Meetings and Updates Week of July 17th

Meetings and Updates for the Week of July 17, 2023

• Update from me about gun violence and the ongoing MPD investigation
• Recap of notable items from last week’s City meetings
• Meetings next week: Finance Committee 7/17 and Board of Public Works 7/19
• Care Net of Dane County Neighborhood Meeting 7/19
• Stoughton Road South Corridor Study Neighborhood Meeting 7/20
• Events & Announcements

Update about Gun Violence and MPD Investigation

Hi everyone,

Last week was busy with a lot of City business/meetings and ended with a tragic incident of gun violence taking place in District 3 on Thursday. This MPD incident report includes the details; here’s an article and video with Police Chief Shon Barnes’ public comments on Friday. My thoughts this weekend are with the victim's family and with the folks who were present at the scene of the shooting. I cannot imagine the trauma to members of our community caused by this senseless act of gun violence. Resources are available through NAMI Dane County, through Dane County's 24-hour crisis line (608-280-2600), and through Madison's CARES program (by calling 911 on weekdays between 8am and 8pm) for those who need help.

Neighbors and community members are understandably pretty concerned and waiting for more information. I’ve been in contact with East District MPD leaders and management of the site where the incident occurred. MPD's investigation is ongoing. I'm asking that anyone with information please call the Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014. Callers can remain anonymous. Tips can also be submitted anonymously online at www.p3tips.com.

Derek

Recap of notable items from last week’s City meetings 

• The CORE Spaces redevelopment passed Common Council 17-2; I wrote about this one in a blog post.
• The Autumn Ridge Ped/Bike Path (here in District 3!) project plans were approved unanimously by Common Council.
• The Public Safety Review Committee voted 5-1 to recommend that Common Council approve MPD’s proposal for the Body Worn Camera Pilot Study in the North Police District. I voted for the motion recommending approval and will explain my thoughts on this one in more detail in a future post before Common Council’s 8/1 final vote authorizing the Pilot Study.
• The Plan Commission had a discussion with City Transportation staff about the City’s feedback for WisDOT on the I-39/90/94 Corridor Study design alternatives. Here’s the presentation. City staff highlighted the Milwaukee Street Bridges as the City’s highest pedestrian/bike safety need as part of the interstate corridor design/reconstruction process. The presentation also covered the potential new Milwaukee Street Interchange with I-94.
• The Transportation Commission heard a presentation from City Transportation and Metro Transit staff about how the Network Redesign is going and about some adjustments Metro will make in August in response to rider feedback. Here’s the presentation. An interesting tidbit: while Transfer Point boarding accounted for 8%  total network boarding under the old maps, and these transfer points are no longer used as of June 11th, overall bus ridership counts were up 5% in June 2023 from June 2022. It's too early to draw conclusions about what this might mean but I am hoping it reflects an increase in bus ridership. We'll see. I will follow future bus ridership updates closely.
• The Board of Park Commissioners approved a Dogs-in-Parks policy allowing licensed dogs on-leash in most Madison parks with narrow exceptions. District 10 Alder and Common Council Vice President Figueroa Cole wrote a blog post with more information about how the policy will be applied. The full policy can be found here. The policy does not change any city ordinance so it’s under the Board of Park Commissioners’ purview and will not go to council. I know that folks are very interested in the timeline for implementing the changes, and a commissioner asked about the timeline in the meeting, but Parks staff said they don’t yet have a timeline to share. Once that is available I will share the timeline information in a future blog post.

Meetings next week

Finance Committee 

The Finance Committee meeting will take place on Monday, July 17, 2023 in virtual format at 4:30 PM. Agenda items include authorizing the City of Madison to accept a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to support the development of a Permanent Men's Shelter, the approval of the creation of project plans and boundaries for multiple TIDs, and authorization to execute a lease agreement with the Madison Public Market Foundation.

• 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, July 19, 2023 in virtual format at 4:30 PM. Agenda items include a resolution to advertise and receive bids for a municipal water booster pump to serve the Felland/Riener Rd area (I’m sponsoring), and a resolution approving plans for new PFAS and VOC treatment equipment at Well 15 (I'll be added as a co-sponsor). See this pre-shutdown service area map to view areas formerly served by Well 15, including an area of the Grandview Commons neighborhood in District 3.

• Meeting Details
• Meeting Agenda
• Register for Public Comment
• Watch Online

Care Net of Dane County Neighborhood Meeting 

The owners of an eight-bed assisted living facility in the North Star neighborhood, Emerson Assisted Living at 402 Rustic Drive, are interested in selling to Care Net, a residential maternity care provider that provides housing, maternity and parenting education, and job/education opportunities for homeless or low-income qualifying moms. The intended use by the prospective buyer will require a change in zoning from SR-C1 to another zoning category per City zoning staff because “mission house” uses are not allowed in SR-C1 zoning under ordinance. 

A neighborhood meeting to learn more about this proposal is scheduled for Wednesday 7/19 at 6pm at Door Creek Church, 6602 Dominion Drive. Care Net staff will give a presentation about their services, client qualifications, security plans, etc. I sent a postcard invitation with this information to around 250 neighbors around the 402 Rustic site. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions of Care Net staff, City zoning staff, or myself and can provide feedback.

Stoughton Road South Study Public Meeting  

St. Dennis Catholic Church, 505 Dempsey Rd; Thursday, July 20, 2023 5pm-6:30pm

WisDOT is hosting the first public involvement meeting of the study on Thursday, July 20, 2023. This meeting will be an open house format and will focus on identifying areas of concern on the South Stoughton Road corridor covering 4.7 miles from Voges Rd/Terminal Dr in McFarland to WIS 30). WisDOT staff will present information about the Stoughton Road corridor and hear public input that will inform future design priorities and alternatives. I will continue to share more about later phases of the process as WisDOT shares additional information.  You can also learn more on the study website at tinyurl.com/US51SouthStudy. I hope to see you there!

Events & Announcements

• East Side Farmers' Market, Tuesday, July 18, 2023: The Eastside Farmers' Market is Madison Wisconsin’s finest weekday farmers' market. Our goal is to bring the freshest Wisconsin grown food direct to the heart of the East side. Our vendor members are agricultural producers and food artisans who make value added products from Wisconsin's agricultural bounty.
• Free Hands-Only CPR & AED Class, Wednesday, July 19, 2023: Learn life-saving skills with Madison Fire Department EMTs and Paramedics! This class will teach you hands-only CPR, how to use an AED, and help you know what to do if you see someone collapse from sudden cardiac arrest. Registration is free and required.
• The Capitol View Farmers’ Market, Wednesday, July 19, 2023: The Capitol View Farmers Market is returning to the North Star Neighborhood! Join us each Wednesday (May 31-October 11, 2023) from 3:00-7:00pm to support local farmers and vendors, enjoy live music and food carts, and make the most of summer in Madison!
• Willy Street Chamber Players, Friday, July 21, 2023: Live classical chamber music concert performed by the award winning Willy Street Chamber Players.
• Common Council Approves Program to Support BIPOC Entrepreneurs: The Common Council last night approved a $300,000 Request for Proposals (RFP) for management of the BizReady program, a training, technical assistance, and micro-enterprise funding initiative to support the development of BIPOC entrepreneurs across the city.
• Recycle Better with the City of Madison and Sustain Dane: In April of 2023, a sort of the recyclables collected by the Streets Division revealed that 18.6% of what is placed into our green recycling carts is material that shouldn’t be in there.