| Staying Healthy this Winter Public Health Madison Dane County put together helpful info in one place in case you’re feeling a little under the weather after traveling and spending time with family from around the country this Holiday season. They’ve also shared information about food safety and other general safety tips for holiday celebrations this year. No matter your plans this season keep yourself and your loved ones healthy by getting vaccinated and testing when experiencing symptoms. |
| Mayor’s Message As 2023 draws to a close, I want to take a moment to reflect on the work your City government has done for our community this year. We’ve made significant progress in funding and building affordable housing, and in permitting market-rate housing. We’ve improved public safety, thanks to Chief Barnes’ strategic planning and data-driven approach to reducing gun violence. We’ve added solar generation capacity to our own City buildings, and we supported the installation of solar on homes and businesses around the community. We’ve invested in infrastructure to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety across the City. We’ve seen ridership on Metro Transit increase dramatically. We’ve repaired and rebuilt miles of sidewalk and streets. And every day, our Fire Department answers dozens of EMS calls, our libraries serve hundreds of families, our Streets Department cleans our streets and picks up our trash, our Parks provide recreation opportunities for all, and our water and sewer utilities keep the water flowing in both directions. None of this would be possible without the dedicated hard work of City staff. I want to thank each and every one of our almost 3,000 City employees for the work they do every day to keep our City safe, sustainable, and equitable. I also want to thank you, Madison’s residents, for everything you do in your daily lives to keep Madison a great place to live. I hope each of you have a chance to enjoy everything Madison has to offer in winter. I wish you and your families a peaceful holiday season, and a happy New Year. Thank you, Mayor Satya  Follow Mayor’s Blog |
| Metro’s Millionth Ride The new Metro redesign is proving to be very popular with riders. For the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Metro has provided more than 1 million rides in a single month. In October, Metro provided 1,075,549 rides, an almost 20% increase compared to October of last year. This is the highest monthly ridership since February of 2020. It also appears that the number of transfers has decreased – meaning that while the number of rides on mainline services is up 26%, the actual increase in people appears to be even higher. Metro is working quickly to adjust to this added demand on the system. Learn more here. |
| Metro Schedule Adjustments To improve on-time performance and overall reliability, schedule adjustments were made to most Metro routes on Sunday, December 3. In addition, several stops scheduled to close next year along the future Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line were also closed on this date to help buses stay on time. |
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| Decide Olbrich Future Madison Parks is creating a Park Development Plan for the parkland north of Garver Feed Mill, referred to as Olbrich Park – North Parcel. As part of the plan parks will host a public input meeting, Thursday, December 7 at 6:00pm via Zoom, where Staff will present background information, survey results, draft plans, listen to feedback, and answer questions. |
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| New Salt Route Maps The City of Madison Streets Division has reduced the salt routes for the upcoming winter by six percent. Over 50 miles of roads that were previously part of the salt route network have been removed, reducing roughly 270 tons of salt from being spread on our roads and entering our local waterways. Learn why and see the updated salt route map here. |
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| Library Winter Hours All libraries will be CLOSED on Sunday, December 24 and Monday, December 25 for Christmas and Sunday, December 31 and Monday, January 1 for the New Year. Each week, libraries will reopen the following Tuesday with regular hours. We’ll have special winter break programs for families throughout December as well. While our physical spaces are closed, you can continue to access LINKcat to place holds, check your record, or renew items you’ve checked out. You can also check out our always-accessible online collections, ebooks and downloadable audiobooks from Wisconsin’s Digital Library, Kanopy streaming video, Flipster magazines, and other online collections. Book returns will remain open for 24/7 service and Pinney Library has a drive-through book drop for your convenience. |
| Violence Prevention Funding Public Health Madison & Dane County is accepting applications from local community organizations to receive funding that supports violence prevention efforts in Dane County. In 2022, Public Health first launched the series of funding opportunities for community projects that aligned with goals laid out in the Roadmap to Reducing Violence. This latest round is funded through grants from the Dane County and the City of Madison. Applications are due by the end of the day on December 20, 2023. Find more information at publichealthmdc.com/ViolencePrevention or apply now. |
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| Library Needs Volunteers Madison Public Library is partnering with the Dane County Land & Water Resources Department to provide a collection of native Wisconsin plant seeds to library visitors this winter. The native plant seeds have been collected by Dane County Parks volunteers, and we plan to distribute them in multiple library locations over the next couple of months. Native Wisconsin plant seeds are best sown in the fall and left to overwinter (learn how in one of these upcoming classes!) Now the library is looking for volunteers to help with the hard part: packaging the seeds so library patrons can take them home! Three library locations are looking for help on this project. If you would like to donate your time and effort, you can register for one event or multiple by clicking the links below: Pinney Library | Monday, December 11, 6-8pm Sequoya Library | Friday, December 15, 12-2pm If you’d like to help you can also learn more about Madison Public Library’s Seed Libraries and how they operate year-round. |
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| Library Takeover Returns From December 1, 2023 to January 31, 2024, Madison Public Library is accepting applications for the Library Takeover program. Teams of 3-4 people can apply to participate in the program, which includes a multi-session course on event planning and culminates in a finished and fully-funded program at the library in 2024, providing $2,000 for each team to use in planning their event, as well as a $400 stipend and a certificate of completion from Madison Public Library. The deadline for applications closes at the end of January 2024. |
| Teejop & Beyond Wrapping Up Only a few programs remain in the Teejop & Beyond: Celebrating Native Nations series at Madison Public Library – don’t miss your chance to hear from Indigenous presenters from across the state! Plus, a newly added event features Ho-Chunk author and artist Jim Terry, who will discuss his graphic novel memoir Come Home, Indio at Central Library and sign copies of the book. |
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| We Read Winter Break Over winter break the Madison Public Library has some fun ways to keep your family entertained and engaged with books and reading! Our We Read: Winter Break edition includes programs, take-home kits, play and more. Madison Metropolitan School District is out for winter break December 21, 2023 – January 3, 2024. If you’re looking for something fun to do with the kids, we’ve got lots of programs and activities to engage them! Learn more at madpl.org/winterbreak |
| Olin Drop-off Site Closure The Streets Division Olin Avenue drop-off site has closed and it will remain closed until the spring of 2024. Learn more about the drop-off site winter schedule here. |
| City Service Changes Click here to learn more about all City of Madison holiday closures. If you or someone you know is in need of help this holiday season, please use 211 Wisconsin to help connect with food, shelter, safety, or other community resources. |
