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Updates, Meeting & Event Highlights for the Week of September 3, 2023

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Greetings friends and neighbors,

Happy Labor Day and back to school season! I hope you were able to take time to celebrate the contributions and achievements workers make to our society, and/or well-deserved time off! I'd also like to pay honor to the life and legacy of a District 16 resident we recently lost, Ms. Nancy “Nan” Brien. Nan was a fierce advocate for MMSD and public schools, as evidenced by her service on the MMSD School Board, member of GRUMPS (Grandparents United for Madison Public Schools) and involvement in local politics and organizing. Thank you, Nan; you will be missed, immensely! Please read her obituary to learn more and join me in keeping her family, friends and neighbors in your hearts and minds.

The Meadowlands Apartments – Context and 8/30/23 Meeting Recording

Last week I hosted a public information meeting to provide updates about the Meadowlands Apartments. This meeting was intentionally planned after the community experienced many challenges early into the opening of the property which led to it being declared a public nuisance as defined in our current ordinance. Since late March of this year, I have been focusing on understanding the challenges occurring within the apartment community, supporting the residents, onsite staff and providers, while also fielding concerns and answering questions from the surrounding community. I felt it paramount to provide these updates in a public format, especially considering the property has been under a nuisance abatement process for 4 months. Myself and core team (working on the abatement) have also become increasingly aware of misinformation and assumptions being spread due to a lack of knowledge of the work that has been occurring to abate the nuisance behaviors. Through many communications as well as time spent at the property, the core team is also aware of the array of concerns which include increased presence of police and fire response, unsafe driving/traffic/pedestrian conditions, noise/disturbances, etc. Due to a handful of concerning communications and underlying tone, I made the decision to ask for questions ahead of time, and asked presenters to weave answers into their presentations, making the meeting informational, not interactive. The concerns, coupled with the level of division happening over the community, made it more appropriate to present information and updates at the meeting, versus having back-and-forth exchanges about an emotional topic. While the updates and status is still far from perfect, but I do hope this meeting provided some new information as well as an introduction to the multidisciplinary team working to support the community. If you were not present and are interested in viewing the meeting recording, it can be accessed HERE.

Yahara Hills Golf Course Reconfiguration

The proposal for the golf course reconfiguration, which includes reducing the number of holes (playable) from 36 to 18, will be presented at this week’s Board of Park Commissioners meeting. Information about the proposal is detailed in this presentation. You may also learn more by registering to attend the meeting, which will take place virtually this Wednesday (September 6th) at 4:30pm. Meeting Details | Meeting Agenda | Register for Public Comment | Watch Online
 

Public Market Open House

The market is only a few short months away from ground-breaking. You’re invited to a sneak preview and open house of the market, Tuesday September 12! Come check out the space, try some local food, and shop around with 20+ local vendors, including exciting newer businesses and a few of Madison’s long time favorites.

public market open house

Firefighter Fun Day

Meet your neighborhood firefighter, EMTs and paramedics without the emergency at Firefighter Fun Day! The event will host tours of the fire station and trucks, games, face painting, music by Dos Amigos DJs, and more. Food and refreshments, sponsored by Metcalfe’s Market, Metro Market and HyVee will be served while supplies last.

FFFD

Try your best to stay cool and enjoy the rest of your week, I wish you well! 

Meeting and Event Highlights for the Week of September 4, 2023

Meetings

  • Common Council: The Common Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 5, 2023 in hybrid format at 6:30 PM. Agenda items include a poetry recitation by Maliha Nu'Man, authorizing the Transit General Manager to apply for various Department of Transportation grants, authorizing and executing a Purchase and Sale Agreement between Core Spaces and the City of Madison for 405 W. Gorham Street in District 4, proclaiming September 2023 as National Recovery Month, and more!

  • Homeless Services Consortium Board of Directors: The Homeless Services Consortium Board of Directors meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 in virtual format at 1:00 PM. Agenda items include updates from the City, County, United Way, Youth Action Board, and the Lived Experience Council, a presentation on Youth Coordinated Entry, and more!

  • Board of Public Works: The Board of Public Works meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 in virtual format at 4:30 PM. Agenda items include authorizing and executing a Purchase and Sale Agreement between Core Spaces and the City of Madison for 405 W. Gorham Street in District 4, approving plans and specifications and authorizing the Board of Public Works to advertise and receive bids for State Street Campus Garage Mixed-Use Project in District 2, and more!

