Month: December 2023

2024 Neighborhood Grant Program 

Have you and your neighbors been thinking about making community improvements or strengthening your neighborhood group? The Planning Division will once again offer funding through the Neighborhood Grant Program for Leadership and Capacity Building and Community Enhancement projects. The application deadline is February 12, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. 

In late December, we will post updated grant materials on our webpage for 2024. In the interim, you can refer to last year’s  guidelines for assistance. Once you are ready to start an application, please contact the Planning Division at  Neighborhoods@cityofmadison.com, and share project ideas with your alderperson. We also invite you to attend an optional orientation meeting:

Neighborhood Grant Program Orientation January 11, 2024

• Virtual, 12:00 p.m. via Zoom. Please sign up to receive an email with information about participating in the meeting.
• In-Person, 6:00 p.m., Madison Municipal Building, 215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Room 206. 

Northeast Area Plan Public Meeting

Do you live in the Northeast Area or know someone that does? Join the City of Madison Planning Division and Wisconsin DOT staff to learn about changes that could be on the horizon. City staff will unveil the first draft of Northeast Area Plan actions.

Event Details:

• In-person option: Monday, December 18, 6:00 pm–8:00 pm. Location: Madison College Truax Campus Gateway Atrium (Wright Street). Free food and Spanish interpretation will be provided. See parking location  HERE
• Virtual option (via Zoom): Tuesday, December 19, 12:00-1:00 pm. Registration is required:  https://rb.gy/ni9lex. Spanish interpretation will be provided.

Madison Public Library Takeover Returns

From December 1, 2023 to January 31, 2024, the Madison Public Library is accepting applications for the  Library Takeover program. Teams of 3-4 people can apply to participate. The program includes a multi-session course on event planning and culminates in a finished and fully-funded program at the library in 2024. The library will choose a maximum of three teams to participate and will provide them with $2,000 each to plan their event. Each individual team member will also receive a $400 stipend and a certificate of completion from Madison Public Library. “This year we are looking for more innovative, out-of-the-box idea–submissions that will surprise us or challenge everyone’s expectations of what one might typically see in a public library,” said Community Engagement Librarian Sean Ottosen.

State Street Campus Garage at Lake Street to Close 12/27/23

The State Street Campus Garage, Lake Street structure, located at 415 N. Lake St., will permanently close on December 27, 2023.  Staff is working with impacted Monthly Parking Permit holders to relocate them to alternative City facilities, or to find other parking solutions.

Starting next year, the State Street Campus Garage at Lake St. will be redeveloped into a mixed-use property that will include a new parking garage, student housing, and an inter-city bus terminal. Construction is expected to conclude by 2026. To learn more about this project, and alternative parking options visit the  Parking Division webpage. 

Streets Division Updates

• Leaf Collection Complete: Do not set out leaves for collection. All neighborhoods have received their last chance pickup opportunity. Curbside pickup will resume in the spring of 2024.
• Drop-off Site Hours: Drop-off sites are on winter hours. Check the hours before loading your car.  Drop-off site information is available at www.cityofmadison.com/DropOffSites.
• Winter Information: The City of Madison has a hub for all things winter from how to use salt correctly to winter recreation opportunities to free sand locations to snowplowing update email signups.  All of that is available at www.cityofmadison.com/Winter.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Upcoming 2024 Neighborhood Grant Program 

It’s time to initiate discussions with your neighbors to brainstorm ideas for community improvement projects! Grants, usually $5,000 or less, are allocated for Neighborhood Leadership and Capacity Building and Community Enhancements, including physical projects. The Planning Division is presently in the process of revising the Neighborhood Grant Program, and the final details will be posted in mid to late December. The application deadline for this program is February 12th at 4:30 pm. In the interim, you can refer to last year’s  guidelines for assistance. Once you are ready to start an application, please contact City Planning at  Neighborhoods@cityofmadison.com, and share your project idea with your alderperson. 

Madison Public Market Official Groundbreaking on Nov. 27!

The City’s new Madison Public Market has entered the official construction phase. On Monday, November 27, 2023, the City of Madison, Madison Public Market Foundation, and project stakeholders conducted a formal groundbreaking ceremony at 202 North First Street, marking the site for the upcoming Madison Public Market (MPM). City leaders and project stakeholders provided insights into the project and its expected influence during the groundbreaking event. See the press release  here.

State Street 2024 Pedestrian Mall Experiment

The City of Madison is embarking on an experiment to transform the 400-600 blocks of State Street into a pedestrian mall. Scheduled for the summer of 2024, the experiment aims to implement changes, and City staff will be presenting the initial design concept for these blocks. Discussions about options for the closure of these blocks to private vehicles will be a key focus. For those interested in learning more and participating, an upcoming hybrid public meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 4, 2023, at 5:30 pm. The in-person location will be the Madison Municipal Building, 215 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Room 215. To attend the meeting virtually, please register in advance.

