Office Hours this Friday, February 27, 2026, Follow up discussion on Harm Reduction Drop In Center RFP (Dane County), Prescribed Burns in District 17, Meeting and Event Highlights for the Week of February 23, 2026

Office Hours this Friday, February 27, 2026

My next Alder office hours are this coming Friday morning. Come through and share your questions, concerns, ideas or just stop by and say hello.

• Friday, February 27, 2026, 8am - 10am, Greenbush Bakery, 5225 High Crossing Blvd, Madison, WI 53718
• Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 12pm - 1pm, Java Cat Coffee, 221 Lien Rd, Madison, WI 53704

Questions? Email: district17@cityofmadison.com 

Prescribed Burns in District 17

This year the City of Madison Engineering Division will be conducting prescribed burns on areas of existing native vegetation. Prescribed burns are an important management tool for Wisconsin’s native plant communities. The timeline for these burns to occur will be between March 1 and May 31. The correct conditions for prescribed burns can be difficult to predict, so it is not usually possible to provide exact dates, however I will send you an email alerting you the morning of the burn(s). Burns may not occur at all if correct weather conditions do not occur.

Prescribed burn(s) that will occur in the area include:

• Zeier Rd Biobasin; right-of-way adjacent to 1621 N Thompson Dr
• City View Pond; 2110 City View Dr
• Sycamore Park Pollinator Planting; 830 Jana Ln

The prescribed burn Project Manager will be mailing postcards to residents to notify them about the prescribed burn in their neighborhood.

All burns are being conducted by certified burn professionals with approval by Madison Fire Department. The burns will only take place under specific weather conditions in order to manage smoke and minimize impacts to neighbors. In addition, the burn professionals will install appropriate road signage on the day of the burn.

A list of project contacts and more information is on Parks website.

Follow up discussion on the Harm Reduction Drop In Center RFP (Dane County)

The Health and Human Needs Committee - Opioid Settlement Subcommittee will meet today and on their agenda is a discussion about the Harm Reduction Drop In Center RFP. I am planning to attend. 

The meeting starts at 5pm and is in a hybrid format. 

• Agenda
• To join the meeting in Zoom, click the following link (after you fill out the form, the meeting link and access information will be emailed to you): https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jsADurV3TQy0aOEgzBKiOw 
• In person: City County Building, Room 357, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Madison, WI 53703
• Watch the previous meeting where there was also discussion on this item.  Starts at about 48 minutes in.
• Recent articles on the RFP: 
  • "The Board of Health for Madison and Dane County rejected CAYA’s proposal, but the $2.4 million is still available for Public Health Madison and Dane County (PHMDC) to use for other similar projects in the future. However, that means that the allocation of those resources will be delayed, and it does not mitigate all the harm that was done. Boughman and County Supervisor Rick Rose need to be held accountable." From Tone Madison
  • “Rather than rushing to find a single organization through a compromised process, the board of supervisors should empower PHMDC to conduct a thorough community needs assessment, develop a clear vision for harm reduction services across Dane County and redesign a Request For Proposal process with robust transparency,” Glenn said in the meeting."  From The Daily Cardinal 
  • "The Board of Health for Madison and Dane County unanimously rejected a proposed three-year, $2.4 million contract with CAYA Clinic to operate a harm reduction drop-in center on Madison’s East Side.

  • The vote to indefinitely postpone the resolution approving the contract comes a day after Madison365 reported that CAYA Clinic, the organization recommended for the contract by 10 evaluators, submitted a proposal that included many false statements regarding community partnerships and budgeted money for subcontractors who had not agreed to participate. 

    Dane County Corporation Counsel Carlos Pabellon clarified that a vote to postpone the resolution indefinitely has the same effect as a no vote." From Madison365
     

Meeting and Event Highlights for the Week of February 23, 2026

Updates and Notices

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: The Common Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 24, at 6:30 p.m. in hybrid format. Agenda items include the Chief of Police’s 4th Quarter Report.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online
• Board of Public Works: The Board of Public Works meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 25, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include Public Works contracts and projects in Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16.
  • 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.

