WSJ: Does it Again

It would be kind of cool if the WSJ Editorial folks would actually write about facts, instead of making them up. Here's their latest.

I'm not really sure where to begin, but here's a few comments they write that just a tad bit off and my facts to dispute what they write:

1. "The fuss over what to do with James Madison Park is one of those classic Madison squabbles that stalls progress for decades."

Actually, the stalling has been mostly in the Mayor's office. We've been waiting for him to appoint all the members of the committee to make a decision for freaking ever. It's not just me that noticed, even Bill Leuders at the Isthmus wrote about it.

2. "Preservationists don 't want to move two historic homes -- even though doing so would better preserve and improve them."

Really, how does moving them better preserve them? Selling them better preserves them and its nearly unanimous that the houses should be sold because the City has been terrible at fixing the things that need to be fixed. I don't believe historic preservationists are standing in the way of that happening. Moving the houses has nothing to do with preserving them. In fact, moving them would, in many ways, detract from the historic context and familial relationship of the houses.

3. "Staunch park advocates don 't want to sell an inch of parkland near Lake Mendota -- even though the public can 't access the land in question now anyway, and even though proceeds from the city land sale would help expand and improve usable park space."

Hmmm . . . there is no guarantee that the money from the sale of the land would help expand and improve the park. In fact, the first proposal by the Mayor was to use it to fill gaps in the operating budget. He originally wanted to use it to pay for the Zoning Code Rewrite. I'm somewhat hopeful that this editorial is telling us something about a change of mind of the Mayor in this regard and that the money from any sales will be put back into the park, but I believe that would be a shift in positions.

Second, there would be plenty of money from the sale of the three houses that could make the improvements to park without selling any of the land.

4. "Madison needs to stop dithering and show that it 's a can-do city. Madison needs to get past the bickering of narrow interests to make James Madison Park bigger and better for all. The park and the general public deserve a happy ending to this drawn-out and tiring story."

Lets give the credit for dithering where credit is due. As I noted earlier, what is truly amazing is the long time that the Mayor took to appoint the committee and then giving us a ridiculous timeline to complete our work - over the summer - when so many who use the park are gone and people are busy.

5. "Reject Ald. Brenda Konkel 's attempt to raid proceeds from the city 's building and land sales for her pet trust fund that pays for low-income housing. Konkel, whose district includes the park, also should drop the unreasonable demands she wants to make on the potential buyers of the buildings to be sold."

First, "raiding" the Affordable Housing Trust Fund is the mayor's game.

Second, we do have an ordinance in place that says the following:

MGO 4.22(3)(c) The Trust Fund may consist of funds derived from, but not limited to the following, subject to appropriation by the Common Council, upon notification from the Comptroller that funds are available.
1. Residual Contingent Reserve funds;
2. Amounts from the Operating Budget equivalent to City fees collected from
dedicated uses related to housing, such as reinspection fees;
3. Tax Incremental Financing Equity Participation Payments;
4. Proceeds from the sale or use of surplus City land;
5. Any other appropriations as determined from time to time by legislative action of
the Common Council.

Third, I want the money to go to the park first and just a portion, only 1/3, or whatever is left over after the improvements to the parks are made, to go to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. It may be that there is no money left over, and that is ok if then no money goes to the Trust Fund. Of course, let me state again, that we will have more money if the houses stay in place.

Fourth, I'm curious what the "unreasonable demands she wants to make on the potential buyers of the buildings to be sold." I think they are talking about keeping the buildings in a "public use" instead of selling the bed and breakfast as a private home. Is that really unreasonable?

6. "City park officials have long wanted to improve James Madison Park but haven 't had the money."

Ahem. There is $200,000 in this year's budget that is just sitting there and they don't plan to spend it this year. They have money that the council approved. Apparently, what they don't have, is staff to do the work. Or, they have been instructed to stall. (I find it hard to believe that the money was a "surprise" last fall and that is why they can't spend any of it this year.)

Well, there you go. Another classic WSJ-ignore-the-facts editorial. Do their editorials have any credibility left with anyone? Remember, they did support George Bush.
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The 4th of July Week Ahead

A short, but somewhat unusually packed, week ahead . . . final actions on big projects and the summer funding process continues . . .

Monday, June 30, 2008
4:00 PM TAX INCREMENTAL FINANCING POLICY AD HOC COMMITTEE ROOM LL-110 MMB

• Are the revisions finally final?
  

5:00 PM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT COMMISSION ROOM 201 CCB

• Funding decisions on Economic Development and Civic Places
  

Tuesday, July 1, 2008
4:30 PM COMMON COUNCIL ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITTEE ROOM 103A CCB

• Text messages and Instant Messaging not subject to open records laws?
• Requiring policies to be on file in the clerk's office for departments that use security cameras.
• Limiting what can be referred to the Common Council Organizational Committee

6:30 PM COMMON COUNCIL ROOM 201 CCB

• Regent Neighborhood Plan (#85)
  
• Greenbush Neighborhood Plan (#86)
  
• Revised Hilldale preliminary and final plat (#87)
  
• Public Participation Plan for siting wells for the Water Utility (#93)
  
• Bus Wraps (#94)
  

Wednesday, July 2, 2008
8:00 AM EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION BOARD ROOM LL110 MMB

• Continued discussion on funding recommendations for 2009-2010.
  

5:00 PM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION ROOM LL-110 MMB

• Final action on 3-5 year economic development plan
  

5:00 PM HOUSING COMMITTEE ROOM 260 MMB

• Working on a template for an annual housing report
• Inclusionary Zoning (Staff) Report
• Report on recent CDA projects
• Presentation by Realtors Association
  

Thursday, July 3, 2008
8:30 AM COMMON COUNCIL ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITTEE SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMMITTEE CREATION AND COMMITTEE RULES ROOM 417 CCB

• Nearing final recommendations to create standard processes for all city committees
  

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Are these the biggest issues for the Zoning Code Rewrite?

The Chair of the City's Zoning Code Rewrite Committee and Planner with Vandewalle & Associates, Mike Zlavney sums up the issues up as follows:

I had some thoughts about the relationship between our Committee’s emerging challenging topics and neighborhood association and citizen participation. Please feel free to share this with your staff, Cunningham and the Committee. Specifically, I currently see five key issues that Cunningham and the Committee should start focusing on ASAP because they probably have to be solved (rather than deferred to a later, special study) to move the Ordinance process forward.

1. Neighborhood Involvement: The preservation of neighborhood character throughout all existing and yet-to-develop neighborhoods in the City. Here the challenge focuses on Tear-Downs, Large Additions and preserving the Unique Character of each neighborhood. This issue is emerging in the Midvale Heights / Westmoreland Neighborhood Plans. If “white bread” Midvale Heights (which by the way, I have lived in for 33 of my 51 years) is concerned about these issues, I think every neighborhood would be. These are very tough issues everywhere on the planet. I think the City CURRENTLY generally has most of the right zoning “tools” to address these concerns – although I think fine tuning is worth considering.

1. The potential new tool could be a REQUIREMENT for neighborhood and neighbor input in advance of the formal public hearing or public meetings associated with all rezonings, conditional use, PUD and demolition proposals. Given our community’s emphasis on involvement, perhaps the new Zoning Ordinance should require this step. If required, the new Ordinance could establish clear requirements for advertising, staffing, conducting and providing information about the submittal for such a meeting.

2. Tear-Downs: The City’s current requirement for detailed case-by-case review and approval seems very appropriate. I am not aware of a pattern of abuses or bad examples – perhaps there are some. A public hearing process, consideration in regard to both surrounding character and adopted Neighborhood Plans, and the need to see what is proposed in detail, all seem very appropriate requirements. It seems to me that this issue is ideal for the Conditional Use process – with the review being judge against both zoning standards and adopted neighborhood plans.

3. Minor Additions: The existing Area Exception review seems to be working well, according to the general reaction of our Committee members when discussing this issue.

4. Large Additions and Relation to Unique Neighborhood Character: The combination of the Area Exception review, plus, perhaps Conditional Use Permit review once a scale trigger is exceeded, seems most appropriate. To me, the existing Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District is the typical effective approach to apply detailed standards specific to each neighborhood or sub-neighborhood – as informed by adopted Neighborhood or Sub-Neighborhood plans.

I think we will see a lot of interest in our re-write effort incorporating the detailed standards for certain neighborhoods required to address the above. I think this could potentially be accomplished through the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District approach where we have adopted neighborhood and sub-area plans that make clear character-related recommendations. I do not think our re-write process has the time or budget to identify such standards where adopted plans do not yet exist. However, our re-write process should address the process for integrating the character standards for both existing and future neighborhood and sub-area plans into the Neighborhood Conservation Overlay Districts, and the zoning procedures that the NC Districts would inform. Again, our Committee and process needs to focus on finding the right zoning tools and processes, and not on doing neighborhood and sub-area planning.

Finally, it seems to me that our process could hold an Open House Workshop to address these four issues, and related neighborhood character preservation and enhancement issues, at several locations in the community early this Fall – perhaps facilitated by City Staff and attended by interested Zoning Ordinance Committee, Plan Commission and Common Council members – and promoted well in advance to neighborhood associations, home remodelers, developers and other key stakeholders. I think Cunningham’s most effective, and cost-effective, role could be to provide several examples of how other communities that prioritize neighborhood association and public involvement are addressing these issues.

2. Redevelopment Areas: A second important emerging theme is the balance between impacts and economics, and between project review involvement and project review process costs, associated with redevelopment activities – particularly in the potential Redevelopment Areas identified in the new Comprehensive Plan. The new Zoning Ordinance should identify and require the best procedural and submittal requirements for striking these balances. Again, this topic could be addressed in a series of Workshops hosted by staff. Perhaps these workshops need to be distinct from those in Item 1 – due to the much larger scale of project within these redevelopment areas.

3. PUDs: Yes, we rely heavily on PUDs, and yes, they involve (in theory) a wide-open range of possible land uses and intensities, and yes, they result in a unique set of zoning rules that may be difficult to track over time. Yet, they seem to work well in Madison. I am very interested in Cunningham’s advice about potential alternatives. Perhaps integrating review procedures associated with 1. a. above, could constrain the wide-open potential of PUDs to be consistent with adopted Sub-Area Plans for the redevelopment sites, and could require the more direct involvement of neighbors sooner in the process. However, I am stumped as to how to avoid the creation of a site specific zoning district that balances the interests of all stakeholders and the ever-changing market conditions. I am looking forward to learning about other communities’ experience from our consultants.

4. Pallet of Zoning Districts: Obviously a key issue. We should get to this ASAP. In my experience, having a few extra zoning districts oriented to both character and use, can substantially reduce the need for PUDs, Overlay Districts, Area Exceptions and related procedures. This can be an especially effective approach for addressing areas where “Overzoning” is currently present – actual development is far less intensive or diverse in use than current zoning would allow.

5. Sustainability: How proactive is appropriate? Let’s get a handle on this ASAP. Our community will always be pushing on this issue – and I am proud of that reality. A special Workshop and/or subcommittee on this issue may also be the most effective way to get a good head start.

Other important issues will emerge, but I think these will be among the most important. Please work with the Consultants to consider how to effectively integrate their expertise with neighborhood, developer and other stakeholders and the Committee.

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Channel 12 moving to 994!!

Two pieces of news from Madison City Channel:

First, Madison City Channel is thrilled to announce that we have once again been named as finalists in the annual Programming Awards competition for the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA). For the eighth time out of the lastT nine years, we are finalists in the category of "Video Text/Bulletin Boards" for Tanya Anderson's fine work on our Community Bulletin Board. We will find out our final standing at the annual NATOA conference, held this year in Atlanta, at the awards banquet on September 19. Wish us luck and join us in celebrating our successes!

Secondly, after nearly thirty-five years on cable channel 12, we have been informed that on August 12, Madison City Channel will be moving on the Charter cable system to channel 994. This move is a direct consequence of the passage of the so-called "Video Competition Act" by the Wisconsin Legislature last year. We will be part of Charter's new "Public Affairs Neighborhood" which will include channels such as Wisconsin Eye (channel 995) and the various C-Span channels (996-998).

Even though this "Public Affairs Neighborhood" will still be part of Charter's broadcast basic tier of service, after August 12 you will need a digital converter box or a television with a built-in "QAM tuner" to continue to receive Madison City Channel. If you are currently a subscriber to any of Charter's digital services and have a converter box, you're all set. No additional action nor expense on your monthly bill will be needed. If you don't have any digital services, please contact Charter to arrange to add a digital converter box to your service. It is my understanding that Charter will shortly begin carrying Madison City Channel on both 12 and 994 until August 12th.

While changing our channel location after all these years is certainly a challenge, there's no question that digital television is the future, so we are optimistic this transition will go smoothly. Also, you will still as always be able to access virtually all of Madison City Channel's award-winning programming through our website at www.madisoncitychannel.tv.

Please stay tuned for more information as we get closer to the transition date of August 12. Keep checking our channel and the website as always, and as usual thanks for your continued support of Your City - Your Government - Your Channel - Madison City Channel!

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4 Ideas for Madison Stay-cations

Or . . . something to do with your guests when they come to town!
Have historic high gas prices, area flooding and closed highways put a damper on your family’s vacation plans? Don’t cancel your vacation, but instead have a Madison STAY-CATION!

Madison has one of the best parks systems in the nation with 270 parks and 6100 acres. Madison parks offer one public swimming pool, 10 beaches, 4 premiere golf courses, award-winning Olbrich Botanical Gardens & Warner Park Community-Recreation Center, 4 off-leash dog exercise areas, and 14 conservation parks with over 20 miles of hiking trails. Madison Parks has something for everyone!!

GOLFING

Madison STAY-CATION
1, 2, 3, FORE Premiere Golf Courses!

Glenway – This lush 9-hole course is suited for any golfer; whether you’re a regular on the green, swinging a club for the first time, or somewhere in between! PGA Professional Bill Scheer serves as director of the course and has helped tremendously in building the course’s upstanding reputation over the years. Don’t forget to stop by the Pro Shop and pick up the latest golfing gear or sign up for lessons with qualified golf instructors!

Glenway Golf Course
3747 Speedway Road
Madison, WI 53705
(608) 266-4737
Hours: 6:30am-7pm Sun-Sat

Monona¬ – Want to play on the same course as golf greats Steve Stricker or Jerry Kelley? Come play on the Monona Golf Course located on Madison’s eastside, across from the scenic Lake Monona! This 9-regulation hole course features all natural grass tees along with a clubhouse that has all of the amenities. Come to the Pro Shop and let PGA Professional Rob Muranyi take care of all your golfing needs from apparel to equipment.
Monona Golf Course
111 East Dean Avenue
Madison, WI 53716
(608) 266-4736
Hours: 6:00am-Dark
Odana Hills – A popular course on the westside and home to several major city tournaments throughout the year, the Odana Hills Golf Course is the place to be among golfers of any level! Conveniently located just off the Beltline Highway, this course continues to attract a large daily crowd with its long greens and driving ranges! Within the course’s clubhouse you’ll find everything you need from dining services, changing facilities, and of course a Pro Shop where PGA Professional Thomas Benson can help you achieve that perfect swing!
Odana Hills Golf Course
18-Hole Regulation Course
4635 Odana Road
Madison, WI 53711
Hours: 6am-7pm Sun-Sat

Yahara Hills – Did you know that the 1977 Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship game was played at the Yahara Hills Golf Course? This course has served as the host to numerous tournaments at both state and national levels, and features a 40,000 square ft practice area. As Madison’s largest facility with two18 hole courses, stay-cationers will have the chance to play on spacious greens with breathtaking views. Tom Rechlicz, is a PGA Professional head at the Pro Shop that features a “Free Demo Program” where people can try out the latest golf clubs!

