
Highland and University street closure; PIM on Housing Forward proposals; 4th of July happenings
postedHello neighbors,
Reminder that the on ramp from Highland to University will close beginning Monday of this week, and remain closed until late August for the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District project. Bus route C will be detouring to the 2600 block of Stevens Street and Farley, and route E will detour to Regent and Farley. If you are driving through the neighborhood to access points west, please drive at the 20mph speed limit, and watch especially for pedestrians, bicyclists, and children.
I am aware of some negative repercussions to the near-stadium area from the Morgan Wallen concert on Saturday night. I am hopeful there will be fewer complaints from the Sunday show, given the different day of the week, cooler weather, and rain that may have impacted attendance. Please be in touch if you have constructive suggestions for how to better the overall response for future events.
Public Information Meetings (PIMs)
- Public Information Meeting: Housing Forward Proposals, Wednesday, July 2: Three new zoning proposals aim to make it easier to build the types of smaller homes that we used to build across Madison and already see in many of the City’s more established neighborhoods, and to make it easier to bring additional housing density to the heart of downtown.
Updates and Notices
The City of Madison will be closed for the Independence Day holiday on Friday, July 4. All emergency services will be available; please call 911 in the event of an emergency.
- Emergency Water Issue: Call Madison Water Utility at 608-266-4665, 24/7.
- Sanitary Sewer Back-up: Call 608-266-4430. An emergency crew will respond to your call.
- Report a Problem: Report non-emergencies that can wait until the next City working day.
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, July 1, at 6:30 p.m. in hybrid format. Agenda items include modifying the Police Civilian Oversight Board appointment process.
- Police and Fire Commission: The Police and Fire Commission meeting will take place on Tuesday, July 1, at 5:00 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include a discussion of the Police Chief hiring process.
- Board of Public Works: The Board of Public Works meeting will take place on Wednesday, July 2, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include authorizing an agreement with MSA Professional Services for engineering services for the Starkweather Creek and Olbrich Gardens Watershed Study.
If you would like more information about becoming a member of a City board, commission, or committee, please visit the page linked here.
Announcements and News Releases
- City of Madison to Raise Disability Pride Flag in Honor of Disability Pride Month: The City of Madison is proud to host a Disability Pride Flag Raising Ceremony to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ceremony and news conference will take place on Tuesday, July 1 at 2:30pm.
- Madison Updates its ADA Transition Plan: Over the past year, the Department of Civil Rights and many other City of Madison agencies have worked to identify barriers to access in all city programs, facilities and the public right of way as they worked on revitalizing Madison’s American with Disabilities Transition Plan.
- Madison Sister City Delegation to Visit Obihiro, Japan: The trip was organized by the Madison-Obihiro Sister Cities Inc. board to work for peace and better understanding of all cultures.
- The Sustain Dane - City of Madison Recycle Better Course Begins on July 2: The Streets Division is once again working with Sustain Dane to offer the online Recycle Better classes. The class is in the evening of July 2, 2025. This is the last opportunity to take the course this year!
- Metro Transit Now Accepting Credit Cards: Riders are now able to pay their adult rate bus fares with both physical contactless Mastercard or Visa credit cards as well as mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay.
- 2025 Recyclopedia Booklets Now Available: Printed copies of the 2025 Recyclopedia are now available. You can pick up a copy at your local Madison Public Library location and the Streets Division offices. Copies can be mailed to you by contacting the Streets Division office.
- Street Closure for Concerts on the Square: Multiple streets around the Capitol Square will be closed on Wednesdays for the annual Concerts on the Square event series. The streets will close at 3:00pm and will reopen by midnight.
- City of Madison Fire Department Annual Report now available!
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
- Parks Alive at Galaxy Park, Monday, June 30: Parks Alive is back this year with more of what you love! Visit your local park and share fun, family-friendly activities while building connections with neighbors and creating memories with friends. As always, there will be free food, music and the occasional movie. Come out, get active and enjoy your local green space this summer.
- Movie in the Park | Dog Man, Monday, June 30: Grab a blanket or a lawn chair and join us for a free movie in the park! Movie: Dog Man(link is external) (2025) PG 1h 29m. Showtime: 6:30pm. This movie showing is part of the Parks Alive program. Parks Alive is 5 - 7pm.
- Local 4th of July activities:
- Hillington Green Music Festival, 6pm July 3. Amateurs and professionals welcome! There will be a plywood stage, audio system, and electric piano w/ weighted keys.
- Summer Nights at Westmorland, 4:30-10pm, July 3, Westmorland Park. Live music, food carts, and a drone show starting at 9:30pm.
- Capital City Band Concert, July 3, 7-8:30pm, Rennebohm Park.
- Dudgeon Monroe Neighborhood Association 4th of July Celebration, 9:30am-12:30pm with a bike parade, children’s games, and ice cream social for all ages at Wingra Park. The 4th of July is also First Friday at Wingra Park 5-8pm with music, food carts, and more.
- Regent Neighborhood Association annual 4th of July celebration, 12-3pm, West High School Athletic Practice Field. The parade starts at noon, and the egg toss begins around 2pm. Cake donations for the cake walk still needed!
- 2200 Block of Eton Ridge annual 4th of July celebration, 5-8pm. Bring a dish to pass!
- Save the date: J.D. McCormick is interested in adding additional density to the Woodland Reserve property between Bluff and Stevens Street. There will be a public information meeting on July 14 at 5:30pm IN PERSON at the site. Meet at the Stevens St. sign near Palomino Ln.
- UW-Madison Lakeshore Nature Preserve Frautschi Center Public Hearing and Availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement, Wednesday, July 16, 5:30pm. A public hearing to present the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed UW-Madison Lakeshore Nature Preserve Frautschi Center project will be held remotely via Microsoft Teams (URL: https://bit.ly/4jrHblt; Meeting ID: 251 085 212 495 2; Passcode: Rs2hF9ue) and telephone (+1 715-318-5006, 325421518#). A description of the project will be presented, and all persons will be afforded a reasonable opportunity to identify both orally and in writing any support, issues, or concerns for this proposed project. The EIS is prepared in accordance with the Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act (WEPA), Wisconsin Statutes 1.11, and University of Wisconsin System Administration guidelines. The Final EIS Report and Teams link to the public hearing are also available at the following project website: http://www.ayresprojectinfo.com.
Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar.
Take care,
Regina Vidaver