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2023-03-20 Updates from Alder Wehelie

Meetings

  • Common Council: The Common Council will meet in a hybrid format on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. Agenda items include commending and thanking Tom Solyst for his dedicated service to Vera Court Neighborhood Center and the residents of Madison; amending regulations related to keeping chickens within Section 28.151 of the Madison General Ordinances to increase the number of chickens allowed as an accessory use; authorizing the City of Madison to develop a comprehensive response to the crisis in home healthcare in Madison; supporting the reopening and dismissal of certain Municipal Court cannabis convictions; and adopting the Hawthorne-Truax Neighborhood Plan as a supplement to the City of Madison Comprehensive Plan.
  • Housing Strategy Committee: The Housing Strategy Committee will meet in a virtual format on Thursday, March 23, 2023. Agenda items include repealing Sections 32.03 and 33.34 and amending Section 33.09(3) of the Madison General Ordinances to combine the City-County Homeless Issues Committee, Landlord and Tenant Issues Committee, and Housing Strategy Committee; and a discussion on housing plan recommendations involving: Displacement & Segregation.

Events

Save the Date!

  • Northeast Area Plan – Open House Invitation: The City of Madison’s Planning Division is excited to announce an Open House for its Northeast Area Plan. The Open House is part of ongoing community outreach efforts to engage with residents about land use, housing, transit, streets, bike, paths, and other community facilities in the region. The event, happening Wednesday, March 29th from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Madison College, Truax Main Building, 1701 Wright Street, Room D1630 is an opportunity to bring residents and staff from different agencies together to discuss next steps. The Open House follows the Northeast Area Plan’s kickoff meetings in which City staff met with area residents to address questions, concerns, and other feedback. Click here for the meeting building and parking map.

Announcements

  • CALL FOR COMMUNITY PARTNERS/NAVIGATORS – Apply before March 20th: Interested in helping neighborhood residents participate in the Northeast or West Area planning process?  The City of Madison is funding 4-5 Community Partner/Navigator positions that will conduct outreach to current residents, property owners, business owners, and other stakeholders, with a particular emphasis on low and moderate income communities. Depending on which area you are most familiar with, you select an area plan and apply online or by regular mail! For questions email us at Neighborhoods@cityofmadison.com
secretary Uncategorized

2023-03-14 Updates from Alder Wehelie

Meetings

    • Common Council Executive Committee: The Common Council Executive Committee meeting will meet in virtual format on Wednesday, March 15, 2023 at 5:30 pm. Agenda items include dissolving the Ad Hoc Task Force on the Structure of City Government (TFOGS) Final Report Implementation Work Group and transferring responsibilities to the Common Council Executive Committee; and authorizing the City of Madison to develop a comprehensive response to the crisis in home healthcare in Madison.

      Save the Date!

      • WPCRC Expansion Project PIM#2 – Monday, March 27, 2023, 6:00 pm: Madison Parks is holding a public meeting for the expansion of the Warner Park Community Recreation Center. The design team and City staff will review the proposed addition’s configuration and exterior treatment and answer project questions. The meeting format is virtual, and attendees can register for the Zoom session on the project website. Please join us and register for the meeting here: WPCRC PIM#2 Registration 

      Events

        • Learn about Maple Syrup | Bird & Nature Adventures | Warner Park 03/19/2023: Learn about Maple Syrup with Alex Singer ~In this special Learning Series event participants will learn how to properly tap a maple tree with the correct equipment so they are able to tap their own tree. They will also get to taste some maple syrup that came from a pre-tapped maple tree. Attendees will go on a walk to see what maple trees look like and to determine the best time to tap them. This event also includes a walk through Warner Park. Advanced registration is requested and may be done online or by calling (608) 266-4711. All ages are welcome and participants do not need to bring anything. Meet at the colorful shelter at Warner Park.

