D6 Items of Interest Week of March 31, 2025

Tuesday April 1 is election day. Readers of this blog understand what is at stake with the Wisconsin Supreme Court race and have already voted early or will vote on Tuesday. Having a state Supreme Court that defends the rule of law will be vital to protecting our rights. We can defeat the billionaires’ attack if we show up. Connect with family, friends, neighbors and co-workers to make sure they are voting. Remind them that polling places will be open from 7a to 8p and they can find their sample ballot at https://MyVote.wi.gov(link is external). If you like tracking returns, the best online source is on the County Clerk’s page https://elections.countyofdane.com/Election-Result

This week I am holding two neighborhood meetings.

Join me on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, at 6:30pm for a virtual neighborhood meeting to hear about the Salvation Army’s revised plans for the women’s and family shelter at 630 E Washington. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. In 2019, the Salvation Army received approval from the City to demolish the existing shelter at 630 E Washington Ave and build a new shelter and an affordable housing project. The housing project proceeded to completion and occupancy, and the Salvation Army is now proposing to move forward with revised plans for the shelter along E Washington, which will be built in two phases. You will receive login information after registering at www.cityofmadison.com/MeetingApril2EWashington.

Join me on Thursday April 3 at 6:30p for a virtual neighborhood meeting to hear about Bear Development LLC’s proposal to redevelop the property at 501 E. Washington Avenue, formerly Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback. The existing two-story building would be demolished, and a new, seven-story multifamily building would be constructed. The new building would consist of 223 apartments, comprised of 12 studio, 184 one-bedroom and 27 two-bedroom units. Current parking plans would include 68 stalls in a lower-level garage. You will receive login information after registering at www.cityofmadison.com/MeetingApril3EWashington.

Boards, Commissions, and Committee Meetings

Kind of a quiet week at the city. Thanks to Council staff for preparing the meeting and event highlights for alders. I didn’t find anything to add the meetings list...

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.

• Board of Public Works: The Board of Public Works meeting will take place on Wednesday, April 2, at 4:30 p.m. in virtual format. Agenda items include setting the rates for Sewer Utility and Stormwater Utility.
  • 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

• Applications for next Madison Youth Poet Laureate open April 1: The Madison Arts Commission and Madison Poet Laureate Steven Espada Dawson are pleased to announce the fourth annual call for a Madison Youth Poet Laureate. [posted March 28, 2025]
• Styling it Wright: A Month of Fashion Programming: Join us for a month of engaging programs celebrating fashion, textile design and architecture. Explore how these creative disciplines connect through a textile lecture, hands-on upcycling projects, a high-energy design competition and a fashion show inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural legacy. [posted March 28, 2025]
• Choose Green Transportation this April and Get Rewarded: RoundTrip, a free public program in Dane County, is encouraging residents to choose sustainable transportation options like riding the bus, biking, walking/rolling, and carpooling for chances to win prizes during its annual Spring Roll… [posted March 27, 2025]
• Madison's Largest Park Cleanup Project Seeks Volunteers: Madison Parks’ largest volunteer cleanup project is seeking volunteers for Saturday, April 26. Residents and neighbors are invited to accept the Earth Day Challenge and register in advance on the all-new volunteer website. [posted March 26, 2025]
• Planning Division issues report on State Street Pedestrian Mall experiment: The first year of the State Street Pedestrian Mall experiment is leading City staff to evaluate a longer-term program while keeping or bringing back some of the elements of last year’s experiment. [posted March 26, 2025]
• Hospitalized Absentee Voting Begins Today: Today is the first day for hospitalized voters to have an absentee ballot delivered to them in the hospital. This process is available until 5 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, April 1. [posted March 25, 2025]
• Accessible Options for Voting : The City of Madison Clerk’s Office want to make sure voters know about accessible options for the April 1 Spring Election. [posted March 24, 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

• Spring Election Day, Tuesday, April 1: Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Find your polling place and see your sample ballot at https://MyVote.wi.gov(link is external).
• Wright Design Series - Dorothy Liebes: Modern Fashion’s Starchitect, Tuesday, April 1: Hailed as the “Mother of Modern Weaving,” Dorothy Liebes (1897–1972) collaborated with some of the most famous architects and designers of the twentieth century. Liebes’s innovative approach to fabrics used for interiors and soft furnishings came to be defined as the “Liebes Look.” From her career’s start to its finish, Liebes was creatively engaged with clothing designers and keen to work in the field for its exciting pace–fast enough to keep up with her ideas.
• MSCR & Madison Parks Hiring Fair, Wednesday, April 2: 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!
• Exploring a "Family Scholar House" Event, Thursday, April 3, 5:30-7:30 p.m.: The UW Odyssey Project and Madison Commons will host a networking, brainstorming event on April 3 to explore affordable housing for adults with limited financial resources who are looking to get their post-secondary degree later in life. The evening will include hearing from Odyssey students about their housing dilemmas, sharing details from a recent trip to visit the “Family Scholar House” model in Kentucky, and learning what it would take to build this kind of infrastructure locally. Dinner will be served. For more information, please contact Brian Benford at brian.benford@wisc.edu or Sue Robinson robinson4@wisc.edu
• Provisional Voter Deadline, Friday, April 4: Provisional voters have until 4 p.m. to bring their photo ID to the City Clerk's Office so the Board of Canvassers can count their provisional ballot.
• Dog Park Cleanup Day, Saturday, April 5 (multiple locations): Do you love your dog park? Help clean up your favorite Madison fenced, off-leash dog park area.
• Disc Golf Cleanup Day - Elver Park, Saturday, April 5: Help us get Elver Park ready for the season! We're partnering with the disc golf community to host a large-scale cleanup event. Volunteers will work together to clear debris, remove trash, and prepare the park for everyone to enjoy. Whether you're a disc golfer, a neighbor, or just someone who loves the outdoors, this is a great way to give back to your community.
• Bird & Nature Adventures | Tenney Park, Saturday, April 5: 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 1:30-3pm. The walk begins at the Tenney Beach parking lot, 1330 Sherman Avenue. No registration is required. No pets are allowed. Co-sponsored by Madison FUN Friends of Urban Nature, Madison Parks, Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association(link is external) and Friends of the Yahara River Parkway(link is external).
• T-shirt Transformation, Sunday, April 6: Give an old tee new life with creative upcycling! This all-ages program offers fun, hands-on projects for everyone. Use our materials or bring your own tee to transform a shirt into a variety of wearable and functional items.
• Bird & Nature Adventures | Cherokee Marsh, North, Sunday, April 6: 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. Co-sponsored by Madison Parks, Friends of Cherokee Marsh(link is external) , and Sierra Club.  Follow North Sherman Ave. to the parking lot at the end of the gravel entrance road. Free, family-friendly guided nature walks at Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park – North are held on the 1st Sunday of each month, year-round 1:30-3pm. No registration is required. No pets are allowed.

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