Earth Day happenings; Amtrack info meeting Tuesday; Odana Hills Golf park survey open; LINKcat temporarily offline; Events & Announcements

Hello neighbors,

In honor of Earth Day, there are some amazing local opportunities to improve our community:

• Saturday, April 18, 8am-noon: Electronics recycling at Hilldale Shopping Center, parking lot behind L.L. Bean.
• Saturday, April 18, 10am-noon: Friends of Hoyt Park volunteer workday, pulling dames rocket and garlic mustard. Bring work gloves, a garden trowel, and large garbage bags if you have them. Meet at the historic entrance for this family-friendly event! Treats provided.
• Saturday, April 25, 10am-noon: Madison Parks Earth Day Challenge. Register to help clean up any of our parks – trash bags provided! Please register in advance.
• April 17-25: University of Wisconsin-Madison Earth Fest. Participate in climate games, make a bee house, go on a nature hike, take in a climate-centered concert, and more!

Updates and Notices

Call for Nominations - Reverend James C. Wright Human Rights Award: The City of Madison Equal Opportunities Division (EOD) and the Equal Opportunities Commission present the Reverend James C. Wright Human Rights Award annually. The award honors the late Reverend James C. Wright, who served as the Executive Director of the Equal Opportunities Commission from its inception in 1968 until his retirement in 1992. One or more awards will be presented. 

Public Information Meetings (PIMs)

• Virtual Public Meeting to Discuss Perry Street Connection Study, Monday, April 13: The city is hosting the second round of public meetings for Perry Street Reconnection Study to discuss preferred alternatives. The virtual public information meeting at 6:00pm on Monday, April 13, 2026, via Zoom. Registration prior to the meeting is required.
• Amtrack webinar to discuss extension of Hiawatha from Milwaukee to Madison, Tuesday, April 14, 7pm: This project is the first phase of a larger effort to implement Amtrak service between Chicago and the Twin Cities via Eau Claire. Amtrak has expressed dedication to getting this service running as soon as possible, with estimated completion dates ranging from 2029 to 2032.
• Virtual Open House | District 20, Tuesday, April 14 (This event occurs on multiple dates): You're invited! Madison Parks is holding a series of virtual public input sessions to prepare Park Development Plans for the neighborhood parks within the Southwest Plan Area.
• Public Input Meeting - Eastmorland Park, Tuesday, April 14: The City of Madison Parks Division is improving the playground at Eastmorland Park and we want your input. At this meeting City staff will present revised playground equipment options from input gathered at the playground workshop. 
• Public Input Meeting - Hartmeyer-Roth Park, Tuesday, April 14: The City of Madison Parks Division is starting the design process for Hartmeyer-Roth Park on Madison's north side. This nearly 15-acre park is seeing large residential development on the adjoining parcels to the east. 
• Open House Opportunity to Discuss Perry Street Connection Study, Wednesday, April 15: The city is hosting an open house for the second round of public meetings for Perry Street Reconnection Study to discuss preferred alternatives. This public meeting will run from 4:00pm - 6:00pm on Wednesday, April 15, 2026 at the Urban League, 2222 S Park St, suite 200. Registration prior is required. 