        Announcements

        • Draft Hawthorne Truax Neighborhood Plan: The Community Development Block Grant Committee, Transportation Policy and Planning Board, Board of Park Commissioners, and Community Development Authority have approved the Draft Hawthorne-Truax Neighborhood Plan. The Plan Commission will review the plan on March 13, followed by the Common Council on March 21.  Thank you to everyone who participated in the planning process over the past year. A special thanks to the Community Partners Group, residents and other community members. We appreciate the time you spent with us, sharing what you love about this area, your ideas for community improvements, and your feedback on the draft plan.
        • Call for Community Partners/Navigators for the Northeast and West Area Plans has been extended to March 20: Interested in helping neighborhood residents participate in the Northeast or West Area planning process?  The City of Madison is funding 4-5 Community Partner/Navigator positions that will conduct outreach to current residents, property owners, business owners, and other stakeholders, with a particular emphasis on low and moderate-income communities. Depending on which area you are most familiar with, you select an area plan and apply online or by regular mail! For questions, email us at Neighborhoods@cityofmadison.com
        • Arts Grants Apps Due March 15: The Madison Arts Commission’s annual grant program provides funding to support the arts across our community. Applications and guidelines are on the City’s webpage.
        • Women in Construction 2023: Wilkie: It’s a cloudy, damp day, teetering on frost over on the City’s east side, at Goodman Pool parking lot medians.
        • Street Closure–Atwood Avenue: Starting March 9, Atwood Avenue will be closed to southbound traffic between Oakridge Avenue and Cottage Grove Road for street reconstruction between Fair Oaks Avenue and Cottage Grove Road.  One
        • Women in Construction 2023: Emily Jorgensen: For any basic person, names like “Agastache scrophulariaefolia” or “Asclepias incarnata” may not come naturally when it comes to knowing what they mean.
        • Public Health Announces Closure of COVID Testing Clinic: After three years of emergency operations, Public Health Madison & Dane County will close the doors to its community COVID testing clinic on April 14.
        • Women in Construction 2023: Shannon Davis: With a push of a giant roll of paper plans across a large table, Building Inspection Division Plan Reviewer Shannon Davis gets ready to explain what she does to everyone else who comes to her window in the basement of the…
        • City Enacts New Development Bonus for Affordable Housing Downtown: On Tuesday, the Common Council adopted legislation to encourage the development of more affordable housing downtown.
        • Madison Unanimously Adopts New Building Energy Savings Program: On Tuesday, the Common Council adopted the Building Energy Savings Program to reduce carbon pollution from large commercial buildings.
        • Women in Construction 2023: Gretchen Avilés Piñeiro: Walking down Monroe Street, any visitor would notice the vibrant businesses, murals and life.
        • Upcoming Construction to Close Southbound Atwood: (MADISON, Wis.)–As reconstruction begins on the Atwood Avenue project, the southbound lanes from Oakridge Avenue/Sugar Avenue to Cottage Grove Road will be closed beginning Thursday, March 9, after the morning commute. 
        • Agreement Finalized on Grocery Store in South Madison: South Madison residents could be shopping in a new, full service 24,000 square foot grocery store by the end of this year.
        • Street Closure–S Paterson Street: Starting 7:00 a.m.
        • City of Madison 2023 Utility Box Art Program Call For Entries: Thanks to positive public reaction to the Utility Box Art Program, the City of Madison is continuing the program this year, looking for more great works of art to display across the City in 2023.
        • Street Closure–N Few Street: Starting Monday, March 6, N Few Street will be closed between Curtis Ct and E Washington Avenue for work related to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) at the N Few St & E Washington Ave intersection.
        • Street Closure–N Dickinson Street: Starting Monday, March 6, N Dickinson Street will be closed at E Washington Avenue for work related to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). The closure is estimated to last one month. 
        • Women in Construction Week 2023: Taylor Voeltz : Anyone familiar with the small town farm life, knows there’s a few fundamentals that make for an easier day: working hard, enjoying the outdoors and getting your hands dirty to get the job done.
        • Celebrate Women in Construction Week 2023 March 5-11, 2023!: The Engineering Division, in partnership with the Parks Division, Madison Water Utility and Traffic Engineering Division and Building Inspection Division, is proud to join the nationally-recognized Women in Construction Week.
        • Street Closure–Sheboygan Avenue: Starting Monday, March 13, Sheboygan Avenue will be fully closed to traffic just east of Eau Claire Avenue for the construction of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) station (see attached map).  
        • City of Madison Prepares to Sue Kia and Hyundai for Failure to Prevent Car Thefts with Standard Anti-Theft Technology: This week, the Madison Common Council will vote to authorize a federal lawsuit against car manufacturers Kia and Hyundai for their failure to install industry standard anti-theft technology in millions of their vehicles.
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        2023-02-26 Updates from Alder Wehelie