Yahara Hills Golf Course
36-Hole Regulation Course
6701 E. Broadway
Madison, WI 53716
TEL: (608) 838-3126
Hours: 6:34- until dark Sun-Sat


*Each of the courses offers a variety of annual and season passes, special discounts for seniors at excellent rates, and lessons for all ages!*

ENJOY NATURE

Madison STAY-CATION
Discover Madison’s Wildside

Madison STAY-CATION Package – Discover Madison’s Wildside
If your family’s vacations involve hiking, birding, and quiet back to nature time, look no further than your own backyard. Madison Parks has 14 conservation park encompassing 1500 acres, and 20 miles of hiking trails. Each park offers its own unique features and views of Madison.

All of the parks can be accessed by bicycle and most by metro bus.

Get outside with your family and discover a side of Madison – Discover Madison’s Wildside!

Cherokee Marsh
North Unit
6098 North Sherman Avenue
(3.4 miles of trails)
South Unit
5002 School
(3.1 miles of trails)
Lake Mendota Unit
104 W. Sauthoff Road
(0.6 miles of trails)
Strategically located at the heard of Madison’s lakes, Cherokee Marsh acts as a living sponge. It filters upland runoff, using excess fertilizer to grow marsh plants, and slowly releasing cleaner water to the lakes below. The marsh is used by thousands of students each year for environmental education.
(Total for all units – 1210 acres)

Edna Taylor Conservation Park
802 Femrite Drive
A glacial drumlin rising above a broad ribbon of marsh forms the backbone of this southeast Madison park. Ongoing projects include oak savanna and wetland restoration. Nearby Glendale School and Leopold Nature Center use it extensively for environmental education.
(1.3 miles of trails on 56 acres)

Elvehjem Sanctuary
1314 Painted Post Drive
Located within Elvehjem Park, the Sanctuary is a red oak-basswood forest on a northwest-facing hillside with exposed sandstone bedrock. Trails through Acewood Greenway connect the Sanctuary to Heritage Prairie.
(1.2 miles of trails on 9 acres)

Heritage Sanctuary
600 Meadowlark Drive
At peak trillium bloom in mid-May, Heritage Sanctuary is unequaled. Under an oak forest canopy lays a wildflower carpet more typical of a maple forest. The winding trail takes you through this unusual woodland community.
(0.5 miles of trails on 8.5 acres)

Heritage Prairie
5415 Queensbridge Road
In contrast to the rich woods of Heritage Sanctuary is Heritage Prairie, one-half mile southeast. Although grazed, a remnant of dry prairie persisted on a thin layer of soil over the rocky hillside. This area also features some picturesque open-grown Bur Oaks.
(12 acres)

Hiestand Woods
4302 Milwaukee Street
Large red oaks dominate this wooded park located on a northern slope. Trilliums cover the ground with a blanket of white during May.
(0.3 miles of trails on 11 acres)

Kettle Pond
5805 Old Middleton Road
The retreat of the glacier 10,000 years ago left many ‘kettle holes’ in the Madison area. A pond surrounded by woods provides habitat for a variety of wildlife in this small park.
(0.4 miles of trails on 8 acres)

Knollwood Park
3334 Westview Lane
Black oaks are the dominant tree on this sandy knoll. A diverse 2-acre sand prairie lies below. It forms part of the connecting link between Aldo Leopold School and the Nine Springs E-Way.
(0.75 miles of trails on 14 acres)

Owen Conservation Park
6021 Old Sauk Road
On a hilltop overlooking Madison’s west side, this park was the farm and personal retreat of former University Professor Edward T. Owen. Today, prairies and oak savannas have risen like a phoenix to reclaim the landscape. Coneflowers, goldenrod and bluestem are among the many plants that yield a harvest of ever-changing color and texture throughout the year.
(3.4 miles of trails on 93 acres)

Paunack (A.O.) Park
6399 Bridge Road
One of the last marshes on Lake Monona, this park is located on Squaw Bay at the Yahara River outlet. It is one feature of the bicycle trail circling Lake Monona.

Prairie Ridge
2406 Berkley Drive
The major feature in this park is a diverse prairie remnant located on a steep slope. This park is part of an open space corridor that eventually will be linked to the National Ice Age Trail.
(0.8 miles of trails on 48 acres)

Sandburg Woods
2902 Independence Lane
Adjacent to Sandburg School, this park contains a rich diversity of oak woodland wild flowers. It is part of a parkway strip. From the trails there is evidence of the July 1991 windstorm that blew down many large trees. These canopy openings will provide space for a new generation of oak and hickory trees.
(0.3 miles of trails on 20 acres)

Stricker’s Pond
7214 Longmeadow Road
This glacial “kettle pond” is an excellent place to view migrating waterfowl during spring and fall. The adjacent woods and restored prairie provide a diverse habitat for a variety of wildlife.
(0.8 miles of trails on 14 acres in Middleton and Madison)

Turville Point Park
1156 Olin Turville Court
This 65-acre natural gem borders the shores of Lake Monona, a short walk from downtown. Large red, bur and white oaks provide the canopy under which a variety of spring wildflowers bloom. A 7-acres prairie opening adds to the diversity of the site.
(3.1 miles of trails on 65 acres)

GET WET!
Of course, you'll want to avoid the Monona Lake Beaches.

STAY-CATION Package #1 – Ready, Set - Get Wet!
We’ve waited a long time for summer to arrive. And now we’re ready to dive in! Madison Parks offers a variety of places for Madisonians to cool off and get wet!

Get Wet #1 - Goodman Pool - Madison’s first public swimming pool opened in 2006. Madison families have been riding the ‘waves’ of fun ever since! Families have discovered the tremendous value of the pool. A family season membership is only $145. That comes to $13 a week!

Stay-Cationers at Goodman Pool will enjoy the 1000 person capacity, 2 waterslides, 8 lane 25-meter lap area with diving boards, and a number of shallow water play features for pre-school aged children, The pool area is complete with a sand play area, concessions, and family changing rooms. It's a great place to spend your summer!

To save even more money on gas, take Madison Metro bus #13 to the pool, or ride your bike! The pool is right off of the Wingra Creek bike trail and has ample space to park and lock your bike.

Goodman Pool, 325 Olin Ave., 264-9292 www.cityofmadison.com/parks/pool
Open/Family Swim Times, Monday-Friday Days 12:30p.m.-4:30p.m.
Monday-Friday Evenings, 6:15p.m.-8:00p.m.
Saturday-Sunday, Noon-7:00p.m.

Daily Admission: Youth, 1-18, $2.50, Adult $4.00

Get Wet #2 – Cypress SprayPark – Located on Madison’s south side, on the corner of Cypress Way and Magnolia Lane, the spray park offers families and kids a fun, safe and cost-free place to meet friends and ... get wet! Get really wet! It opened in 2007 to rave reviews. Thousands of children cooled off last summer under the cascading water features, and spray features.

Located only a 1.5 blocks from the south side metro transfer point, this spraypark is the perfect place for families to save money, gas and have a great time!

Cypress SprayPark, 902 Magnolia Lane, Madison
Hours, open daily through Labor Day from 11:00a.m. – 7:00p.m.


Get Wet #3 – Public Beaches
As a city uniquely built on an isthmus, Madison is surrounded by 15,429 acres of sparkling lakes. The Madison Parks Division has 13 public beaches, 10 of which have lifeguard services. Each beach provides a unique view of Lake Monona, Lake Mendota or Lake Wingra. Bring a picnic, a blanket and your sunscreen!

The Public Health Department monitors the daily condition of the beaches. Please be sure to check their website for daily closings and conditions reports.

Major Beaches, Daily Hours 11:00a.m. – 7:00p.m.
• BB Clarke Beach, 835 Spaight Street
• Olbrich Beach, 3527 Atwood Ave.
• Tenney Beach, 1254 Sherman Ave.
• Vilas Beach, 1339 Vilas Park Drive

Smaller Beaches, Daily Hours, 12:30p.m.-4:30p.m.
• Bernies Beach, 901 Gilson Street
• Esther Beach, 2802 Waunona Way
• James Madison Beach, 614 E. Gorham Street
• Spring Harbor Beach, 1918 Norman Way
• Olin Beach, 1155 Olin-Turville Court
• Warner Beach, 1101 Woodward Drive

MUSIC

Madison STAY-CATION Package #2 – The Parks are Alive with the Sound of Music
A perfect summer evening in Madison Parks? How about getting outside, hanging out with friends and family, spreading out a picnic on a blanket and listening to a free concert.

We are very fortunate in Madison. Madison Parks offer a week’s worth of free concerts for families to enjoy during their Madison STAY-CATION. See below for an example Madison STAY-CATION package for the week of July 7-13.

Weekly Free Concerts in Madison Parks
Mondays, June 16, 23, 30 and July 14, 21 28, 6:00p.m.-7:30p.m.
Warner Park Concerts, sponsored by North Eastside Senior Coalition
Warner Park Shelter, corner of Sherman Ave. and Northport Drive

Tuesdays, June 3 – July 29, 7:00p.m. Concerts in the Gardens
Olbrich Botanical Gardens, 3330 Atwood Ave.

Wednesdays, June 25 – July 30, 7:00p.m.
Concerts on the Square, Capitol Square

Wednesday, August 6 – September 3, 5:00p.m.
Jazz at Five
100 Block State Street

Thursdays, June 5 – August 28, 7:00p.m.
Capitol City Band Concert
Rennebohm Park, 115 N. Eau Claire Street

Thursday, July 3 – August 14, 7:15p.m.
Back Porch Concerts
Dean House, 4718 Monona Drive

Saturdays, June 7 – August 30, 1:00p.m. – 3:00p.m.
Folk on State
500 Block State Street, Peace Park

Saturdays, April 26 – November 1, various times
Dane County Farmers’ Market on the Capitol Square
Various local musicians set up a chair and donation box.

Special Events in Parks with music
June Events
June 7-8 – Marquette Waterfront Festival, Yahara Place Park
June 14 – Jazz in the Park, Wingra Park
June 21 – Blues Picnic, Warner Park
June 28 – Rhythm & Booms, Warner Park

July Events
July 12-13 - Art Fair on the Square, Capitol Square
July 18-20 – Maxwell Street Days, State Street
July 26 – Opera in the Park, Garner Park
July 26 – Fiesta Hispana, Warner Park

August Events
August 16 – Africa Fest, Warner Park
August 22-24 – Orton Park Festival, Orton Park
August 30-31 – Taste of Madison, Capitol Square

Madison STAY-CATION Example for the week of Tuesday, July 8- Monday July 14

Tuesday, July 8 – pack a picnic, and a blanket and ride your bike out to Olbrich Botanical Garden for Concerts in the Garden. Today’s performance by Claudia Russell, eclectic folk music.

Wednesday, July 9 – Pack another picnic from the yummy finds at the Wednesday Farmers Market, bring a bottle of wine, and a blanket and enjoy the music of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra while lounging on the Capitol Grounds. This week’s highlights are Sound the Trumpet, Ryan Anthony.

Thursday, July 10 – What to do? Two great concerts to choose from! East siders can enjoy the Back Porch Concerts at the Dean House on Monona Drive next to Monona Golf Course. (Heck, come early and play 9 holes!) Westsiders can enjoy the Capitol City Band Concert at Rennebohm Park. Come early with the kids and let them climb on the new climbing net in the playground.

Friday, July 11 –Make your own music in your neighborhood park. Invite your neighbors and your friends to your neighborhood park for an impromptu jam session. Who knows – maybe you’ll meet a new neighbor or discover a new talent!

Saturday, July 12 – Head downtown for a full day of music fun. Art Fair on the Square has 2 stages for music. After the Art Fair, enjoy a free concert at Peace Park, 500 block of State Street for Folk on State. Today’s artists are Matt Watroba and Tret Fure.

Sunday, July 13 – Enjoy another fun-filled day at Art Fair on the Square.

Monday, July 14 – Pack a picnic, grab a blanket and a friend and go to Warner Park for the Warner Park Concerts. Concerts are at the shelter. They begin at 6p.m. Today’s performance is by Kydd and Byrd.

MORE TO COME
More Madison Stay-Cation Packages to come.....

• Take Me Out to the Ball Game
• Dog Days of Summer
• Parks Garden Tours
• Volunteer Stay-Cations
• Get Fit Stay-Cation

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Thousands of Gallons of Sewage Close Beaches

Ick. No swimming in Lake Monona!

BEACH CLOSINGS ON LAKE MONONA ANNOUNCED
Sewage Release Cited

Madison WI – June 27, 2008- Public Health Madison and Dane County (PHMDC) has closed all Lake Monona beaches until further notice. An automobile accident in Monona this morning at 12:30 a.m. knocked out both electric power feeds to the Madison Metropolitan Sewage District (MMSD) pumping station on Bridge Road. Power was not restored until 4:45 a.m. Sewage backed up in the system and eventually overflowed into Squaw Bay and into the Yahara River at Bridge Road.

MMSD officials believe that it is possible that quite a few basements in the area may have been affected, although there are no specific reports at this time. Actual volumes of the overflow will be determined within the next few days, but it is estimated that at least several thousand gallons were released.

Sewage contains high levels of pathogenic microorganisms and contact with this water may cause illness. Therefore swimming in contaminated waters carries significant health risks. Swallowing water while swimming is unavoidable and it exposes the swimmer to a high risk of contacting gastro-intestinal illnesses. The same kind of risk exists for wading, playing or diving in these waters.

The PHMDC laboratory carries out regular testing of all Madison beaches. Updated information on the status of all beaches, including those that are now closed is available at www.cityofmadison.com/beaches .

This sewage release could also impact the lakes downstream of Lake Monona, including Lake Waubesa and Lake Kegonsa.

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Passionate James Madison Park Testimony

Thanks to everyone who showed up to give us your opinions on James Madison Park. We heard testimony on whether the land under Lincoln School in James Madison Park should be moved (er, I mean sold!), should the three houses be sold, should the land under them be sold, should the houses be moved and a few other things.

We also received the official statements from the Tenney Lapham Neighborhood, Capital Neighborhoods and the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation. Here's a summary of what the individuals who showed up to the standing room only hearing had to say:

1. Someone from outside the neighborhood came to ask that we don't sell parkland by the lake. The parks are our heritage and once we give it away, we will never get it back. Move the houses or tear them down. Parks Commission has already said not to sell the land. Developers can develop elsewhere.

2. A neighborhood resident said to save the park space. Ok to move the houses in the park closer to each other. Collins House should remain a community use. Others should be community use too - suggested a Madison history museum or center for research and study for sustainable Maidson. Don't sell the buildings without the land. Land under Lincoln school should be used for green space and lake access. The land behind Lincoln School (parkland) is not working out.

