Category: SMNA

West Area Plan: The Plan Commission will take up the West Area Plan on Monday, August 26. This is the last step before it heads to the Common Council on September 10. The Transportation Commission, Landmarks Commission, and Urban Design Commission have recommended minor amendments. The Plan Commission will consider these and Plan Commissioners could recommend other changes.

Resurfacing – Maple Grove Road, Putnam Road and Stratford Drive

August 13 Payne and Dolan started reconstructing the asphalt surface on Maple Grove Road from McKee Road to Putnam Road.  Contractors will be working from Chester Drive to McKee Road during the project and will maintain one…

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.

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, August 26, in virtual format at 4:30 p.m. Agenda items include amending the 2024 Resource Recovery Special Charge, as well as accepting a donation of Narcan, fentanyl test strips, and educational posters for overdose prevention.
  • Meeting Details
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  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online
• Plan Commission: The Plan Commission meeting will take place on Monday, August 26, in virtual format at 5:30 p.m. Agenda items include approving housing recommendations that serve to strengthen efforts to expand rental, homeowner and student developments that were prepared by the Housing Strategy Committee, as well as adopting the Northeast Area Plan and the West Area Plan.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online
• Water Utility Board: The Water Utility Board meeting will take place on Tuesday, August 27, in virtual format at 4:30 p.m. Agenda items include 2025 Capital and Operating Budget requests, as well as PFAS settlements.
  • 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, August 28, in virtual format at 4:30 p.m. Agenda items include establishing soil infiltration design standards.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online

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

• Navigating Madison’s New Bus-Only Lanes : As the city prepares for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system to launch on September 22, the Madison Department of Transportation wants to make sure drivers understand how to navigate new dedicated bus lanes. Indicated by segments of red pavement, “… [posted August 22, 2024]
• Statement from Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway on the Referendum Resolution: The approval of a referendum in November is the only budgetary path in 2025 that protects our values as a community, while we work to address the chronic underfunding of local governments at the state level. [posted August 20, 2024]
• Madison Public Libraries Will Be Closed for Labor Day, Sunday Hours Return, and More: All library locations will be closed to in-person service on Monday, September 2 in observance of Labor Day. Libraries will reopen on Tuesday, September 3 with regular hours. [posted August 19, 2024]
• Bus Rapid Transit to Launch on September 22 : Metro Transit’s East-West bus rapid transit line is scheduled to start on September 22. [posted August 19, 2024]

Events

• Imagination Center Update: Town Hall to Inform, Educate, Advocate, Tuesday, August 27: Join us for a Town Hall led by Alder Sabrina Madison and the Sandburg Area Neighborhood Association to discuss the Imagination Center at Reindahl Park. Get informed about the current budget threats, educate yourself on the library’s benefits, ask questions, and learn how to advocate effectively to support this important community resource.
• Capitol View Farmers’ Market, Wednesday, August 28: The Capitol View Farmers’ Market is held weekly on Wednesdays (3:00-7:00pm) from late May through mid-October. Join us each week for great local vendors, live music, food carts, and special activities from week to week. Visit our website and follow us on social media for the most up-to-date information and schedules!

August 2024

Here’s an overview of some of the things we’ve been working on at Public Health Madison & Dane County since our last newsletter.  For the best reading experience, we recommend clicking the link at the top of this email that says, View this email in your browser.

Partnering to Provide School-Age Vaccinations Once again, we’re partnering with SSM Health, GHC, UW-Health, and Madison Metropolitan School District to provide school-age vaccinations at schools this fall. It’s a great opportunity to help families get the shots that are required for school attendance, including meningitis, which is now required (see page 2 for schedule). With a pertussis outbreak in Dane County, COVID on the rise all summer, and flu season starting in fall, we’ll be able to get kids up to date on all the vaccines they’re due for, helping them stay healthy and in the classroom!

New Initiatives to Improve Beach Testing This Summer This summer, staff in our laboratory implemented two new innovations to improve our beach water quality testing. We used a new rapid testing system that detects bacteria in water samples within 2 to 4 hours, compared to the usual method that provides results in 18 hours. This allowed us to re-open beaches much faster after a closure, leading to more beach days.  We also piloted a system that helped us pre-emptively close certain beaches known to have high levels of bacteria in the water after heavy rains. The new system helped us shift to a proactive, rather than reactive mode of waiting for test results, allowing us to close unsafe beaches sooner to protect health and safety!  During the summer, our beach conditions webpage is one of our most visited pages, showing how valuable beach water quality testing is to our community. We’ll be analyzing the success of these initiatives over the winter to determine if we’ll implement them again next year.