        Events

        • Presentation on the 2022 Madison-Kanifing Sister City Visit – Tuesday at 5:30pm: We hope you can join us on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, for the Madison-Kanifing Sister City Visit Presentation! This event will meet in a hybrid format and starts at 5:30 pm.
        • Public Input Meeting: Fraust | Harvey Schmidt | Heifetz Parks, 03/02/2023 Virtual – Zoom: The City of Madison Parks Division is continuing the process to create a master plan for each of the former Town of Madison parks: Fraust, Harvey Schmidt and Heifetz parks. A master plan provides a big-picture overview of each of the park parcels and includes community input. Neighbors are invited to attend a virtual Zoom meeting as we gather your input on the existing and desired uses and amenities at each park.
        • Winter Family Night on Lake Mendota, 03/01/2023: Bring your family down to Outdoor UW for a fun filled evening of skating (or snowshoeing if lake ice conditions make skating impossible)! This event will be filled with all the laughter, music, and games that your family needs to enjoy the Wisconsin Winter at Memorial Union. Our staff will teach you everything you need to know to get outside this winter. Beginners are welcome!
        • Bird & Nature Adventures | Tenney Park 03/04/2023 Tenney Beach: Nature-expert guided walks in Tenney Park along Lake Mendota and the Yahara River Parkway bike path through the Madison Isthmus are free, family-friendly and held the first Saturday of each month, from 2:30-4pm. The walk begins at the Tenney Beach parking lot, 1330 Sherman Avenue.
        • Bird & Nature Adventures | Cherokee Marsh, North 03/05/2023 Cherokee Marsh – North Unit: Cherokee Marsh is Madison’s largest conservation park with three units – North, South, and Mendota. Each month, year-round we explore the north unit’s beautiful trails through the woodlands, wetlands, and restored prairies along the Yahara ‘Catfish’ River. 
        • 9th Annual Latino Art Fair, Friday, March 3, 5:30pm – 7:30pm: Celebrate the rich roots of Latino art in culture at the 9th Annual Latino Art Fair! Talented artists from throughout South Central Wisconsin will exhibit and sell their artwork, including paintings, photography, pottery, jewelry, music and more.

        Save the Date

        Announcements

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        Madison Recycling Updates

        Starting on Monday, February 20, 2023 the Streets Division will stop charging the recycling fee for laptops, monitors, computers, and televisions.  This change will be in effect from February 20 until the end of the year.

        You still have to bring them to a drop-off site, but we will stop requiring the $15 fee for televisions and the $10 fee for monitors, computers, and laptops. 

        So – why were we able to do this? 

        The contractor used by the City of Madison to recycle all the electronics you drop off at our sites is named Universal Recycling Technologies (they’re based out of Janesville).  They have a deal in place with Samsung to cover the costs of our electronics recycling.

        If you’d like to read the official release, here it is.

        Any other good news?
        Food scraps recycling will be back in the spring.  Once we get the dates confirmed we’ll make that announcement.  It will be at the same two farmers’ market locations as last year on Tuesday afternoons. 

        The Master Recycler class will be back in April (and again in July), so if you’ve been meaning to sign up, please do so you can help your friends, families, neighbors, and social media followers how to recycle better.  This is a Sustain Dane class, so there is a cost to attend, but they do make scholarships available for those who cannot afford the cost.  You can reach out to Sustain Dane to see how that would work.

        With the news above, the printed copies of the 2023 Recyclopedia were delayed, but the digital copies will be available soon on the Streets Division’s website.

        Drop-off sites are set to expand their hours in April.  If you get the municipal services bill in the mail, you should be getting something next month alongside that bill that will give you the schedule for the drop-off sites this year.

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        Updates from Alder Wehelie

        February 16: Country Grove Park Master Plan Public Meeting

        The City of Madison Parks Division is undertaking a master planning effort for Country Grove Park. The master planning process will evaluate existing park uses, identify a location for a new shelter, and identify uses for the recently acquired land. Parks Division staff will hold a second virtual public meeting on Thursday, February 16, at 6pm to present a revised master plan for public comment.

        Events

        HUD-Approved Homebuyer Education Class (2-Part Class) (February 15 and 22): Your Path to Homeownership is provided by La Casa de Esperanza, a Non-Profit HUD Approved Housing Counseling Agency dedicated to assisting individuals and families to increase income, build savings and gain assets. 

        Digital Scams: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 – 10:00am to 11:00am. Swindlers and scammers have always been around, but our digital world seems to provide them even more opportunities. Stay alert and know what to watch for.

        Deadline to Request Absentee Ballot by Mail: Thursday, February 16, 2023 – 8:00am to 5:00pm. For most voters, today is the deadline for the Clerk’s Office to receive your request that an absentee ballot be sent to you.  The Clerk’s Office must receive your absentee ballot by Election Day in order for your ballot to be counted.

