Traffic safety improvements; Public information meetings; UW bicycle survey; Grants for seniors and those with disabilities; Events & Announcements

Hello neighbors,

I’m pleased to report that several traffic safety improvements in our District are up for consideration at tomorrow night’s Transportation Commission meeting:

• Speedway at Hammersley Ave – installation of pedestrian/bicycle crossing light
• University Ave at Blackhawk Ave – new crossing configuration with no left turns onto University
• Midvale Blvd from Mineral Point to University Ave - remove on-street parking, add marked bike lanes, improve several pedestrian crossings
• N Randall Ave:
  • at Dayton St – add green bike lane dashes through intersection
  • at Monroe St - add green bike lane dashes through intersection
  • at W Johnson St - add green bike lane dashes through intersection
  • at Engineering Dr - add green bike lane dashes through intersection
  • at SW Commuter Path – installation of pedestrian/bicycle crossing light and green pavement markings
• Monroe St and Regent St path crossing – new green material

Also, please note that ALL Madison Public Libraries will be closed September 14 for staff development.

Purpose-Built Men’s Shelter

The City of Madison is collaborating with Dane County to plan for and design a purpose-built shelter facility that will serve primarily men in our community who experience homelessness. The facility, to be built at 1902 Bartillon Drive, will be Madison’s first purpose-built shelter. We are gathering feedback to ensure that it best meets the needs of those who will use it and the community more broadly.

Public Information Meeting: September 13, 6pm, Zoom. Please register in advance.

Madison Metro Proposed Service Adjustments

With the recent redesign of all Madison Metro routes, a few of the routes have struggled to stay on time and others still need adjustments to better connect to other routes. Metro is seeking feedback on potential adjustments in a number of ways:

• September 14, 5:30-6:30pm, Madison Municipal Building, Rm 215. Marketing and planning staff will be available for informal 1-1 conversations to answer questions about proposed changes and just to see how rides are going. All feedback collected at this session will be forwarded along to the Transportation Committee as official public hearing testimony.

• September 14, 7pm, Zoom. Please join marketing and planning staff for an online information gathering session.
• September 27, 6pm, Transportation Commission Public Hearing. Official public hearing feedback can be submitted ahead of time by calling (608) 266-4466, emailing mymetrobus@cityofmadison.com, or by filling out an online form at mymetrobus.com/feedback. All feedback submitted ahead of time will be considered in the same way as feedback provided at the hearing itself.

Madison Metro is also interested in hearing feedback on the accessibility of the new routes and stops. Please provide honest feedback!

Bicycle Survey

UW-Madison has applied to renew its Bicycle Friendly University status. Now that the Fall 2023 school year has begun for most campuses, the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) is reaching out about the Bicycle Friendly University (BFU) Campus Survey, which is an important part of the BFU evaluation process. Please fill out this survey by October 10 to help inform the final award decision.

Dane County Grants for Older People and Those with Disabilities to Stay in Their Homes

Over 1,100 residents of Dane County are now eligible for grant dollars to help them stay in their own homes under a new statewide independent living initiative. Dane County’s Aging and Disability Resource Center is now accepting applications for the program. Those who qualify for the program will each receive up to $7,200. The dollars will be able to help with everything from purchasing special medical equipment to helping with home care.

Events

• September 13, 5-7pm: Learn to Fish with WI DNR, Filene Park, 1610 Sherman Ave. Learn to Fish with Madison Parks and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources! There is no cost to attend (advanced registration is required), however, anglers ages 16 and older will need a Wisconsin fishing license, which can be purchased online at Go Wild.

• September 13, 5:30-7pm: Conservation Park Tour | Edna Taylor. Conservation Park Tours are educational staff-guided walks held at various conservation parks on the 2nd Wednesday, May - October.

• September 13, 6-8:30pm: Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) Training, Madison Police Department Training Center, 5702 Femrite Dr. It takes police an average of three minutes to respond to an active shooter event. You can make a difference in your safety and the safety of others in those first three minutes. This training teaches the principles of what to do during an active shooter incident to help increase your chance of survival.

• September 13, 7pm: Chasten Buttigieg: I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU, part of the Wisconsin Book Festival. The young adult adaptation of the refreshingly candid best-selling memoir! Husband of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Chasten Buttigieg writes about growing up gay in his small Midwestern town.

