I think the biggest question they have that needs an answer is about the well – if people are going to be doing laundry and taking showers and using restrooms at an increased volume, how will that affect the well? They will be meeting tonight at 5:30 (burr Oaks) and 7:00 (Arboretum) to get answers. Well, to ask questions, not sure they will get answers.
Questions posed by Burr Oaks Neighborhood (Sup. Sheila Stubbs)
“Does the county have a plan to enforce the additional 50 persons that may be traveling down Badger Road from the South Transfer Point?”
“How many homeless people do you expect will be taking utilizing the South Transfer Point?”
“Will security be hired to monitor the park across the street from Porchlight?”
“If a disturbance occur, will MPD be notified as well as the Town of Madison? What is the safety plan”
“Why was South Madison selected as a site and not downtown?”
“What is the county’s plan to protect our kids that are attending Lincoln Elementary School and Wright Middle School?”
“Please explain the required zoning plan?”
“Will the county absorb the water bill because of the Town well?”
Questions posed by Arboretum Neighborhood Association (Leslie Ladd, neighborhood association secretary)
** Compare the Hospitality House plan and the new proposed Day Resource Center in a side-by-side comparison so that it can be seen clearly how the two models compare and how they will be different from one another. What kind of services will be available at the new facility that are not available now? How many staff will be working there? Are they all part of Shine 608? What exactly is Shine 608 and why were they chosen to run this? What will be the name of this new Center?What is the square footage (before and after remodeling)?
** What is the mission statement (the goals) of the Center? How will you measure success (or failure) of this program?
How will users be chosen to use this facility or is it open to anyone/everyone? (Will users be “screened”?)
**We need a short course on homelessness….who are these 777 identified homeless folks in Madison? Where do they come from? How are their varied issues being addressed at present? Where exactly DO most of the homeless folks sleep at night? eat? use restroom facilities or showers??
** Is there a long-range comprehensive plan for addressing homelessness in our community? What is the long range plan for this facility? (Is it foreseen that it will expand in the future?)
** What has Madison learned from other communities that have set up successful programs for the homeless (i.e. Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Calgary)? Have Dane County officials actually met with people who run these programs?
** How has the homeless community been involved in decision-making around this and other service issues?
** How is the Resource Center funded? How are the ongoing expenses (utilities, food, staff, maintenance and repairs, etc.) paid?
** What are the plans for remodeling and what is the timeline for that to be completed? During remodeling, what will happen to services that are currently going on at Hospitality House? Are there places for taking naps? Where will meals be served? (lunch?) What are parking plans?
** What will be the hours of operation? When will clients be expected to arrive and to leave? Will this facility (1490 Martin St.) be considered their permanent address?
** Will clients be accountable to the Center for their comings and goings? Will everyone be accounted for at the end of the day? Will there be a check-in and check-out system?
** Water issues are a potential problem since the facility will be sharing a community well with neighborhood residents. What is the plan to address this increased use? (washing machines, showers) Has the water co-op board been consulted about whether or not we have enough water pressure to accommodate the Resource Center while meeting the neighborhood’s needs?
** Since folks traveling to the new facility will be using public transportation that in some cases may stop on Park Street, there is concern about their transit route from there which presumably could be along the railway tracks since that is a shortcut between Park and Fish Hatchery. Burr Oaks residents along Badger Road (another pedestrian route) have in the past experienced incidents involving panhandling, loitering, urinating in the bushes, littering, and newspaper theft and have concerns that there may be an increase in such incidents. What should they do if they see such behavior?
** There are many businesses near the South Transfer Point Station on Park Street where there may be increased activity. Are they aware of the proposed changes because of the new facility on Martin Street?
** There have been numerous reports of homeless people sleeping in wooded areas of the Arboretum (and associated litter) and residents do not want to see this continue. How will this problem be addressed? (Note: Many residents are concerned about this issue especially now that the weather is getting warmer and there will be a temptation to not take transportation back downtown and instead choose to sleep outdoors in the woods.)
** Will the new facility be a non-smoking one? If so, where will smokers go?
** Will users of the new facility have responsibilities there such as inside housekeeping, outside maintenance such as snow shoveling, planting flowers, etc?
** We Arboretum and Burr Oaks neighbors want to be Good Neighbors. Please tell us how we can help you have a successful program. What do you want us to do and NOT do. If we see something that is disturbing to us (lewd behavior, drunkenness, etc.), who do we report it to — Shine 608 staff or the Town of Madison Police?
** There were reported to be 26 calls made to the Town of Madison police last year involving Hospitality House users. How will the police be involved in “issue-prevention”?
** What are the expected behavior standards for the newfacility? Would users be banned from entering for certain reasons or behaviors? Will there be a security presence at the Center?
** It is known that many homeless people have serious mental health issues. What plans are in place to address this?
** What is the next step in acquiring this property? After the Board of Supervisors votes on purchasing May 15, then what happens? Can we attend that meeting and will we be able to speak in opposition or support?
** We would like a representative from our neighborhood (or ANA) to meet with Shine608 on a periodic basis to discuss issues or concerns.
** Since the Arboretum itself is administered by U.W., to what extent has the U.W.(or Arboretum officials) been involved in the planning process of the Center?
** Is it known whether or not sexual offenders or pedophiles will be using this facility? Would they be in the Registry? (concern of parents of small children in the neighborhood)
** The park across the street from the facility is used widely by neighborhood families. Will there be any “rules” about its use by the folks using the Center?
** We would like a brief history of the process that led the county to select the Martin St. site. What other efforts were made to secure meet the need for a Resource Center? Why would this site be chosen which is so far away from where downtown where most homeless spend the night?
** Can we tour the facility and meet the staff and clients at some point?
** Crossing Fish Hatchery Road (to get to the bus stop) during busy commute times can be dangerous. There is no traffic signal there …..what plans are there for addressing this safety issue?