Environmental Scan of Hemp Products in Stores Completed Did you know 1 in 3 teens have tried cannabis by the 12th grade? The teenage brain is still developing and continues to develop until about age 25. Using cannabis during this time may harm the developing brain, causing difficulty thinking and problem-solving, difficulty maintaining attention, and more. It can also increase a teen’s risk of mental health issues and potential for addiction. While medicinal and recreational cannabis are illegal in Wisconsin, hemp derivatives that contain low levels of delta-9 tetra-hydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of the cannabis plant, are legal. They’re unregulated, and there is no age restriction to buying them. We recently completed an environmental scan of 68 stores throughout Dane County to assess the products being sold and their availability. We visited smoke & vape shops, gas stations, wellness stores, and more to look at things like external signage, flavors and packaging, signs about checking IDs, where products were positioned, and to chat with clerks. Some of what we saw has major implications for youth. Here are just a few of our findings: we found a total of 30 distinct cannabinoids in various products in teen-friendly flavors; candy-like edibles were available in almost every store; excluding THC beverages, 28% of stores had some self-serve component.  In response to these findings, we’ll be doing community outreach on best use practices for those who use the products, and policy best practices for stores who sell the products.

Meet Our Board of Health Our Board of Health, including its newest member Leslie Seltzer, provides oversight and guidance for our department and is recognized by both the City of Madison and Dane County governing bodies. The Board’s work focuses on: Providing policy, financial, and contractual oversight Reviewing and recommending public health policies and regulations Assuring that state and local public health laws and regulations are enforced Recommending community public health priorities Our Board is made up of a County Board Supervisor, a Common Council member, three Dane County residents, and three City of Madison residents. You can learn about them on our Board of Health page, where you’ll also find agendas and meeting minutes, and statements and resolutions they’ve created.

Summer Outreach We had another great summer spreading the word about health and safety and providing support to community organizations at festivals and events around Dane County! We engaged with lots of community members to educate them about a wide range of topics, from PFAS, communicable diseases, and the higher prevalence of ticks this year, to our services they may be eligible for, like sexually transmitted infection screening & birth control, breast & cervical cancer screenings, pregnancy nurse home visits, syringe services, and WIC benefits. Here are a few pictures of our staff in action!

Stay Connected! We’re so happy to have you on our list to get The Pulse! Click the blue bar below to see what other communications you want to get from us, including funding and grant opportunities. To stay up to date on our work throughout the year, subscribe to our news releases, newsletters, and blog – Link below!

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• Public Comment on Referendum Resolution Scheduled for Tuesday, August 6, 2024: The Madison Common Council is encouraging residents to submit public testimony on an important resolution affecting the City budget at its next meeting.
• Watch Online
• Attend In Person or Virtually
• Register for Public Comment
• Provide Comments before a Meeting

Events

• Hospitalized Voting Begins – Tuesday, August 6, 2024: Beginning Tuesday, August 6, 2024, voters who are hospitalized can appoint an agent to:
  • Bring their absentee request to the City Clerk’s Office
  • Deliver their absentee ballot from the Clerk’s Office to the hospital
  • Return their voted ballot to the Clerk’s Office…
• Lunch Time LIVE! (Marcus Porter) – Tuesday, August 6, 2024: Madison’s Central Business Improvement District is proud to bring back the perennial summer favorite. Grab a friend and a blanket and find a spot on the Capitol lawn near King St.
• Madison Night Market – Thursday, August 8, 2024: Madison Night Market is a celebration of Madison’s unique and inspiring creative culture. Vendors showcase handmade products, local art, artisan gifts, prepackaged foods, and fresh produce. The event includes live music, artists, special visiting food carts, and pop-up restaurant experiences.
• Capitol City Band Concert in the Park – Thursday, July 18, 2024: Old-fashioned free concerts by the Capitol City Band with toe-tapping familiar music for all ages and all cultures. Bring a friend, bring your chairs; enjoy the music on a beautiful summer evening; rain or shine!
• Dane Dances: Luisito Rosario / V05 – Friday, August 9, 2024: Food and cocktails are available for purchase at 4:30 PM. Lake Vista Café will be open for your enjoyment along with La Taguara,  Melly Mells Catering, and Kipps Kitchen. Visa and MasterCard accepted. Feel free to bring a blanket, chair, and picnic basket Sorry, carry-in alcohol is prohibited. Seating on the rooftop is limited.
• Bird & Nature Adventures (Owen Conservation Park) – Saturday, August 10, 2024: Join Naturalists Bethney Gunderson and Sylvia Marek for a free fun family friendly guided tour or take a healthy nature walk on your own any day in August on easy hiking paths at Owen Park
• Ride the Drive 2024 – Sunday, August 11, 2024: It’s thousands of happy healthy people coming together to experience parks and open streets in a single, one-day, free, community event. Since the inaugural Ride the Drive in 2009, this event continues to celebrate Madison’s commitment to a healthy, active lifestyle focusing on the environmental and economic impacts and the importance of social integration.

