
Bay Creek Homicide, Meeting Highlights, Wingra Watershed Study Public Information Meeting
postedGreetings Friends and Neighbors,
As many of you know, a homicide took place on Lakeside St. in Bay Creek last week. The tragedy of this cannot be understated. Thoughtful words were shared on the Bay Creek listserv, and I'd like to call attention to two of them:
- Lamenting the life lost, lamenting the continued gun violence in our nation and the evident general unwillingness to do anything about it, and lamenting the fact that Franklin was put on lockdown and that this is a reality our kids grow up with.
- I am less concerned that this "scary" event took place in "our quiet neighborhood" than that it happened at all. No easy answers, but let's spare a thought for the victim and the perpetrator of this dreadful act.
There are no easy answers. One thing for sure, our rate of gun violence, the highest of any developed nation, is directly tied to our high rates of gun ownership. There are more guns than people in the U.S., and Congress has been reluctant to implement effective gun control laws. As many have noted, we regulate car ownership and driving to a much greater extent than we do guns.
Nothing will change and events like the murder on Lakeside and the almost daily mass shootings throughout the country will continue until we as a society acknowledge the mayhem for what it is and take the necessary steps to curb it. It's going to take more than "thoughts and prayers."
Here are this week's updates:
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee meets virtually on Monday, November 28, at 4:30pm. Items on their agenda include a resolution authorizing agreements for the purpose of providing Paratransit Services to Madison Metro, and a resolution awarding $8,950,000 from the Affordable Housing Fund that will support the construction of 500 units of new rental housing in Madison, 344 of which will be affordable.
Urban Design Commission
The Urban Design Commission meets virtually on Wednesday, November 30, at 4:30pm. Items on the agenda include a public hearing about the new Lake Street public parking ramp and mixed-use building at 415 N. Lake Street, discussion on the renovation of a former hotel located at 3841 E. Washington Avenue building to residential, and discussion of planned multi-use project at 6604 Odana Road (formerly Market Square Theater).
Transportation Commission
The Transportation Commission will meet virtually on Wednesday, November 30, at 5:00pm. Items on the agenda include a resolution authorizing agreements for the purpose of providing Paratransit Services to Madison Metro, discussion about the implementation of the Metro Transit Network Redesign planned for summer 2023, and a proposed ordinance establishing a Transportation Demand Management Program.
For additional information about meetings scheduled for the week of November 28, please consult the City Meeting Schedule.
Wingra Proper Watershed Study
The Wingra Proper Watershed Project will be holding a public information meeting on December 8 at 6pm. Please register in advance for this virtual meeting.
The City of Madison is completing a watershed study in the Wingra Proper watershed (as shown below). The City of Madison contracted with an engineering consulting firm to complete the study. The watershed study will identify causes of existing flooding and then look at potential solutions to try to reduce flooding. The study will use computer models to assist with the evaluations. (For more information please see the Flash Flooding Story Map . *Note: Please view the story map using Firefox or Google Chrome browsers. Story maps are not viewable with Internet Explorer.)

Announcements
- City of Madison is a Top 10 Digital City!
- Giving Tuesday on November 29: There are numerous charities in Madison that are doing amazing work and deserve your support.
- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award- Nominations Open Now!: Promoting peace, Understanding, and Improving communication & cooperation between diverse populations in Dane County. Nomination deadline extended to Friday December 2, 2022.
- The application for a BYFY (By Youth For Youth) grant is open: Youth applicants, schools, and youth-serving organizations in Dane County can apply for up to $3,000 for youth-led initiatives and the application is due December 23, 2022.
- The Madison CARES: A New Approach to Behavioral Health: The CARES's annual report has been published on the Public Health Madison & Dane County's Violence Prevention page.
- Madison Parks Downtown Offices Move to Olin Park: Madison Parks' downtown office is moving to 330 E. Lakeside St., 53715 . The office will be closed to in-person visits on Friday, Dec. 2 and reopen at the new location on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022.
That's all for now. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!
Take care and stay safe,
Tag