Public Information Meetings (PIMs)

• State Street Campus Garage Percent for Art Design Presentations, Monday, February 23: The State Street Campus Garage Percent for Art project finalists, Matthew Mazzotta, Studio KCA, and Area C Projects, will present their designs to the public for the first time.
• Sugar Maple Lane Reconstruction, Monday, February 23: The City is planning to extend Sugar Maple Lane to Hazy Sky Parkway, install sanitary sewer main and laterals, water main and laterals, storm sewer main and laterals, box culvert, base course, curb and gutter, asphalt pavement, bike path, sidewalk, pavement markings, signs, and street lighting. A public information meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., Feb. 23, 2026, via zoom. 
• Virtual Open House | District 10 Parks, Tuesday, February 24 (This event occurs on multiple dates): Madison Parks is holding a series of virtual public input sessions for the Southwest Park Development Plan process coinciding with the City Planning Division's Southwest Area Plan. The meetings will include an overview of the planning effort's goals, a review of the neighborhood parks included, and an opportunity for area residents and park visitors to share their thoughts on future park improvements.
• Madison Area Community Land Trust Orientation, Tuesday, February 24: The orientation is where Madison Area Community Land Trust (MACLT) staff give you a more detailed overview of the Madison Area Community Land Trust and how our homeownership program works, and are available to answer questions so you can understand if our program is a good fit for you.
• Virtual Open House | District 10 Parks, Wednesday, February 24 (This event occurs on multiple dates): Madison Parks is holding a series of virtual public input sessions for the Southwest Park Development Plan process coinciding with the City Planning Division's Southwest Area Plan. The meetings will include an overview of the planning effort's goals, a review of the neighborhood parks included, and an opportunity for area residents and park visitors to share their thoughts on future park improvements.
• Dickson Pl, Irwin Pl, Dodge St, Carver St, Martin St Reconstruction, Thursday, February 26: The City of Madison is planning to reconstruct streets and utilities within the Lake Forest neighborhood over three phases of construction.  The first phase is planned to include Dickson Place, Irwin Place, Dodge Street, and portions of Martin Street and Carver Street. A public information meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., Feb. 26, 2026, via Zoom.

Announcements and News Releases

• Street Closure – E Main Street and S Hancock Street: Beginning at 7:00 am on Monday, February 23rd, R.G. Huston Co. will resume construction on the E. Main Street and S. Hancock Street reconstruction project started in 2025. Concurrent with this work, utility companies will continue replacing… [posted February 20, 2026]
• Madison Public Library Celebrates the Legacy of Agatha Christie at Meadowridge Library This March: MADISON, WI – From March 3-27, Meadowridge Library will host a series of programs for all ages in honor of the 50th anniversary of Agatha Christie's passing. These literary-themed events include theater performances, escape rooms, cooking classes,… [posted February 20, 2026]
• Finalist designs for State Street Campus Garage/Hawthorne Court public art released: Members of the community are invited to provide feedback on the proposed designs and hear from the artists at an upcoming community meeting. [posted February 19, 2026]
• Madison Public Library Receives $20,000 from the Carnegie Corporation of New York: MADISON, WI –  Madison Public Library received a $20,000 gift from Carnegie Corporation of New York, the foundation established by Andrew Carnegie. [posted February 18, 2026]
• Connecting with Madison’s Near-West Alders: The City of Madison invites residents and community members to meet with alders from the Near-West Districts. The Meet and Greet will take place in the Community Room at Midtown Police District… [posted February 18, 2026]
• Thank you for voting, provisional voting reminder:
• Thank you to everyone who participated in yesterday’s primary election. The City of Madison is reviewing materials and preparing for the Municipal Board of Canvass on Friday. [posted February 18, 2026]
• New Software Chosen to Support LINKcat Changes this Spring for South Central Library Users: MADISON, WI -- Library users from across the South Central Library System can look forward to new features in the online catalog LINKcat this spring. The seven-county library consortium recently selected SirsiDynix Symphony as their new integrated… [posted February 17, 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

• Near-West Alders Meet & Greet, Monday, February 23: Join us for an evening to meet your Near-West Alders in person! This casual meetup is a wonderful opportunity to ask questions, share your ideas, and connect with neighbors face-to-face. Bring your curiosity and good vibes—it's all about community and making new friends.
• Lakeside Dance Lab: Beginner Reggaeton, Thursday, February 26: Reggaeton dance is a passionate, rhythmic style with Caribbean and hip-hop roots, emphasizing hips and body isolations, all driven by the dembow beat, a percussion loop that’s central to reggaeton music. It’s popular in clubs for its energetic, expressive nature. 
• "Sarah's Oil" Film Screening, Friday, February 27: In celebration of Black History Month, the City of Madison Department of Civil Rights, Dane County Office for Equity and Inclusion, and Monona Terrace present the film, "Sarah's Oil.”
• Bird & Nature Adventures | Edna Taylor, Saturday, February 28: Winter Bumble ~ Join Naturalist Jeff Nesta for a free fun educational family friendly guided walk to look for and learn about what’s happening in nature in winter. There may be hot chocolate and a campfire with smores after the walk.

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