3. Madison Trust board member and downtown resident spoke in support of selling land under Lincoln School with restrictions - no adding on to the building, no building on the parking ramp,if the building is damaged City can buy it back. Houses should be preserved on site. This is a residential neighborhood not a drive by. These buildings are landmarks and in a historic district and the city did a bad job of maintaining the buildings. THis is an opportunity to demonstrate imaginative reuse of buildings.

4. Madison Trust board member and owner of two properties (one owner-occupied, one rental) across the street supports sale of land with restrictions. Would like to see three houses in private ownership because the City is not maintaining the properties. City should keep the land. Moving the houses would be a mistake because these houses have a familial relationship as well as a common architect. This is a National Register District and they are working to make it a local one. There is lots of investment going on in the neighborhood and the idea of a driveby overlook is foolish. There's lots of investment going on in the neighborhood and we should get some investment in these historic houses.

5. TLNA President said the neighborhood has extensive and heartfelt discussions over the last two years. It was unanimous to keep the three houses in place. Split over whether to sell the land under school, however they voted and agreed that it was ok to sell the land under the school with restrictions. City should get a realistic appraisal of the value of that land and should be able to buy the land back if anything happens to the building. The houses need to be sold to someone more dedicated to restoring them, unlike the city. Parks should keep the land under the houses. If you want views and site lines, take down the "brutalist architecture" silos/stacks on the shelter. There is a nice garden and new cafe there. He said 2.3 of the proceeds should be used to improve James Madison Park.

4. Former owner of the Collins House Bed and Breakfast testified that the houses should not be moved. During the time they worked there they talked to family members of all the houses and keeping the houses is important to preserve that history. The houses are landmarks and Claude and Starcks - theres still the whole shoreland behind them to develop for the park. He said the City of Madison is a lousy landlord. Not because of the people, but the fact that there isn't one Madison. The departments in the City of Madison don't agree and alders from outside the district don't understand the issues. If the houses are sold, the land under them should be sold to.

5. Spokesperson for ULI, that owns Lincoln School spoke to clarify that the proposal was to buy the land at the actual appraised value and $600,000 was just a minimum. Reiterated that this was a Madison Landmark and on the National Trust. He said that the City had a provision to buy back the land if anything happened to the school. The price would be the original price plus a CPI adjuster. He also clarified the property sold was limited to the land directly under the building plus the subterranean rights for the parking, the land above the parking is park land. They support the Madison Trust restrictions on selling the land - no new denisity, no docks, no additional land to be sold.

6. The person who bought all the Kozak properties said that we need to improve James Madison Park. If the money is needed he supports selling the land under the school. He thinks its ok to move the houses to Blount Street, but only if they stay in the neighborhood and stay together. If the houses are moved, they would be sold for a minimal price.

7. A neighborhood resident said the Collins house should remain a public purpose. The houses should not be moved. Doesn't want the land sold under the school. This land was preserved for us, and we should preserve it for others.

8. A neighborhood resident said the houses needed to be in private ownership to maintain the buildings and they should stay on site, the city should keep the land. The houses have historic significance that we can never get back. This has value to the entire City of Madison, not just the neighborhood. The context of the buildings needs to be maintained. He was also in favor of keeping the land under Lincoln School and wanted to make sure there was no building on the land above the parking garage.

9. A downtown/Marquette resident urged us to look at the history of what has happened here. He said if we moved the houses we are forfeiting a part of their historic character. He noted that these houses have a relationship to the recently moved Conklin House which is also a Claude and Starck. He also noted that we need to maintain the connections that exist. Ok to alter the Kenton Peters shelter for a better view. Private ownership might be preferrable to maintain the houses but the city should keep the land. Giving up the land under Lincoln School is giving up something. While he had high regard for the work done to the building and the people who did it, didn't seem in favor of selling the land. Also supports condos and development, but didn't think this should be a place for new development.

10. A "far west sider" came to say that she is "in love with the views of the lake" and takes visitors to see the lakes. She said it would be a shame to sell the land. It's not appropriate to sell land for an operating budget. She said it was ok to sell the houses and it would be "wonderful to keep them where they are" but it might be ok to move them as well.

11. A neighborhood resident supports keeping the houses where they are. He likened it to the park in Philadelphia where the houses we a central feature of the park and a part of the history. Opposed to selling any of the land, it is important to keep the land in case the structures go. He said we needed to honor the relationship of the builidngs and didn't want them moved. If any were moved, it should be the smaller one on the end.

12. Former Mayor, Joe Sensenbrenner, who lives two blocks east of the park thinks that we should be very wary of selling the park land. He thought it was to the advantage to neighborhood and city as a whole is to improve the parkscape and to remember young kids use the park too. He is in favor of relocating the houses on teh same side of or across the street. He, himself lives in a Claude and Starck house. He ended by thanking the committee and everyone who showed up.

13. A person who lives in Lincoln school spoke to the fact that the people who live in the school will likely be relocated because they cannot afford the new condos. He reminded us that most people talked about historic value or scenic value - but this is about the people who use the parks. He doesn't think that the things we are talking about will increase the use of the park. He also noted that the new condo owners aren't going to like the people who use the park being in their backyard. He doesn't think the improvements that can be made for the relatively small amount of money we would get from the sale of the land would end up disappointing us. Said ULI is a good landlord, the people in the building respect it and the park.

14. A neighborhood residents opposes selling any of the land. He thought the houses should be moved or knocked down. Thought the bed and breakfast could be moved to the end of Blount Street and then make Blount between Gorham and Johnson a culdesac. He noted that Lincoln School would be a good community center because his kids have to cross, Johnson, E Washington and Williamson St. to get to a Neighborhood Center and the activities they have there. He even suggested moving the boathouse. He said teh silos/stacks could be removed, perhaps the entire shelter. Noted he helps a bit with the gardens and picks up garbage in the parks.

15. A neighborhood resident opposes moving the houses. Ok with selling land under Lincoln school and the houses.

The meeting was just a bit over an hour. The new Parks Superintendent literally had to stand the entire meeting because there were not enough chairs. When Alder Verveer arrived, they had to scramble to find a chair from another room.

Our next meeting is July 9 at 5:00 room tbd. If you have comments you would like to share, please send them to drolfs@cityofmadison.com, swidstrand@cityofmadison.com or me. We'll make sure they get to the committee. At our next meeting there is also another opportunity for public comment, but we'd like to get to discussion.
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Tenney-Lapham Art Walk on Sunday

Here's the details.

7th Annual Tenney-Lapham Art Walk
Sun, 29-Jun-2008, 1:00 pm (4:00 hrs)

The 7th Annual Tenney/Lapham Art Walk will take place on Sunday, June 29 from 1-5 pm. You can park in the parking lot of Christ Church on the 900 block of East Gorham. The walk starts at 408 Washburn Place where maps will be given out. Contact: billredinger@gmail.com if you have any questions.

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James Madison Park - What Should Happen?

Come tell us your opinion tonight!

I've blogged for the past few years about this topic about improvements needed to the park, what should happen to the houses and should the land under Lincoln School be sold (my position essentially hasn't changed since I wrote that in Feb 2006), budget battles (2007 Day 1, 2007 Day 2, 2006), the stalling in appointing a committee and then being told to hurry up. Finally, the Mayor appointed the committee and we are having our third meeting. Tonight, we want to hear from you!

Here's the agenda.

The meeting info is:
Date: June 26, 2008
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: City County Building (Room 108 - Parks Dept. Conf. Room)

If you can't make it, send an email to me (district2@cityofmadison.com) or the staff, Dan Rolfs (drolfs@cityofmadison.com).
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Zoning Code Rewrite Update

I know it's tempting not to read this . . . but really, its important!!

From staff:

This is an update regarding the Zoning Code Rewrite project. On June 9th, the City's consultants (Cuningham Group Architecture P.A. and White and Smith) met with the Plan Commission to discuss their initial findings after reviewing the City's current Zoning Code. On June 10th, the consultants met with the Zoning Code Rewrite Advisory Committee to discuss the same issues. The meeting minutes and Meeting Summary documents can be found at the following City of Madison Legistar web-site addresses

The meeting minutes and Meeting Summary report for the June 10th Zoning Code Rewrite Advisory Committee can be found here.

The meeting minutes and Meeting Summary report for the June 9th Plan Commission meeting can be found here.

These documents will also be added to the City's Zoning Code Rewrite website.

Agendas for the upcoming July 7th, 2008 Plan Commission meeting (5:00 p.m. City-County Building Room 201) and the July 8th, 2008 (5:30 p.m., Madison Senior Center) Zoning Code Rewrite Advisory Committee meeting are forthcoming. I will send you the agendas as soon as they are available.

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Civil Rights Leaders Wanted!

Do you know a Madisonian that has been working hard on Civil Rights issues that should get some public recognition?

Here's the scoop from staff:

The Department of Civil Rights - Equal Opportunities Division is seeking nominations for the Reverend James C. Wright Human Rights Award to be presented at the Annual Celebration of Diversity Picnic on Thursday, July 17, 2008 at Warner Park. The Award is presented in honor of the late Reverend James C. Wright, who served as Executive Director of the Equal Opportunities Commission from its inception in 1968 until his retirement in 1992.

Nominees should share Rev. Wright's dedication to and compassion for civil and human rights and conduct their daily life consistent with these values. Recipients may be an adult, youth or organization and be a resident of or working in the Madison Metropolitan area whose work has impacted the City of Madison. They must be or been actively involved or providing leadership in grassroots-type effort(s) that is/are related to civil or human rights. Recipients may not have been recognized for their involvement for this particular effort or program within the last two-year. Nominee(s) must have demonstrated a long-term commitment to civil or human rights in the Madison community or elsewhere as well as a commitment and dedication to treating people with respect and dignity. The deadline for nominations is Friday, June 27, 2008 at 4:30 p.m. Past recipients include: Jacqueline Wright, 1996; Dr. Richard H. Harris, 1997; Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson; 1998; Helen Vukelich, 1999; Anthony “Nino” Amato, 2000; John Noreika, Sr., 2001; Dr. John Y. Odom, 2002; Peter Muńoz, 2003; Earnestine Moss, 2004; Jonathan “Jon” Gramling, 2005; Agnes Gutierrez Cammer, 2006 and Jeffery Erlanger, 2007.

Visit our website at www.cityofmadison.com/dcr for additional information.

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Was your property damaged in the flooding?

The City wants to know!

Private Property Storm Damage

The City of Madison is collecting private property storm-related damage in the event FEMA assistance becomes available to our area.

Report Private Property Storm Damage to City here.
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Homeless Advocacy - Washed Away

When I went to lunch yesterday there was a huge chalk message outside of the City County Building. When I came back, it was gone.

I wish I had been quick enough to snap a picture. The chalking was directed at Mayor Dave and the person who did it (Ed K. signed his name and left his phone number) was upset with the Mayor for not supporting the homeless and I think because the person didn't get a phone call. The message asked why the Mayor was cruel to the homeless. From reading the message, I wasn't sure which issue related to the homeless the person was upset about. (There's so many . . . random dna testing of arrested "transients", the sweep of the homeless after the Brittany Zimmerman murder, the attempt to remove people from various parks, the "banned" lists, the Truman Olson issue, the downtown "crack down" supported by DMI and the Mayor, last year's budget votes, 3 incidents I that I'm hoping lawsuits get filed over or who knows what else, its hard to keep track of. Which reminds me, with all those arrests of the homeless/"transients", why have none of them been charged with murder?)

Anyways, back to the chalking. I had gone to meet my board president at 1 W Wilson and we noticed it around noon. We ran into someone from the Mayor's office on the way to lunch who hadn't yet seen it. By the time I came back at for a meeting at 2:00, the chalking was gone.

It was an interesting way to get your message across. And it made me really curious which issue made the person so mad that they spent that time leaving the message for Mayor Dave.

Meanwhile, across the street, the CDA subcommittee was busy deciding that the Truman Olson (Park Street) site should not be used for the homeless but instead should be used for economic development. The proposal is short on information. Most of it literally missing from the materials to be voted on, but the theory goes that they will buy the land from the Army (instead of the Army giving it to Porchlight for FREE), also buy another piece of land elsewhere in the City of Madison to give to Porchlight, and then buy more property for Goodwill, and then somehow the City will take the Truman Olson property and make money on the deal or at least break even. It doesn't make any sense to me. And without any details, it seems crazy. The Council will be voting on it on July 15th and they'd better have more details (a budget?) by then!
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The Week Ahead

It's Monday again . . . looks like it will be a nice day!

Monday, June 23, 2008
12:00 PM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE ROOM LL-130 MMB

• Truman Olson Including their official excuse for why they want to buy the site instead of having it be given to a non-profit that works with the homeless.
  
• Lakepointe (no link)
  
• Villager (no link)
  

2:00 PM CCOC SUBCOMMITTEE TO REVIEW CITY HIRING PRACTICES AND POLICIES ROOM 417 CCB

• We're getting close to finishing our recommendations.
  

4:30 PM BOARD OF ESTIMATES ROOM 310 - CCB

• Finally signing a contract for Fair Housing Services - for 2007.
• Moving Administrative Office for Madison Metro (and paying more?)
• Approving the Long Range Metro Plan

Tuesday, June 24, 2008
3:00 PM JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT PUBLIC HEARING 809 S. THOMPSON, EAST DISTRICT POLICE STATION

• Police department to spend money on drug rehab, prevention and education . . . just kidding. Narcotic and Drug Task Force, new equipment (what? I don't know.), drug court and victim/witness program.
  

5:00 PM DOWNTOWN PLAN PUBLIC MEETING 211 STATE STREET, WISCONSIN STUDIO

• Visitors and Tourists
• Recreation, Culture & Entertainment
  

5:00 PM PEDESTRIAN/BICYCLE/MOTOR VEHICLE COMMISSION ROOM LL-110 MMB

• Junction Rd/Mineral Point
• Street sweeping program
• Two-way W Gilman
  

Wednesday, June 25, 2008
8:00 AM EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION BOARD ROOM LL-120 MMB

• Making recommendations for funding for the next two years
  

5:00 PM DOWNTOWN PLAN PUBLIC MEETING 211 STATE STREET, WISCONSIN STUDIO

• Moving Around
  
• Downtown Working and Business
  

5:35 PM COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION 119 E OLIN AVE

• Making recommendations for funding for programs for the next two years.
  

Thursday, June 26, 2008
12:00 PM HOUSING AFFORDABILITY SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE HOUSING COMMITTEE ROOM LL-130 MMB

• Working on recommendations for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund
  

5:00 PM DOWNTOWN PLAN PUBLIC MEETING 211 STATE STREET, WISCONSIN STUDIO

• Downtown Living
• Sense of Place(s)
  

5:30 PM JAMES MADISON PARK PROPERTY PLANNING COMMITTEE ROOM 108 CCB

• Public Hearing on what should happen to the houses in the park.
  

5:35 PM COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION 119 E OLIN AVE

• More funding decisions.
  

Friday, June 27, 2008
It's not on the schedule yet, but Friday the Inclusionary Zoning Oversight Committee is working towards its final recommendations. It's a four hour meeting! Since we haven't voted to repeal or sunset, we are working on recommendations to improve the ordinance. Hopefully at some point this week I'll be able to post some of the info on where we are at.

