Common Council

Capital and West High remodeling moving forward

Hello neighbors,

Last night, the Madison Common Council unanimously rejected the appeal of siting Capital High at the Hoyt School building. What does this mean? It means that renovations for the site to make it a 21st century learning environment will move forward as planned over the next two years, and Capital High will begin instruction at the site by fall 2023.

I sincerely hope that, regardless of your views going into this discussion, we can all come together to welcome and support the students of Capital High. These students are the future leaders of our community, state and world, and they deserve a welcoming space and neighborhood. Please watch for opportunities to engage more with the school community as the pandemic abates.

Also approved at last night's meeting was the final aspect of the planned remodeling of West High. I will provide ongoing updates regarding construction for Capital and West High schools, and any potential impacts to traffic and noise during those construction phases.

You may also have noticed that construction has begun for the removal of the left turn lane from southbound Highland Avenue onto Regent Street. This change reduces one of the turn options at that intersection, which is intended to improve safety. There may be additional opportunities to improve safety at this intersection once the old monuments building is demolished.

Also at last night's meeting were multiple items designed to address the very difficult situation of the encampment of individuals lacking housing at Reindahl Park. Passed were zoning changes to allow for greater ease of temporary shelter locations, including tiny houses, mission camp districts, and portable shelter missions. Also passed was an emergency order to move people from the current encampment from Reindahl Park to some city-owned property on Dairy Drive. While none of these solutions get at the underlying issues contributing to why some people are unhoused, they do address the growing issues at the park itself, which have been detrimental to the surrounding residents and community. My colleague Alder Currie, who works on these issues all day every day, has provided an excellent framing regarding these approaches in her most recent post. There are multiple non-profits in our community working on housing issues if you are interested in engaging on this topic.

The first Badgers game is this Saturday (I can hear the band practicing as I type this!). As a result, there will be considerable traffic and a lot more people in the neighborhood. Please be safe out there.

Best wishes,

Regina Vidaver