ECA/SASYNA Meetings, Sustainability Campus - D15 Update 3/6/22

Recent Vote on Imagination Center

At last week's Common Council meeting, I joined six other alders in voting against a resolution that accepted and approved the operating cost plan for the proposed Imagination Center in Reindahl Park. This was among the most difficult votes I've taken as alder given my strongly held belief that our public libraries are among our most valuable city services and should be prioritized in our spending. 

The resolution estimated an additional $1.725 million in annual operating expenses for a new library that is estimated to cost $16.1 million to construct. This represents a 9% increase in operating costs for the library system's current $19.1 million annual budget. The library system's budget has been under pressure the last several years (like all city services) and has resulted in a reduction in Sunday hours at several of the highest volume branches including Pinney branch as well as proposed closures at existing libraries like Monroe Street.

In a March 1st memo from Library Director, Greg Mickells, there are some suggestions of how MPL may manage this pressure in the future. He shares that "many urban libraries maintain a one-shift model for all or many of their libraries. This shift within MPL would realize major savings by reducing our staffing requirements."

Our city's structural deficit has fluctuated between $5-10 million for the past several years and has been covered in different ways including by the creation of an unpopular Vehicle Registration Fee for the 2020 budget, proposed furloughs in the 2021 budget, and this year's new 'Resource Recovery' special charge. Our structural deficit is expected to grow to $10-15 million each year as our one-time COVID recovery monies are exhausted.

We are facing some very difficult budgets ahead and our options to increase revenues will become fewer and more painful. As much as I support prioritizing our library services within our overall city budget, I cannot in good conscience vote to continue moving ahead with a project that will worsen our already very challenging budget situation with no plan for where the corresponding cuts will come from. We need to identify where this money will come from before spending more money on planning or beginning construction.

Coffee with a Cop

East district's new Neighborhood Resource Officer, Alexa Graham, will host a "Coffee with a Cop" session at Pinney library on Tuesday. Meeting details can be found here. 

ECA Meeting

The Eastmorland Community Association will hold its monthly meeting on Tuesday as well. You can find the meeting agenda and meeting link here.

SASYNA Meeting

On Thursday, the SASY Neighborhood Association will hold its monthly meeting. Among other topics, there will be a discussion on the proposed Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Worthington Park Neighborhood Plan Amendment. This plan amendment will be in front of the Plan Commission on March 21 and the Common Council on March 29. More information about the plan update, including a link to the plan can be found in my previous post here.

Public Informational Meeting: MPD Proposal for Body-Worn Camera Pilot Program

MPD will host a public information meeting on Thursday in relation to their proposed Body-Worn Camera pilot. You can find additional details here. I shared some information related to BWC in a previous post here and will share additional thoughts on this proposal ahead of council deliberation in April. 

Public Meeting on the Sustainability Campus

Also on Thursday, there will be a meeting about the proposed sustainability campus. This proposal would convert part of Yahara Hills park into the future Dane County landfill. You can find more meeting details here.

In the News

• Street Sweepers Working Overnight Hours Starting March 6

• City Engineer Robert Phillips to Retire After 33 Years of City Service 

• Madison Police and Fire Commission Invites Feedback on Fire Chief Finalists

• Women in Construction Week 2022 Plan Announced 

• Madison Public Library Introduces Poet-in-Residence

• Madison Commons, Media Digest

• City of Madison Complete Meeting Schedule

• City of Madison Calendar of Events

District 15 Public Works Projects

(You can find a list of all engineering projects in District 15 here.)

• Starkweather Drive/Garver Path - 2/24/2022 Update: There are a few areas along the new path that are not draining well, and are being barricaded off.  The Contractor is scheduled to repair the pavement as soon as possible in the Spring.  We apologize for the inconvenience. 

• St. Paul Avenue, Ohio Avenue, Talmadge Street, Jackson Street, Lafollette Avenue Reconstruction - Construction expected to begin mid-April. Information on construction schedule will be mailed to adjacent residents and posted to this project page once known.

• Eastmorland Sidewalk Installation - Planned for construction in 2022

• Starkweather Creek Watershed Flood Study - First public meeting held

• Atwood Avenue - Public Meeting for final design input on March 22

• Davies St., Dempsey Rd., Maher Ave. - Design work is continuing following feedback received at the January public meeting. Construction planned for 2023

District 15 Development Projects (dates are tentative and subject to change)

Zion Church Redevelopment Proposal (2165 Linden Avenue)

• 4/13 - Urban Design Commission

• 4/25 - Plan Commission

• 5/10 - Common Council

Save the Date

• March 16 - Forward Craft & Coffee alcohol license at ALRC

• March 19 - Bird & Nature Adventures | Starkweather Creek Area

• March 21 - LENA Meeting

• March 21 - Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Worthington Park Neighborhood Plan Amendment at Plan Commission

• March 21 - Queen Bumblebees and Spring Ephemerals

• March 22 - Atwood Avenue/Olbrich Path Public Input Meeting

• March 29 - Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Worthington Park Neighborhood Plan Amendment at Common Council

• April 4 - Metro Transit Network Redesign Eastside Public Meeting

• April 5 - Spring Election

• April 23 - Earth Day Challenge 2022 - Register by 4/22 

• May 7, 10am-1pm - Eastmorland Outdoor Market & Seed Swap 

• May 7, 1:00pm - Eastmorland Annual Membership meeting

• May 19-21 - Historic Blooming Grove Historical Society Spring Porch Sale

• June 18-19 - Lake Edge/Eastmorland joint neighborhood garage sale

• July 7 - Historic Blooming Grove Historical Society 2022 Back Porch Concerts

• July 14, 4pm-7pm Eastmorland Outdoor Market

• July 17 - Eastmorland Garden/Chicken Coop Tour

• August 4 - Historic Blooming Grove Historical Society Annual Ice Cream Social

• Sept 15 - Eastmorland Outdoor Market

• Nov 12 - Eastmorland Outdoor Market

Subscribe to the District 15 blog via the sidebar above to receive email notification when new updates are published. If you have any questions or thoughts you can reach me at district15@cityofmadison.com.