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Inclusionary Zoning Recommendations

The Mayor asked the Inclusionary Zoning Committee to come up with recommendations for the Inclusionary Zoning Program. Today, the committee will begin the discussion about final recommendations. Here's my very rough (and sleepless) draft of some potential changes and they are likely to be modified, added to or some may be eliminated. Hopefully we will come up with a final package in the next few weeks.

STAFF OFFSET NEGOTIATIONS

The Mayor should have staff meet when negotiating staff offsets with developers. One staff person should be lead to negotiate on behalf of the City and be instructed to place a priority on creating affordable housing with offsets provided from various departments including Fire, Parks, Engineering, Planning and other departments as appropriate.

The lead negotiator for the City should encourage a discussion about the use of MGO 28.04(26)(d)2.p. which allows offsets for “Other offsets specific to the development”.

IZ UNIT PRICING

Re-evaluate the formula that links the number of the people in a household to the price of home they can purchase. Consider requiring the family size to match the number of bedrooms in the home that is purchased.

Analyze the AMI levels that are targeted and compare it to current lending practices and available housing stock and consider either lowering or raising the targeted AMI levels as appropriate.

CONSIDER FEWER UNITS AT LOWER INCOME TARGETS

Consider lowering the 15% of the units requirement for Inclusionary Zoning Units in exchange for targeting lower income households.

MARKETING
Have the City income qualify the list of potential home owners who qualify for Inclusionary Dwelling Units.

Remove the bump out period to eliminate generally acknowledged games played during the marketing of the inclusionary zoning units.

Have the City Market the units.

Have the City purchase the Inclusionary Zoning units when the units are available for occupancy.

OFFSETS and WAIVER

Remove the offsets and waiver analysis and in exchange lower the 15% requirement to 10%, but make it mandatory.

Evaluate if the offset model formulas are giving us the results we had anticipated.

SERVICES

Provide housing counseling services to first time homebuyers.

Consider hiring buyer agents to deal with additional costs that developers try to charge for amenities (parking, storage) that are included in the sales of other housing units.

The City of Madison should participate more actively in 1^st time homebuyers roundtable and proactively market the Inclusionary Zoning Program.

The City of Madison should educate professionals in the real estate and banking industry, correcting the many myths and focusing on changes to the ordinance.

MARKET ADJUSTMENTS

Develop a mechanism to adjust for changes in the market measured at the time the units are being built, as opposed to the time when the units are approved.

PAYMENTS IN LIEU

Any payments made in lieu of the creating units should cover the at least 80% of the cost to create an additional unit.

NAME CHANGE

Consider changing the name of the program and re-brand the program since improvements were made but many still think that the previous flaws in the program still exist.

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PFC: Wasted Time and Paper

Since I have a bit of an environmental theme going with my three previous posts this morning, let me tell you a little story about an exercise in the ridiculous and a wasted ream of paper - and the time of two or three City Staff people.

You know me, I ask questions. I like to find information on-line. Recently, I had heard a certain police officer I am not fond of was getting promoted. I wanted to look into it. So, I went and looked in legistar to find the recent minutes and agendas to see if I could see if this rumor was true. However, the Police and Fire Commission minutes were not in legistar.

My next thought was to try the "Notice of Additional Meetings" (click link at top of page) since the staff person/attorney for the Police and Fire Commission is not a city staff person and they might not have access to the programs to put information into legistar. I found two extremely uninformative (illegal?) agendas about what they may discuss that were incredibly similar, no minutes.

Then, I checked the City of Madison website to see if I could find information about the Police and Fire Commission. Nothing. All I found was a list of people on the committee and a sample of their decisions (not a comprehensive listing).

So, I called the clerk's office. I asked where I could find the agendas and minutes of the meetings. After some looking around and trying to figure out why the information wasn't on-line, they looked for paper. It was hit and miss available on paper but incomplete.

Then, I called the Council Office Staff, and asked Debbie to hunt it down for me. Not knowing what I would find, I asked for the minutes and agendas from the first of the year til now.

After being frustrated, I emailed the city's web guru (yay Sarah!) and the City Attorney and inquired about why this information wasn't available on-line or in the clerk's office and how that agenda could be so vague. I found out that this was an issue about a year ago, memos were exchanged and nothing changed.

So, after two trips to city hall by the attorney for the Police and Fire Commission, a few heated words (not by me!) about why the staff wouldn't say what I was looking for (they didn't know), and some ruffled feathers that I dared to ask for information that is supposed to be available to the public, I received the information I wanted to look at. An entire ream of double sided paper. What a freaking waste! Of time and paper.

More to come, I'm certain.

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Our Shorelands

The deadline to comment on the plan has been extended!. Supervisor Barbara Vedder passed this along:

The deadline for sending comments regarding the draft Dane County Shoreland and Riparian Management Plan has been extended to Monday, July 14, 2008.

The draft plan is located here.

Please send any comments you still have concerning the plan to Brian Standing, Senior Planner with Dane County Planning and Development and project director at:
Brian Standing, (608) 267-4115, standing@co.dane.wi.us.us

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Save Water, Save Energy

Here's some tips on how to do it . . . stolen from the Mpowering Madison Update:

According to city statistics for 2003, the Madison water utility used over twice as much electricity as the next-most consumptive department (Traffic Engineering - including streetlights) and 3 times more than the average of all other departments. Why is water use so expensive in terms of electricity? Madison's water source is an aquifer with wells between 700 and 1100 feet in depth. Electricity powers pumps at the wells, pulling the water up from the aquifer and pumping it to storage facilities and then to the water main pipes and connects smaller water service line pipes to homes and businesses. Why should we worry about conserving water? Besides reducing carbon emissions from the large pumping and heating needs of water, water is a limited resource – less than 1% of the Earth's water is available for human use. Learn more about Madison Water Utility's effort to develop a comprehensive water conservation program for the city. My Water allows you to check past water usage and sign up for electronic (paperless) bills!
Summer Saving Water Tip: water the lawn only when needed. Step on the grass; if it springs back up when you move your foot, it does not need water.

We know it is hard to imagine watering anything right now - but Madison's aquifers are a limited resource and later in the summer sprinklers will be removed from storage.

Find out more about outdoor water conservation tips.

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Mosquitos

Another problem with all this flooding . . . Here's the info from Public Health:

PUBLIC HEALTH MOSQUITO REMINDERS
Heavy Rains and Floods Create Ideal Conditions for Breeding

The recent heavy rains and flooding have created ideal conditions for mosquitoes to breed in large numbers. This is important because of the risk of West Nile Virus, which is spread to people through the bite of an infected mosquito. Although few mosquitoes actually carry the virus, it is always a good idea to minimize your exposure to mosquito bites. Here are a few tips:

• Avoid being outside during times of high mosquito activity, specifically around dawn and dusk
• Use effective mosquito repellant and apply according to the label instructions
• Keep window screens repaired so mosquitoes cannot enter your home
• Dispose of discarded tires, cans or plastic containers left outside that may contain standing water
• Turn over plastic wading pools, hot tub covers, wheel barrows, boats and canoes when not in use
• Keep drains, ditches and culverts clean of trash and weeds so water will drain properly
• Clean gutters and downspouts to ensure they drain properly
• Change the water in bird baths, pet dishes and wading pools every 3-4 days
• Trim tall grass, weeds and vines since mosquitoes use these places to rest during hot daylight hours
• Landscape to prevent water from pooling in low-lying areas
  

Even though there are many large open pools and puddles of water left from the flooding, the issue of water that may have collected in small containers is still of serious concern. The mosquito most likely to carry West Nile virus prefers to breed in the polluted stagnant water in these small containers, so making an effort to empty these containers is highly recommended, even if there is lots of open water on your property.

For more information on mosquitoes and health see here or here.

For information on flood-related health issues see here.

This release has been posted on line here.

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Council Recap

Here's the recap of the meeting that I didn't really tell you about yesterday! (Sorry.) And the meeting that nearly wasn't. The Mayor, the City Attorney and Alders Cnare, Compton and Clear were all missing, making it difficult to do a few things.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
At 5:00 we had a presentation and discussion of the latest (6/19) draft of the Economic Development Plan, which we were handed at the meeting. Alders Brandon, Rummel, Konkel, Schumacher, Clausius, Rhodes-Conway, Gruber, Webber, Kerr and later Judge all attended. 10 of the 16 or 17 alders in town. Alder Pham-Remmele was spotted going to the Chophouse for dinner with her husband instead of attending the meeting. We were joined by members of the public and Economic Development Commission (Sue Gleason, Ed Clarke and Vicky Selkowe). Unfortunately, because we were just handed it, it was hard to have a discussion about the content. Admittedly, it was pretty much the same as in the past, but the formatting was all new and it was somewhat confusing. I think we all agreed tho, that the new format was much preferable than previous drafts of the report. I think we also all agreed that most of us found alot to like in in it and a few things we probably each don't like so much. Concerns of the alders were that too many things were high priorities to be done in 2009, while we all want to create jobs it is not clear what kind of jobs they are (high tech? career ladder? mid-level? etc.), even tho we will be adopting the plan it will only be implemented piecemeal as various alders or the mayor make the plan a priority and many of the things are in progress and perhaps not progressing the way it is in the plan. We were all urged to give the Economic Development Commission our feedback . . . but when I asked, twice, how they wanted that feedback, the answer was not clear.

PASSING OVER 100 ITEMS IN ONE MOTION
After about an hour, we took a break and the council meeting started at approximately 6:30. In addition to the above mentioned people who were absent, Alder Solomon was also late as he was trying to get back to Madison from Milwaukee. With Alder Bruer, or Mr. President, in the chair we all congratulated him as it was his birthday. We did some of our preliminary motions and went quickly to the consent agenda. In one motion, we passed over 100 items including fines for graffiti on "movable objects", allowing ourselves and the mayor to turn back our salaries, reconfiguring funding for Breese Stevens and making improvements so the WIAA soccer tournaments will come back and project for the Garver Feed Mill - and so much more.

SEPARATED ITEMS AND PUBLIC HEARINGS
The items that we didn't pass in the first 10 minutes of the meeting were:

Alcohol Licenses (some in the beginning of the agenda, some on the addendum) - Retail Licenses in Alder Verveer's and Judge's districts had restriction put on them. The restrictions prohibited the following sales: 1) No sale of beer or fermented malt beverages in less than a 6-pack of 12-ounce cans or bottles. This is not applicable to imported or microbrew beers. 2) No sale of fortified wines in any package size. 3) No sale of liquor in bottles of 200 ml or less. The licenses in Alder Rummel's, Kerr's and my district did not have these same restrictions, even tho we are all in the downtown area. We did not add them, with the promise from Alder Schumacher, which I'm sure other alders have promised before, that we would find a way to have a city-wide ordinance. Once again, we took the leap of faith.

BIZARRO MOMENT NUMBER ONE: Did Ron Tractenberg actually call Alder Mike Verveer a "sissy" or "wimpy", accuse him of not listening or failing to comprehend what they were saying, accuse Alder Verveer and the police department using "threats" and of using "strong arm tactics", claim that cheap alcohol was not marketed to alcoholics, that Alder Verveer only did this for "re-election brochures", and the police department refused to get back to him. And did he follow all of that up with this gem that communication is a "two way street". No wonder people don't want to communicate with him. That was the most obnoxious thing I've heard on the council floor in quite some time. Who hires this guy? Obviously, he better go back and read the book on How to Win Friends and Influence People, cuz he has some work to do! He offended people across the political spectrum with his lunatic ranting.

31 S. Henry (#21) - Passed without comment.

Emerging Neighborhood Funds (#46) - This is the so-called "slush fund" that we've tried to rehabilitate and put some process to, but still seems broken in most people's minds. The fund has $200,000 in it and $44,315 we made commitments to last year. There was $24,000 or so that was held back and the rest was allocated to project we voted on last night. We heard from the public (David Glomp) and Alder Thuy on how they needed $10,000 for their neighborhood watch. As Alder Rhodes-Conway pushed Glomp to tell her what they needed for we discovered that these 4 neighborhood watches already existed and that they needed $2,500 for each for "software" because they were not on the same listserves and to communicate with the police department and to print brochures. I'm not kidding.

We also discovered that even though the 40 or so applications were scored, some of the higher scoring projects did not get funded. Some of it was because it was determined that the projects would be better funded through the Office of Community Services process - where the applications were due earlier this month and its not clear if those agencies were instructed to apply for these projects or if there will be additional money to fund them.

BIZZARO MOMENT NUMBER TWO - So, the neighborhood watch issue was strange enough . . . but after alot of whining from Alder Thuy about how her neighborhood groups don't have a meeting space and have to meet in a church (isn't that true for many neighborhood associations?), and how she was the ONE who voted to double this fund from $100,000 to $200,000 and the fact that her district (1 of 20 or 5% of the city) got 36% of the funding and the southwest side of Madison got $70,000 - $80,000 of the approximately $130,000 of funding and that she was on the committee but the process was too rushed. She voted AGAINST the funding. Which momentarily stunned Alder Rummel. I jokingly said "Konkel changes her vote to "no"", but I think some are seriously thinking about reconsidering this decision. Heck, I'm seriously considering it! She gets the most money for her district and still isn't satisfied?

The roll call vote was AYE: Bruer, Gruber, Judge, Kerr, Konkel, Palm, Rhodes-Conway, Rummel, Sanborn, Solomon, Verveer and Webber.
NO: Brandon, Clausius, Pham-Remmele, Schumacher, Skidmore
ABSENT: Clear, Cnare, Compton

Decreasing the fine for fireworks (#77) - Alder Cnare wanted to change the fine for fireworks from $300, to $150 for first time offenses. I really object to this. It seems they rarely catch the folks downtown who love to set off the year round fireworks and if they finally catch them, I say fine 'em. Since Alder Cnare wasn't there, we referred this item to July 15th, when I will be there.

Bus Wraps (#83) - Also referred. Given the large number of absences, we referred it to avoid reconsideration at the next meeting. This item should come back on July 1st.

Renewing contract for 911 Services (#87) - We did some non-controversial clean up of the language and asked them to renew the contract for no more than 2 6-month periods of time.

Report on Gender, Race and Disabilities and our Committee Appointments (#88) - Since these are the mayor's appointments, we referred it until the Mayor was there. This item will be discussed on July 15th.)

After that, we went to the Great Dane . . . to celebrate the birthday of Mr. President, without the "B Team" city attorney that sat on the bench the whole time! :P Those joining us were Judge, Rhodes-Conway, Webber, Konkel, Solomon, Kerr, Bruer, Schumacher, Rummel, Verveer (and his entourage - Roie and Rolf) and Tammy from the Clerk's Office!

(Sorry, no time for links, the agenda is here.)

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Bad Blogger.

Sorry, personal and work issues got in the way . . . no council agenda update this week. My bad. Meanwhile, Vikki pretty much covered it here. We have the "B team" with attorney May and the Mayor gone. Also missing from the meeting are Compton, Clear and Cnare - so 11 votes might be hard to get on anything controversial. Be back tomorrow, with the update on what happened.
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The Week Ahead

Here it is . . .

Monday, June 16, 2008
4:00 PM TAX INCREMENTAL FINANCING POLICY AD HOC COMMITTEE ROOM LL-110 MMB

• Final or near final recommendations for a new TIF policy document.
  

