Last weeks local government news – check to make sure you didn’t miss something of interest!
City of Madison
Cap Times – Take a look at the contemporary designs for Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison’s proposed expansion. “When many people think “casino,” a certain aesthetic comes mind, said Peter Tan, executive vice president at Strang, a Madison architecture, engineering and interior design firm. That aesthetic probably includes southwestern elements, he said. But Strang’s designs for a proposed expansion of the Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison casino, went in a different direction, using abstract, contemporary tributes to Ho-Chunk culture.”
Cap Times – Judge Doyle Square parking garage could open by October “Madison hopes to open a new underground municipal parking garage for downtown visitors and commuters by October, according to Project Manager George Austin. The 560-stall parking garage, which will replace the Government East Garage at the corner of East Doty and South Pinckney streets, will be the first completed element of the Judge Doyle Square redevelopment project that encompasses two blocks currently holding the Madison Municipal Building and Government East.”
Wisconsin State Journal – New museum, private development will appear as different buildings “Under the current scenario, the Historical Society, Hovde Properties and landowner Fred Mohs would demolish the existing museum and all other buildings on the block bounded by North Carroll, West Mifflin and North Fairchild streets and West Washington Avenue, except for Grace Episcopal Church and the historic Hovde building. Hovde and Mohs own eight of nine buildings — but not the Silver Dollar Tavern — around the existing museum and are working with the society to maximize the site’s potential. The partnership allows the museum to expand horizontally, a preference for modern facilities.”
Wisconsin State Journal – Heroin overdoses in Madison down this year, but death up slightly “Madison had 63 heroin overdoses from January to April, compared to 79 during the same period last year, Police Chief Mike Koval said Saturday. Ten people have died from heroin overdoses in the city through April this year — seven men and three women — compared to nine in the same period last year, Koval said in his blog.” (I so wish we could have reporters that were more savvy with statistics when writing policing stories . . . .)
Wisconsin State Journal – Blocked from annual meeting, MGE shareholder group puts climate question to community “Rebuffed by the corporate board, a group of Madison Gas & Electric shareholders is holding its own referendum on a plan for carbon-free energy. The group Shareholders for Clean Energy launched an online survey Monday on the eve of MGE’s annual shareholder meeting and is asking Dane County residents whether the utility should draft a public report describing how it can transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050 while providing “a secure, low-cost energy future.””
Wisconsin State Journal – Spring yard waste collecting is over in Madison, don’t put it on the curb “Still raking in Madison? If so, don’t put the leaves and yard waste on the curb, because the city has finished picking up piles as of Friday. The Streets Division said residents who still have yard waste to dispose of should take the material to one of three city drop-off sites.”
Wisconsin State Journal – City Council opens door for new member to be added to police review committee “The panel has shrunk over the past three years — including after its former chairman, now-Ald. Christian Albouras, District 20, stopped coming to meetings because of his new political position — and has had to cancel some meetings because not enough members were present to make a quorum. To help the committee finish its work effectively, the council voted to decrease its total number of members so it could more easily meet quorum. The council initially was looking to decrease the number of members from 15 to 12. At its meeting Tuesday, council members voted 13-7 to decrease the number of members to 13 instead, which leaves one seat open.” . . . “City Council President Shiva Bidar said she thought it would send a “chilling message” not to add someone to the committee after he had been working alongside the committee for three years. But Ald. Barbara Harrington-McKinney, District 1, said after the meeting that Gelembiuk has been “anti-police” since the start of the committee’s work. She said adding him now would put the committee’s final report at risk.”
Channel3000.com – Madison shows first draft for new Bus Rapid Transit line “New BRT-only lanes would start at East Towne Mall, come down East Washington Avenue and hit Madison College before getting downtown. Then, the city isn’t sure which way the buses will take around the Capitol — either the square, or one of the other roads around it. University Avenue will take you to the west side, where the route weaves down Segoe Road, Sheboygan Avenue and Whitney Way.”
Cap Times – Madison City Council signals intention to continue to work with Dane County on road projects. “Rhodes-Conway said she and Parisi have a conceptual agreement and willingness to work together on the estimated $7.5 million reconstruction of Cottage Grove Road. “I’m hoping we are sort of resetting the relationship and trying to approach it from a more collegial perspective and asking some of the bigger questions first rather than the specifics about each road,” Rhodes-Conway said.”
Cap Times – Park Street support housing project for formerly homeless adults fell through. Now what? “The city awarded the project about $2 million from its Affordable Housing Fund, but that money was contingent on the developer receiving land use approvals. Since Heartland has now withdrawn from the land use approval process, that money will be returned to the AHF and used for future projects, minus the $640,000 the city used to purchase the property in 2017.”
Cap Times – Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway names Nan Fey interim planning director “Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway is appointing former Plan Commission chair Nan Fey to serve as interim director of the Planning, Community & Economic Development department until the city finds a replacement for recently retired Natalie Erdman.”
Channel3000.com – Smart Parking meters now available citywide in Madison “The city’s parking division recently installed more than 650 smart meters, eliminating all coin-only meters in Madison, according to a news release by the city. The project follows a one-year trial featuring 46 smart meters, which replace the city’s on-street coin-only meters. Smart meters are able to accept payment by credit and debit cards in addition to coins. A pay-by-cell option will not be immediately available for the single space meters, but the parking division hopes to expand pay-by-cell.”
Channel3000.com – How rent increases in Madison could impact your wallet. “Madison rents have increased half a percent over the past month and are up slightly by 1.5-percent compared to this time last year. Madison is still not seeing the growth some larger cities across the country are experiencing.”
