The planning team will schedule community feedback opportunities for July and August to review the initial recommendations. Subscribe to the Plan’s email list to receive feedback opportunities and other Plan information.
• Public Health Madison & Dane County is now accepting applications from local community organizations to receive funding that supports violence prevention efforts in Dane County. Due date - June 2.
• Madison Metro is completely updating its service starting on Sunday, June 11!
• Free Summer Metro Bus Pass Program for MMSD Students: For the third year in a row, the City of Madison is giving every Madison Metropolitan School District Middle and High School student a free Metro bus pass for the summer.
• May is Mental Health Awareness Month: One in five adults in the U.S. experiences mental illness each year and less than half of them receive treatment, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
• Brush collection dates are open; yard waste collection is complete. Remember that the Badger Rd drop-off site is permanently closed. Please check the drop-off site webpage before loading your car.
• Remember to fill out a work order form for large item collection – if you don’t fill out the form, your large refuse items will not be picked up!
• There has been more talk in the news about how to handle your batteries due to a disastrous fire in Columbia County at their facility that handles trash and recycling. Lithium batteries are a fire hazard if disposed of incorrectly. Please follow these guidelines to be sure you do it right.

Best wishes,

Regina Vidaver