Month: February 2023

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.
  • In person: City-County Building, Room 201
  • Livestream: https://media.cityofmadison.com/mediasite/showcase/madison-city-channel/channel/common-council
• 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

• FREE HUD-APPROVED HOMEBUYER EDUCATION CLASS (IN PERSON) – SATURDAY MARCH 18TH: The City of Madison, in partnership with the Home Buyers Round Table of Dane County and Consumer Credit Counseling Service, want to share with you our next HUD Approved Homebuyer Education class of 2023 for the month of March! 2023 class schedule is up and you can find it here: https://homebuyersroundtable.org/events/list/?tribe-bar-search=education (there is a class every month this year, both virtual and online)!

Announcements

• Madison Arts Commission Annual Arts Grants Opportunity 2023-24: The City of Madison is pleased to announce that applications are now open for art grants that provide support for projects that enrich the cultural landscape of the City.
• Snowplow Names Election Results: The Streets and Engineering Division are happy to announce the winners of the snowplow equipment naming election.
• Wisconsin Book Festival Kicks Off 2023 Season Under New Leadership: The Wisconsin Book Festival begins its spring season on Sunday, February 19, under the leadership of newly named Director Jane Rotonda.
• City Partners with Centro Hispano on New South Madison Facility with Land Swap Deal and Early Investment: The City of Madison is proud to celebrate with partner Centro Hispano as the nonprofit breaks ground on its brand new building this Wednesday, February 22 at 3 pm.
• Mayor’s Purchase Award granted for a portrait of activist, leader, & public servant Dick Wagner : City of Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes Conway selected a portrait of Dick Wagner by Rae Senarighi, aka Transpainter, for the 2022 Mayor’s Purchase Award.
• Atwood Avenue Reconstruction Project Begins: (MADISON, Wis.)–The reconstruction of Atwood Avenue from S. Fair Oaks Avenue to Cottage Grove Road is officially underway.

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.

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.

• Register in advance for the February 16 public meeting
• Find more details on the Country Grove Park Master Plan project website

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

• City Launches Bilingual Community Connector Program for Increased Language Access and Equity: Enoch Melgarejo and Holly Chen have joined the Department of Civil Rights as Bilingual Community Connectors in the City of Madison’s new Community Connector Program, one of the few government programs of this kind in the country.
• Mayor Rhodes-Conway Statement on Chief Barnes’ State of Public Safety Address: I want to thank Chief Barnes for his work to make our community even safer than it already is. He and I both understand that seeing the effects of violence on our neighborhoods or in the news makes us feel unsafe.
• Public Test of Election Equipment This Saturday: The City of Madison Clerk’s Office invites the public to observe its public test of election equipment this weekend.
• Concerned about crime? Watch Madison Police Chief deliver the State of Public Safety Address on Friday: The Madison Police Department remains committed to providing the highest level of service to the Madison community.
• Interested in a career in law enforcement? Come to our recruitment fair!: The Madison Police Department, along with other law enforcement agencies and higher education institutions, is hosting a law enforcement recruitment fair Feb. 16.
• Mayor and Alders Introduce Legislation to Encourage Affordable Housing Development Downtown: Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, along with Alders Patrick Heck, Erik Paulson, Mike Verveer and Jael Currie, will introduce legislation to the Madison Common Council Tuesday that would encourage the development of more affordable housing downtown.
• Media Kit Available for 2023 Spring Primary: The 2023 Spring Primary Media Kit prepared by the Madison City Clerk’s Office is now available to help answer questions about statistics, processes and procedures for the upcoming primary election.
• Madison Fire Celebrates Four Sprinkler Saves During Month of January: The Madison Fire Department rang in the new year celebrating four “sprinkler saves,” where automatic fire sprinklers were credited with catching and containing fires that occurred in our community.
• Mayor Rhodes-Conway Urges Working Families to Claim Their Earned Income Tax Credit: Mayor Satya-Rhodes Conway is reminding Madison residents who qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to take the steps necessary to claim their benefits.

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

• Northeast Area Plan – Learn more and apply.
• West Area Plan – Learn more and apply.

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.

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.

• Register in advance for the February 16 public meeting
• Community survey for Country Grove Park (survey closes on February 12)
• Find more details on the Country Grove Park Master Plan project website

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