Streets Division Updates:

• Last Chance for Leaf Collection: All Madison residents will get one more leaf collection opportunity.  Set the leaves out on Sunday, December 3 for pickup.   The entire city shares this set out date, so please be patient as crews cycle through Madison one absolute final time collecting leaves from the curb.  Pickup is not guaranteed, however.  If a winter storm hits before this last chance round is completed, crews will transition to performing snowplowing duties as that is a higher priority.
• Drop-off Sites Now on Winter Hours:  Sycamore and South Point sites are no longer open on the weekends.  The Olin Avenue site is completely closed.   The hours at Sycamore and South Point have also been reduced.  Please check the drop-off site website before loading your vehicle:  www.cityofmadison.com/dropoffsites.  Why did the hours change? This is an annual occurrence that happens when the Streets Division’s seasonal staff term comes to an end, so the extra drop-off site hours they are able to provide are no longer possible.   
• Salt Route Map: Streets Division salt routes were reduced by about 6% this winter compared to last winter, which leaves 778 miles of traffic lanes through the City of Madison as still part of the salt route network.  You can see a map of the areas that the City of Madison Streets Division will be treating as salt routes at  www.cityofmadison.com/Winter.  The map only shows the Streets Division salt routes.  So you may also be wondering why some roads, like Stoughton Road, or the UW Campus, are not showing as being salted on this map when you know that they are, in fact, salted when it snows.  The Streets Division is not the only agency that maintains roads in the City. For example, Stoughton Road is actually a state highway and it is maintained by Dane County Highway, just like the Beltline, Highway PD, and other areas around Madison. (University Avenue from Blackhawk Avenue west is also maintained by Dane County).  The UW Campus is also not maintained by the Streets Division.  That is maintained by the campus itself.   We are working on a better map that is more interactive and with more features – but that is taking more time to pull together than the PDF map that is currently available.  We hope to have this improved map available later this winter. 
• Still Time to Help Your Trees with the Spongy Moth:  Egg masses can still be removed from trees, sheds, log piles, and other places around your lawn.  You want to find them and destroy them before they hatch in the spring.  You can read more about the spongy moth and how to appropriately destroy the egg masses at  www.cityofmadison.com/SpongyMoth
• Holiday Recycling Guide: With the holidays comes lots of cardboard, wrapping paper, and other stuff – and also lots of recycling questions.  Be sure you check out the holiday recycling guide at  www.cityofmadison.com/Recycling.

Below are some important information to prepare for your winter.

Declared Snow Emergency

The City of Madison declares a Snow Emergency when we need to plow all residential streets. This most often happens when there are three or more inches of snow on the roads.

During a Snow Emergency, people who park in the Snow Emergency Zone must follow alternate side parking rules for the next two nights. A Snow Emergency may be extended past the 48 hours if needed.

We will always declare a Snow Emergency before 9:00 pm on the night it will take effect.

Please note: During a Snow Emergency, Alternate Side Parking fines are $60, plus a $65 towing fee.

Don’t let the snow lead to a ticket or a tow!

• Sign up to get notified via Text Messaging
• Sign up to get notified via email lists
• Call the Winter Parking Hotline at (608) 261-9111

Snow Removal Regulations

Public Sidewalks

Pedestrians need safe public sidewalks. Property owners are responsible for snow removal. If you rent, read your lease to check who handles snow removal. You must clear the public sidewalks that border your property.

Clear the snow by noon of the day after the snow stops. The snow and ice are your responsibility, regardless of the source. Remember to check your sidewalk after the plows come through. Snowplows may create a blockage.

If you cannot remove ice, you must use sand to provide traction. You must have a safely sanded sidewalk by noon of the day after the snow or ice stopped.

How much of my sidewalk do I have to clear?

You must clear the entire width of the sidewalk, from edge to edge. It is not enough to carve a narrow path. People who use wheelchairs, canes, strollers, etc. need space to maneuver.

You are as responsible for clearing ice on your sidewalk as well as clearing snow.

Ice can be more dangerous than snow.

• The sooner and more completely you shovel, the less likely it is that the snow will become ice.
• Arrange for someone to take over while you are on vacation.
• If you do not clear the sidewalk by the required time, we may issue you a citation with a fine.
• If you do not shovel, crews will remove the snow and ice on your behalf. This service will also be at your expense. We add the bill to your property tax as a special assessment.

Related Resources

• Register to get notified of when sidewalks need to be cleared
• Report an un-shoveled sidewalk
• Free sand available for City residents