5:30 PM PLAN COMMISSION ROOM 201 CCB

• Truax Apartment presentation
• Reviewing final language for the motel at 1501 Monroe
• Regent St/South Campus Neighborhood Plan
• Greenbush Neighborhood Plan
• Allied Drive plan and demolition
• Hilldale - revising PUD-SIP and plat
  

6:30 PM CENTRAL LIBRARY DISPOSAL SURPLUS PROPERTY CRITERIA AND SELECTION COMMITTEE and MADISON PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD 201 W MIFFLIN ST - ROOM 202

• Public Input
• Terms and conditions for an RFP (Request for Proposals) for a new downtown library
  

Tuesday, June 17, 2008
5:00 PM COMMON COUNCIL - DISCUSSION ROOM 201 CCB

• Update on Economic Development Plan
  

6:30 PM COMMON COUNCIL ROOM 201 CCB

• Check back tomorrow for a run down of what might be of interest
  

Wednesday, June 18, 2008
4:30 PM URBAN DESIGN COMMISSION ROOM LL-110 MMB

• Villager Mall
• Sequoya Commons
• South Campus Union Redevelopment
  

5:30 PM ALCOHOL LICENSE REVIEW COMMITTEE ROOM 201 CCB

• Revocation Hearing for Quintons
  

Thursday, June 19, 2008
?? - I didn't find anything of interest.

The rest of the week ahead is here. And its always best to check back, because things like the Inclusionary Zoning meeting, on Friday morning a 8:00 isn't on there yet.
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CDA giving it away!

No kidding! Apparently, they have money to spare! Yet another meeting I should have gone to, but instead chose to stay at work. I wish I would have heard this conversation!

This is near irresponsible. Tho, on the other hand, since they don't really have a budget for their redevelopment activities, I suppose maybe they don't realize what dire straits they are in . . . or are they just counting on the Council/taxpayer to keep giving them their cash? When does the Bank of the City of Madison close? They do realize that they're not playing with monopoly money, don't they?
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No Loitering in Parks!

Another Park: More Rules, More Cameras.

I meant to go to the Parks meeting on Wednesday, but was working and ran out of time and energy. Looks like they had a discussion about more rules for Penn Park. Here's the Cap Times article on the meeting. After reading it, I wish I had gone to hear the discussion.

The issue that caught my eye - which I hope is just bad reporting/editing - but fear that it is not. Comes in the third paragraph:

Bradley Wilson said the majority of calls to the park stem from loiterers in the late afternoon and evening . . .

I thought at first I must be missing something, so I looked up the definition:

loi·ter (loi'tər)
v. loi·tered, loi·ter·ing, loi·ters

1. To stand idly about; linger aimlessly.
2. To proceed slowly or with many stops: loitered all the way home.
3. To delay or dawdle: loiter over a task.

Um . . . aren't parks meant for loitering. How can you tell the difference between someone who is loitering, and someone who is using the park in a "legitimate" way? Must one be actively engaged in a sporting event or activity in order to not be loitering? If someone is sitting on a bench, how can you tell if they are loitering or enjoying the park? When you're done with your picnic, must you immediately pack up and leave?

Manny asks another good question:

Some board members expressed concern that additional policing would discourage those using the park legitimately. Board member Emanuel Scarborough highlighted the diversity of south Madison, saying that it often brings in people who feel more comfortable there than in their less-diverse neighborhoods.

"How do we isolate those individuals that come there for ill will from who come because they are comfortable around people like them?" asked Scarborough.

Seriously? Loitering? In a park? The police actually show up when someone calls about this? On any given sunny day in the summer, I'm sure we would find many, many people loitering in our parks - should we call the police? Are we in danger?
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Air Quality: Who Cares?

Well, if the warnings are correct - the business community may care! As well as the taxpayers. If the warnings the were sent out with plans for Clean air action days come true, more regulations for businesses and costs to taxpayers are a very real possibility. Here's the description of what could happen:

. . . over the next couple of years, there is still a very real possibility that the City of Madison and Dane County could find themselves in non-attainment for ozone. If that were to happen there would be significant additional environmental regulations for businesses, industry and government which could hamper economic growth and also cost taxpayers. The best course of action is to aggressively administer voluntary measures that keep the County out of non-attainment.

Voluntary. Are we doomed? Or will the community help make sure this doesn't happen?
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Big Brother is Watching You!

Those are the words of the Wisconsin State Journal, not me.

Seriously, the City of Madison is watching you. In 2003 we did a survey of our departments to find out who was using cameras and who wasn't. At the time, the City ATtorney wrote a policy for us, the council passed a report and the Mayor authorized us to write an APM (Administrative Procedures Memorandum), but it never happened.

In cleaning up a few things, I ran across this folder and decided that we should pass a resolution making the policy from 2003 applicable. I thought it was important that the various agencies get their policies in writing and available in the Clerk's Office. In preparation for this resolution, I also had the 2003 survey repeated. Here's some of the results.

Agencies that answered that they don't have cameras:

• Affirmative Action - may want cameras in the future for individuals who "have demonstrated behavior that is of concern".
• City Attorney
• Common Council
• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
• Community Services
• Comptroller
• Equal Opportunities Commission
• Human Resources
• Inspection Unit (Neighborhood Preservation & Services)
• Madison City Channel
• Madison Senior Center
• Mayor's Office
• Municipal Court
• Organizational Training and Development
• Parking Utility
• Planning
• Public Health
• Engineering - was considering getting them in 2003, but not now.
  
• Information Services - was considering getting them in 2003, but not now.
• Library - is looking at having cameras in the new Downtown Public Library.
  

Agencies that didn't have cameras in 2003 that now do:

• Motor Equipment
• Police
• Water Utility

Agencies that had cameras in 2003, and still do.

• Fire - Ok, this one is weird. In 2003 the Fire Department said they had security cameras in place, but they did not provide answers about how many, location, use, viewing procedures, etc. Now, they say they don't have any cameras in place. This will require some follow up.
• Housing Operations
  
• Has three fixed cameras, 2 mobile cameras. This is the same as 2003.
  
• Employees and public are made aware of the cameras and they are in plain view.
  
• They do not have a written policy about camera use in place.
• Overture Center
  
• Had 11 cameras in 2003, they will not disclose how many they have now. Their standard answer to most questions was "Per recent training, I have been trained not to disclose security camera locations."
  
• In 2003 employees were notified of the cameras, now they are not. Citizens were not made aware of them in 2003 and are not now made aware.
  
• They do not have a written policy in place.
• Madison Metro
  
• Had 4 cameras in fixed locations in 2003, now they have 33. They had 2 on buses in 2003, now they have 168.
• Employees and citizens are made aware of the cameras. Citizens were not made aware in 2003.
• They do not have a written policy in place.
• Monona Terrace
• Had 25 cameras in fixed locations in 2003 and have not added any.
• Employees are made aware of the cameras, citizens are only made aware if they ask. However, the cameras are visible.
• They did not have a camera police in place in 2003, but they have one now.
• Parks - Ice Arenas
  
• Had three cameras in fixed locations in 2003 and have not added more, in fact, they were sold with the Ice Arenas.
• Parks - Warner Park
• Had 8 cameras in fixed locations in 2003 and still do.
• Employees and citizens are made aware of the cameras
• They do not have a written policy in place.
• Revenue
• Had 3 cameras, still have three cameras
• Some employees were notified in 2003, now all are. Citizens are not made aware of them.
• They do not have a written policy in place.
• Streets
• Had 11 camceras in fixed locations 2003, 26 have been added to the recycling trucks.
• Employees and citizens are made aware of the cameras.
• They do not have a written policy in place.
• Traffic Engineering
• They have 5 fixed cameras and 1 mobile one, same as 2003
• Employees are aware, citizens are not made aware.
  
• They do have a written policy in place.
• Fleet Services
• Has one camera, same as 2003, but they are installing new cameras in 2008.
  
• Employees are notified, citizens are not.
• They do not have a written policy in place.
• Their answers were odd in that they had many "unknown at this time" answers regarding items like, how long are the tapes kept, who has access to them, are the tapes disposed of, etc.
• Police
• 8 fixed cameras, 2 mobile cameras. They did not answer the survey in 2003, but the 8 cameras are new. And at the end they added that all police stations will have cameras for interrogations at all police stations and all of the marked cars and some of the unmarked cars have cameras as well.
  
• Employees and citizens are made aware of the cameras. (Do you think that's true? Are people walking up and down State St. made aware of the cameras?)
• They do have a written policy in place.
• Water Utility
• 65 cameras in 32 different locations. They did not answer the survey in 2003, but I believe these cameras are all new.
• Employees and Citizens are made aware of the cameras.
• They do not have a written policy in place.
• Golf Courses
• They have cameras at two golf courses, but that is the only information we have.
  

Of course, the Brittingham cameras are not in place yet, so they did not show up on the survey.

Why is this all important? I think the summary by the City Attorney below describes it best:

Video Surveillance by City agencies potentially implicates individual privacy rights. The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures. Article 1, Section 11 of the Wisconsin Constitution provides similar protections. Video surveillance will not implicate privacy rights if it is conducted in a forum in which an individual has no reasonable expectation of privacy. Determination of whether an individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy is a two-prong test: (1) A subjective expectation of privacy must be held by the individual; and (2) this privacy interest must be objectively recognized by society.

Of course, without the information in the survey, we won't know if this test is being met, which is why written policies are important.

Interested in this issue? More information from 2003 and now is available here.
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Beaches Closed; Sewage in Lakes

Need I say more?

Seriously. All Madison Beaches are closed. Sewage may have gotten into the Lakes.

Ick.
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Asinine

Warning: I'm still a little bitter over the UW decision that, after funding for 10 years, the Tenant Resource Center "isn't a student organization" and pulling $55,000 of funding, forcing us to set up another organization, doubling the overhead costs, duplicating services and worrying about quality control. AND they gave them MORE money than TRC got! It wasn't a cost savings, it cost the students MORE! However, we did the right thing and put in the effort because its a huge population that needs the services so we set in motion a plan to jump through all the ridiculous hoops. Without any money for the Tenant Resource Center and its efforts to make sure students get served.

So, one of the issues was that our (TRC) office was off campus and UW System had passed policies saying that we couldn't be reimbursed for our off-campus rent. So, as the new Student Tenant Union looks for space . . . they get this gem of an email.

Hope this finds you well. Unfortunately the Student Organization Office does not provide office space for RSOs, as it is in short supply on this campus. We do, however, provide student organizations with the option of having a mailbox in our offices. If you are interested please let me know and I can forward you the application. The mailboxes will eventually be relocated to the SAC once it opens.

Also, if you are interested in information about reserving space on campus for meetings, etc. please review the section of the Student Organization Handbook linked below.

http://soo.studentorg.wisc.edu/handbook/07-08/reserving_space.html

Please let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns.

How the hell do you do housing counseling from a mailbox? And where do you put the phone line? Do you get a room and move all over campus all the time? I tell you, this whole situation is just asinine. We have a completely competent and functioning organization doing this exact same thing in town, why re-create the wheel? Great town-gown relations! I tell you, I'm so frustrated by the situation I just stepped back and let the students do the work, but I hope they have a better plan than having a mailbox!
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Public Hearing on Downtown Library

Here's your chance to tell the decisions makers what YOU want!

The Library Board and the Surplus Property Committee will be holding a meeting solely to solicit public input prior to issuing a RFP for the downtown library. This is the only item on the agenda. The current proposal for an RFP would incorporate the new library into a larger mixed use building rather than the independent free standing building that currently exists. If you have thoughts about the future of the downtown library this is an opportunity to speak.

The Madison Public Library Board in conjunction with the Central Library Disposal Surplus Property Criteria and Selection Committee is seeking public input on plans for a new Central Library. The hearing will be Monday, June 16th, 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library at 201 West Mifflin Street.

Read more!

Water, Water, Everywhere . . . And how to clean it up.

So, with all this flooding, the Tenant Resource Center gets lots of people asking questions about what the landlord has to clean up the mess and how to you know when it is good enough. The problem is equally difficult for all the homeowners who have flooding. The Dane County/Madison Health Department has these words of advice:

CLEANING CONTAMINATED BASEMENTS AND AVOIDING MOLD GROWTH
Flooded basements provide an ideal environment for mold and bacteria. When things get wet for more than two days they usually get moldy. Mold may cause significant health problems for building inhabitants. It is very important to take action to prevent mold from growing. Following is a brief overview of steps you should take:

• The EPA recommends that you wear protective clothing to protect yourself from becoming ill when cleaning. Protective clothing includes the following: An N-95 respirator mask (more protective than the dust mask), goggles, rubber gloves, long pants, long sleeved shirt, and boots or work shoes.
• Dry the flooded space within 48-hours. This greatly improves your chances of avoiding a mold problem in the future.
• Remove and throw out porous materials that have been soaked by floodwaters, such as carpets, drywall, insulation, and manufactured wood products.
o Sometimes these materials can be salvaged if they are cleaned and dried completely within 48 hours.
• If drywall has been damaged, cut and remove the drywall up to at least one foot above the water line to ensure all wet drywall is removed.
• Clean with soap and water first, then disinfect with a diluted bleach solution (1 and 2/3rd cup bleach to 1 gallon of water) to control mold and bacteria.
- Do not use full strength bleach. This increases the chance of breathing problems and does not increase disinfection.
• Allow flooded spaces to dry thoroughly before rebuilding the walls or laying new carpet. It may be necessary to use large fans and dehumidifiers to dry the space completely.

For further information including detailed instructions for eliminating and preventing mold call the Department of Public Health for Madison and Dane County at (608) 266-4821.

Additional information is available at the following:

Public Health Madison and Dane County

American Red Cross (Repairing Your Flooded Home)

WI Department of Natural Resources

US Environmental Protection Agency

Also, it not just your homes that are problematic. Outside is an issue as well:

WATER QUALITY OF RIVERS AND LAKES
Due to surcharging of the Madison Metropolitan Sewage District public waste water system (sanitary sewer system), wastewater was discharged to the Yahara River in the Cherokee Park area, Starkweather Creek in the vicinity of US Highway 51 and also at Milwaukee Street and to Lake Monona at Waunona Way. Thus, both Lakes Mendota and Monona are considered to be unsafe for swimming and recreating until further notice and all beaches are closed. PHMDC will be monitoring lake water in the beach areas of those lakes to determine when it is safe to enter the water. It is unknown how long the lakes will be unsafe for recreating but additional rains in the near future will likely cause additional problems. Although we do not have any other specific reports of discharges to other lakes, heavy rains always carry many contaminates into lakes so swimming is not advised on other lakes at the present time.

And, if you aren't on a city water system and have your own well, this information will be important:

PRIVATE WELLS
If you or your neighbor's well head has been covered by flood water, there is a high risk that your water supply will be contaminated. Water that is cloudy, colored or bad smelling is a sure sign of contamination and should not be used for drinking, making juice, baby food or ice cubes or for rinsing food or dishes. Even if water from a flooded well looks clear, the safest approach is to assume it has been contaminated.

In these conditions, you should rely on bottled water, or water from a known safe source. If you must use water from the well, it should be boiled for one minute at a rolling boil. Testing your well water is something that should be done routinely every year. In flood conditions you should have your water tested for bacteria and other contaminants as soon as possible.

