Earth Day, North-South BRT, and More Updates

Earth Day Celebrations

Celebrate Earth Day in Your Local Park: Celebrate Earth Day with your neighbors and friends by volunteering to clean up your local park! Join this community-wide volunteer event this Saturday, April 26. 

North-South BRT Meetings

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. 

• Transportation Commission: The Transportation Commission meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 23, at 5:00 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include amending Sections 24.02 and 1.08 of the Madison General Ordinances to add Disorderly Conduct directed at a city transit operator. 

• Meeting Details 

• Meeting Agenda 

• Register for Public Comment 

• Watch Online 

• Police and Fire Commission: The Police and Fire Commission meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 23, at 5:00 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include a discussion of the Police Chief hiring process. 

• Meeting Details 

• Meeting Agenda 

• 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. 

Public Information Meetings

• Public Input Meeting - Hoyt Park, Tuesday, April 22: The City of Madison Parks Division invites neighbors and community members to attend a virtual public input meeting and learn about the upcoming improvements to Hoyt Park.  Parks staff will make a short presentation and there will be time for attendees to ask questions and submit comments. The meeting will be held virtually via Zoom and registration is required. Register online. 

Announcements and News Releases 

• LaMovida Radio’s Conectando con tu Ciudad Shares Valuable Information about City of Madison Resources : Enoch Melgarejo, with the City of Madison Department of Civil Rights, hosts “Conectando con tu Ciudad” on LaMovida Radio. In this monthly show, Enoch interviews City staff to share City programs with the Spanish Speaking community. [posted April 18, 2025] 

• N Franklin Avenue & Lynn Terrace Reconstruction with Utilities Project: N Franklin Avenue and Lynn Terrace will be closed to non-local traffic starting on Monday, April 28th. The project will replace aging and deteriorating utilities for N Franklin Avenue and Lynn Terrace. [posted April 18, 2025] 

• Madison Arts Commission awards $106,000 for arts projects in 2025-2026 grant cycle: The Madison Arts Commission is awarding a total of $106,000 to 66 organizations and individuals for projects through its annual arts grants program. [posted April 18, 2025] 

• Imagination Center at Reindahl Park Project Moves Forward; Bid Awarded : The construction process for the City’s Imagination Center at Reindahl Park (ICRP) project is moving forward with the construction contract awarded to Corporate Contractors Inc., as the lowest responsible bidder. [posted April 16, 2025] 

• Recycling Fire on Madison’s West Side; Never Put Batteries or Electronics in Recycling Carts: On April 15, 2025, a Streets Division recycling collection operator noticed smoke billowing from the top of their truck. The operator acted quickly as trained and dumped the materials onto the road and drove to safety. The Madison Fire Department was… [posted April 15, 2025] 

• Ramp Closure — Highway 30 Exit 1B – Fair Oaks Westbound Off Ramp : Starting Monday, April 21st, R.G. Huston Company will close the Highway 30 westbound off-ramp, at Fair Oaks Avenue, to complete utility work within the intersection. The ramp will reopen on May 5th. Bi-directional traffic on Fair Oaks Avenue is… [posted April 15, 2025] 

• Celebrate 150 Years of Madison Public Library with Parties in All Nine Library Locations in May : MADISON, WI – The community is invited to attend 150th Anniversary parties at all nine Madison Public Library locations during three Saturdays in May: May 10, May 17, and May 31. [posted April 14, 2025] 

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 

• MSCR & Madison Parks Hiring Fair, Thursday, April 24: Madison Parks and MSCR are hiring seasonal staff in aquatics, golf, maintenance, conservation and more! Attend the Hiring Fair at Parks Lakeside Offices and apply and interview onsite! Make this a summer to remember!  

• Wright Design Series: Designing Change Together, Thursday, April 24: Join Taruna Gupta, Yash Mehta and Marion Clendenen-Acosta of Designing Humanity as they share stories from around the world that show how design, when rooted in care, can become a powerful tool for community transformation. 

• Styling it Wright: Garbage to Glam Design Night, Friday, April 25: We’ll provide the recycled materials—you bring the vision. With just two hours, your team will design and fabricate a high-fashion creation from the trash pile. Then, it’s time to strut your stuff on the catwalk, showcasing your upcycled masterpiece for a chance to win prizes for the most innovative design. 

• Volunteer at The Glen, Saturday, April 26: We're on a mission to make The Glen a vibrant, inclusive, and welcoming place for everyone – and we need your help!  Volunteering at The Glen offers you a unique opportunity to contribute to your community, learn new skills, grow personally and professionally, and connect with like-minded individuals. 

• Earth Day Challenge, Saturday, April 26: Celebrate Earth Day with your neighbors and friends by volunteering to clean up your local park! Join this community-wide volunteer effort to help make a difference. Accept the Earth Day Challenge with Madison Parks!  

• Bird & Nature Adventures | Edna Taylor, Saturday, April 26: Join Doug Davis for a free, family-friendly guided walk in nature starting from the Aldo Leopold Nature Center and through the trails of Edna Taylor Conservation Park!   

• Bird & Nature Festival 2025, Sunday, April 27: The 2025 Bird & Nature Festival is a free, family-friendly event celebrating Madison Bird City, Arbor Day and Earth Day.  See live birds by Open Door Bird Sanctuary and visit nature displays throughout the day.  Plan 30-45 minutes for your visit anytime between 12 and 4 pm, during this ongoing event. 

• "The Wright Look" Fashion Show, Sunday, April 27: With over 60 original, student-created designs modeled on the runway, The Wright Look is a fully immersive experience featuring live music and an innovative approach to architectural storytelling through fashion. Free and Open to the Public. Reserve Your Spot Today! 

Additional upcoming events can also be found on the City events calendar.  

Lastly...

It's sobering to be living in the midst of a constitutional crisis. For many of us, life goes on as usual. I imagine such was the case in other countries as democracy gave way to authoritarianism. 

Yet if anything is to be taken from the passing of Pope Francis, we cannot help but be awakened to the threats this crisis has on the poor. Head Start could go away. Section 8 vouchers may be eliminated. The results would be devastating. 

The call to resist is a call to love. May we respond accordingly.

Take care and stay safe,

Tag