Public Info Meetings; MMSD Superintendent search; Tree survey,; Events, Announcements, and Streets Updates

Hello neighbors,

There are some upcoming Public Information Meetings I want to draw your attention to:

• September 27, 6pm: Transportation Commission Public Hearing. Madison Metro stops proposed for removal to facilitate rapid bus transit can be found here.
• September 27, 6pm: Public Information Meeting on progress towards the purpose-built men’s homeless shelter.
• September 27, 5pm, Madison College – Truax Building, Room D1630: Public Information Meeting on Highway 51/Stoughton Road updates.
• October 4, 5:30pm: Public Information Meeting on a proposal to add sidewalks along Harvey Street as part of the Harvey Street and Schmitt Place reconstruction project.

MMSD Superintendent Search

In-person Listening Sessions: The Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) Board of Education invites you to share your thoughts and opinions at upcoming in-person listening sessions to help form the leadership profile for our next superintendent. Alma Advisory Group will be on-site in early October to collect feedback from teachers and staff, students, parents/families, and community members.

Input sessions:

• October 2, 2023 - 6 p.m., Holtzman Building, 333 Holtzman Road
• October 3, 2023 - 6 p.m., La Follette High School, 702 Pflaum Road
• October 4, 2023 - 6 p.m., Vel Phillips Memorial High School, 201 South Gammon

Note: Light refreshments will be provided. Child care and calming space available. Hmong and Spanish simultaneous interpretation and American Sign Language interpretation will be available.

City Tree Survey Underway

Representatives from a company named Davey will begin performing terrace tree inventory work for the Urban Forestry section of the Streets Division. This is contracted work to update our understanding of the terrace tree canopy. Workers will note the size and species of trees on the terrace on a tablet computer they will have with them. They will not have tools, nor will they be performing work that could be mistaken for pruning or tree removal. They will not be leaving any marks on the trees, either. The survey work will take several months to complete, and will work from East to West.

Events

• September 28, 10am, and every Thursday until October: Hoyt Park Nature Walks – meet at the main parking lot.
• September 28, 12-12:45pm, and every Thursday until December 14: Meditation at Monona Terrace: Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace, and balance that benefits both your emotional well-being and your overall health. Anyone can practice; it’s simple, inexpensive and doesn’t require any special equipment. Join this free, weekly 45 minute online program. Advance registration is required.
• September 28, 5-6pm: Japanese drumming, Chocolate Shoppe, 2531 Monroe Street.
• September 29, 1:45pm: West High School parade – Chadbourne Ave to Ash St to Van Hise, ending at the staff parking lot.
• September 29, 8-11pm: Mad Lit: Where Arts and Culture Shine. Join the last Mad Lit of the season! This free, outdoor concert series features live music and highlights local musicians, artists, and business owners of color.
• September 30, 8am-1pm: Cheese Fair Off the Square. Sample, purchase, meet the makers, and stroll through an enormous selection of award-winning Wisconsin Cheese at this one-of-a-kind outdoor marketplace. Sellers from all over the state will be on hand to offer recommendations and show you all Wisconsin has to offer. The event takes place alongside the Dane County Farmers Market, the largest producer only market in the country where you’ll find even more Wisconsin cheese producers sampling and selling their hand crafted cheese.
• September 30, 10am-4pm: Regent Neighborhood Art Walk. Support the artistic pursuits of your neighbors! Rain date: October 1. Pick up a map at 201 Virginia Terrace.
• September 30, 7-10pm: West High School homecoming dance – West High Regent Street Athletic Center. Note: this event will be completely indoors, and will end by 10pm.
• October 1, 3-5pm: Penny Carnival, Hillington Green. Bring a game, or just enjoy the carnival!
• October 6, 8:45pm: UW Homecoming Block Party fireworks, Lake Mendota.
• October 19-22: Wisconsin Book Festival, Madison Public Library.
• October 21, 10am: Friends of Hoyt Park workday. Help plant native shrubs.
• October 31, 8:30am-1pm: The Community Housing Task Force of WI, in partnership with Bader Philanthropies and the Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin, is hosting a conference regarding the state of housing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Wisconsin. Please register by October 13.

Announcements

• City of Madison seeks nominations for the next Poet Laureate (the deadline is September 27): Poets Laureate are nominated by someone or self-nominate using our application. The Poet Laureate serves for 2 years with the opportunity to continue.
• Our Madison: Aging Vibrantly: In celebration of the Madison Senior Center’s 40th Anniversary we are pleased to present the exhibition, “Our Madison: Aging Vibrantly” which includes the work of artists Yusuf Bin-Rella, Jerry Butler, Amos Kennedy, Hedi Rudd, Phil Salamone, and Babette Wainwright. All works in the exhibition are either created by prominent senior artists or are portraying Madison seniors living full, healthy lives.
• The 2022 data for the City of Madison’s Neighborhood Indicators Project (NIP) is now available. The NIP provides geographically detailed data for over 50 variables within seven topic areas. Measures such as total population, number of dwelling units, subsidized rental units, and high mobility students are included.
• Participate in Madison Public Library Strategic Planning. The Madison Public Library leadership invites public input as it plans for the future of its services. The library will complete a 3-year strategic plan this fall and people can complete a short, 11-minute survey through September 30, online or at any Madison Public Library.
• Capital Budget proposal available. Final deliberations will occur at the November 14-16 Common Council meetings.

Streets Division Updates

• Yard waste collection begins in October. Get your set out dates for yard waste at www.cityofmadison.com/YardWaste. Yard waste and brush are very different things. If you combine piles of yard waste and brush the crews won’t collect them.
• Protect your trees from the spongy moth caterpillars before they hatch. Right now is the perfect time to check your trees, sheds, picnic tables, wood piles, and other areas for egg masses laid by the moth. These masses can contain up to 1,000 moth eggs, so destroying them makes a big difference in controlling the population. However, there is a right way to destroy the masses – you can’t just squish them. They are too tough for that. The right way to do it, and more details about the moth can be found at www.cityofmadison.com/SpongyMoth.
• We are trying out a new way for residents to find their collection schedules that should be pretty simple. It’s a map-based tool available right here and on the brush, yard waste, and collection schedule webpages. Just click on the “Try Lookup Map” button on those pages.
• When the leaves start coming down, it’s the perfect time to start composting. Many resources to get you started can be found at www.cityofmadison.com/Composting and free guides can be picked up from your local Madison Public Library branch.
• Don’t forget about the food scraps drop-off program. The last day is fast approaching, and we’re getting closer and closer to our goal of 16,000 pounds, or the weight of two hippopotamuses! Learn how you can participate and get us all the way to #doublehippo at www.cityofmadison.com/FoodScraps

Be well,
Regina Vidaver