Week of February 2nd
postedDear Neighbors,
I hope that you and your loved ones have been staying warm over the past few bitterly cold days. Despite the weather, it has been great to see so many of you out and about in the community – whether it's been on the steps of the State Capitol, at the winter farmer’s market, or at one of our public information meetings. Thank you to everyone who has been engaging with our city and coming together to fight for each other, for our most vulnerable neighbors, and for a future where everyone is welcome.
Over the last couple of weeks, I worked with leaders from Madison and McFarland to host two public information meetings on an Intergovernmental Agreement between our two municipalities. We received lots of valuable feedback on city services, from Fire and EMS to snow plowing future planning efforts. If you missed the meetings, there are two more coming up! You can learn more on the city’s project page.
Thank you to everyone who came out to Olbrich Gardens for their first public information meeting on the comprehensive plan for the future of Olbrich! We had great discussions about addressing aging infrastructure and potential new garden space to meet the needs of a growing community! Olbrich is one of the great treasures of our city, and I hope that you will join me in helping envision their future. You can learn more here and join the next public information meeting on March 17th.
Earlier this month, we celebrated the completion of two new twin homes that will offer four new units of permanently affordable housing in the Owl Creek neighborhood. This was made possible through $600,000 from the city's affordable housing fund, support from the down payment assistance program for first time home buyers, and innovative partnerships with the Madison Area Community Land Trust and Developer Kaba Bah. Congratulations on the completion of the project, and welcome to the neighborhood!
In these difficult and uncertain times, be sure to check on one another and get to know your neighbors. Use community as a source of strength.
As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
-Sean
Know Your Rights:
Our city is and always will be a place where all are welcome. Now more than ever, we need to focus on taking care of our neighbors and keeping each other safe. Please see the below message from Mayor Rhodes-Conway:
"I would like to take a moment to assure community members who are concerned regarding potential ICE action in our city. Madison is — and will remain — a welcoming city that supports its immigrant and refugee communities.
City of Madison staff are closely coordinating with emergency management personnel, local law enforcement, and the organizations who are directly serving our immigrant populations. We are also engaged in scenario-planning for situations that other cities have faced in recent months and are in touch with staff in those cities to make sure that we learn from their experience. The City’s Know Your Rights page has links to useful information about how to protect yourself, your family and our community. Our priority, as always, is to keep Madison safe.
There are many ways you can uphold our values while keeping everyone safe from harm. Consider supporting organizations that work with our immigrant community members. Make sure you know your rights and share that information with your networks. Stop doomscrolling on social media and get to know your neighbors. Our community is a better place when we know and support each other."
— Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway
I would also encourage you to get engaged with organizations that are doing important work across the state, and right here in Madison, to protect our immigrant neighbors and keep communities safe. If you are looking for trainings or more information about how you can get involved, I would recommend checking out: Voces de la Frontera, Centro Hispano, the ACLU of Wisconsin, and the Community Immigration Law Center.
Food, Art and Community Grants:
It’s grant season! There are so many different grants available from the city to support projects big and small in our neighborhoods. The city remains committed to strengthening community-driven programs that work to uplift everyone.
Seed Grants
To help improve food accessibility and local food networks, the city’s 2026 budget includes $50,000 in grants to be distributed by the Food Policy Council. The program was established in 2014 and has been successful in bolstering emergency food assistance programs and access to high priority communities.
2026 CoM SEED Grant Application
Deadline: February 20th, 2026
More Information: https://www.cityofmadison.com/mayor/priorities/food/seed-grants
Questions can be directed to: mfpc@cityofmadison.com or 608-266-6544
Madison Arts Commission Grants
Every year, the Madison Arts Commission awards grants to expand artists' reach into the community, provide students with arts activities in or after school, engage diverse or underserved communities, and celebrate identity, a group, or neighborhood. These grants range from $1,000-$5,000.
2026 MAC Grants Application
Deadline: March 1st 2026
More Information: https://www.cityofmadison.com/dpced/planning/annual-grant-guidelines/3943/
Questions can be directed to: madisonartscommission@cityofmadison.com
Neighborhood Grants:
The city of Madison’s neighborhood grants program is still accepting applications through February 10th, 2026. These grants work to support community, leadership, and capacity building programs for our neighborhoods.
2026 Neighborhood Grant Application
Deadline: February 10th, 2026
More Information: https://www.cityofmadison.com/dpced/planning/2026-neighborhood-grants/3739/
Questions can be directed to: neighborhoods@cityofmadison.com
Capital City Path Extension:
Over the last several months, the City of Madison has been exploring options to extend the Capital City Trail and connect with the Glacier Drumlin Trail to fill a much-needed gap in the bike infrastructure of southern Wisconsin.