Announcements

• Bicycling Survey: UW students are looking to learn more about your experiences and opinions on cycling in Madison! This survey will help students understand the Madison cycling community and help direct policy and planning. You can take the survey by clicking here.
• City of Madison Absentee Ballot Drop Boxes Updated Ahead of Primary: Madison’s 14 absentee ballot drop boxes are getting an updated look ahead of the Tuesday, August 13, 2024, primary election.

If you recently had the folks from Miller Pipeline running the new fiber optic cable for AT&T through your yard, and your landscaping hasn’t been restored yet, please submit that information here: http://www.smna.org/mp

We plan to aggregate the issues and forward them along to AT&T and Miller Pipeline, to try to get some traction with resolving these issues.

Early In-Person Absentee Voting

Starting today, City of Madison voters may now cast absentee ballots and register to vote at early voting locations. Check our In-Person Absentee Voting website for locations and hours. Voters must present an acceptable form of photo ID before receiving an absentee ballot.

The last day to vote absentee in person will be Sunday, August 11.  If you plan to vote on Election Day, please check MyVote.wi.gov to verify your polling place, as some locations have changed for this election.

The Dane County Voter ID Coalition is available to help voters apply for a free Wisconsin ID card, including arranging free transportation to the Division of Motor Vehicles. The Dane County Voter ID Coalition hotline is (608) 285-2141.

How to Request an Absentee Ballot

There are several ways registered voters can request absentee ballots. The easiest way is to sign up at MyVote.wi.gov.

Just look for the “Vote Absentee By Mail” button near the top of the page. On a mobile phone, use the menu button in the upper right corner of the website. There is a three-step process that starts with entering your name and date of birth, followed by requesting your ballot. If you don’t already have a photo ID on file with the City Clerk’s Office, you can upload a copy. Mobile phone users can take a picture and upload it to MyVote. Absentee ballot requests submitted this way go directly to the City Clerk’s Office, and you can track your ballot by returning to the website.

Voters can also request absentee ballots by mailing the City Clerk’s Office. Detailed absentee voting information is available here. These requests must be accompanied by a copy of your photo ID. If you already have a photo ID on file from previous absentee requests under your current registration, you will not need to provide it again.

The deadline for registered voters to request an absentee ballot be mailed to you is the Thursday before the election, August 8. However, voters should not wait, due to possible delays in mail delivery. If you get an absentee ballot mailed to you, you can still decide to vote at the polls on Election Day if you haven’t returned it.

Your absentee ballot must be received in the City Clerk’s Office or at your polling place by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, August 13. Again, please request and return ballots as soon as possible.

Just placed a new AT&T Fiber online order 

I just noticed an AT&T tech’s van on Jeffers Dr, so I stalked him and struck up a conversation. He was testing individual houses for Fiber. He said that his testing was the final stage of their Fiber rollout. 

While I’d expect to receive a notification from the Fiber waitlist, since I registered after the first door hanger, I successfully placed an install order online. It’s set for Friday afternoon. 

After that, I called their customer service to get some context. They weren’t able to tell me why I wasn’t alerted about eligibility, but expected that I’d still receive one. 

You’ll want to know that their promos changed slightly, since the last door hanger I got. The rep said their pricing was updated, effective June 14th. More on that below. 