Announcements and News Releases

• Lane Reduction, near Hawthorne Court, on University Avenue: Starting at 8:30 am on Wednesday, April 15, R.G Huston will perform water utility work on University Avenue, between Frances Street and Lake Street. 
• Draft Pedestrian Plan Open for Comment: The City of Madison is developing an update to its 1997 Pedestrian Plan. The plan will provide direction for policy, programs and safety improvements that will increase safety, accessibility and walking connections throughout the City. Comments will be accepted until noon on Monday, April 27.
• MPD seeking participants for the Black Youth Academy: The Madison Police Department will once again host a summer camp to help foster trust between law enforcement and youth. The Black Youth Academy is designed for middle school students from the Madison area.
• Urban Forestry Planting 1,400 Trees in Spring 2026: Urban Forestry's annual spring planting season begins on Monday, April 13, 2026.Crews will be planting approximately 1,400 trees along City of Madison streets. There will be 35 different tree species planted.
• Odana Hills Golf Cours & Park Improvements – Take the Survey!: The City of Madison Parks Division is excited to announce a new partnership with Michael and Jocelyn Keiser and the Madison Parks Foundation. Through the Keisers' philanthropic vision and generous donation, we have an opportunity to reimagine, redesign and reconstruct Odana Hills Golf Course. The community may recognize the Keiser name, as this new partnership builds on the proven successful collaboration to transform The Glen Golf Park. Take the public survey by April 19 to tell us what you want to see in the future, and then attend the first public information meeting on April 30 to learn more.
• Madison Arts Commission Seeks Artist-in-Residence for Thurber Studio: The Madison Arts Commission is looking for the next Artist-in-Residence for the Thurber Park Art Studio. 
• Celebrate National Library Week April 19-25 at Madison Public Library: From April 19-25, Madison Public Library is celebrating National Library Week, an annual celebration that highlights the important role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening communities.
• Food Scraps Recycling Drop-off Returns with "Towering" New Weight Goal: Free food scraps recycling drop-off at farmers' markets will be back once again this year, and with a new weight goal.
• Madison police offer free training to prepare people for active shooter events: The Madison Police Department is offering a training designed to save lives in an active shooter situation. The next session of the Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) will be held the morning of April 15.
• LINKcat Will Be Offline April 12-16 as New Features Get Added; All Madison Public Libraries Will Open Late April 16: Library users across the South Central Library System should prepare for down time in the LINKcat app and website beginning at 5pm on Sunday, April 12 and continuing through Thursday, April 16.
• Local Air Quality Information Now Available at Love My Air Wisconsin: Data from City of Madison's low-cost air quality sensors is now available on the Love My Air Wisconsin website.
• REMINDER: Yard Waste Collection Set-Out Dates for Spring 2026 Now Available; Spring Collection Begins Soon: The 2026 set-out date schedule for the Streets Division's springtime yard waste collection is now available on the yard waste website. 
• Streets Division Drop-off Sites Hours Expand Starting April 11, 2026; Quann-Olin Drop-off Site Opens: Starting on Saturday, April 11, 2026, the Streets Division drop-off sites begin their summer hours. Also on Saturday, April 11, the drop-off site at 1504 Quann-Olin Parkway will open for the first time.

Please visit the City news webpage to find additional news and announcements and to subscribe to receive notification of news releases as they are posted.

Events

• Wisconsin Virtual TB Summit, Tuesday, April 14 (This event occurs on multiple dates): Join local, state, and national tuberculosis experts as they share their work to understand and improve care for people diagnosed with TB in our community. The Wisconsin TB Summit features free weekly virtual sessions held every Tuesday in April and early May. 
• Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) Training, Wednesday, April 15: Come join us for our in-person CRASE Training session where you'll learn crucial strategies for handling active shooter situations. Led by experienced instructors, this event will cover life-saving techniques and emergency response protocols. 
• Coffee with a Cop - North District, Wednesday, April 15: Coffee with a Cop is a chance for community members to connect with the officers who serve their city. Officers can speak about recent cases to department wide initiatives to lower crime in our community.
• Vaccine Clinic at Mendota Elementary School, Saturday, April 18:All vaccines are free for eligible individuals. Children six months and older who lack insurance, are under 19, and are either Alaskan Native or American Indian, as well as those with BadgerCare or most other types of insurance, can receive vaccinations at no cost.
• Bird & Nature Adventures | Starkweather Creek Area, Saturday, April 18: Earth Week Creek Cleanup ~ Join Lance Green and Friends of Starkweather Creek to help pick up trash in and along the beautiful Starkweather Creek greenway that winds through the east side of Madison from Lake Monona all the way to MATC and East Town! Join Friends of Starkweather Creek to help with cleanups by canoe and on foot. 
• Bird & Nature Adventures | Warner Park, Sunday, April 19: Looking for Spring Ephemerals ~ Join Naturalist Mary Binkley for a free family friendly walk at Warner Park to celebrate the return of Spring! Ephemerals are flowers that bloom in woodlands while trees are still bare and sunlight reaches the ground. Warner Woods is reportedly the oldest uncut woods in Madison.  Recent removal of invasive early-greening buckthorn has resulted in a surprising variety of beautiful native wildflowers and more are being restored.

Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar.

Boards, Commissions, and Committee Meetings

Note: This is not a complete list of meetings for this upcoming week. All meetings and their details can be found at the Meeting Schedule page.

• City Finance Committee: The Finance Committee meeting will take place on Monday, April 13, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include authorizing the Parks Division to purchase 8.86 acres of land located at 1010 North Street in District 12, as well as authorizing the City to purchase the property located at 3030 Darbo Drive in District 15.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online
• Plan Commission: The Plan Commission meeting will take place on Monday, April 13, at 5:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include development-related requests in Districts 1, 2, 6, 9, 12, 13, and 14.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online
• Transportation Commission: The Transportation Commission meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 15, at 5:00 p.m. Agenda items include a discussion about potential short-term solutions to improve traffic safety on Park Street and other similar arterial streets.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online

If you would like more information about becoming a member of a City board, commission, or committee, please visit the page linked here.

Be well,

Regina Vidaver