This project is a key segment of a paved multi-use (bicycle / pedestrian) path that is planned to extend the Capital City Trail from Buckeye Road to east of Interstate 39/90 on the southeast side of Madison, following the corridor of the Union Pacific rail line. This is part of the remaining 6-mile “missing link” between the Capital City Path and the Glacial Drumlin State Trail in the Village of Cottage Grove. When complete, it will become part of a continuous 140-mile path across the state. Completion of this gap is the goal of a 1996 Memorandum of Agreement between the City of Madison, City of Fitchburg, Dane County and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. This project is being financed through capital borrowing by the city and through $1.5 million from the federal government's Transportation Alternatives Grant.
The project is slated to start and finish in 2027. There was a public information meeting on August 7th 2025, and the Transportation Commission approved the project on December 3rd 2025. It was then presented to the Board of Public Works on January 28th 2026.
Madison LakeWay Public Information Meeting
On Monday February 2nd, the City of Madison and our partners at Madison LakeWay will be hosting a public information meeting on the next phase of the Madison LakeWay project. The project is entering the construction documents phase, with construction anticipated to begin in 2027. You can find more information about the project below and register for the upcoming meeting here.
Madison LakeWay
Project Page
Watch Online
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.
- Common Council – Discussion: The Common Council will be having a discussion on Tuesday, February 3, at 6:00 p.m. in Room 215 of the Madison Municipal Building. This will be a briefing on violence prevention initiatives.
- Finance Committee: The Finance Committee meeting will take place on Monday, February 2, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include approving plans and specifications for the Capital City Path Extension and the Dane County led work on Underdahl Road for the Glacial Drumlin Extension.
- Plan Commission: The Plan Commission meeting will take place on Monday, February 2, at 5:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include development-related requests in Districts 2, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 18, and 19.
If you would like more information about becoming a member of a City board, commission, or committee, please visit the page linked here.
Announcements and News Releases
- Share your thoughts on Public Art Designs for the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park: The City of Madison, the Madison Arts Commission, and the Bubbler at Madison Public Library are seeking community feedback on design proposals for public art at the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park. [posted January 30, 2026]
- Common Council to Discuss Collaborative Approaches to Violence Prevention: The Madison Common Council will hold a discussion on Violence Prevention on Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in Room 215 of the Madison Municipal Building. This event will feature presentations from several City agencies… [posted January 29, 2026]
- Community Invited to Door Creek Park's Winter Celebration: The community is invited to a ribbon cutting and winter celebration at Door Creek Park on Sunday, February 1. Festivities begin with City leaders, partners and friends joining in a brief program and ribbon cutting at 10:00am. . [posted January 28, 2026]
- The 2026 Neighborhood Grant Program is Accepting Applications: The 2026 Neighborhood Grant Program invites organizations and groups of 5 or more residents that support neighborhoods to apply for its annual grant program. [posted January 27, 2026]
- Get ready for the February 17 primary: Get ready for the February 17 primary! Here is all you need to know to get involved. [posted January 26, 2026]
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
- Groove & Glide | Westmorland, Friday, February 6: Experience the fun and beauty of ice skating under the stars and lights with music and games. All ages and experience levels are welcome. Groove & Glide events are free to attend and no registration is needed.
- Kiddie Basketball Clinic, Saturday, January 31 (This event occurs on multiple dates): This basketball clinic is designed for boys and girls in kindergarten through 3rd grade. Kids will learn the fundamentals of dribbling, shooting, passing and game-play.
- Bird & Nature Adventures | Tenney Park, Saturday, February 7: Groundhogs in Love ~ Join Naturalist Paul Noeldner on a free fun educational family friendly guided walk to learn about Groundhogs, Muskrats, Chipmunks and other cute critters that sleep through most of Winter but sometimes wake up on warmer days to get a snack - or go Looking for Love!
- Family Winter Prom, Saturday, February 7: Put on your dancing shoes and join us at Monona Terrace for Family Winter Prom 2026! The evening will have fun music, light refreshments, crafts, and a photo station. Family Winter Prom is a dance perfect for children 13 and under with an accompanying adult.
- Bird & Nature Adventures | Turville Point, Sunday, February 8: Animal Tracks ~ Explore beautiful trails at Turville Point by Lake Monona on a free guided nature walk with Naturalist Stephanie Briand! Along the way we will look for and learn to identify animal tracks and other things we see.
Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar.
Alder Sean O'Brien
District 16
Contact Alder O'Brien