What my door hangers never stated is that they have a referral program. For referring a new Fiber or Wireless customer, you’ll receive a one-time $25 credit. The newly referred customer receives a one-time $75 credit. This is only applicable to orders placed online, for Fiber or Wireless postpaid accounts. 

I’m not one to leave money on the table, so we should all be using each other’s referral links. To get your initial $75 credit, here is mine: 

https://www.att.com/referral/code/?ref=BSB-3960

After you place the online order, you’ll have that $75 credit pending, so feel free to call if you have more questions (like I did). Anytime after your order is set up, login to your account portal and generate your unique referral link for future $25 referral credits. 

Fine print: phone and in-person installation orders don’t receive the credit. There is a max of 10 referral credits per account. 

Appointment slots were filling up quickly. I asked the customer service rep to list out all the Fiber pricing tiers, so I could notify our neighborhood. You likely haven’t received an alert, but are right on the edge of AT&T updating your address as eligible. 

First, know that paperless billing is required for any monthly discount. Second, the autopay discounts are $5/mo better when using a bank account, rather than credit card. 

HERE IS THE FULL PRICING BREAKDOWN: 

1Gig: $90/mo regular price | $80/mo for bank acct autopay | $85/mo for credit card autopay 

500M: $75/mo regular | $65/mo bank account | $70/mo credit card 

300M: $65/mo regular | $55/mo bank account | $60/mo credit card 

—— Upper Tier —— 

5Gig: $255/mo regular | $245/mo bank account | $250/mo credit card 

2Gig: $155/mo regular | $145/mo bank account | $150/mo credit card 

• 25% Discount: Military, Teachers, Physicians, Nurses, First Responders, current or retired AT&T employees 

• 20% Discount: for AT&T Wireless postpaid account, when bundled. 

According to the customer service rep, Sofi, these discounts do stack. 

I asked if the new AT&T customer would only get the bundle discount if they signed up for Fiber at the same time as wireless. That is not a requirement, so I ordered Fiber and plan to look into the wireless bundle option later. 

If you order before the Fiber waitlist’s alert, I’d expect that you’re an early adopter. Once my installation is done, I’ll report back to this thread with any more info I can glean. 

To my fellow nerd neighbors, the technician said that they still use the BGW320-505 gateway device.

Note from Jeff: our neighbors can reference the SMNA Facebook Group for more details. It’s a private group, so make sure that you’re in our neighborhood before requesting an invite.

I’ve been keeping it updated with my AT&T Fiber experience, so we turned it into a megathread for others to post their comments. We’d love to see your perspective.

https://mailchi.mp/publichealthmdc/2024-06_pulse?e=e734e35974

June 2024 Here’s an overview of some of the things we’ve been working on at Public Health Madison & Dane County since our last newsletter.  Hard Work Successfully Limits Spread of Measles in Our Community When measles outbreaks in neighboring states started popping up earlier this spring, we began proactively preparing for potential cases here in Dane County. When we had a confirmed case in late April we sprang into action, conducting extensive contract tracing and collaborating with other local health departments to make sure that people who were exposed were immune, vaccinated, or quarantined.  Because measles is so uncommon and infectious—simply being in the same room with someone who has measles is enough to become infected if you’re not vaccinated—just one case constitutes an outbreak. An outbreak is officially over when it has been 42 days with no cases—that’s 2 incubation periods. This is an example of what we train and plan for, and we’re happy to say that our outbreak is now officially over, with no spread from our original case of measles. Want to do what you can to support future events like this? Know where your vaccination records are! Helping You Have a Safe Summer  Wisconsinites wait for what seems like an eternity for the arrival of summer, so we certainly don’t want to spend those weeks being sick. We’ve released a series of summer safety blog posts with tips to keep you healthy. Protect yourself from illnesses caused by tick bites and learn where to get one of our popular tick kits. Prevent mosquito bites and learn how to get rid of standing water where mosquitoes lay eggs to avoid mosquito-spread illnesses. Learn how to keep food at the proper temperatures to prevent food poisoning from ruining your picnic or cookout. Know before you go if the water is ok for swimming at your local beach. You can also check out our news release about new techniques we’re using to report beach water quality results faster and more frequently, and to pre-emptively close beaches prone to high bacteria in the water after heavy rainfalls. While you’re there you can sign up to get daily beach closure updates! Curious to know how common illnesses caused by ticks, mosquitoes, and food are in our area? Check out our Communicable Illness Data Dashboard! You can stay up to date on summer safety and more topics by subscribing to get our blogs by email. New Data Reports Released We’ve just released two new data reports. Our latest data report on Dane County Drug Overdose Death Trends provides valuable insights into current overdose death trends, highlights areas of concern, and outlines our next steps in combatting this crisis.  Our other new report unveils the experiences of Hmong American youth in Dane County, using disaggregated data from the Dane County Youth Assessment. This report underscores how important data disaggregation is for health equity; when people are invisible in the data, they become invisible in policymaking and funding decisions. You can read these data reports and more on our Data Reports webpage. Grant Funds Distributed for Three Requests for Proposals We’re excited to share that we’ve recently awarded money from three different requests for proposals! A total of $70,000 was awarded to five organizations interested in helping their community stay prepared for emergencies. A total of $100,000 was awarded to a consulting firm to examine the feasibility of opening a Dane County overdose prevention center. A total of $30,000 was awarded to 4 organizations to do community outreach about PFAS. You can visit our Funding Opportunities webpage to see the list of awardees and sign up for email notifications about future funding opportunities.  Stay Connected! We’re so happy to have you on our list to get The Pulse! Click the blue bar below to see what other communications you want to get from us, including funding and grant opportunities. To stay up to date on our work throughout the year, follow us on social media and subscribe to our news releases, newsletters, and blog. Sign Up For Public Health News Releases, Newsletters, and Blog

