Harvey Street Sidewalks, Clean Streets Clean Lakes, Street and path closures, Public info meetings, Events and announcements

Hello neighbors,

This week’s shooting death of a 15-year-old girl in Madison was absolutely tragic. Please see statements from the Mayor and Alder of the district where the shooting occurred. Madison is not insulated from the fact that firearms are now the leading cause of death of US children. Our hearts go out to the families and friends of these young people whose lives have been forever altered by this trauma.

Harvey Street Sidewalks

I want to thank residents who engaged in the October 4 Public Information Meeting on adding additional sidewalks to Harvey Street. Following the meeting, City staff visited the site with residents, and wound up modifying the sidewalk geometry on the north side of the street to save additional trees, and decided to delay moving forward with a south side sidewalk at this time. The revised plan was approved at the Transportation Commission last night.

New “No Parking” Signs

As I previously communicated, the City is continuing to install signage in our district to enforce parking restrictions to allow the Clean Streets/Clean Lakes street sweeping program to be more effective. The parking restrictions allow for effective street sweeping and snow removal. Please make note of the signs, as there will not be other announcements regarding the parking changes.

Upcoming Street and Path Closures

• 100 block of North Allen Street – October 17, 9am-3pm
• Farley Ave & University Ave – October 20-23
• North Fair Oaks Ave – October 16-18
• East Washington Ave (Pinckney to Butler) - October 17, 9am-3pm
• Path Closure--Capital City Trail along John Nolen Drive Causeway: The Capital City Trail will be closed along the John Nolen Drive causeway for two consecutive weeks for bridge repairs 7am October 16-5pm October 20 and 7am October 23-5pm October 27. The path will reopen for weekends.

Madison Public Market

The Finance Committee this week approved moving forward with the full request for additional funding to cover construction overruns for the Madison Public Market. The Common Council will take up the issue on October 17, and will require a 15-vote majority to pass this 2023 budget amendment. You may provide comments via email or in person (3 minute limit).

2024 Budget

The 2024 Operating Budget has been introduced, and the budget informational hearings held. Budget deliberations will be held by the Finance Committee on October 23, and by the full Council November 14-16.

Public Information Meetings

• October 23, 5:30-7:00pm: Madison Police Department- Public Records Presentation and Discussion - Madison Public Library, Goodman South Madison, 2222 S Park Street. This meeting will include a presentation on law enforcement public records and the laws that govern their release. Additional presentation on what to expect when you make a public records request from the Madison Police Department.

• October 25, 6:30pm: Public Information Meeting on the Near West Watershed Study.
• October 30: 6:30pm: Public Information Meeting on plans to make Midvale Blvd safer for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Events

• October 5, 12, & 19, 6-8pm: HUD-Approved Homebuyer Education "Your Path to Homeownership" Three Part Hybrid Class. Your Path to Homeownership is provided by La Casa de Esperanza, a Non-Profit HUD Approved Housing Counseling Agency dedicated to assisting individuals and families to increase income, build savings and gain assets.
• October 13, 12-12:45pm: Yoga Core – Monona Terrace and on Zoom. Want to build your strength and increase body awareness? Yoga Core is great way to do it! This class incorporates a wide variety of seated, standing, balancing, and mat-based yoga poses focusing on strength, stability, and mobility. All levels are welcome!
• October 14, 9-11am: Acewood Conservation Volunteer Workday. Madison Parks is seeking volunteers in conservation to assist in removing invasive buckthorn in Acewood Conservation Park. Participants will learn invasive plant identification and removal methods, as well as park history. Gloves and shovels will be provided, or bring your own.
• October 14, 3pm: Badger game day. Four F18s are expected to flyover the stadium at the end of the national anthem, and a helicopter may be flying around the stadium for a photo shoot of campus, this may happen late in the 2nd quarter and into halftime.
• October 14: Clase de Educacion para compradores de vivienda "Su camino hacia la propiedad de vivienda" (2 PARTES, En persona y virtual) Parte 1 de 2: Acerca de este evento: Your Path to Homeownership es proporcionado por La Casa de Esperanza, una agencia de asesoramiento de vivienda sin fines de lucro aprobada por HUD dedicada a ayudar a las personas y familias a aumentar sus ingresos, generar ahorros y obtener activos. Nuestro enfoque en el bienestar financiero está respaldado por los programas y servicios del Centro que incluyen; educación y asesoramiento para compradores de vivienda, servicios de impuestos gratuitos, asesoramiento laboral, asesoramiento financiero y acceso a talleres financieros.
• October 14, 1-2:30pm: Leaf Magic – Warner Park. Join Get Kids Outside as we explore the trees and leaves of Warner Park. What makes leaves turn color? What does an oak tree leaf look like? What about a maple? What colors do they turn in fall? We will explore and collect fall leaves as we hike up to the sledding hill. Kids will be able to run the hill too!  Back at the shelter, kids will be able to preserve a few special leaves in wax! A light snack will be served and everyone will go home with a free gift. Meet at the Rainbow Shelter located right behind the Madison Mallards ball diamond.
• October 14, 2:30-4pm:Bird & Nature Adventures | Owen. Join Master Naturalist Marjorie Rhine for a free guided walk and learn about fascinating insects you see on plants along the trails. Discover how insects play starring roles in samurai helmet design and Japanese art, textiles, haiku and anime (Japanese animation). Explore the superpowers of insects all around us on an insect safari. Learn about the special way dragonflies see, how honeybees communicate, how insects are crucial to our food supply and much more!
• October 15, 11am-1pm: Learn to Orienteer – Garner Park. Often described as the “thinking sport,” orienteering is an outdoor navigation game that takes place in parks, cities, and wilderness areas all over the world. Using a highly detailed map and a compass, individuals or small groups navigate the course and attempt to locate pre-marked checkpoints, in the order shown on the map.
• October 15, 1:30-3pm: Bird & Nature Adventures | Warner Park. Join Master Naturalist Lynn Persson and Eva Russ for a free family-friendly guided nature walk on easy paths along the Warner Lagoon and quiet trails through Warner Woods and up the bike path to sledding hill for a beautiful view of the Wild Side of Warner Park! Enjoy the honking of geese, native plants going to seed, and the colors changing in the trees.
• October 15, 3-7pm: Movie at The Glen | Hotel Transylvania – Transformania. Grab a blanket or bring a lawn chair and head over to The Glen for yard games, kids' golf and Halloween activities with First Tee - South Central Wisconsin followed by a movie! There will be a putting course, chipping game, and fun activity station. All are welcome!
• 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

• Did you know you can report potholes, streetlights out, refuse not picked up, and other issues easily online? Use the Report a Problem service to report non-emergency issues to City staff. In an emergency, please call 911. For water emergencies, please call Madison Water Utility 24/7 at (608) 266-4665.
• Statement of Mayor Rhodes-Conway and Madison Alders on Proposed State Legislation Attacking Trans Youth: Madison is, and has been for a long time, a welcoming and supportive place for the LGBTQ+ community. In 1975 Madison became the first place in Wisconsin, and one of the earliest in the country, to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. The City also created the State’s first domestic partnership registry in 1990 and became the first place in Wisconsin to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. More recently, the Common Council voted to declare Madison a sanctuary for trans- and non-binary individuals.
• Brush Collection Over for 2023: Scheduled brush collection from the curb is over for 2023. Madison residents should not place brush out along the road for pickup at this time.
• Fall leaves and yard waste collection has begun: The Streets Division’s fall yard waste and leaves collection has begun. All residents will receive three collection opportunities this fall, weather permitting.

Be well,

Regina Vidaver