  • Board of Park Commissioners: The Board of Park Commissioners meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 in virtual format at 6:30 PM. Agenda items include the Superintendent’s report for August and September 2023, an informational update regarding upcoming land acquisition as proposed within the adopted Oscar Mayer Special Area Plan, approving the Yahara Hills Golf Course Conceptual Master Plan, and more!

  • Greater Madison Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Board: The Greater Madison Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Board meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 6, 2023 in virtual format at 6:30 PM. Agenda items include a public hearing on the draft 2024-2028 Transportation Improvement Program for the Madison Metropolitan Area & Dane County, a review and discussion on Nichols Road STBG Urban Project-Limits Change, and more!

Events

  • East Side Farmers' Market, Tuesday, September 5, 2023: The Eastside Farmers' Market is Madison Wisconsin’s finest weekday farmers' market. Our goal is to bring the freshest Wisconsin grown food direct to the heart of the East side. Our vendor members are agricultural producers and food artisans who make value added products from Wisconsin's agricultural bounty.
  • Dane County Farmers' Market - Wednesday Market, Wednesday, September 6, 2023: The Wednesday Dane County Farmers’ Market is located on the 200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, in between the Madison Municipal Building and the City County Building. While more intimate than the Saturday Market, you will still find many of your favorite Dane County Farmers’ Market members, as well as a full array of fruits and vegetables, eggs, cheeses, honey, maple syrup, bakery items, cut flowers, plants, and many specialty items.
  • The Capitol View Farmers’ Market, Wednesday, September 6, 2023: The Capitol View Farmers Market is returning to the North Star Neighborhood! Join us each Wednesday (May 31-October 11, 2023) from 3:00-7:00pm to support local farmers and vendors, enjoy live music and food carts, and make the most of summer in Madison!
  • Jazz at Five, Wednesday, September 6, 2023: The Jazz at Five Entrepreneurial events are on hold until fall as we get ready to dive into the Performance Series. Enjoy the Jazz at Five performance series at one of our sponsored tables, bring a chair of your own or rent one from the Jazz at Five info tent. Audience members of the free to the public series are also welcome to picnic on the capitol grounds.
  • LIVE @ Lake Vista: Sam Ness, Wednesday, September 6, 2023: Join us at Lake Vista Café on the Monona Terrace rooftop for live music in a relaxed atmosphere. Lake Vista Café will have a menu featuring delicious fare and drinks for purchase until 7 p.m., including buy one get one free appetizers from 4 – 6 p.m. Mixing Traditional Folk/Americana roots with a new-age Alternative Singer/Songwriter feel, Sam Ness finds inspiration in the ancient cobblestone streets across the globe. His percussive playing paired with an assortment of special effects including a loop system, have built a sound larger than many full bands. Sam has taken home a handful of Madison Area Music Awards including Male Vocalist of the Year. Free & Open to the Public. If inclement weather, performance will be canceled
  • Cyclocross Practice Ride | Olin Park, Wednesday, September 6, 2023: We've partnered with Capital Off-Road Pathfinders in offering a free, temporary cyclocross course to practice your biking skills. Each event is open from 5-7pm at the designated location. You will need a bike with knobby tires, such as a mountain bike style and a good-fitting helmet. Some parks do not have restrooms, please plan accordingly. Cyclocross is a form of bicycle racing similar to cross country running but on a bicycle. Courses feature wooded trails, grass, pavement, steep hills, and obstacles. See Cyclocross for more information.
  • Meditation at Monona Terrace, Thursday, September 7, 2023 - 12:00pm to Thursday, December 14, 2023 - 12:00pm: Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace, and balance that benefits both your emotional well-being and your overall health. Anyone can practice; it’s simple, inexpensive and doesn’t require any special equipment. Join us virtually every Thursday, September 7 - December 14, for this free 45 minute program welcome to all levels. Advance registration for Zoom webinar is required.
  • Workout with Transformation Center at The Glen, Thursday, September 7, 2023: *New Date* Thursday, Sept. 7 ~ Join Erin, Trainer and Owner, from Madison’s Transformation Center on Fairway #1 at The Glen Golf Park for a fun, energizing total body workout. Bring your family and friends, as all are welcome to participate in this free session.
  • Mad Lit: Where Arts and Culture Shine, Friday, September 8, 2023: Mad Lit is a free, outdoor concert series featuring live music and highlighting local musicians, artists, and businesses owners of color. The series runs every other Friday from June through September from 8-11pm at the top of State Street in Madison and includes live music, dance, pop-up shops, and visual exhibits.
  • Ironman Wisconsin Festival, Saturday, September 9, 2023: Annual triathlon event with competitors from all 50 states and several countries competing for qualification to the World Championships and personal triumph.
  • Cherokee Marsh South Volunteer Workday, Saturday, September 9, 2023: Madison Parks is seeking volunteers in conservation to assist in seed collection in Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park, South Unit. Participants will learn native plant identification and proper seed collection methods. Some gloves and paper bags are provided, but feel free to bring your own. Seeds collected will be used to restore areas within Madison's conservation parks. Bring water and wear closed-toe shoes. No restrooms onsite.
  • Greek Fest + 2023, Saturday, September 9, 2023: Greek Fest+, Madison's oldest ethnic festival returns this year with delicious Greek food and pastries and traditional music that area residents have enjoyed for over 70 years. Church tours will be offered, come join and become "Greek for a day."
  • Bird & Nature Adventures | Owen, Saturday, September 9, 2023: Explore Owen Conservation Park on gentle trails through historic oak openings on a hillside with an Ice Age kettle and along restored prairies with beautiful vistas on this high point overlooking the west side of Madison. Co-sponsored by Madison Parks, Madison Audubon Society, and the Friends of Owen Conservation Park . Free, family-friendly guided nature walks at Owen Conservation Park are held on the 2nd Saturday of each month, year-round 2:30-4pm. No registration is required. No pets are allowed.
  • 2023 IronKids Wisconsin Fun Run, Saturday, September 9, 2023: Taking place during Ironman Wisconsin weekend the IronKids Wisconsin Fun Run is for youth between the ages of 3-17 who will race around the Capitol Square - a little over 1/2 mile in celebration of happy and active lifestyles. Each child will take home their own finisher t-shirt, medal, backpack filled with swag, and the pride of calling themselves an IronKid..

