Month: February 2024

This year, ecological restoration contractors hired by City of Madison Engineering Division will be conducting prescribed burns on areas of existing native vegetation. Prescribed burns are an important management tool for Wisconsin’s native plant communities. The timeline for these burns to occur will be between March 11 and May 31. The correct conditions for prescribed burns can be difficult to predict, so it is not usually possible to provide exact dates. Burns may not occur at all if correct weather conditions do not occur.

Prescribed burn(s) that will occur in your area include:

• Upper Badger Mill Creek Regional S Basin, AKA Nesbitt Pond, 6601 Nesbitt Rd
• Main Badger Mill Creek Greenway, AKA Ambleside Greenway, 4102 Maple Grove Dr*

*this burn may be conducted by Madison Fire Department staff as part of wildland fire training

The prescribed burn Project Manager will be mailing postcards to residents to notify them about the prescribed burn in their neighborhood.

All burns are being conducted by certified contractors with approval by Madison Fire Department. The burns will only take place under specific weather conditions in order to manage smoke and minimize impacts to neighbors. In addition, the burn professionals will install appropriate road signage on the day of the burn.

A list of project contacts and more information is on our website at:

https://www.cityofmadison.com/parks/projects/2024-prescribed-burns

Boards, Commissions, and Committee Meetings

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, February 21, in virtual format at 4:30 p.m. Agenda items include creating the City of Madison Honorary Street Name program, updating the street naming policy, and items involving Districts 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, and 20.
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  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
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• Economic Development Committee: The Economic Development Committee meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 21, in virtual format at 5:00 p.m. Agenda items include amending the Land Banking Fund Policy to add urban agriculture as an appropriate secondary use for properties acquired through the fund, a discussion about the 2025 budget, and the selection of the Madison Region Economic Partnership to administer the City of Madison’s BizReady Program.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online
• Madison Food Policy Council: The Madison Food Policy Council meeting will take place on Wednesday, February 21, in virtual format at 5:30 p.m. Agenda items include amending the Land Banking Fund Policy to add urban agriculture as an appropriate secondary use for properties acquired through the fund, revising City of Madison leases on lands being used for row crop agriculture, and reports from the chair, staff, and regular business.
  • Meeting Details
  • Meeting Agenda
  • Register for Public Comment
  • Watch Online

Announcements & News Releases

• Chief Barnes to be inducted into Evidence-Based Policing Hall of Fame: MADISON, Wis. – Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes will be inducted into the Evidence-Based Policing Hall of Fame this summer.
• Learn How to Ride Metro at Central Library, Monday, February 19, 2024: Learn how to use Metro Transit’s fixed route city bus service. Topics include using Google Maps, the Transit app, and other digital options; paper schedules and phone service; and discounted fare options. Metro employees will answer your questions about bus travel and provide one-on-one assistance in English and Spanish.
• Spring Primary Election Day, Tuesday, February 20, 2024: Polling places open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Note that there are no Spring Primary races in District 3 this year.
• City Breaks Ground on New Bus Storage, Maintenance Facility to Support Electric Fleet: MADISON, WI – For the first time in a decade, the City is able to expand its Metro Transit bus services thanks to federal funding for a major $16M remodel project to support the City’s new electric bus fleet.

Events

• Knowing and Understanding Your Rights, Wednesday, February 21: This meeting aims to inform community members about their constitutional rights during traffic stops. Madison Police Department officers will also share crime prevention tips to protect people from becoming a victim of identity theft.

Please join me, Alder Duncan, and Alder Harrington-McKinney as we host Charlie Romines, Streets Superintendent, and Bryan Johnson, Streets Public Information Officer. Considering the recent heavy snowfall, Charlie Romines, and Bryan Johnson, will address resident concerns and present on winter weather policies and practices. There will be an opportunity for a Q&A to answer questions from residents about snowplowing, salt routes, salt vs sand, etc. Please register at: www.cityofmadison.com/westsidecommunityconnections.

Looking forward to seeing you.

Alder Wehelie.

Madison Parks is updating its Park and Open Space Plan (POSP) and seeking input from area residents. The purpose of the POSP is to guide and inform public park policies and park facility decisions in the city of Madison.  Parks staff is working with a consultant planning team led by MSA Professional Services, Inc., to host a series of open houses to introduce the project and gather input from attendees.  The open houses are drop-in sessions, held at various locations throughout the city in April and May. Participants may stop by anytime during the two-hour event, each held from 5:30 – 7:30pm.

POSP Open House Sessions

• Thursday, April 4, Vel Phillips Memorial High School, 201 S Gammon Rd; Wisconsin Community Room
• Thursday, April 25, Warner Park Community Recreation Center, 1625 Northport Dr; Meeting Room
• Thursday, May 2, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, 3330 Atwood Ave; Atrium
• Thursday, May 9, Madison Parks Lakeside Offices, 330 E Lakeside St; Board Room

Madison Parks anticipates the planning process to continue throughout 2024. As part of the process the team will work with the Parks Long Range Planning Committee to review the sections of the plan as they are updated.

Additional information about the POSP is available on the Parks Projects, the main source of information as the project moves forward. The website will include project status updates, additional input opportunities and review and approvals process.  Madison Parks welcomes your ideas for additional ways to get the word out and asks that you share this information with all who may be interested in the POSP.