• September 13, 7-8:30pm: Wright Design Series - Purcell & Elmslie: Spiritualistic Place-Making. William Purcell and George Elmslie were prolific and renowned architects of the Prairie School. Richard Kronick, who has studied, lectured, and written about Purcell & Elmslie’s architecture for more than 40 years, will explain the sources of P&E’s philosophical ideas and how they expressed those ideas in building form and architectural ornamentation throughout their careers.
• September 14, 5-9pm: Madison Night Market, State Street. Madison Night Market is a celebration of Madison's unique and inspiring creative culture. The Market is presented by Madison's Central Business Improvement District (BID) in partnership with the City of Madison. The Common Council will also have a resource table at the Madison Night Market, next to Lisa Link Peace Park. Learn more about the City of Madison Common Council and ways to get involved with local government!
• September 14, 6:30pm: Roots & Roofs: Pathway to Equity Housing Fair, Urban League of Greater Madison, 2222 S. Park St. Housing in Greater Madison is expensive and inequitable. The Roots & Roofs: Pathway to Equity Housing Fair is an opportunity to learn about affordable rentals, home buying, and housing discrimination.
• September 16, 8:30am-3:30pm: HUD-Approved Homebuyer Education Class, Atrium Villager Mall, 2300 S Park Street. Take the first step to owning a home, and join this Home Buyer Education Workshop.
• September 16, 9am-1pm: Frame Up on the Square. The event is a "Frame Up" for Habitat for Humanity, where preregistered participants will build the walls of a Habitat for Humanity home in the street. This event is meant to raise awareness of the organization while the frame of a Habitat home is being built.
• September 16, 9am-12pm: Trucks & Treasures, Warner Park, 2930 N Sherman Ave. It's a big rig gig... TRUCKS and a kids-to-kids garage sale... TREASURES! This event is free to attend and happens rain or shine. It's perfect for kids of all ages. Be sure to bring cash, if you'd like to shop from the treasures.
• September 16, 10-11:30am: Bird & Nature Adventures | Starkweather Creek. Join Kacy Zander and other Friends of Starkweather Creek for a guided bike tour to look for native wildflowers along the greenways, parks and yards beside Starkweather Creek. Bring your bike or rent a B-Cycle at a nearby station at Goodman, Blue Plate Diner, or Garver Feed Mill.
• September 16-17: Willy Street Fair. Round out the summer festival season with the best local vendors, food, bands, beer, and people! **Please leave your dogs at home--thank you!
• September 17, 1:30-3pm: Bird & Nature Adventures | Warner Park. Enjoy an informal family and kid-friendly nature walk around the scenic Warner Pond lagoon and across Castle Creek to discover the wetlands, woods, and prairie in the Wild Side of Warner Park and the birds and other creatures that call it home! Meet at the colorful Warner Park shelter by the lagoon.
• September 17, 4-7pm: Movie at The Glen | Minions - The Rise of Gru. Grab a blanket or bring a lawn chair and head over to The Glen for yard games and a movie! All are welcome!

• September 19 & 26, 10:30am: Growing Voices, an interactive music class for children birth to 5 and their parents, Monroe Street Library.
• September 20, 10am: Medicare: What you need to know to protect yourself from fraud, Zoom.
• September 20, 11am: Ribbon cutting for the Jeff Erlanger accessible playground at Rennebohm Park.
• September 22: World Car-Free Day. Walk, bike, or bus to get around!
• September 22, 6:30-9pm: Feeding Our Bellies, Feeding Our Souls: The Mother's Mental Health Moment: A Free Mother’s Multicultural Mental Health Dinner, 1055 East Mifflin St. Topics will cover building mental resilience, destigmatizing mental health, and more. Dinner and child care provided.
• Save the Date – October 19-22: Wisconsin Book Festival, Madison Public Library.

Announcements

• The former Brayton Parking Lot, (Block 113) in Downtown Madison is a 2-acre site in the First Settlement Neighborhood three blocks from the Capitol Square. The future of this site has been addressed in multiple City adopted plans over nearly 30 years. These plans have been consistent in their vision for the scale and massing of future buildings and several policy and regulatory measures have been put in place to realize that future. Now, the community has a unique opportunity to implement those plans, as the City starts to look for future development partners through a public process. Visit the website for more information, and take this survey by September 15 to share your priorities for the site.

• Fall Leaves and Yard Waste Set-Out Dates Now Available: The Streets Division’s fall yard waste and leaves collection begins the week of October 8, 2023 for certain neighborhoods.

Be well,
Regina Vidaver