        Voices of Color: Thursday, February 16, 2023 – 10:00am to 11:00am. February is Black history month, and we are excited to introduce Dr. Linda Vakunta, Deputy Mayor of Madison. Dr. Vakunta works with housing and human service issues for the City, and she was recently named as one of Wisconsin’s 52 Most Influential Black Leaders in 2022.

        Public Information Meeting – Country Grove Park: Thursday, February 16, 2023 – 6:00pm to 7:30pm. The City of Madison Parks Division is undertaking a master planning effort for Country Grove Park. In 2020 the Parks Division acquired approximately 12 acres of additional land on the southeast side of the park along Rockstream Drive. 

        Law Enforcement Recruitment Fair: Thursday, February 16, 2023 – 6:00pm to 7:30pm. Area agencies are always searching for compassionate people who are considering a career in law enforcement. Officers will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about their profession and community policing.

        Announcements

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        2023-02-13 Neighborhood News & Updates

        Northeast Plan and West Area Plan– apply to be a Partner! Planning efforts are underway by the City of Madison to help shape the future of our West and Northeast neighborhoods. The West Area Plan team is rescheduling last week’s in-person meeting and more information will be available soon on the  West Area Plan project webpage this evening. These plans are part of a larger initiative to build better communities through the City’s recently approved Planning Framework. The Northeast Area Plan and West Area Plan will be the first under this new model that will ultimately cover the entire city. Guided by overarching City policies and feedback from stakeholders, these Area Plans will guide physical changes that occur over time in our community such as land use, housing, transit, streets, bike paths, and other community facilities.

        We’re Hiring – Apply to be a Community Partner by February 17

        Neighborhood Grant Apps Due February 20. The guidelines and application are now on the City’s webpage! See the News Story for more info. Applications are due February 20 by midnight. See a video of what Junction Ridge Neighborhood Association and UJAMAA have done with the funds they received from the Neighborhood Grant Program!

        Arts Grants Apps Due March 15. The Madison Arts Commission’s annual grant program provides funding to support the arts across our community. Applications and guidelines will be posted to our website in February: https://www.cityofmadison.com/artsgrants. Applications will be due March 15, 2023. A virtual grant writing workshop will be held in mid-February and will be recorded and made available on our website.

        Want to stay in touch about calls for art, grant opportunities, and other announcements? Subscribe to the Madison Arts Email List & Enter to win a $50 Visa gift card! The Madison Arts Commission is launching a more formal e-newsletter. Our new system will produce more user-friendly and accessible emails, however it does not allow us to transfer existing contacts. For that reason, we invite you and your network to subscribe to our new email list.

        SEED Grant Apps Due February 27 The City of Madison 2023 Budget includes $50,000 in grant funds to be distributed by the Madison Food Policy Council. The Madison Food Policy Council is encouraging community groups to apply for SEED Grants. Any proposal that improves the local food system and makes food more accessible for City of Madison residents will be considered.

        The Spring Primary is Feb. 21 Sample ballots will be available for viewing by address on the MyVote Wisconsin website at least 21 days prior to Election Day. In Wisconsin, a Spring Primary is necessary when more than two people declare they are running for the same non-partisan office that is up for election in the Spring Election. There are a number of offices that will be on the ballot in February including Supreme Court Justice; Mayor; Alderperson, District 2; Alderperson, District 3; Alderperson, District 4; Alderperson, District 9; Alderperson, District 10; Alderperson, District 12

        Streets Division Updates

        • Make sure you’re staying in the know about the snow and sign up to receive alerts about snow plowing operations and parking rules. You can do all that and more at www.cityofmadison.com/Winter
        • Streets Division drop-off sites are still on winter hours. The hours won’t expand until April 2023. Get the current hours and locations at www.cityofmadison.com/DropOffSites
        • Still waiting for the Recyclopedia? Us too! There’s been a delay. We hope to have all this squared aware soon with a goal of making these available by March. We wish it was already done, but the update is still coming.
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        Country Grove Park Master Plan Public Meeting

        February 16: Country Grove Park Master Plan Public Meeting

        The City of Madison Parks Division is undertaking a master planning effort for Country Grove Park. The master planning process will evaluate existing park uses, identify a location for a new shelter, and identify uses for the recently acquired land. Parks Division staff will hold a second virtual public meeting on Thursday, February 16, at 6pm to present a revised master plan for public comment.

        (For context, Country Grove Park is the green space behind Chavez School)