Madison Parks is beginning the planning and design process for bike optimized singletrack in Country Grove Park.   This park underwent a master planning process in 2023 which identified recreational biking as a use for the park.  

Parks applied for and was awarded grant funding by Dane Co to cost share in the construction of this singletrack trail.   Parks hope to complete planning, design, and bidding in 2024 with construction in 2025. A survey was created and is available on the project website and can be found here if you would like to send along.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RZ9KC5L

Below is the public website with additional information about the park:

https://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/projects/country-grove-park-bike-optimized-singletrack

Alder Wehelie is excited to announce that she is bringing back the monthly virtual Lunch and Learns! Please join her on Thursday, June 20, as she hosts City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl and Municipal Clerk 1 Camille O’Connell, who will present on elections and voting.

This Lunch and Learn will serve as an effective way to inform and engage residents about city services over the lunch hour. Attendees will also be able to participate in a question-and-answer session with the speakers following the presentation.

To participate in the virtual Lunch and Learn on Thursday, June 20, from 12:00 to 1:00 pm, please register in advance at the following link: www.cityofmadison.com/lunchandlearnd7.

Depending on the number of questions, there may be limited time for a Q&A session at the end of the presentation. The goal is to hear from everyone at least once if they wish. To hear from as many as time allows, we request that attendees limit their questions to one minute.

Attendees can also submit their questions in advance to Lorissa Banuelos, Community Engagement Strategist, by email at lbanuelos@cityofmadison.com. Please include the “Lunch and Learn question” in the subject line.

For more information, contact Alder Nasra Wehelie by email at district7@cityofmadison.com or by phone at (608) 571-4919.

You can also contact the Office of the Common Council by email at Council@cityofmadison.com or by phone at (608) 266-4071. 

EVENT FLYER

Free event.

Thursday, May 30, 2024, 6 pm – 9 pm

Madison Police Department Training Center: 5702 Femrite Dr

Register at: https://www.cityofmadison.com/police/safety/commTrainings/crase.cfm

Police respond as fast as they can to an active shooters incident. But numbers tell the story:

• Median police response time to an active shooter: 3 minutes
• Percentage of active shooter calls that are over before police even arrive: 66%
• Majority of active shooters strike between 8am-4pm
• 61 active shooter incidents took place in the US in 2021, a 52.5% increase from 2020

YOU can make the difference in your safety and the safety of others in that first three (3) minutes. Learn the principles of what to do if an active shooter incident happens and increase your chance of survival by knowing:

Avoid
Deny
Defend

Also referred to as “Run, Hide, Fight”.

Officers will present active shooter case studies that highlight strategies victims used and the ultimate outcomes of their choices. These will also help participants understand Avoid, Deny, Defend in deeper detail.