Meeting and Event Highlights for the Week of May 11, 2026

In the D19

• Your Final Spring Yardwaste Collection Begins Soon; Get Your Final Spring Set-out Date Online: Every neighborhood has just one more spring yard waste set out date. This will be the final spring yard waste collection by the Streets Division for 2026. Curbside collection will return in the fall. When you should put out your yard waste for… [posted May 5, 2026]
• Future of the Thorstrand Estate (Marshall Park):Item 14 (Legistar 93081) on the Parks Commission agenda is an informational presentation on alternatives for the two Thorstrand homes for which Marshall Park owns the land, but the buildings are privately owned.
• Southwest Area Plan: The Southwest Area Plan begins its trek through various BCC's as item 24 (Legistar 92879) on the Parks Commission Wednesday agenda.
• Odana Rd / S Whitney Way Safety: Item 5 (Legistar 92825) on the Transportation Commission Wednesday agenda is an update on the safety improvement plan for the Odana Rd / S Whitney Way intersection.
• West Towne Pond Improvements: The recording and presentation from the May 5 public information meeting on the enlargement of West Towne Pond are now available.
• Madison Metropolitan School District Boundary Project: As part of its “Building for the Future" initiative, MMSD began a series of public meetings last week. A consultant engaged by MMSD presented possible scenarios for adjusting elementary school boundaries to reflect population growth and changing demographics with a set of goals that includes more contiguous districts. Nothing has been decided. With such a complex process, good discussion begins with presenting actual scenarios that people can understand and discuss. While another goal is to minimize the number of persons affected, District 19 would face some of the biggest changes, with Wexford Village students assigned to Crestwood rather than Glenn Stephens as well as changes in the Muir district. Recordings of the meetings are available.

Updates and Notices

• John Nolen Drive Project: Get current information about road closures and construction updates for John Nolen Drive.

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.

• Finance Committee: The Finance Committee meeting will take place on Monday, May 11, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include recognizing up to $1,148,000 from Dane County for operations at the permanent men's shelter. 
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online
• Plan Commission: The Plan Commission meeting will take place on Monday, May 11, at 5:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include development-related requests in Districts 2, 3, 12, and 16.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agendas
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online
• Transportation Commission: The Transportation Commission meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 13, at 5:00 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include a second consideration of the reconfiguration of Regent Street.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agendas
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online
• Board of Parks Commissioners: The Board of Park Commissioners meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 13, at 6:30 p.m. in the boardroom of the Parks Lakeside Offices at 330 E Lakeside St. Agenda items include adopting the Southeast Area Plan and adopting the Southwest Area Plan.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agendas

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)

• Virtual Open House | District 16 Parks, Tuesday, May 12, 2026 (This event occurs on multiple dates):Madison Parks is holding a series of virtual public input sessions for the Southeast Park Development Plan process coinciding with the City Planning Division's Southeast Area Plan and mapping area.

Announcements and News Releases

• Temporary Pedestrian Access Closure Along Broom Street: Starting Tuesday, May 12, work will begin on the Broom Street railroad crossing as part of the John Nolen Drive reconstruction project. This work will require a full closure of pedestrian access along Broom Street at the John Nolen Drive… [posted May 8, 2026]
• Path Closure for Garver Feed Mill Parking Lot Resurfacing: The Garver Path will be detoured, between Starkweather Drive and the Capital City Trail, starting the morning of Monday, May 11th and reopening Thursday, May 14th. [posted May 8, 2026]
• Southwest and Southeast Area Plans Submitted for Final Review and Adoption: The Southwest and Southeast Area Plan project teams have submitted a Final Draft Plan for review and adoption. Both plans will be introduced to the Common Council during its Tuesday, May 5, 2026, meeting. [posted May 5, 2026]
• Concerts on the Rooftop Returns to Monona Terrace: Monona Terrace invites the community to celebrate summer with the return of its popular Concerts on the Rooftop series. Guests can enjoy live music against the stunning backdrop of Lake Monona and downtown Madison. The rooftop and Lake Vista Café open at 5:30 p.m., with performances from 7 to 9 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. [posted May 4, 2026]
• All Madison Public Library Locations Closed May 14 for Staff Day; Other May Hour Changes and Closures: There are multiple closures and hours changes taking place during the month of May at Madison Public Library. Please see below for details:… [posted May 4, 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

• Animal Cruelty Investigations and Response Workshop, Tuesday, May 12, 2026 (This event occurs on multiple dates): This free, two-day hands-on workshop is open to law enforcement, prosecutors, veterinarians and rescue and sheltering organizations. It aims to raise awareness about animal cruelty, forge key partnerships and empower participants to mitigate and prevent cruelty within their communities. Join us!
• FOOT Madison Tango, Wednesday, May 13: Change of tune! Looks like we'll have a little more time to enjoy the wonderful dance floor in historic Normal Hall (the building we've incorrectly been calling the Olin Park Pavilion). Madison's Parks Division has delayed its renovations projects for a while, so we now can have a spring FOOT-Loose Dance Series.
• Frank Lloyd Wright Trail Welcome Weekend, Friday, May 15- Sunday, May 17 (This event occurs on multiple dates): Monona Terrace is delighted to be part of the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail's Welcome Weekend, and we're offering additional tours as part of this special occasion.  Join us to learn more about Wright's controversial "dream civic center" and his indelible imprint upon the project.
• Bird & Nature Adventures | Starkweather Creek Area, Saturday, May 16: Bike the Creek ~ Join Tara Dary and Friends of Starkweather Creek for a guided bike tour along the greenways, parks and yards beside Starkweather Creek.  Bring your bike or rent a B-Cycle at a nearby station at Goodman, Blue Plate Diner or Garver Feed Mill.
• Learn to Play Ultimate, Saturday, May 16: Learn the basics of Ultimate - rules, scoring, movement, throwing, catching, strategies and more. This event is free to attend. Advanced registration is required. 
• Sketch at The Glen & Forest Hill Cemetery, Saturday, May 16: Join Urban Sketchers Madison for a lovely day of creativity and artful expression.  Urban Sketchers - Madison is a group of local folk who enjoy drawing with a focus on sketching our city from life and sharing those sketches with others.
• Bird & Nature Adventures | Warner Park, Sunday, May 17: Nature Writing ~ Join Naturalist Lynn Persson for a free guided walk to enjoy the natural areas at Warner Park.  Bring pen and paper.  We will take time to stop along the way to contemplate things.  Write down a few notes of draw a simple picture about what you see, how you feel, and the beauty around you.
• Movie at The Glen | Goonies, Sunday, May 17: Help us kick off the summer season with The Glen's first movie night of 2026! Goonies is a classic movie from 1985 about a group of teenagers who find a map leading to a hidden treasure. They must overcome concealed traps, natural obstructions, and a gang of desperate thieves in their race for the loot. Join us for yard games, crafts, and socialization at 4pm.  The movie will begin promptly at 5pm.

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