It is very important that the water from a flooded well be tested. Testing for bacteria is available to householders in Dane County with flooded wells though the Public Health Madison and Dane County (PHMDC) Laboratory at (608) 266-4821. The Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene at (608) 224-6262, is also available for such testing.

Wells that test positive for bacterial contamination must be disinfected. For information on how to properly disinfect your well, go to:
http://dhfs.wisconsin.gov/health/InjuryPrevention/Disasterhealthsafety/WellDisinfection.htm

I asked my mom, who is a bookkeeper for the Sauk County Health Department what her role is in an emergency situation like this. Of course, she keeps track of the costs of all the extra supplies that need to be ordered . . . extra written materials and information, tetanus shots and well test kits were some of the things she mentioned.
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Speaking of Friendly . . .

Um, if you're homeless, you're not allowed to be!

That's right. Downtown Madison, Inc. and Mayor Dave don't want the homeless talking to people. They're gonna get "strict"! Some of the "get tough" talk makes some sense, but should be applied to everyone, not just the homeless and "transients" - whatever that means. More than half the City of Madison (students and renters) are "transient".

Here's the comment I find hilarious. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, in their story about being "strict" (I feel like my grade school teacher is yelling at me for not paying attention in class) with the homeless:

In light of that, Schmitz said public urination or graffiti isn't acceptable, nor are unreasonably loud house parties, camping in parks or libraries, aggressive panhandling or verbal interaction with passers-by.

A few observations here.
1. Are the homeless having "house parties"?
2. What's wrong with "verbal interaction with passers-by"?
3. And where do you find an unlocked public restroom if you're homeless? Businesses don't count cuz they will kick you out if you're not a patron.

Even funnier was a comment from a casual reader of the Cap Times coverage of the same press conference where the Mayor is holding homeless to standards. One person read the story and forwarded it with excitement about Mayor Dave's change of heart.

"The real solution to homelessness is providing services, resources and housing to those who are most in need of it," he said.

Unfortunately, the "he" in this case was Steve Schooler from Porchlight, not the Mayor.
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An exercise in Unfriendly!

I went to the Allied Drive "Move Forward, Not Out" festival last Saturday. I have to say, it was an exercise in "unfriendly" before we were all sent home due to the tornado warnings.

The first thing I encountered as I was setting up is that I was talking to my table-mate and he said that there were no restrooms available? At first, I didn't believe him. I asked someone "in the know" about it and I was told that the Boys and Girls Club had locked their doors and refused to open and let people use the restrooms there. Nice.

Then, before I was even set up, I heard someone yelling my name. So, I asked them what was up. I was told "you need to move your car." This was familiar to me, last year when I went there, I pulled up and was unloading my car and "the nasty Fitchburg lady" came out and was yelling at me "Brenda Konkel you need to move your car!", so I didn't think I made that same mistake, in fact I was extra careful to avoid that situaion. I parked at the end of the block and walked my tabling materials over to avoid another incident of yelling.

So, I was confused about being asked to move and I asked why. He told me "I don't know, the police said you have to move it." I said, "I'm not parked illegally, there's no signs. I double checked!" The person very firmly said, "It's Fitchburg, just move it." and smiled at me. He had a good point and I didn't want to cause the neighborhood any trouble. So, half set-up I went to go move my car. On my way, I ran into two police officers . . . so . . . I just had to ask. "Why do I have to move my car?" The police officer looked at me, hesitated, smiled wryly and said "Well, you don't have to, but it would be nice." Ahhhhhhhh . . . .

Now, I'm not sure if my rust bucket was offensive to the homeowner or if she really was worried that I was parked too close to, but not in front of, her mailbox. I moved my car. However, I have to say, that the first 15 minutes of the festival, both last year and this year, really kind of pissed me off. Way to take a positive event and make it negative. That's not very neighborly!
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Optimism and Excitement for the Zoning Code!

Satya Rhodes-Conway gets the prize for being the most enthusiastic about the zoning code re-write. Check out this email she sent to her constituents.

Re: Granny Flats, Co-ops and Chickens - who said zoning was boring?

As I'm reading through the material for the Zoning Code Rewrite Advisory Committee, I'm coming across all sorts of interesting things. Did you know that the zoning code limits the number of unrelated people that can live together? The co-op people would like to change that to make it easier to live cooperatively. Apartment-dwellers would like to be able to keep chickens like homeowners can - and some neighbors would like them not to. In some places you can have a granny flat (an apartment over your garage) and in some you can't - it all depends on the zoning code. Developers want to reduce the use of PUDs, but neighborhood groups are worried about giving up their chance to review projects. And how should we change the code? Should parks have their own zoning? Should we create mixed-use districts? or a district for UW? See, not as boring as one might imagine! If you have thoughts or questions or ideas, come to the next meeting and share them:

Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
Zoning Code Rewrite Advisory Committee - 6:00 p.m
Madison Senior Center
330 West Mifflin Street (2nd floor Rooms 1&2)
Agenda

or submit a comment (and find a whole bunch more information) here

or just email me. I'll be happy to pass your comments along.

Satya

Now, I have to say . . . I went to the special plan commission meeting last night where they discussed much of the same things they will be discussing tonight. . . and most of these items were discussed. Thanks to Matt Tucker, I was interested to learn that in the C4 zoning that there is a restriction on the mixture of number of bedrooms (i.e. you have to have 1, 2 & 3 bedrooms in the unit you build), but no one uses it. However, I don't think I found it quite as interesting as Satya did! Go Zoning Code Re-write! The enthusiasm is catching!
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The rainy week ahead.

Rain all week. I think we're all feeling water-logged already.. As usual, the weekly schedule will likely have several additions to it at the week progresses, but at the moment, these are some of the meetings that look to be of interest:

Monday, June 9, 2008
4:30 PM BOARD OF ESTIMATES ROOM 310 CCB

• Allowing elected officials to refuse their salaries in whole or in part.
• Hiring a Cultural Planning Consultant do-over
  
• Adopting Greenbush Neighborhood Plan
• Approving Commonwealth Development plan for Garver Feed Mill
• Creating a new TIF District (Badger-Ann-Park)
• Permanently authorizing 20 fully wrapped buses and unlimited half wraps
  

5:00 PM PLAN COMMISSION ROOM LL-110 MMB

• Special meeting to discuss the Zoning Code rewrite and hear issue identification results and analysis of our zoning code
  

Tuesday, June 10, 2008
12:00 PM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY SUB COMMITTEE MEETING ROOM LL-110 MMB

• Truman Olson- Will it be used for the homeless?
• Lakepointe - no attachments
  
• Villager - no attachments
  

4:00 PM MADISON ELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE ROOM 101 MMB

• Lots of work getting ready for upcoming elections
  

5:00 PM JAMES MADISON PARK PROPERTY PLANNING COMMITTEE 720 EAST GORHAM ST - LINCOLN SCHOOL

• Touring the Lincoln School, Collins House and two other houses in James Madison Park
  

5:00 PM PUBLIC SAFETY REVIEW BOARD ROOM 103A CCB

• Lightbulbs
• Security Cameras
• No parking in front of or near mailboxes
  

5:00 PM TRANSIT AND PARKING COMMISSION ROOM 201 CCB

• Long Range Metro report
  

6:00 PM ZONING CODE REWRITE ADVISORY COMMITTEE 330 W MIFFLIN ST ROOMS 1 & 2 (2ND FLOOR)

• More issue identification
• Zoning Code Analysis - no attachments
  

Wednesday, June 11, 2008
10:00 AM CCOC SUBCOMMITTEE TO REVIEW CITY HIRING PRACTICES AND POLICIES ROOM 417 CCB

• Getting ready for our final recommendations
  

10:30 AM MINORITY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE ROOM LL-130 MMB
12:00 PM PERSONNEL BOARD ROOM 103A CCB

• History of Civil Service in Madison and Role of Personnel Board
  

6:30 PM BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS 1625 NORTHPORT DR

• Informational on James Madison Park - no attachments
• Brittingham Park Observations - no attachments
• Limiting when Oak trees can be pruned, trimmed etc
• Penn Park Police calls - no attachments
• Using parks for siting wells? - no attachments
• Capital Budget - no attachments
  

Thursday, June 12, 2008
4:00 PM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY CAPITAL REVOLVING FUND SUB-COMMITTEE 330 W MIFFLIN ST, ROOM NO. 2

• Will they give WARF a discount on their fees? Or will they realize they need the money cuz the Common Council and City taxpayers are not a bottomless well?
  

4:30 PM COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY 330 W MIFFLIN ST, ROOM NO. 2

• Allied - Habitat letter
  
• Lake Point - no attachments
  
• Union Corners
• WARF Fee Waiver? - no attachments
  
• Allied, Allied, Allied, Allied, Allied - with only one attachment, but 5 topics
  
• Truman Olson
• Villager - no attachments
  

Friday, June 13, 2008
There's an 8:00 am Inclusionary Zoning Oversight committee meeting that is not yet on the schedule. Last week, we didn't vote for repeal. It's too early, we haven't finished considering our other options.

CDA and Parks Commission win the award for least helpful agendas. You essentially have to go to the meetings in order to find out what they are going to talk about within the broad topics they have listed and to get any information - if they bring enough hand outs.

Stay dry folks!
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Bus Wraps: Meeting tonight!

So, the bus wrap pilot project may be ended and permanently continued and expanded. Thanks to Alder Rhodes-Conway for this update below:

Metro is proposing to end the pilot program on bus wraps and institute a policy of allowing 20 fully wrapped buses and an unlimited number of partially wrapped buses. The partial wraps could include wrapping the driver's side entirely and having nothing on the other side; wrapping the middle of the bus all the way around and leaving unwrapped windows on the front and back; wrapping the bottom of the bus and having parts of the wrap design extend up into the windows; and wrapping the bottom of the bus but not the windows. Full details of the proposal, information about the half-finished pilot program and links to petitions and surveys about bus wraps can be found here.

The Board of Estimates will be discussing this idea at our Monday June 9 meeting, which starts at 4:30pm in CCB 310. Unless we refer the matter, I expect it will be at the June 17th Common Council meeting. If you have an opinion about wrapped buses and what the City policy should be, I encourage you to contact the Council at allalders@cityofmadison.com and let us know what you think.

While the wraps remain wildly unpopular with riders and provide a comparatively tiny source of income in the $40+ million dollar budget - apparently, there are a few tone deaf politicians who insist on moving forward with this program. They need help with their listening skills and need to hear from you today!
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Upcoming Downtown Plan Meetings

Next meetings June 24-26

During the last week in June, the City will hold a series of six Downtown Plan public meetings covering specific themes to engage participants in a lively discussion to imagine the possibilities for the downtown. For more information, please see attached or the Downtown Plan Website: www.cityofmadison.com/downtownplan

Meeting Dates
Tuesday, June 24
5:00-6:45 pm - Visitors & Tourists
7:00-8:45 pm - Recreation, Culture and Entertainment

Wednesday, June 25
5:00-6:45 pm - Moving Around
7:00-8:45 pm - Downtown Working and Business

Thursday, June 26
5:00-6:45 pm - Downtown Living
7:00-8:45 pm - Sense of Place(s)

All meetings will be held at the Overture Center's Wisconsin Studio
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Fuel Prices for the City of Madison

In the council's quest to get more on-going information about our budget, last Friday we were added to the months updates on fuel prices. And of course, the news is not good. Here's the main details:

1. Weighted average fuels prices reached yet another record high in May of 2008. May average prices of $3.78 per gallon were $1.31 (53.2%) higher that those of May, 2007.

2. Year to date, City agencies have consumed 35,664 gallons (8.7%) more motor fuel over the first five months of 2008, with the month of February showing the greatest increase (18,119 gallons) versus the same month of 2007.

3. The combination of much higher prices and slightly higher volume usage has resulted in fuel expenditures $482,344 (49.5%) greater than those over a similar period of last year.

4. Looking ahead, fuel prices have remained very high over the first few days of June.

Sounds like it might be time for us to limit all unnecessary travel by city employees to limit what we need to take from our reserve or "rainy day fund".
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New Water Utility Manager Nominated

So, we've finally got a nomination for a new Water Utility Manager. If all goes well, he'll end the 11 months with an interim director and our City Engineer can do one less job. Here's what they are telling us.

Tom Heikkinen has been nominated to serve as the new General Manager for the Madison Water Utility. Heikkinen would succeed David Denig Chakroff, who left the post September of last year. City Engineer Larry Nelson has been leading the agency on an interim basis since then.

Tom has 15 years experience with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. He has lead a team of 270 employees in providing 170 million gallons per day of clean drinking water to 1.8 million people in the suburbs surrounding Washington, D.C. He oversaw a water distribution system that covered 1,000 square miles with more than 50 storage tanks. He was also responsible for returning clean water to the environment through effective wastewater treatment. As part of his oversight of the utility’s energy management program, Heikkinen initiated a program to purchase one-third of the utility’s electricity directly from a wind farm.

Heikkinen earned both his Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and his Masters of Engineering from the University of Maryland. Heikkinen and his wife have two children.

Heikkinen’s nomination is subject to confirmation by the Madison Water Board and Common Council. He is expected to start in early August.

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Walking Historic Tours of Madison's Downtown

Here's the details:

The Madison Trust for Historic Preservation is once again offering historic walking tours of distinctive Madison neighborhoods this summer. Since the 2008 season tours began on May 3, over 100 people have come to learn a little about their city. The weather for the tours this May was as always up and down, but docents and walkers braved the rain, sun, heat and cold in true Wisconsin fashion!

We have a great season ahead. We will be introducing a new tour, "Backstage at the Orpheum," offering an inside look at one of State Street's most distinctive buildings, and have an expanded schedule for last year's popular Bascom Hill tour. This year the Twilight Tours will take place in July, giving tour-goers a chance to get out and enjoy an evening in one of Madison's beautiful historic neighborhoods.

The tours offered this week are:
State Street--June 7, 10 am and
King Street--June 7, 11 am

The tours offered next week are:
State Street--June 14, 10 am
Mansion Hill East--June 14, 11 am and
Bascom Hill--June 14, 2 pm

We'd love to see you there! See www.madisontrust.org/tours for more details.

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Homeless Meters?

You're kidding me. Is this a serious proposal?

Ok - its an interesting idea. There are ways to make it more interesting, but seriously, is this our solution to panhandling? Note, I said panhandling, not homelessness. The two can be, but are not always, the same. And if we do this, is it just an excuse to make it look like we are doing something about homelessness, because the solutions are going to take more than nickels and dimes. We need real solutions, not superficial ones.

The other issue here is it really disrespects the work the Downtown Madison Inc and the groups they have partnered with and all the work they have done on this issue. When the council staff sent out information about the "homeless meter" program, we got this email from Susan Schmitz:

PLEASE Alders! DMI did a years work on this issue in 2004 and we have A LOT of information to share with you. The program is called ReachOut and I am sharing our work with a small group of folks this Thursday at 10am. Mary Schauf, Linda Covert, Steve Amundson (UW), Lori Kay and a few others will be at the meeting. Let me stay in touch with all of you. Thank you!