Announcements

  • Community Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness: Both the City and the County allocated funds for our community to hire a consultant to assist us in developing a new Community Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. Thank you for making this investment to help us create and update vision and plan to move forward in this work.

Through an RFP process, we selected HomeBase to work with our community. HomeBase is seeking feedback from community members through a variety of means: focus groups (both virtual and in-person), one-on-one interviews and a community-wide survey.

I am writing to encourage you to complete the survey and share with your constituents. The information gathered through this survey will inform our Community Plan. It is important that we hear from a broad range of stakeholders. I hope that you will take time to complete the survey. It will take about 15 minutes of your time: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MADISONDANECP

Street Division Updates – Brush & Yard Waste Information

Brush Collection Information

Every neighborhood in Madison has just one last set out date left before the end of the brush collection season in 2023.

In order to learn when you should set out brush to be collected for this final pickup opportunity, go to www.cityofmadison.com/BrushCollection.

Enter your address into the form. Set the brush out per the guidelines for pickup on the date provided.

Brush can also be taken to a Streets Division drop-off site.

Yard Waste/Leaves Collection Information

Curbside yard waste/leaves collection begins in early October. Each neighborhood will get three curbside collection opportunities.

The dates for curbside pickup of yard waste are now available on the Streets Division’s website.

Go to www.cityofmadison.com/YardWaste and enter your address into the form.

Set your yard waste out for pickup per the set out guidelines on the Sundays provided on the website.

Yard waste can also be taken to a Streets Division drop-off site.

Have Questions?

If you have any questions about brush or yard waste collection, or about the drop-off site, please contact the Streets Division office that services your home.

If you live east of South Park Street, please call 608-246-4532.

If you live west of South Park Street, please call 608-266-4681.

The office is open for questions 7:30am to 4:00pm Monday to Friday. You can also check out the Streets Division’s website at www.cityofmadison.com/Streets.

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District 16 - Alder Currie

Alder Jael Currie

Alder Jael Currie

District 16
Contact Alder Currie