Cap Times – City fair housing report: Typical black households have limited apartment options “According to a draft report from the Madison Community Development Division, a typical black household in the city is far more limited than a white household in where it can generally afford to rent an apartment. And affordable housing options for black households actually decreased over the last few years, said Linette Rhodes, the city’s interim community development supervisor.”
Dane County
WMTV – Dane Co. buys large farm to help combat flooding “The farmland is adjacent to the Pheasant Branch Conservancy in Middleton and will eventually become a part of it. Parisi said the land cost around $10 million and will be converted to a prairie to help with run-off into the lakes and to stay ahead of future flooding. He said the land will prevent flow of around 2.6 million gallons of rainwater each year into Lake Mendota.”
Wisconsin State Journal – Dane County to buy 160 acres of land to expand Pheasant Branch Conservatory “The county will buy the Acker family farm in the town of Springfield, pending approval from the County Board, for nearly $10 million, County Executive Joe Parisi announced Thursday. Parisi called it the largest property acquisition for conservation in the county’s history.”
Note: See the difference in the way the two news outlets reported this story. Done deal? Or not?
Madison 365 – County Board Plan for 202 Census and 2021 Redistricting ““As the fastest growing county in the state of Wisconsin, it is critical that every resident is counted, and that they are fairly represented when new maps are drawn in 2021,” said County Board Chair Sharon Corrigan (District 26) in a statement. “I’m proud of the thoughtfulness and planning that Dane County has put into place to make both processes transparent and as accurate as possible”. In 2014 Dane County voters overwhelmingly approved an advisory referendum to establish impartial, nonpartisan redistricting. The County Board then established a subcommittee to make recommendations for how to conduct the next mapping process. ”
Know Your Candidates Podcast – David Ahrens
Waunakee Tribune – Passive recreation envisioned for O’Malley property “The announcement last week of Dane County’s contribution toward a parkland purchase in the Town of Westport followed a long anticipated plan for preservation just west of Waunakee. The O’Malley property purchase, just shy of 84 acres, will protect the wetlands there and provide a passive recreation area for local residents.”
Madison Metropolitan School District
Cap Times – Explained: How will the Madison School District find its next superintendent? “The process a district goes through to find a new superintendent varies tremendously across individual school districts, according to former MMSD Superintendent Art Rainwater. In some rural districts, a board can conduct the search itself by soliciting applications or receive help from the Wisconsin Association of School Boards. In urban districts like Madison, however, it’s much more common for boards to hire a consulting firm to conduct the search.”
Madison Commons – School board members want a new leader to build on Cheatham’s strategic framework for MMSD. ““I was definitely surprised by Jen’s announcement,” said Ananda Mirelli, who was among the new school board members sworn in at the April 29th meeting. “But this is a good opportunity for the school board and the community to re-think and recalibrate what type of leader we want.””
Cap Times – Madison School Board pushes back timeline for hiring interim superintendent to June “The Madison School Board agreed during a special session on Monday to aim to hire an interim superintendent sometime between June 1 and July 1. That hiring timeline pushes back a goal School Board President Mary Burke stated last week that would have had the board hiring an interim superintendent by the end of May. The interim hire would take over at the beginning of the 2019-20 school year, filling in a position set to be vacant after current Superintendent Jennifer Cheatham steps down from her post to take a faculty position at Harvard University next fall.”
Isthmus – A rotten year. “A lot people in Madison are wondering what the hell is happening in our schools. Even Superintendent Jennifer Cheatham has called it a “trying year.””
Isthmus – Cheatham’s report card “Teachers are afraid to go on the record criticizing Cheatham, even as she leaves. They cite her top-down leadership style, a culture of fear, increasing pressure to do more with less, and, above all, the feeling that Cheatham has not had their backs in making what she describes as “transformational change” in the Madison public schools.”
Wisconsin State Journal – Trace amounts of PFAS found in 4 more Madison wells; now found in 10 of 19 wells “The levels of PFAS detected in Madison wells are not considered a health threat, but Madison Water Utility water quality manager Joe Grande said it’s better to know what’s in the water than not.”
Other
Channel3000.com – Sun Prairie seeks community input on redevelopment of 2018 explosion site “The city shared a link to a survey on its Facebook page. The goal of the survey is to gather community input on how the area should be redeveloped. Dubbed the Sun Prairie Stronger Plan, the redevelopment aims to reflect many voices, including those of residents, property owners and business owners.”
WMTV – Eighteen students suspended after May 9 fights at Verona Area High School “Eighteen students have been suspended after the May 9 fights at Verona Area High School, according to the district’s public information officer, Kelly Kloepping. That number includes those students involved in the fights as well as those who used social media to “incite further disturbances.” The length of the suspensions varied from one day to the remainder of the school year with potential for the carry-over into next school year.”
Channel3000.com – Proposal in city of Janesville would allow homeless people to sleep in their cars at Palmer Park. “Darr said the city then worked to create focus groups of some of the city’s nonprofits that work with the homeless population, including ECHO, House of Mercy and the YWCA. “They found there was an underlying issue with the services providers where people don’t have housing, but they do have a vehicle,” Darr said. “Right now, our ordinance prevents people from parking overnight and sleeping in their vehicle on any sort of public property.””
Cap Times – Madison gym teacher faces charge of reckless child abuse after door hits student, says complaint “An attorney representing the teacher, who had planned to retire at the end of this school year, said the incident was an accident. . . . The student told a Dane County Health Services worker that on April 1, his gym teacher, Christopher Rumbelow, assigned him to a small group with a student who is mean to him. After stating that he did not want to be in the same group, the student left class and walked around the hallway before returning to the gym and standing in the doorway with the door closed, according to the complaint.”