If you want to hear more about homelessness, solutions and current ideas, come to the Homelessness Forum this evening from 5 - 8 at First United Methodist Church (203 Wis. Ave.). You'll hear from Porchlight, Interfaith Hospitality Network, YWCA, United Way, Operation Welcome Home, Dane County Human Services, Madison Police, Mayor's Office, Housing Initiatives, Homeless Services Consortium, Community Action Coalition and so much more.

We need more than "homeless meters", learn more about what can help tonight!
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Juneteenth Celebration

Passing this information along . . .

Juneteenth Day Celebration

The Nineteenth Annual Juneteenth Day Celebration is a program of Kujichagulia – Madison Center for Self Determination Inc. The celebration will be held on Saturday, June 14, 2008 from 10am to 6pm in Penn Park. There are two significant historical events occurring this year for Black Americans, Barack Obama is the "presumptive" democratic candidate for President of the United States and sadly, the 40th Anniversary of the assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We will highlight them both at this year's Juneteenth Celebration.

The Celebration promotes empowerment and self-actualization for our children, young adults and families through exposing them to visual, spoken, and dramatized information and other mediums that showcase the vast contributions of black people in America. We work to promote political responsibility, educational advancement, economic sufficiency, good health, social responsibility and collective well being within the Madison black community, all in a festive, fun and family environment, Thus our theme, "Pause, Reflect, Prepare…It's A New Day." We want attendees to leave empowered to catch hold to this wonderful movement of change and newness in our Country.

19th Anniversary Celebration

Please come help us celebrate our Golden Anniversary (Nineteenth on the Nineteenth) on Thursday, June 19th from 5pm-midnite at "R" Place on Park, 1821 South Park St. The event is a fundraiser for Kujichagulia-Madison Center for Self Determination (KMCSD). $5.00 Cover charge or become a Juneteenth "Partner" with a $19.00 donation to KMCSD. Refreshments will be served.

If you have any questions please contact Mona Adams Winston 239-7707, Annie Weatherby-Flowers 358-2872 or Rhonda Johnson 206-5485

Juneteenth Celebration, a program of

Kujichagulia-Madison Center for Self-Determination, Inc.
P.O. Box 259806
Madison , WI 53725

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Police Self-Report System Improved

You asked for it! You got it.

From the Cap Times:

Under the new system, light-duty officers, those with restricted capability due to injury or other reasons, will staff the phones in the self-report unit in the City-County Building from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The phone number for the self-reporting service is 608-245-3662.

Self-reporting is essentially a non-emergency reporting system, for such things as suspicious activity, threats, theft from an auto, a stolen bicycle, neighbor trouble, lost property, graffiti, seeing drug activity, etc.

"The officers will not only take information but will ask the type of questions officers are trained to ask in order to better facilitate investigations," said police spokesman Joel DeSpain. "The officer's inquiries will also provide for greater data analysis and will help to recognize crime trends."

Residents not wanting to call will also be able to file complaints through the police department's Web site at www.madisonpolice.com.

Residents will also still have the chance to fill out reports at any police district office.

This reminds me, why the hell can't the police department send information to alders when they send it to the press? Why do we read this stuff in the newspaper instead of getting information directly from them? And where's that report that tells us what the 30 new police officers are doing? And the police staffing report that we paid for? Still waiting!
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Goodman Pool Open This Weekend

Due to warm weather, the pool will be open early. Details below.

The pool with be open Saturday, June 7 & Sunday, June 8, Noon – 7 p.m. Sunday’s hours may be shortened due to predicted thunderstorms.

Goodman Pool is scheduled to open for daily business on Saturday, June 14. The season corresponds with the Madison Metropolitan School District school calendar. The pool opens the day after the school year ends.

Family/Open Swim Times :
Monday – Friday, 12:30-4:30p.m. and 6:15p.m.-8:00p.m.
Saturday & Sunday, Noon – 7:00p.m.

Daily Prices:
Adult, ages 19-61, $4.00
Youth, ages 1-18, $2.50
Senior, ages 62 & over, $3.00
Under age 1, free
Season Passes are on sale at the pool.

Swim Lessons
There are still swim lesson openings but classes are filling up fast! New in 2008 – Saturday swimming lessons, Junior Lifeguard Academy and Adult Water Aerobics. Schedules and applications can be found on the Goodman Pool website www.cityofmadison.com/parks

New in 2008 – Swim Team
The Goodman Pool is excited to partner with the McFarland Spartan Sharks to offer a swim team Goodman Pool. This competitive swim team is open to the youth of Madison, 6 years and older, who have had previous swim lessons and are comfortable swimming at least 2 lengths of the pool. The team aspires to create an environment where the swimmers enjoy the experience of competitive swimming through improvement of their strokes and racing techniques, improved personal race times, appreciation of team friendships and team spirit. We offer excellent coaching, daily practices at the Goodman pool and competitive swim meets throughout the season.
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Short Common Council Recap

Snooze.

While we dealt with 190 items on the agenda last night, very few of them got any attention at all and we were done by 8:00. Here's the brief recap.

#1 - We honored the Stoughton Road Project for getting a National Award and passed the plan.
#2 - We honored the Goodman's for their contributions to the City.
#3 - We referred the appeal of the hotel project on 1501 Monroe back to the Plan Commission for final resolution of the language.

We referred a whole bunch of liquor licenses to a special ALRC meeting and a future Council meeting to figure out how to deal with sales of cheap alcohol in the downtown. (I still think it should just be an ordinance instead of a few liquor licenses in a few districts.)

The thing that got my attention at the meeting last night was us bending the rules to be pro-business and nearly abdicating our responsibilities. The item in question was re-platting 1000 Oaks (numbers 41, 189 and 190.) It was at Plan Commission Monday night (I had a board meeting and couldn't go.) and we recieved a recommendation on our desks about 15 minutes before the meeting started. Apparently, the plat approved 2 years ago expires in 3 days. The plat we re-approved was all the same except the Inclusionary Zoning Plan. Originally, they had to do 46 affordable units. Now, they are pushing for a waiver and to do no affordable housing. (Even though you couldn't tell that from the materials we recieved. In fact, their application doesn't even request a waiver - so the Council members wouldn't know that unless they had talked to the developer or staff. I think the staff said it at the Plan Commission as well, but I wasn't there.) At issue is if they get a density bonus or not and therefore if they are recieving enough offsets to do the Inclusionary Zoning units. It's a real issue that should be resolved and I think there is disagreement between staff and the developer. Instead of resolving the issue, the Plan Commission staff added a condition to the approval as follows:

That the Plan Commission approve a final inclusionary dwelling unit plan and gap analysis for the 1000 Oaks subdivision and that all conditions related thereto be satisfied per the Community Development Block Grant and Planning Division approval prior to final approval for recording of the first final plat.

I bet half the people on the council don't even know what that means. Anyways, I understand that Monday night the Plan Commission didn't really discuss the inclusionary zoning issue (the really couldn't because there was no staff report), even tho it was essentially the only issue with the plat. Here's the problem. The ordinance says:

The Inclusionary Dwelling Unit Plan shall be in addition to any other plan or agreement submitted as a requirement by this or any other ordinance and shall be reviewed and approved as part of the applicable land use approval process.

I think we've been sloppy about this in the past, but this was GLARING. It was the only issue in the approval. By all rights, we should not have approved this plat last night. We can't make the land use decision without the Inclusionary Zoning Plan. And if they are going for a waiver of the units, changes to the plat should be part of the negotiations. Apparently, staff says will take up to two months to figure it out the gap analysis and waiver (WHY?!). If it was submitted with the application, which can't move forward until it is complete, staff has already had it for 6 weeks.

Anyways, to be pro-business and give the developers what they wanted, we modified the language to have the Inclusionary Zoning Plan come back to the Council as well. Consider the rules, bent, if not broken. But hey - we did it to be pro-business! Tho, I'm not sure any of the alders knew what even happened, but they all voted for the amendment.

I understand that many alders, the Mayor, some of his staff, Rosemary Lee and others went out to Brochach after the meeting, but wrapped it up by 10:00. I couldn't go out an play, I had to go back to work.
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MedDrop this Saturday

Putting old medications into our water system is having effects on health and the environment throughout the country. This weekend, you can do the best thing and get rid of old medicines responsibly. The Cap Times article on it is here. The important details are:

Saturday, June 7
MedDrop will be at the city of Madison transfer station
121 E. Olin Ave. (near the Goodman Pool)
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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Train Horns on the Near East Side

Many people ask about why they still hear train whistles when we approved upgrades to the tracks at Fordem and the area some time ago to make them stop. Alder Rummel did a good recap of where we are, so I'm passing it along. Why reinvent the wheel?!

The City of Madison has a contract with the Balfour Beatty Rail Inc. to install the crossing improvements required by the Federal Railroad Administration to implement a quiet zone in parts of the neighborhood. FRA requirements mandate trains sound their horns at all public at grade railroad crossings unless the municipality has an established and approved quiet zone. The Feds regulate train horns, not the city. All we can do is spend a lot of money to install crossing gates. Unfortunately there has not been any money allocated by the council for upgrading the rail crossings in the Willy St part of the rail corridor at this time. The area closer to the new Goodman Atwood Community Center on Waubesa St is scheduled to get gates in 2009 and can expect relief then.

Balfour has begun begin working on the required crossing improvements at Winnebago, Division and LaFollette: vehicular crossing will be removed and a bike path installed thru the street right of way.

Upon completion of the crossing improvements in the 3A section (see link below for explanation) the City will then create a quiet zone which will require the trains to stop sounding at the following railroad crossings: East Johnson St, East Washington Ave, First St @ Main St, Second St, Fourth St, Winnebago St and Division St.

This should be in place by the fall of 2008.

Here is the link to the City's webpage on train horn quiet zones:
http://www.cityofmadison.com/engineering/quietZone.cfm

For more information please contact the City's Engineering Department at 266-4751.

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CDA Reaches out to the Common Council

Thanks!

Dear Alder
As you know, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation has asked the CDA to waive part of its fee for our issuance of $185 million in redevelopment bonds for its project in the 1200 and 1300 blocks of University Avenue. This item is on our agenda for June 12.

Notwithstanding the CDA's status as an independent authority, it is very important to me that we act in a manner consistent with the city's expectations -- especially on matters, such as this, with financial implications. Accordingly, I am by this email asking for your comment on the WARF request. Please let me know, either by phone or email, your thoughts on this matter, and I will convey them to the full CDA.

Also, as always, please feel free to contact me or Mark Olinger with questions about this, or any other aspect of CDA activity.

Thanks very much.

Respectfully,
Stu Levitan
Chair, CDA

My response:

I can't see how you could give up the fee since the CDA clearly needs the cash to do the many things you are working on. I would think if you don't take it and then come back to the council for more money, you'll run into some issues. Thanks for asking.
Brenda

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Will the Homeless be Homeless?

Tim Bruer doesn't want them.

Residents around the Truman Olson site on Park Street don't want them.

Larry Palm doesn't want them.

We know Fred Mohs doesn't want them.

Where should they go? I'm afraid the answer will be, Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) everywhere they go. What happened to Madison? Have we really grown so fearful that we are running people who are down on their luck out of our city? It sure sounds that way from reading articles in the Chicago Tribune and L.A. Times newspapers.

Here's an interesting comment on the current debate. Check out the opinions here. Steve Schooler says this about the Truman Olson site:

The site's location on a bus line, with nearby grocery, post office, medical and other services, is ideal for people in the Safe Haven program, Schooler said. "I can't think of a better location."

Larry Palm is saying this about the Milwaukee Street location:

Palm said the property is near two current "flashpoints" - Metro Transit's East Transfer Point and Woodman's grocery store - where violence, theft and other crimes have been a concern. "I would rather not create another flashpoint" or add to the existing ones, Palm said.

But Palm, who was scheduled to meet with Schooler on Monday, said he did not know enough about Porchlight's proposal to say whether he thought it would pose any such risks.

When did it become that we assume homeless = crime? Where is the data to prove this is true? I can't find it. Want to learn more, come and get the facts. The Community Forum on Homelessness will provide you with facts, figures and solutions from the homeless and people who work with the homeless. The Forum is Thursday night at 5:00 at the First United Methodist Church on Wisconsin Ave.
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Attention Zoning Code Rewrite Geeks!

You know who you are! Two important meetings next week.

Hi,
The City's Zoning Code rewrite consultants will be in town next week, Monday June 9th and Tuesday 10th, and will meet with the Plan Commission and the Zoning Code Rewrite Advisory Committee. The agendas for each meeting are provided below. These agendas will also be posted on the City's Legistar System which can be reached at http://legistar.cityofmadison.com/calendar/#current. Consultant reports and memorandums that will be presented at the meetings will be available shortly and will be posted prior to the meetings on the project website at www.cityofmadison.com/zoningrewrite. Staff will bring paper copies of the reports and memorandums to the meetings. The Common Council as well as all other interested individuals are invited to attend these meetings.

City of Madison
Agenda-Approved
Zoning Code Rewrite Advisory Committee
Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
6:00 p.m.
Madison Senior Center
330 West Mifflin Street
Rooms 1 & 2 (2nd floor)

**Note** Quorum of the Common Council, Plan Commission, Urban Design Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals may be in attendance at this meeting

1. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL
2. MINUTES OF THE APRIL 14th, 2008 MEETING
April 14, 2008: http://legistar.cityofmadison.com/calendar/#current
3. PUBLIC COMMENT - This is an opportunity for the public to introduce and comment on issues for future agendas; time of commentary is limited to 3 minutes per person.
4. ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS
-Election of Committee Chair and Vice-Chair
-Committee Charge: Distribution of Legislative File Number 08645 (version 2) (Resolution 08-00174) creating the Zoning Code Rewrite Advisory Committee
-Next Steps: Discussion of next steps including outline, Code drafting, Advisory Committee meeting schedule (9-11-08, 10-21-08, 11-10-08)
5. XXXX Review of Meetings and Other Feedback Received
A summary of community meeting comments and written comments will be presented, followed by review and discussion of results.
6. 09806 Summary of Issue Identification
Presentation and discussion of Issue Identification memorandum prepared by the Zoning Code Rewrite consultants.
7. XXXX Summary of Initial Findings of Zoning Code Analysis
presentation and discussion on initial findings of zoning code analysis.
8. ADJOURNMENT

City of Madison
Agenda-Approved
PLAN COMMISSION
Monday, June 9th, 2008
5:00 p.m.
Madison Municipal Building
215 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
Room LL110

**Note** Quorum of the Common Council, Zoning Code Rewrite Advisory Committee, Urban Design Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals may be in attendance at this meeting

1. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL
2. PUBLIC COMMENT
This is an opportunity for the public to introduce and comment on issues for future agendas; time of commentary is limited to 3 minutes per person.
3. XXXX Review of Meetings and Other Feedback Received
A summary of community meeting comments and written comments will be presented, followed by review and discussion of results
4. 09806 Summary of Issue Identification
Presentation and discussion of Issue Identification memorandum prepared by the Zoning Code Rewrite consultants.
5. XXXX Summary of Initial Findings of Zoning Code Analysis
Presentation and discussion on initial findings of zoning code analysis.
6. ADJOURNMENT

I will be out of the office from the afternoon of Tuesday June 3rd - Thursday June 5th. In my absence, if you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Michael Waidelich at www.mwaidelich@cityofmadison.com, or by phone at 266-4635.

Thanks,


Rick Roll, AICP
Senior Planner
Department of Planning and Community
and Economic Development
Planning Division
215 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
P.O. Box 2985
Madison, WI 53701-2985
608-267-8732 PH
608-267-8739 FAX
rroll@cityofmadison.com

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Two Important County Meetings

Tonight (Long Term Care) and Tomorrow Night (911).

The first from Dorothy Wheeler:

Tomorrow evening, Tuesday, June 3rd, there will be a public meeting concerning the state directive that all counties must join in the state’s goal to get all long term care under one state agency. That agency will contract with either counties or private companies to deliver long term care to participants with the same rules for everyone. Dane County has taken the first steps toward accepting the contract by getting state revenue to plan how they would comply with the requirements. However, there has been no decision yet about whether the county will actually continue with these services under the state’s new plan. If you have someone in your family on long term support, you will be very interested in this topic. If you can’t attend this meeting, there will be other public meetings which I will tell you about in a more timely manner!! I am on the Health and Human Needs Committee which has oversight for all county human services programs and would be happy to speak with you about this development.

Place of meeting: Job Center on 1819 Aberg – go in the west door and walk straight to the back of the building to a large room called the Ballroom.

Time of meeting: 5:00 pm, Tuesday, June 3rd

Dorothy Wheeler
244-4711
My home email address will be changed soon. My Dane County email is: wheeler@co.dane.wi.us

The second from Scott McDonell:

I know many of you have expressed your concerns to me about the 911 Center response to the Brittany Zimmerman call for help. The County Board (the Executive Committee) will discuss requesting an audit of the 911 Center and will be taking public testimony on issues relating to the 911 Center:
Wednesday, June 4, 2008 – 6:00 p.m.
Room 201, City County Building
210 Martin Luther King, Jr Blvd.
The agenda includes:

* Public Comment on 9-1-1 Issues (this will be first- very close to 6 pm)
* Presentation by Richard Tuma, Waukesha County Director of Emergency Preparedness
* Review and Possible Approval of Scope Statement for an Audit of the 9-1-1 System

Please come and register to testify on this important topic.
Scott McDonell, Chair
Dane County Board of Supervisors, District 1

There, that's my attempt to help out those that often tell me that they wish that someone from the County blogged like I did so that people knew what was going on at the county. I'll try to pass along the items I know about. Pssst. That means someone needs to tell me about those items!
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Who is FRED?

And why is he hanging over my driveway?

F.R.E.D. has been hanging over my driveway for 4 or 5 days now . . .




I thought I banned him from my neighborhood!

That's it. Nothing serious, just a little odd. No complaints, just thought I'd share F.R.E.D. (and the progress on the moved house) with you.
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The Week Ahead

A full five day week this week . . . and now that the weather is warm, lets talk about snow!

Monday, June 2, 2008
4:45 PM LANDMARKS COMMISSION ROOM LL-130 MMB
Apparently, we will be discussing the houses in James Madison Park. There is no link to the fact sheets about the houses, but they were in our printed packet. They were also on the James Madison Park Committee's agenda last week so they are here. (640 & 646, Collins House, Lincoln School)

5:30 PM PLAN COMMISSION ROOM 201 CCB

• Creating a new TIF District (Badger-Ann-Park)
• Regent St/South Campus Neighborhood Plan
• Signs of life in the single family home market
• Approving nearly 300 new homes on the west side
• Re-approving the 10,000 Oaks Plat (preliminary and final) - I didn't see a staff report on this??
• 31 S. Henry
• Demolition without proposed future use - industrial buildings so it's ok under the new law
  

Tuesday, June 3, 2008
4:30 PM COMMON COUNCIL ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITTEE ROOM 103A CCB

• "Accept" vs. "Adopt"

6:30 PM COMMON COUNCIL ROOM 201 CCB

• #3 - Appeal of demolitions for hotel at 1501 Monroe
• #39 - Pinkus McBride Redevelopment
• #40 - 31 S Henry Project
• #41 - Nearly 300 houses on the West Side
  
• #144 - Water Consumption by the City
• #147 - Gender, Race and Disability Report on City Committees, Commissions and Boards
  
• And lots and lots of liquor license issues
  

Wednesday, June 4, 2008
12:00 PM TIF REVIEW BOARD ROOM LL-130 MMB

• Badger-Ann-Park TID
  

4:00 PM PRESIDENT'S WORK GROUP ON IMPROVEMENTS TO BUDGET PROCESS ROOM 525 CCB

• Inching closer to a better budget process
  

4:30 PM URBAN DESIGN COMMISSION ROOM LL-110 MMB

• Allied Drive - Phase 1 & 2
• Midvale Apartments (Sequoya Library)
• 31 S Henry

5:00 PM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION ROOM LL - 130 MMB

• Continued work on salvaging the 3-5 year strategic plan
  

5:00 PM HOUSING COMMITTEE ROOM 260 MMB

• Staff Inclusionary Zoning Report
• An Annual Housing Report? (no link as it is just a concept)
  

5:30 PM CENTRAL LIBRARY DISPOSAL SURPLUS PROPERTY CRITERIA AND SELECTION COMMITTEE ROOM 103A CCB

• No links to any information, you'll have to attend to find out what's going on!
  

Thursday, June 5, 2008
6:00 PM LONG RANGE PLANNING COMMITTEE (PARKS) ROOM 108 CCB

• No links, you'll have to attend to find out what they are talking about.
  

Friday, June 6, 2008
9:30 AM DISCUSSION ON EXPANDED NOTIFICATION FOR SNOW EMERGENCIES ROOM 103A CCB

• Remember snow . . . yup, I don't think anyone has forgotten this winter yet!
  

As usual, please check back with the full weekly schedule as you never know what might be added and since I only list items of interest to my district and things I think you will find interesting. And because there are meetings such as the Inclusionary Zoning Oversight Committee that meets every Friday at 8 am that aren't yet on the schedule - we are reaching the point where it will be issuing recommendations. This week, we're talking repeal!
Read more!

How should hotel room taxes be spent?

How should taxes collected on hotel rooms rented be spent? Tourism promotion? Promoting Conventions in Madison? Or to benefit the community and the low-income wage earners that support this industry? We'll have to wait a little longer to find out!

TO: Mayor, Common Council, Board of Estimates, Economic Development Commission
FROM: Mario D. Mendoza
RE: Update on Room Tax Oversight Committee
DATE: May 30, 2008

The adopted 2008 Operating Budget included the following language:

During 2008 the Mayor will appoint a Room Tax Oversight Committee to establish policies and priorities for the future use of Room Tax revenues and to assure the future health of the Room Tax Fund balance. The Committee will report back to the Economic Development Commission, Board of Estimates and Common Council meeting of June 1, 2008.

Pursuant to that language, the Mayor appointed the Room Tax Oversight Committee. The Committee has met several times and is working on the required report. However, the report will not be completed by the aforesaid deadline. We anticipate that the report will be completed by July 15. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Best regards,

Mario Mendoza, Committee Chair

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Take a Stake in the Lakes!

Relevant information from the recent press release:

The 21st Annual Take a Stake in the Lakes: June 14th and June 21st, 2008.

WHAT VOLUNTEERS DO
Over the years, thousands of volunteers have removed hundreds of tons of waste from Lakes Mendota, Monona, Waubesa, Kegonsa and Wingra. During Take a Stake in the Lakes, groups, individuals and families adopt a beach or shoreline, collect litter and rake aquatic debris from the shoreline and shallow waters. Some adopt boat launches while others paddle their canoes or kayaks to pick up trash. Many groups then have a picnic in the park they’ve just cleaned up. Garbage bags, t-shirts and door prizes are provided.

Volunteers can also mark storm drains in their neighborhoods using either stencil kits and spray paint or colorful disks that are glued to the curb. The message reminds folks to keep waste, leaves and grass clippings out of the gutters, which drain directly to our lakes and streams.

FOCUS AREAS
Lakes Mendota, Kegonsa and Wingra - June 14th, 9 a.m.- noon, with the information center at James Madison Park in Madison.

Lakes Monona and Waubesa - June 21st, 9 a.m.- noon, with the information center at Law Park in Madison.

TRASH AND DEBRIS PICK UP
Dane County Public Works barges will pickup aquatic trash and debris from Lake Mendota and Lake Kegonsa shoreline residents’ piers beginning on Monday, June 16 and on Lake Monona and Waubesa starting on Monday, June 23. Barges make ONE pass around the lake starting at 6 a.m. Aquatic debris must be on shoreline residents’ piers by 6 a.m. even though they may not get to everyone’s pier right that day.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE
To participate or to discuss sponsorship opportunities, contact Rhea Stangel-Maier at 608-224-3601 or stangel-maier@co.dane.wi.us. Volunteers may also come to the information centers, where stencil kits and garbage bags will be available.

SPONSORS
Dane County Lakes & Watershed Commission
The event is held in cooperation with Dane County Parks, Dane County Public Works and Dane County UW-Extension, and is sponsored by many local businesses and organizations. More information on Take a Stake in the Lakes Days is available at www.takeastakeinthelakes.com
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Demolish St. Raphael's?

Unfortunately, this could just be done without City Council approval. Here's a chance to give your input!

JUNE 2 PUBLIC MEETING ON DEMOLITION OF ST. RAPHAEL CATHEDRAL

Alder Mike Verveer has organized a public meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, June 2 on the proposed demolition of St. Raphael Cathedral. The City of Madison and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison want to demolish the remains of the church which was damaged by fire in 2005. To hear the plans and express your thoughts, attend the meeting at Capitol Lakes (formerly Meriter Maingate), 333 W. Main St.

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You're Needed! City Committee Vacancies!

All alders get a monthly vacancy list. Some of the vacancies are real, and some are planned to be filled, so here's my best guess at which vacancies we have. Applications, a full list of all the committees and the full list of vacancies can be found here:
http://www.cityofmadison.com/mayor/mycommit.html

The applications let you list what committees you are interested in, so you can put down committees even if there aren't current vacancies. And, this is a mayor that loves the resume, so if you have a semi-current one, its helpful to submit that as well. Additionally, let your alder, or any alder you are acquainted with, know you are interested, sometimes, it helps.

Please consider applying, we need some good, thoughtful folks on some of these committees!

ADA TRANSIT SUBCOM TO THE TRANSIT & PARKING COMM - must be an ambulatory disabled user of fixed routes

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION COMMISSION - There are FIVE vacancies here - some have been vacant for more about a year. This committee is doing important work of making sure that the City hires and puts on committees a representative balance of women, people of color and people with disabilities. They recently completed two reports that can be found here
http://legistar.cityofmadison.com/detailreport/?key=9118
and here
http://legistar.cityofmadison.com/detailreport/?key=9121

BUILDING CODE, FIRE CODE AND LICENSING APPEALS, BOARD OF

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT COMMISSION - here's another vacancy that has been open for quite some time, the person must be a low/moderate income representative - but don't let that stop you, if you've ever seen our income limits, its likely that many of us qualify!!! You have to make less than 80% AMI and here's the chart to help you figure out if you qualify.

Household Size	2008 Area Median Income (100% Median)	"Low and Moderate Income" (or "LMI") Individuals or households whose annual income does not exceed 80% of the area median income.
		80% Median*	70% Median	60% Median	50% Median*	40% Median	30% Median*
1 person	$54,300	$43,050	$38,010	$32,580	$27,150	$21,720	$16,300
2 persons	$62,100	$49,200	$43,470	$37,260	$31,050	$24,840	$18,650
3 persons	$69,800	$55,350	$48,860	$41,880	$34,900	$27,920	$20,950
4 persons	$77,600	$61,500	$54,320	$46,560	$38,800	$31,040	$23,300
5 persons	$83,800	$66,400	$58,660	$50,280	$41,900	$33,520	$25,150
6 persons	$90,000	$71,350	$63,000	$54,000	$45,000	$36,000	$27,050
7 persons	$96,200	$76,250	$67,340	$57,720	$48,100	$38,480	$28,900
8 persons	$102,400	$81,200	$71,680	$61,440	$51,200	$40,960	$30,750

EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION BOARD - The report says there are 4 vacancies, I've lost track, but I think its only one. With childcare expenses rising and low-income people facing more and more challenges when it comes to childcare, this committee is more important than ever.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION - Technically, there are 5 vacancies, but I think in reality there is only 1 or 2. What's absurd about these are that Tom Still's,Mark Bugher's and Noel Radomski's seats are still open. Just another sign that the commitment to economic development doesn't seem to be there. If you're at all interested, please think about applying. With the economy the way it is, good jobs in this community are essential.

ENVIRONMENT, COMMISSION ON THE

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMISSION - Technically 6 vacancies show up - I think there are at least 3. Again, some have been vacant for ridiculous periods of time, with people willing to serve, but the Mayor refusing to appoint them. Yet again, its a sad commentary on the commitment to EOC issues.

GARDENS, COMMITTEE ON COMMUNITY

HEATING & ELECTRICAL LICENSING COM. (Subcom. of Bldg/Fire Code/License - need a licensed electrical contractor

HOUSING COMMITTEE - I believe we have two vacancies. The committee is heavily dominated by developers and landlords, it would be good to get some tenant and affordable housing advocates on the committee.

MADISON ELECTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE

PARKING COUNCIL FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES - 2 openings

POLICE AND FIRE COMMISSION

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND ENERGY COMMITTEE - It looks like there are two alternate positions available.

TRANSIT AND PARKING COMMISSION - I believe there is an alternate position available here, and someone willing to serve, with experience, that the Mayor refuses to appoint.

URBAN DESIGN COMMISSION - need to be a registered architect for this position

VENDING OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

WATER UTILITY BOARD

ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS

Not sure what to say about this one . . . no one really knows if they are open or if the Mayor is reappointing these two people.
CAPITAL AREA REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION (CARPC)
MAYOR'S APPOINTEE

04/01/2008
George R. Kamperschroer
FIRST APPOINTED 07/03/2007

MAYOR'S APPOINTEE 04/01/2008
Anne N. Sayers
FIRST APPOINTED 08/07/2007

COMMUNITY ACTION COALITION FOR SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN, INC.

MADISON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

AIR QUALITY SUBCOMMITTEE TO THE COMMISSION ON THE ENVIRONMENT

DISABLED PARKING ENFORCEMENT ASSISTANCE COUNCIL

EOC EMPLOYMENT COMMITTEE (Subcommittee of EOC)

INCLUSIONARY ZONING ADVISORY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE - this vacancy is over a year old.

JOINT SOUTHEAST CAMPUS AREA COMMITTEE - need to be a member of the State St - Langdon Neighborhood Association

JOINT WEST CAMPUS AREA COMMITTEE

LONG RANGE METRO TRANSIT PLANNING AD HOC COMMITTEE - I think this committee is done with its work, but I'm not sure.

NEIGHBORHOOD SUPPORT OFFICE, ADV COM TO GUIDE DEVELOPMENT/IMPLEMENTATION - Looks like they needs someone
from an area where there is no neighborhood association and a resident from a rental housing neighborhood

NORTHPORT-WARNER PARK-SHERMAN NEIGHBORHOOD STEERING COMMITTEE

SWIMMING POOL COMMITTEE, AD HOC

TAX INCREMENTAL FINANCING POLICY AD HOC COMMITTEE - Needs a neighborhood representative, but the work is almost done . . .

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